Jesus knew that the motives of wars, the reasons for riches, and the origin of all distresses are developed from the fierce forces which are determined to stop the coming of the kingdom of God and to destroy the peace of the faithful. All evil in our world is a transgression against the loving, merciful God. The evil one hates the Righteous One and his holy Son as well as all his followers. So do not be surprised if hell attacked you as long as you are a faithful servant of Christ.
Jesus shows you six waves of wicked attacks against you that you may get ready and not be surprised at all if your love was met with hatred and your testimony with a curse:
If your leading to Christ bore the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and you continued in grace in spite of the temptations of Satan, the devil’s supporters will try to imprison you in order that you may no be able to spread the kingdom any further. You may ask: "How could God let his servants fall into prisons? Is their imprisonment not a token that God is against them?" Not at all, for the apostle Paul arrested many in prisons, and wrote in the silence of the prison some of his epistles, which changed the world. Christ himself the Son of the living God was arrested by the Gentiles, and was imprisoned and tormented by them.
If you fled away, hid yourself, and held your peace from your testimony, Christ’s enemies will persecute you. So do not be deceived by the evil spirit, for he will smell you out wherever you go, and you will not be able to rescue him unless the Lord takes you under his wing. He often sends you to them that your life and sufferings may become a testimony of love against his adversaries.
Christ may honor you to bear witness to him before the courts of your country, where laws against the Spirit of Christ are in force. And then they will condemn you in the religious circles first, and deliver you to those in charge of the government, accusing you of weakening the national front. Consequently you will be sent to prison.
Your sufferings will be increased when you find out that the authority did not know you anytime before or mean to harm you except after some unrighteous brothers of your own community pointed out to you out of envy, spite, and retaliation for supposed insults. Even your own family members will not refrain from delivering you to the authority and persecution to wipe off their so-called shame, and to prosper in the society. They will spread false rumors about you that they may be justified by your judgment. So never be surprised, for this was exactly what Jesus and his apostles experienced.
If you died for the sake of Christ’s name, then be aware that he had already died for you, saved you, sanctified you, and recorded your name in the Book of Life. Your suffering martyrdom does not produce to you a higher rank in heaven, but the forgiveness of sins is your righteousness, and the love of God sanctifies and qualifies you to service.
There will come a time when the unchristian will hate and curse all the Christians who bear the name of their Lord. Many genius people will employ their minds to consume the Name of Names, our Lord Jesus. But he, who is secure in Christ, laughs at these useless attempts of the servants of Satan, for Christ is the Victor. He calls us to follow him through the Lamb of God with all lowliness, meekness, and love that we may participate in his triumph and realize it today.
If you stand fast in the Lord in the midst of the six waves of malice mentioned above, you will experience the following seven favors, privileges, and gifts in return:
You will know the true name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who had mercy on you, forgave you all your sins, raised you from the dead, and delivered you from Satan that you might become a child of God forever.
You will bear witness to this name by the power of the Lord, express the unique truth, and save many with your testimonies.
You will be secure in the presence of God, and he will establish your heart in grace.
Do not worry about what you will speak before the court and judges, but pray, believe, and thank God, for the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and leads you to truth in love, and to power in weakness, as the apostles experienced a thousand times. Christ himself will fill your mouth with God’s wisdom, which surpasses all understandings, and wins through against all oppositions. You will not be a prisoner of men, but a servant of the love of God who will speak in you even in chains.
All your enemies will feel God’s power in you, just as the Sanhedrin became marveled at the courage and wisdom in Peter and John though they were simple and uneducated. Yet they did not live for their own name, but glorified Jesus alone.
Not a hair will fall from your head without your heavenly Father’s will. As you stand for him in torment, he will suffer with you, with his eyes toward you, and his thoughts concentrated on you without end.
He will strengthen your heart with his patience, for all longsuffering is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith that you may guard your soul, which Jesus purified and purchased with his precious blood. Hold fast to the Savior, the source of faith, love, and hope that you may be free in chains, and live in the midst of death.