Two thousand years ago, shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the persecution of Christians officially began. Many were murdered, tortured, stripped of their possessions, imprisoned, or exiled. The least severe experience they faced was social discrimination in a ruthless and stubborn society.
Persecution by the Roman Empire continued intermittently under the reigns of Nero, Domitian, Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian. This persecution lasted nearly 300 years until Emperor Constantine the First issued an edict officially ending the persecution. A few years later, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The image of Christians in the Roman Circus being devoured by lions and publicly martyred reminds us of the cruelty of humanity. But was it really the Roman Empire that initiated the persecution? What were the causes that triggered this hatred against Christians? First, let us examine the context in which these events occurred to understand the reasons behind this inhumane hunt.
How were the Jews treated before the persecution by the Roman Empire?
Under the Roman Empire, the stance of pagan emperors toward the Jews was generally one of tolerance and, in some cases, protection. The only notable distinction between the Jewish community and other nations lay in their worship of one God. Jewish society stood out for its religion and customs, which often made them appear antisocial or, at least, somewhat detached from the general community.
The Greek and Roman worlds, being polytheistic, perceived the monotheistic Jews as a people unable to fully integrate into society. Although their beliefs made them a target of rejection, many Jews participated in the practices of the nations where they lived. However, coexistence was not always smooth, as Jews were often a distinct minority within society. Despite this social separation, the Jewish people lived in relative peace under the Roman Empire.
This peaceful situation continued relatively favorably when Alexander the Great absorbed the Persian Empire between 334 and 331 B.C. However, after his death, a difficult era began for the Jews, as Judea was contested between Egyptian and Syrian kings. Under the rule of the Ptolemies, there was still a degree of tranquility.
By 200 B.C., supremacy shifted from the Ptolemies of Egypt to the Seleucids of Syria. These were times of intense oppression, especially during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and his successors. The relentless struggle of the Maccabees led to Israel’s independence and the beginning of the Hasmonean dynasty.
The creation of political-religious parties marked a shift in Jewish society.
Simon Maccabeus unified religious power with Jewish political authorities, leading to the emergence of the political-religious parties of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. In 63 B.C., Pompey took Jerusalem and the Temple by storm, and from that point onward, Israel came under Roman rule.
Herod the Great, son of Antipater and of Idumean origin, gained Rome’s support and, in 38 B.C., was appointed King of the Jews, becoming the first non-Jewish king to rule over Israel. Jesus Christ was born during his reign. The Jewish people maintained hope that their promised Messiah would be a liberator—a human king, a warrior, or a leader similar to Moses. Unfortunately for them, Jesus did not meet their expectations, especially those of the political-religious elite that governed them. According to them, the Messiah was expected to secure the kingdom’s borders established in the Old Testament and protect the Jewish people, among other things.
In other words, the religious authorities of the time did not expect the Messiah to arise from the humble class of society, much less for Him to be a carpenter born in one of the smallest and most insignificant towns in Israel. They believed the Messiah would proclaim Himself as a powerful king who would liberate them from Roman oppression. They also anticipated a political restoration of the state of Israel, as stated in Micah 4:2, that the law would go out from Jerusalem for all nations.
The Pharisees and other religious leaders of the time did not understand how God was working because they were not guided by the Holy Spirit. Instead, they were focused on material things and politics rather than on God. In fact, Jesus’ death and persecution were driven by their fear that Rome would retaliate against the people of Israel if Jesus continued preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. This gospel represented the arrival of a new divine order where God would govern with justice and love but would be established without violence. Jesus posed a threat not only to Israel’s political standing before Rome but also to the religious leaders themselves, as they felt excluded from His supposed ascension as King of the Jews.
They persecuted and killed Jesus because they thought He would take away their political power and religious influence over the nation of Israel, as narrated in the Gospel of John 11:47-53 from the New International Version:
“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. ‘What are we accomplishing?’ they asked. ‘Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.’ Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.’ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.”
The reason they conspired to kill Jesus was their fear of a supposed Roman invasion if Jesus remained alive. They believed He was gaining followers to proclaim Himself King of the Jews. In this situation, the high-ranking members of the Sanhedrin thought Jesus was a seditionist seeking political power. The Jews had waited centuries for their Messiah, knowing that His mission would be to free the people. However, to them, Jesus did not meet their expectations because He did not belong to any of the political-religious factions of the time.
The Roman Empire ruled over Israel, but it was not they who initiated the persecution.
The Romans dictated policies to the nations they ruled, one of which was to prevent popular revolts aimed at reestablishing monarchies in conquered territories. Thus, Jesus posed a latent threat to Israel’s political and religious authorities, as the Romans would likely depose or even execute them if they learned of a leader like Jesus proclaiming Himself King of the Jews. It is difficult to comprehend how individuals in high ecclesiastical positions, who supposedly had a deep knowledge of the Scriptures and prophecies, failed to recognize Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. They began the persecution the moment they planned His death.
The Scriptures described the Messiah as a conquering, almighty king who would destroy the wicked, as prophesied in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, and Zechariah. However, Jesus presented Himself as a meek lamb, speaking of love, compassion for the needy, turning the other cheek, and sharing with the poor. From a human perspective, He did not meet the expectations of the religious leaders of the time. Instead of listening to Him and learning from Him, they persecuted and crucified Him, as they later did with His Church (Acts 6:7-12).
Moreover, they envied His disciples because they possessed the wisdom and power of God. Keeping them alive posed a risk, as Jesus’ movement would continue after His death. The Pharisees, being educated and well-versed in the law, could neither speak nor do what Christ’s disciples accomplished. The persecution of the Church began with their own people, the very ones God had appointed as His ministers. Those who prayed and ministered to God were the same ones who persecuted and crucified His Son.
The religious leaders of the time used the law of Moses as an instrument for personal gain. They leveraged their positions to enrich themselves at the people’s expense and were unwilling to give up their privileges to follow the carpenter. For this reason, they rejected the Lord and persecuted Him, fearing the loss of their source of income, the people’s respect, and the comforts they had worked so hard to achieve.
Knowing and memorizing the Scriptures does not mean knowing God.
During the three and a half years that Jesus Christ taught about the future Kingdom of God, many of His opponents, specifically the leaders of the upper echelons of religious authority, did not believe His message. Not because He taught anything erroneous or doctrines contrary to the law of Moses, but because it was a doctrine they had never heard before. Jesus taught these doctrines with full authority, supported by the miracles He performed—something the Pharisees could not do because they were not guided by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:29).
The priests and teachers of the law were well-educated and highly trained in the Scriptures, but their arrogance prevented them from accepting the teachings of that poor carpenter. Like many Christians today, they knew much about the Scriptures but lacked a personal and trusting relationship with God. They began the worst-known persecution of that era, lasting nearly 300 years. In modern times, these teachers and scholars graduate from Christian universities, earning titles such as reverend, bishop, pastor, and even prophet or apostle.
According to them, graduating from a prestigious Christian university qualifies them to lead a congregation. They know much about hermeneutics, homiletics, and ancient languages—many speak Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. They are experts in history and many other fields. They know the letter, but they do not know God because they have not been born again, and therefore cannot do His will (2 Corinthians 3:6). Do not misunderstand me: studying the Scriptures and their context is absolutely not wrong—quite the opposite. The problem lies in believing that this study elevates them to another spiritual level.
The Pharisees followed Jesus, watching and listening to what He said—not to learn from Him, but to find fault and accuse Him. They were arrogant and could not accept that the son of Joseph and Mary, whom they had known since childhood, could teach them something new, much less that He claimed to be the Son of God.
“Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’” (Matthew 13:54-56).
The Pharisees saw Jesus as a phenomenon or a lunatic who came out of nowhere. However, if Jesus were born in our time, the same would happen—He would be persecuted because Christian traditions often outweigh obedience to God. The Pharisees strove to follow the law to the letter and, within the religious lines of that time, they were the most strict. However, they failed to understand that the most important aspects of the law were mercy, justice, and faith, as Jesus states in Matthew 23:23. This understanding naturally involved helping their needy brothers, but they were greedy and loved money and the leadership positions they had attained among the people.
Tithes as a source of income among the priests.
It is ironic to think that, at first, the Levites depended entirely on the mercy of their brethren since they owned no land and relied solely on the tithes of their brothers. Tithes consisted mainly of food stored in a common place called the Storehouse (or Granary). This food was meant to cover the basic needs of the entire tribe of Levi. As stated in Numbers 18:23-24:
“It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”
Over time, the Israelites stopped tithing, perhaps out of forgetfulness or unwillingness to give to those God had designated to serve Him in the temple. God reminded them through the prophet Malachi that the tithe was not optional but a legal obligation. Malachi 3:8-10 says:
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
These verses have become the battle cry of some preachers who, with them, have cursed God’s people under the pretense of blessing them. In reality, these verses were a rebuke to the people of Israel for neglecting to tithe and, in the process, abandoning their Levite brothers. What hardships the Levites were enduring is uncertain, but they must have been severe enough to warrant God’s intervention through the prophet Malachi.
The Levites were practically starving and facing severe financial difficulties because the people had stopped tithing. This is why God commanded them to resume tithing. Not only that, but in His infinite goodness, He promised to reward them with abundant blessings if they cared for their Levite brothers. Despite the people’s theft and greed, God called them to repentance and mercy toward their Levite brothers through the tithe. God promised to bless them abundantly. This promise was not new; God was simply reminding them of what He had ordered them to do years earlier.
In Deuteronomy 14:22-29, the Lord says to the people of Israel:
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe because the place where the Lord will choose to put His Name is so far away, then exchange your tithe for silver…”
You will take the money with you and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. Then you may exchange the money for anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. And there you and your household shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. Do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no inheritance of their own. At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites (who have no inheritance of their own), the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands (Deuteronomy 14:25-29).
The Lord’s blessing upon the people of Israel was closely tied to the well-being of the Levites, the widows, the foreigners, and the orphans. If they received mercy from the people through the tithe, the Lord would abundantly bless the nation. Tithing was not exclusively for the Levites; its primary purpose was to extend mercy to the needy. For many years, the Levites relied on the mercy of the people; however, around 500 years later, the situation changed. The Levites began to enrich themselves, occupying the most prominent positions in both religious and governmental spheres. Despite having been previously despised and neglected by their brethren, they eventually became the ones unwilling to lift a finger to help the needy. For this reason, Jesus rebuked them harshly. They had forgotten where they came from and how God had cared for and protected them during the time of the Law.
The Pharisees and other religious leaders did not want to lose their leadership or their wealth, which drove them to accuse Jesus tirelessly. He repeatedly called them hypocrites (Matthew 23:27) and a “brood of vipers” (Luke 3:7), as they claimed to know God but failed to do His will.
He remains the same, as stated in Hebrews 13:8, and His language toward today’s religious leaders remains unchanged. Even today, many religious leaders focus more on preserving traditions, leadership positions, and wealth than on knowing God and doing His will. They know that making the decision to change requires courage, and most are cowards. They realize not all their followers will accept change, so they refrain from pursuing it. Many followers are so accustomed to conforming to the ways of the world that they will not turn back. Galatians 1:9-11 says:
“As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
In modern times, false gospels and false teachers abound.
Today, the grace of God is often misused by many religious leaders who distort His mercy, deceiving their followers with false hopes (James 4:2-4). They use the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as a means for personal gain, much like the Pharisees of old (Jude 1:4). Others seek human power and glory rather than the glory of God.
The Word of God rightly says that everything repeats itself (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Just as it happened during the time of the early Christians, it happens now: we hear gospels that differ from what the apostles proclaimed. Unfortunately, the apostles are no longer here to admonish us and guide us in the one true gospel. Jesus said, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules” (Mark 7:7).
Many adopt the customs of the surrounding cultures, including some pagan practices, and teach them as if they were God’s commandments, claiming to honor the Lord through these traditions, though He has not commanded them. On the contrary, the commandments He has explicitly decreed for us to observe are disobeyed without much concern. Consider what the prophet Amos says in Amos 2:4:
“This is what the Lord says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His decrees, their lies have led them astray, lies which their ancestors followed.'”
It is the responsibility of mature Christians to identify which customs and beliefs have infiltrated congregations and are not part of Jesus’ teachings. They must separate themselves from such practices, even if these have been observed in their congregation for years.
One of these pagan practices is the celebration of Christmas and Halloween. Although this perspective may seem radical, I urge you to EXAMINE the facts and Scriptures to verify the truth for yourself. Ultimately, you will give an account to God for your own life. Neither your Sunday school teacher nor your pastor will intercede for you on Judgment Day, as they too will render accounts for their own actions.
These celebrations may seem harmless; however, they have pagan origins that lead Christians into spiritual emptiness. By participating in them, unknowingly, they are engaging in practices that do not come from God. Instead, they are allowing customs with pagan origins to infiltrate congregations, bringing with them their inevitable consequences.
If you want to learn more about the origins of Christmas, I invite you to listen to our study titled “Christmas and its Pagan Origins.”
Many true children of God will stumble and turn away from the gospel of Jesus, as Paul states in 2 Timothy 4:3-5:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”
Paul exhorted Timothy to remain faithful to the true gospel of Jesus, no matter the consequences. However, today some false teachers preach heresies and doctrines of demons as if it were inconsequential. These preachers entertain people with myths, tales, and captivating stories so their audience experiences emotions during the service instead of studying the Word of God. It is no surprise that these false teachers can easily be mistaken for worldly leaders, whether they are politicians, motivational speakers, or others.
The early Christians were persecuted not because they threatened or cursed their persecutors but because, in the minds of those persecutors, they represented a danger. Religious leaders and many among the people were unwilling to change. They felt deeply confronted in their consciences by the disciples of Jesus. The religious leaders did not want to give up their privileges, and the Jewish people were reluctant to abandon their customs and traditions. They knew that following the gospel of Jesus required a life change—a new birth—and sadly, not everyone was willing to accept this. Their defense mechanism was to resort to violence against those they could not silence, those who reminded them of their sinful condition.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote a very serious admonition to anyone who teaches a different gospel. Galatians 1:7-9 says:
“Which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”
Preaching a different gospel—whether the prosperity gospel, hyper-grace, or any other message contrary to what Jesus and His disciples taught—places the preacher under a curse unless they repent before God. They must do so, for God will not change His plans or His Word. God is not like man, adapting to circumstances; He will fulfill His Word as it is written, without altering it. In the last days, there will be a revival of the true doctrine of Christ, and everything will be as it was in the days of the early Christians, for we will learn the one true gospel of the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus.
Preaching the true gospel of the Kingdom of God brings persecution.
While it is true that adhering to the gospel of the Kingdom brings great power and blessings to those who proclaim it, it also brings persecution from those who oppose it. Just as many opposed the announcement of the Son of God, many will oppose the true gospel of the Kingdom.
Many will stand against those who proclaim the true gospel of the Kingdom, and like the Pharisees two thousand years ago, they will begin persecuting their own brothers. This will happen because they have never known the true gospel or what it entails, and it will seem strange to them, like a new doctrine. Precisely what happened two thousand years ago: the Pharisees saw their “status quo” threatened. They believed that Jesus would take away their source of income and, ultimately, their way of life, and clearly, the threat Jesus represented was something they were unwilling to tolerate.
If we compare the political-religious situation of two thousand years ago with the current state of the Christian church, we see many similarities. Modern Christians, generally speaking, believe that God is primarily interested in blessing them financially. To this end, preachers teach that if you give tithes and offerings, God will bless you with riches. In a medium or large congregation, the collection of tithes and offerings is significantly high, and the most benefited are often the pastors, whose direct and indirect salaries tend to be substantial. Mega-pastors earn millions of dollars, are invited to advise national presidents, pray for them, and are regarded as highly respectable figures in society.
In the Gospel of Luke 6:26, we are warned:
“Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
Modern Christians are familiar with and practice the liturgy of their congregations. They sing praises, attend home groups once or twice a week, and on Sundays, they dress in suits to help with various activities. They welcome attendees, distribute welcome cards to new visitors, collect offerings, and count them. Some sing in the worship team, and other activities have been well-defined over the years.
Sermons, in general, focus on themes related to family, interpersonal relationships, and repeatedly addressing the basics of the gospel: that Christ died for our sins, that His blood has saved us, that there is no condemnation if we said a simple prayer many years ago, and above all, that we must give tithes and offerings. In summary, we are thoroughly familiar with the structure of the modern evangelical Christian church.
We all know how a modern church operates, but not everyone understands the essence of the good news of the Kingdom preached by Jesus and His apostles two thousand years ago. The gospel of the Kingdom will become the apple of discord; re-teaching the one true gospel will make many uncomfortable because it will expose the fallacies they have been teaching, especially when people stop attending those congregations. Do you think the Pharisees sought to persecute and martyr Jesus solely because of His sermons? NO. They did so because many people followed Jesus; crowds sought Him, and the people no longer paid attention to them.
People tend to follow their leaders; it is part of human nature. The Pharisees were not only religious leaders but also figures of political power. The few or many who followed them did whatever they ordered. They decided that Jesus and His followers posed a danger to the nation, and this decision triggered the persecution. Among these persecutors was Paul of Tarsus, who was convinced that Christians were a threat to both the nation and God.
Similarly, many people loyal to their denominations may feel that their pastor or doctrine is under attack. For this reason, they will persecute their own brothers in faith, as they are accustomed to hearing false doctrines, lies, and half-truths, which prevent them from discerning the truth.
Many cling to their lies, unwilling to listen, let alone change their ways. For this reason, God has given them a spirit of delusion so they may continue in them:
“and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
Unwillingness to believe is a grave symptom with severe consequences. The Lord deals harshly with His own people because His purpose is to sanctify and perfect them, and He does so as gold is tested—with fire (1 Peter 1:15). However, with those whose hearts are hardened, He will be even more severe, especially with those who, hiding behind false morality, provoke God with their stubbornness. It was His own people who persecuted and killed Jesus; they did the same to His disciples, and they will also do so to those who love the Lord and obey His commandments. Those who remain steadfast in the gospel of the Kingdom of God will become the target of those who feel their way of life is threatened.
Modern religious authorities will initiate the new persecution.
Modern preachers will burn with jealousy when they see their income and influence diminishing. They believe they are God’s “chosen” to lead His people; however, in the end times, they will become the persecutors. Envy is a powerful motivator for many people and can drive them to act negatively and destructively toward themselves and others. The leaders of the people were so envious of Jesus that they preferred to save a murderer like Barabbas over the most righteous of the righteous:
“Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time, they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.” (Matthew 27:15-20).
In the not-too-distant future, something similar will happen. “Christian” religious authorities will initiate the worst persecution in history, motivated by envy toward the new Christian leaders. This new generation of preachers will fight against bad habits and false teachings. They will teach the gospel of Christ in the same way the apostles did. It will not be the government of the beast that begins the persecution against the true children of God, but their own “Christian” community.
The false prophet, who will be supported by the highest religious authorities in the world, will demonstrate great power to deceive, even calling fire down from heaven and raising the dead, all with the purpose of deceiving the inhabitants of the earth. In the book of Revelation 13:13-14, it is mentioned that the second beast, also known as the false prophet, will perform miraculous signs to deceive humanity:
“And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.”
If you want to learn more about this topic, I invite you to listen to our study titled “The Antichrist and the False Prophet.”
It must be emphasized that the second beast, or the false prophet, will likely lead the persecution since he is part of the corrupt system of churches and will have the full support of the first beast, also known as the Antichrist. As the false prophet is one of those unwilling to lose his privileges, it is logical to think this will be his opportunity to attempt to destroy God’s work. The persecution led by religious leaders and their congregations will begin when they feel threatened by this new wave of believers. For now, these individuals remain enslaved by Christian-religious customs that distance them from the truth and lead them down paths of destruction, just as Paul warned Timothy:
“While evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13).
These individuals excuse themselves by claiming that we live in modern times and that everything, even the gospel, has changed. Many of these religious leaders believe that the apostles were ignorant or that they suffered so we might enjoy God’s blessings. These people mold the Word of God to fit their convenience, whether knowingly or out of ignorance. Some modern preachers might even argue that Jesus’ apostles neither understood nor sought to fully exploit the economic blessings God offers. However, this perspective does not reflect the true message of the gospel or the teachings of the apostles.
The apostles did not focus their ministry on seeking economic prosperity but on preaching the Kingdom of God, salvation, and the spiritual transformation of individuals, with the ultimate aspiration being eternal life.
In Scripture, we find that the apostles lived humbly, trusting God to meet their basic needs. They dedicated their lives to serving others without seeking to enrich themselves. The apostle Paul, for example, wrote in 1 Timothy 6:6-10:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Paul warned Timothy not to fall into the love of money, which is the root of many evils. Moreover, Paul worked with his hands as a tentmaker to avoid being a financial burden to the churches. In contrast, salaried preachers of the 21st century often seek large congregations to secure higher incomes.
God’s grace and patience has a limit.
The grace we enjoy today will not last forever; therefore, we must value and safeguard it. During the persecution that precedes Jesus’ return, there will no longer be mercy. As the prophet Zechariah writes in Zechariah 7:9-12:
“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.”
God loves those who practice kindness and mercy, and He has given us sufficient time to do so. While it is true that the Church of God has been asleep, it is time for it to awaken and fulfill its duty as the children of a great King who loves justice and righteousness. The Father is just, merciful, loving, generous, and always does good, even when we are evil. This is precisely what God expects from His children.
God does not want us to act presumptuously, boasting about the gold and silver of our Father. On the contrary, Jesus Christ left us a clear example of humility and meekness that we must follow. Hardening your heart to ignore God’s exhortation will only bring you pain and suffering because, when God’s wrath is unleashed, there will be no place to hide.
The persecution will primarily be driven by the envy that religious leaders will feel toward a people who live according to God’s will. Therefore, I urge you to remain faithful and not stray from the path of righteousness. If you are persecuted, you will receive a great reward:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” (Romans 8:17).
