The Highway Forums General Discussion Devotional Quotes Why must there be persecution?

2. There will be persecutions in regard of the enemies of the church.

These vultures prey upon God's doves.

The church has two sorts of enemies.

Open enemies. The wicked hate the godly. There is 'enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent' (Genesis 3:15). As in nature there is an antipathy between the elephant and the dragon; and as vultures have an antipathy against sweet smells; so in the wicked there is an antipathy against the people of God. They hate the sweet perfumes of their graces. It is true the saints have their infirmities—but the wicked do not hate them for these—but for their holiness, and from this hatred arises open violence. The thief hates the light, therefore would blow it out.

Secret enemies, who pretend friendship but secretly raise persecutions against the godly. Such are hypocrites and heretics. Paul calls them 'false brethren' (2 Corinthians 11:26). The church complains that her own sons had vexed her (Canticles 1:6). That is, those who had been bred up in her bosom and pretended religion and sympathy, these false friends vexed her. The church's enemies are those 'of her own house'. Such as are open pretenders, but secret opposers of the faith, are ever worst.

They are the vilest and basest of men, who hang forth Christ's colors—yet fight against him.

—Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes

There must be persecution because in God's wisdom it is better that the tares be left to grow along side the wheat. We live in the time of growth in the kingdom and we were told from the first that during this time the enemy would be present and active.


HEY ! 400 wooohooo

Too bad "400" wasn't either your IQ or your physical age. In either case, you'd be filthy rich!

Ha, Hitch you talk too much! LOL. OOPS! 2226.

The enemy is most certainly active. And, if it were not for the fact that the Lord Himself preserves the saints, we would surely be lost.

I reckon thats the whole point Chestnut. We have been set in the presence of a powerful enemy, on its turf, with all our inherent frailties and limited vision. It would not be so were I in charge, but we can live in the certainty we are exactly where God wants us. So it follows that ours is the best possible situation and the direct result of what our Lord accomplished on our behalf.

Amen Hitch.