Wars and Persecution

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.  Luke 21:10–19

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Wars and Persecution
The gift of freedom that we enjoy in this country is never more than a generation away from being lost. And as we seem to be racing ever faster into a culture that neither respect nor tolerates God, it may come sooner than we expected. Yet as Christians we are never promised an easy life, full of sunshine and rainbows—just the opposite. The cross made on our heads and hearts at our Baptisms might have well been bullseyes for the devil. We are his primary target, and he is relentless. Jesus warns the disciples that they will endure various persecutions along with Jerusalem’s fall. Today, when put to the test, we cannot rely on our own strength, or the strength of any manmade institution to protect us, even the Temple fell. But Jesus does promise guidance in the persecutions we as His disciples will face. He is our strength in the midst of all trials. We can trust that our Lord will give us His wisdom to bear witness in every persecution and remain steadfast until our last hour.