PERSECUTION

- Christ suffered Ps 69:26; Joh 5:16 - Christ voluntarily submitted to Isa 50:6 - Christ was patient under Isa 53:7 - Saints may expect Mr 10:30; Lu 21:12; Joh 15:20 - Saints suffer, for the sake of God Jer 15:15 - Of saints, is a persecution of Christ Zec 2:8; Ac 9:4,5 - All that live godly in Christ, shall suffer 2Ti 3:12 - ORIGINATES . Ignorance of God and Christ Joh 16:3 . Hated to God and Christ Joh 15:20,24 . Hatred to the gospel Mt 13:21 . Pride Ps 10:2 . Mistaken zeal Ac 13:50; 26:9-11 - Is inconsistent with the spirit of the gospel Mt 26:52 - Men by nature addicted to Ga 4:29 - Preacher of the gospel subject to Ga 5:11 - Is sometimes to death Ac 22:4 - God forsakes not his saints under 2Co 4:9 - God delivers out of Da 3:25,28; 2Co 1:10; 2Ti 3:11 - Cannot separated from Christ Ro 8:35 - Lawful means may be used to escape Mt 2:13; 10:23; 12:14,15 - SAINTS SUFFERING, SHOULD . Commit themselves to God 1Pe 4:19 . Exhibit patience 1Co 4:12 . Rejoice Mt 5:12; 1Pe 4:13 . Glorify God 1Pe 4:16 . Pray for deliverance Ps 7:1; 119:86 . Pray for those who inflict Mt 5:44 . Return blessing for Ro 12:14 - The hope of future blessedness supports under 1Co 15:19,32; Heb 10:34,35 - Blessedness of enduring, for Christ's sake Mt 5:10; Lu 6:22 - Pray for those suffering 2Th 3:2 - Hypocrites cannot endure Mt 4:17 - False teachers shrink from Ga 6:12 - THE WICKED . Addicted to Ps 10:2; 69:26 . Active in Ps 143:3; La 4:19 . Encourage each other in Ps 71:11 . Rejoice in its success Ps 13:4; Re 11:10 . Punishment for Ps 7:13; 2Th 1:6 . Illustrated Mt 21:33-39 - Spirit of-Exemplified . Pharaoh Ex 1:8-14 . Saul 1Sa 26:18 . Jezebel 1Ki 19:2 . Zedekiah Jer 38:4-6 . Chaldeans Da 3:8-30 . Pharisees Mt 12:14 . Jews Joh 5:16; 1Th 2:15 . Herod Ac 12:1 . Gentiles Ac 14:5 . Paul Php 3:6; 1Ti 1:13 - Suffering of-Exemplified . Micaiah 1Ki 22:27 . David Ps 119:161 . Jeremiah Jer 32:2 . Daniel Da 6:5-17 . Peter Ac 4:3 . Apostles Ac 5:18 . The Prophets Ac 7:52 . The Church Ac 8:1 . Paul and Barnabas Ac 13:50 . Paul and Silas Ac 16:23 . Hebrews Heb 10:33 . Saints of old Heb 11:36

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Persecution. Persecution
The first great persecution for religious opinion of which we have any record was that which broke out against the worshippers of God among the Jews in the days of Ahab, when that king, at the instigation of his wife Jezebel, “a woman in whom, with the reckless and licentious habits of an Oriental queen, were united the fiercest and sternest qualities inherent in the old Semitic race”, sought in the most relentless manner to extirpate the worship of Jehovah and substitute in its place the worship of Ashtoreth and Baal. Ahab’s example in this respect was followed by Manasseh, who “shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (2 Kings 21:16; comp. 24:4). In all ages, in one form or another, the people of God have had to suffer persecution. In its earliest history the Christian church passed through many bloody persecutions. Of subsequent centuries in our own and in other lands the same sad record may be made.

Christians are forbidden to seek the propagation of the gospel by force (Matt. 7:1; Luke 9:54-56; Rom. 14:4; James 4:11, 12). The words of Ps. 7:13, “He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors,” ought rather to be, as in the Revised Version, “He maketh his arrows fiery [shafts].”

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PERSECUTION. → OF JESUS Ge 3:15; Ps 2:1-5; 22:1,2,6-8,11-21; 69:1-21; 109:25; Isa 49:7; 50:6; 52:14; 53:2-5,7-10; Mic 5:1; Mt 2:13; 11:19; 12:14,24; 16:1; 20:22; 22:15; 26:3,4,14-16,59,67; 27:25-30,39-44; Mr 3:6,21,22; 11:18; 12:13; 14:1,48,65; 15:14,34; 16:17; Lu 4:28,29; 6:11; 7:34; 11:15,53,54; 12:50; 13:31; 19:14,47; 20:20; 22:2-5,52,53,63-65; 23:11,23; Joh 5:16; 7:1,7,19,20,30,32; 8:37,40,48,52,59; 10:20,31,39; 11:57; 14:30; 15:18,20,21,24,25; 18:22,23,29,30; 19:6,15; Ac 2:23; 3:13-15; 4:27; 7:52; 13:27-29; Heb 12:2,3; 1Pe 4:1 → OF THE RIGHTEOUS Ge 49:23; Job 1:9; 2:4,5; 12:4,5; Ps 11:2; 37:32; 38:20; 42:3,10; 44:15-18,22; 56:5; 69:10,12; 74:7,8; 94:5; 119:51,61,69,78,85-87,95,110,157,161; Pr 29:10,27; Isa 26:20; 29:20,21; 51:12,13; 59:15; Jer 2:30; 11:19; 15:10; 18:18; 20:7,8; 26:11-14; 50:7; Am 5:10; Hab 1:13; Mt 5:10-12,44; 10:16-18,21-23,28; 20:22,23; 23:34,35; 24:8-10; Mr 9:42; 13:9,11-13; Lu 6:22,23,26; 17:33; 21:12-19; Joh 12:42; 15:18,19; 16:1,2; 17:14; Ac 4:16-20; 5:29,40-42; 7:52; 8:4; 28:22; Ro 8:17,35-37; 1Co 4:9-13; 13:3; 2Co 4:8-12; 6:4,5,8-10; 11:23-27; 12:10; Ga 4:29; 6:12,17; Php 1:12-14,28,29; Col 1:24; 1Th 1:6; 2:2,14,15; 2Th 1:4; 2Ti 1:8,12; 2:9-12; 3:2,3,12; 4:16,17; Heb 10:32-34; 11:25-27,33-38; 12:3,4; 13:13; Jas 2:6; 5:6,10; 1Pe 3:14,16,17; 4:3,4,12-14,16,19; 1Jo 3:1,13; Re 2:3,10,13; 6:9-11; 7:13-17; 12:11; 17:6; 20:4
* See PAUL
* A mode of divine chastisement La 1:3
* Diffuses the gospel Ac 8:1,4; 11:19-21; Php 1:12-14
* Deliverance from Ps 124; 129:1,2

→ INSTANCES OF
* Of Abel Ge 4:8; Mt 23:35; 1Jo 3:12
* Of Lot Ge 19:9
* Of Moses Ex 2:15; 17:4
* Of David Ps 31:13; 59:1,2
* Of prophets martyred by Jezebel 1Ki 18:4
* Of Gideon Jud 6:28-32
* Of Elijah 1Ki 18:10; 19; 2Ki 1:9; 2:23
* Of Micaiah 1Ki 22:26; 2Ch 18:26
* Of Elisha 2Ki 6:31
* Of Hanani 2Ch 16:10
* Of Zachariah 2Ch 24:21; Mt 23:35
* Of Job Job 13:4-13; 16:1-4; 17:2; 19:1-5; 30:1-10
* Of Jeremiah Jer 15:10,15; 17:15-18; 18:18-23; 26; 32:2; 33:1; 36:26; 37; 38:1-6
* Of Urijah Jer 26:23
* Of prophets Mt 21:35,36
* Of the three Hebrew young men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego) of the captivity Da 3:8-23
* Of Daniel Da 6
* Of the Jews Ezr 4; Ne 4
* Of John the Baptist Mt 14:3-12
* Of James Ac 12:2
* Of Simon Mr 15:21
* Of the disciples Joh 9:22,34; 20:19
* Of Lazarus Joh 12:10
* Of the apostles Ac 4:3-18; 5:18-42; 12:1-19; Re 1:9
* Of Stephen Ac 6:9-15; 7
* Of the ekklesia (body of Christ) Ac 8:1; 9:1-14; Ga 1:13
* Of Timothy Heb 13:23
* Of John Re 1:9
* Of Antipas Re 2:13
* Of the congregation at Smyrna Re 2:8-10

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persecution. Persecution, n. the act of persecuting, oppression

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Per′se‐cu″tion (?), n. [[F. persécution, L. persecutio.]] 1. 1. The act or practice of persecuting; especially, the infliction of loss, pain, or death for adherence to a particular creed or mode of worship.
Persecution produces no sincere conviction. Paley. 2. 2. The state or condition of being persecuted. Locke.
3. 3. A carrying on; prosecution.