Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord Jesus plainly teaches us that there is great reward in heaven for those who suffer persecution for their belief in Him. Many saints will be persecuted purely because of their walk as Christians in the midst of this wicked and perverse generation. Many will also be persecuted for their proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is important to note however that believers are never counselled to seek out this sort of persecution. In fact our Lord plainly taught us the exact opposite by telling us not to cast our pearls before swine lest they trample them underfoot, turn on us and tear us (Matthew 7:6). And so we need to be discerning as to where and when our Lord wants us to share His gospel message with others. I’m not talking about our walk as believers however, for we are to live our lives as Christians wherever we find ourselves. In other words we are to be living epistles, known and read by all men (2 Corinthians 3:2). But rather I am talking specifically about sharing the gospel message with others. Let me illustrate this point by means of an example. In the book of Acts we have the account of the apostle Paul and his ministry team seeking God’s guidance as to where He wanted them to preach the gospel, and there were two specific areas where they wanted to preach but the Holy Spirit forbade them from going there. The areas in question were Asia and Bithynia. Eventually God gave them guidance to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel, and so in obedience to God’s leading they went to the city of Philippi, one of the main cities of Macedonia. When they got there God opened the door for them to preach the gospel and numerous souls were added to the kingdom (Acts 16:6-12). But as we read earlier, it was also in that city that Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison for their preaching of the gospel. And so we can see that this sort of persecution will come our way if God allows it, even when we are in His perfect will. There can be no doubt however, that had Paul and his team gone into Asia and Bithynia to preach the gospel they would have experienced far worse persecution with no converts. And so we are not to seek this type of persecution, for it will come to those whom God deems worthy.
Revelation 6:9-11 “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (11) Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
And then finally we need to discuss the saints who are counted worthy of our Lord Jesus to be one of His faithful martyrs. In the passage of scripture quoted above we have clear evidence of the great value that God the Father places on the death of our Lord’s martyrs. This truth is displayed in the fact that the Lord’s martyrs are separated from the rest of His saints in heaven, for this passage reveals to us that each one of them are currently resting under the altar of the Almighty God. Clearly their reward on that day will be great indeed, and deservedly so.
Michael E.B. Maher
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