WHEN GREAT PERSECUTION COMES, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

after Jesus died, the christians enjoyed peace in jerusalem for a while,,,,,,,,,then they stoned Stephen,,,,,,,,,great persecution broke out..........the Jews persecuted the chistians
the christians *********fled**********from jerusalem, spreading the Gospel as they fled
the apostles stayed in Jerusalem

God never criticized the christians for***fleeing****persecution


**********

when Paul was beaten, mugged, persecuted, driven out of a city,,,,,,,,,,,he would *********flee********to the next city

God never criticized Paul (or anyone else) for fleeing persecution.


*********

Paul never turned his-self into the govt (his persecuters).............he *********fled*********from the govt and persecuters


the govt uses guns and bombs to do their persecutions

christians (in the bible) never use guns , bombs, and swords

****************


Paul told us to obey the law
repect and honor the govt

the soldier/police/govt/caesar/president/judge/juror is God's instrument of righteousness, providing some law and order, peace.........so that we can live peacefuil, quiet lives, filled with good works

corrupt govt is better than no govt at all (which is anarchy)

**********

but Paul never told us to waste our lives and property ..........in a meaningless THROW YOURSELF TO THE LIONS

let's be good stewards of our lives and property

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Good post, VeryTruthful! Surely any even non/Christian would do so. (flee persecution)
Look overseas when this takes place with fighting and dictator control!

OK: But we are not in much persecution as Christians yet. So why have this a hobbie/horse subject today over & over before time?? (not this post, but others)

Your post here mentioned some names of Christ's choosen. Christ even had 12 special chosen ones sent, but they did not go [nameless], but stayed in His ex/Jerusalen. These ones were sent to the Matt. 10:5-38 LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL [FIRST].' Then came the NEW CHURCH & these lost ones persecuted the New Chirch that were required to flee.

SO: The Bottom/line message for today is that we once again have this New Church again called the Rev. 17:5 THE ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH, (By Christ's WORD!) and are still 'today' going all over the world making converts two/fold more the child of hell than themselves. Matt. 23:15

And where are the ones with NAMES (ministers & leadership) AT IN THIS FIRST REQUIRED WORK for TODAY of cleaning up the polluted churches which profess to be Christ's???? They are doing the above work of getting way ahead of the Masters Matt. 10:5-38's FIRST asignment! (Commandment) And one needs to remember that it was Christ's VERY OWN that did this first PERSECUTION!

So we see the very same REPEAT that the WORD OF GOD TELLS US OF in Eccl.1:9-10 & Eccl. 3:15. And so NO! the Ones that were to stay IN Jerusalem are cop/outs and have not even fled, for what would these ones be fleeing from???? Cleaning up the ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH CHURCH'S is something that they surely do not want any part of, huh! That IS CALLED THE SIN OF OMISSION! And that is one reason why we see the Rev. 17:5 prophecy in the FIRST PLACE. So in essence, all of these would be LEADERS + PREACHERS of these churches are in bottom/line hiding, from THE LORD'S REQUIRED 'FIRST' WORK! Compare 1 Peter 4:17 & 2 Thess. 2:1-3 with Rev. 18:4 forum)

--Elijah

when Stephen was murdered,,,,,,,the christians fled Jerusalem,,,,,,,,but the apostles STAYED in jerusalem.......Why?

perhaps,,,,,the apostles had enough SUPER-NATURAL POWER, PRESTIGE, NOTORIOUS FAME, NAME RECOGNITION, ETC..........that they could survive .........even thru the persecution

i don't know

Gen 35:5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

Deu 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

Job 31:23 For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

2Co 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.



sometimes, God puts a super-natural TERROR on His enemies

God is a terrorist



***********

but, God does NOT always provide a MIRACLE LIKE WE WANT.........some Saints have been ruined and murdered by the enemy:


Heb 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.


****************

the bottom line is:
we shall Trust God, no matter what!

God is our Joy!


Hab 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Hab 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

If you're in a position to flee it would be foolish to stick around....but not everyone will be in a position to do so, so if they are caught that person still has an opportunity to be a light among their captures....either way our responsibility is to continue to do what we should be doing slave or free.

Incidentally, the gospel is not limited to just telling people about Jesus, but includes letting people know that Jesus is a King, and He is coming back to this earth to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords, and those who believe the gospel and are baptized will rule with Him in His kingdom. The world needs to know not only that He died for their sins and rose again, but also that Jesus is Lord and King and that He is coming back to set up His kingdom on the earth.

That would be one powerless opinion of the flesh. No doubt there will be many who are impudent in faith that will agree. When you leave all that you have and go after Christ, like the gospel says, then you will not have any need to justify yourself in the flesh.

the reason paul and the others stayed in Jerusalem was simple this is where they needed to make an impact brake the strong holds over Jerusalem where the true gospel christ preached has its full effect

but the strong hold over Jerusalem is too strong to the point when the true gospel that christ preached reaches its shore the non believers reject what we have to say

right now in jerusalem a false gospel has been accepted not the true gospel christ preached the people in Jerusalem have accepted this false gospel which puzzles me but i see why they have accepted the false gospel if the true gospel had its full effect in Jerusalem you would not have the other false gods being accepted in gods holy city

a must book to have in your home is foxs book of martyrs by john fox this book tells you what happend to paul and the disciples its ful of history i have read it know 6 times and when ever i pick john foxs book of martyrs i am thanking god for these mighty men

jesus set the example they all obeyed


yes when stephen was murdered the christians fled Jerusalem those that had the ability and money behind them were able to flee but the ones who did not have the money or the right support to flee had to stay


i am noticing this also when it comes to poor countrys such as india the philippines uganda nigeria and my own country yugoslavia

we were lucky to escape the cold war my father had the money to get us out of yugoslavia if he did not have the money behind him my father with his wife and her parents and her brother would have never been able to have what we have know my dad talked to my mothers parents and her brother the reason the goverment in australia where calling out for skilled workers my father took the oppertunity he did not want to stay behind and fight sevral of his brother died we got news from home my dad sent support to his parents from australia $300 every week he would send them and they told him when they could send a letter out what was happening if he did not take the chance and decided to take the offer the australian goverment was offering skilled migrants

i would have been enlisted to join the croation army like my brother and i would have been trained like my brother who is a croation soldier and i would have had to fight just like all the croation boys and their fathers


when persecution comes and the ones who cant escape i feel for the ones who cant escape these people wil have to trust God and do what ever they can to prottect them selves the women and the children and the elderly folk who have no way of escaping

what hapend when the roman empire was in full swing to the early christians was barbaric




when the cold war broke out in yugoslavia snippers positioned them selves on roofs we did not know where the snipers where but they had a good view of our city no one was spared old men and old women where shot at random kids were even shot at random the serbians placed them selves in positions where they had the advantage my brother who decied to stay with my fathers parents was raised by his mother and father he does not know much about me or my half sister but he is slowly reaching out wanting to know me and i am wanting to get to know him he at first did not remember me when i sent him a picture of my self we look alike he is a good soldier he is a sniper and he has been trained well


god will not put us down or condem us if we have the know how to flee when persecution comes but jesus warns us in the gospel off matthew





Matthew 24 English standard version

16 Those who are in Judea flee to the mountains

17 Let the ones who are in the housetop not go down to take what is in his house

18 and let no one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak

19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days

20 pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath day

21 for then there will be great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now no and never will be

22 And if those days had not been cut short no human being would be saved But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short



look at the persecution that is happening in India? the hindus want to wipe out the christians in india christians in india are running from there homes they are living in make shift camps the police and army say their villages are safe to come back to but wil not do nothing to arrest the hindus that are creating this trouble or wil they use full force to show the hindus they mean buisness

i am hearing another village in india is having a meeting with the ones who have been persectuing the christians on how to rid the christians from their villages this village has christians living among the hindus and the hindus want them out of ther village due to the christians not wanting to convert back to their gods there parents worshiped


we who have it easy in our countrys where we can worship god freely would not be able to under stand the pain that our brothers and sisters are feeling know


a time is going to come where we who have not gone through what our brothers and sisters in india are going through know persecution will come and it wil be hindus and muslims living in our countrys who wil turn on us it will not be our own people it wil be people from other nations who worship false gods that will turn on us

this is what is happening in india the hindus are turning on the christians as they want ther gods they worship to be worshiped by al the indians they dont want a god who is forgiving loving compasionet being held in high regard they would rarther have a false god being honored who does not care for them or does not respond when they fal sick but they make offerings to these false gods right now the enemy has a strong hold over india we know what needs to happen the strong holds need to be broken then god can be honored in a world that worships false gods


their is one place in india were they worship the rats the rats have free reign in this temple the hidus give gifts to the rats and if you kill their rats they worship you are in big trouble



let what jesus has to say sink in

i am amazed how christians think we wil never go through what the disciples went through what paul went through what jesus experianced what the old prophets god used when he wanted to warn the people every old prophet god sent was killed by non believers who worshiped these false gods i would not have wanted to be a prophet back in the old testament times and i can see why not many take this roll on

i hear no no no no god wil not let this happen when jesus says we will suffer jesus does not say living the christian life is going to be easy or wil he send his angels to rescue us did he call out for his angels to come and help him when he was being tried did he call out to his dad and say i need some good angels to come to earth and kill the roman soldiers who are beating me with there barbaric weapons ?

jesus even rebuked peter for cutting of the soldiers ear to where jesus heals the soldier who had his ear cut off when jesus was arrested in the garden


if you are ever in a situation where persecution has come in to your country and you as a christian are being persecuted and you have a way to get out do it and while you are fleeing the persecuted country that is persecuting you help out a family that cant escape make sure you have enough funds for you and sevral familys dont just do the bolt knowing you have the ability to escape put some money away that can be used to help 11 familys and their kids also escape

i feel this is what god would expect

but for me i wil not run or wil i be a door mat i wil do what was done in the old days i cant see god punishing me for prottecting my own family i wil stand to my persecuters i wil make sure i have some good guard dogs trained to end a humans life

i was told of this guy who saved him self and the surviving members of a church that an army attacked he was a christian he had a choice to make die or do something and save him self and the surviving members he did what was normal and turned on the guys who wiped out the pastor and half his members he had a gun took the gun out of his bag and used it



Damo

The great persecution is already under way around the world...

2Co 11:33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

PAUL ESCAPED THROUGH A WINDOW,,,,,,,,he was let down in a basket

he did not use miracle-power to defend himself,,,,,,,,nor a gun-battle

Are you being persucted MMarc????

The Day of wrath. The day of intolerance. The day that grace ends will change everything. This is when the saints will protect the Sheep with fire from heaven and feed the sheep with manna from heaven and water the Sheep with water from the face of the rock also from heaven. There will be many foolish people who will bring guns and knives to a god fight during the great tribulation. Two thirds of the population of the earth will die. That's a lot of people over a three and a half year period.

North America is not persecuted, our tribulation has been of natural disasters and economic collapse.

I'm refering to everyone else on earth who are being persecuted for the faith, our martyred bros. and sis.
In China, India and all Muslims Nations.