Questions About Persecution
Bible Studies on Persecution
Encouragement in Persecution
Paul opens his second letter to Thessalonica by thanking God for their growing faith and love, offering comfort amid persecution, and affirming that G...
5 min readJesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
Jesus commissions His twelve apostles with authority and instructions for their mission. He warns of persecution, calls for fearless witness, and teac...
8 min readThe Work of the Spirit and Sorrow Turned to Joy
Jesus prepares His disciples for persecution and promises that the Spirit will convict the world and guide them into all truth. Though sorrow will com...
7 min readGodlessness in the Last Days
Paul warns of terrible times characterized by self-love and false religion, points to his own example of persecution endured, and reminds Timothy that...
5 min readAnanias and Sapphira and Growing Opposition
Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit about their gift and face sudden judgment. The apostles perform many signs and wonders. They are arrested ...
7 min readDeliver Me from My Enemies
Written when Saul sent men to watch David's house to kill him, this psalm cries out for rescue from those who lie in wait. David's distress becomes a ...
6 min readPhilip and the Ethiopian
Persecution scatters the church, but the gospel spreads. Philip preaches in Samaria with great results. Simon the magician believes but is rebuked for...
8 min readThe Widow's Offering and Signs of the End
Jesus commends a poor widow who gives all she has. He prophesies the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, warning of wars, earthquakes, persecutio...
7 min readLet God Arise
A majestic celebration of God as warrior, provider, and king. This extended psalm traces God's journey from Sinai to Zion, defeating enemies and carin...
7 min readHow Long, Lord? Will You Be Angry Forever?
A communal lament over Jerusalem's destruction, crying out for help against enemies who have defiled God's temple and slaughtered His people. The psal...
5 min readLord of the Sabbath and the Sermon on the Plain
Jesus declares Himself Lord of the Sabbath and chooses His twelve apostles. In the Sermon on the Plain, He teaches the Beatitudes and calls His follow...
7 min readTimothy's Encouraging Report
Paul expresses his deep concern for the Thessalonians' faith and his joy upon receiving Timothy's positive report about their steadfastness amid perse...
5 min readThe Olivet Discourse: Signs of the End
Jesus predicts the temple's destruction and describes signs preceding His return—wars, earthquakes, persecution, the abomination of desolation, and ...
7 min readPaul's Ministry Among Them
Paul recalls his ministry in Thessalonica—bold despite opposition, gentle like a nursing mother, encouraging like a father. He thanks God that they ...
5 min readPeter's Miraculous Escape
Herod kills James and imprisons Peter, but the church prays earnestly. An angel frees Peter in a miraculous escape, while Herod's pride leads to his d...
5 min readContend, O LORD, with Those Who Contend
David calls on God to fight his battles, describing ruthless enemies who repay good with evil, and asking for vindication and the silencing of false a...
8 min readDo Not Keep Silent, O God
Asaph prays against a coalition of nations conspiring to destroy Israel. The psalm calls for God to act as He did in ancient victories, bringing judgm...
6 min readThe Lord Said to My Lord
Psalm 110 is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament, revealing the Messiah as both eternal King and eternal Priest who will reign victoriously.
5 min readThe Two Witnesses
John measures the temple while two witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days. When they finish, the beast kills them; after three and a half days, they rise a...
6 min readA Prayer of the Vindicated
David calls on God to hear his righteous cause, protect him from deadly enemies, and demonstrate that his hope in God is not misplaced.
6 min readDaniel in the Lions' Den
Jealous officials trick Darius into making a law that bans prayer to anyone except the king. Daniel continues praying openly to God. He is thrown into...
6 min readSave Me, O God, for the Waters Have Come Up to My Neck
One of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament, this extended lament describes overwhelming suffering while maintaining hope in God's salvation. I...
7 min readAwake, My Glory!
Psalm 108 combines confidence in God's faithfulness with a cry for victory over enemies, expressing steadfast trust that God will give triumph.
5 min readThe Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Jesus delivers the greatest sermon ever preached, beginning with the Beatitudes that overturn worldly values. He describes the character of Kingdom ci...
5 min readGod My Shield
David cries out to God when surrounded by enemies during Absalom's rebellion, yet finds peace knowing that the LORD is his shield, sustainer, and salv...
5 min readOne Sacrifice for All Time
The law's repeated sacrifices could never perfect worshipers, but Christ's single offering has perfected forever those being sanctified. This reality ...
8 min readPaul's First Missionary Journey Begins
The Holy Spirit sends Barnabas and Saul from Antioch, launching the Gentile mission. They proclaim Christ in Cyprus and Pisidian Antioch, facing both ...
5 min readIt Is Good to Praise the Lord
A Sabbath song celebrating the goodness of praising God. The psalmist contrasts the temporary flourishing of the wicked with the lasting vitality of t...
5 min readManasseh and Amon: Judah's Worst Kings
Manasseh's fifty-five-year reign undoes Hezekiah's reforms completely. He rebuilds high places, erects Baal altars in the temple, practices child sacr...
5 min readWhen I Am Afraid, I Trust
Written when Philistines seized David in Gath, this psalm demonstrates how to respond to fear with faith. It contains the memorable declaration: "When...
6 min readBear One Another's Burdens
Paul gives practical instructions: restore the fallen gently, bear one another's burdens, and do not grow weary in doing good. A person reaps what the...
5 min readThe Woman, the Dragon, and the Child
A pregnant woman clothed with the sun faces a great red dragon waiting to devour her child. The child is caught up to God's throne; the woman flees to...
6 min readIf My People Would Only Listen
A festival psalm with God Himself speaking, calling Israel to listen and obey. The contrast between what God offers and what Israel forfeits through s...
5 min readPaul's Defense Before Agrippa
Paul delivers his most eloquent defense, recounting his conversion and mission. Agrippa is almost persuaded, but Paul remains in chains—bound for Ro...
5 min readDavid Among the Philistines
Despairing of safety in Israel, David takes his six hundred men to serve Achish king of Gath, receiving the town of Ziklag while secretly raiding Isra...
4 min readA Prayer for Deliverance
David's brief but powerful cry for help when the Ziphites betrayed his hiding place to Saul. This concise psalm moves swiftly from desperate plea to c...
5 min readThe Final Plague Announced
Exodus 11 announces the climactic tenth plague—the death of Egypt's firstborn—setting the stage for Israel's release and the establishment of the ...
4 min readA Song of Deliverance
David celebrates God's dramatic rescue from all his enemies, describing God's cosmic intervention and praising Him as rock, fortress, deliverer, and t...
8 min readThe LORD's Vineyard Redeemed
God slays Leviathan and tends His vineyard with care. Israel will blossom and fill the world with fruit. Though scattered, they will be gathered at th...
5 min readDeliver Me from Evil Men
Psalm 140 is David's urgent plea for protection from violent and scheming enemies who set traps and stir up conflict.
5 min readIn the Shadow of Your Wings
David's prayer from a cave while fleeing Saul, expressing trust despite danger. This psalm moves from desperate refuge-seeking to confident praise as ...
5 min readDavid's Song of Praise
David sings a song of thanksgiving for God's deliverance throughout his life. This psalm celebrates God as rock, fortress, deliverer, and rewarder of ...
5 min readThey Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
Psalm 129 recounts Israel's history of oppression and declares confidence that God will cut off those who hate Zion.
4 min readRestore Us, O God
A passionate plea for God to restore His people, using the imagery of Israel as God's vine. The refrain "Restore us, O God" cries out for His face to ...
6 min readAwake, Awake, O Zion
God calls His people to remember their heritage and take courage. The chapter proclaims comfort to the afflicted and announces the good news of salvat...
5 min read