“In your patience posses ye your souls.”
Luke 21:19 KJV
“In your endurance you will gain your lives.”
Luke 21:19 ESV
Luke 21 parallels Matthew 24 and Mark 14 concerning the destruction of the Temple and the coming of Lord. It is there the Lord answered the Apostles questions concerning the End Times. In His response we can see a dozen things that constitute persecutions of Christians (vv. 12–19).
(V. 12) But before all this they will
1. lay their hands on you and
2. persecute you,
3. delivering you up to the synagogues
4. and prisons, and you will be
5. brought before kings
6. and governors for my name’s sake.
(V. 16) You will be delivered up (“betrayed” in the KJV) even by
7. parents and
8. brothers and
9. relatives and
10. friends, and
11. some of you they will put to death. (17) You will be
12. hated by all for my name’s sake.
While the Lord articulates twelve specific persecutory actions, they fall under just two categories—”delivered up” (eleven actions) and “hated” (once).
Types of Persecutions of Christians
When it comes to our endurance, we need to recognize that, from these words of the Lord, one of two things will happen. Either we will be “delivered up” or we will be “hated.” Such knowledge should strengthen us in our race (see Hebrews 12:1).
The word delivered means to give; to deliver over or up to the power of someone. We who live in the US are not delivered over to the power of someone who overtly opposes the Gospel, like in some countries of the world. But we are delivered up to various authorities whether at work, school, family, or even church.
Therefore, these “persecutions” could challenge our endurance and make us want to surrender and/or quit the race.
While these “persecutions” will happen the majority of the time (remember, there were eleven instances of such in the Scripture) it could also be that we are simply hated—a word that usually implies active ill will in words and conduct; a persecuting spirit.
So, the challenges to our endurance will either be an obvious “coming under” of an authority that tests our witness or an environment of ill will by those who hate the fact that we are the servants of Jesus.
