Top image source. Bottom Left source, Bottom Center source, Bottom Right source. Which groups are best described by Paul’s words in the Bible: “No one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:3-4)

by Brian Shilhavy

In Acts chapter 17 in the New Testament portion of the Bible, we have the story of Paul and Silas’s visit to the Greek city of Thessalonica, where they preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.

“This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.

Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting:

“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. (Acts 17:1-9)

These people in Thessalonica paid a high price for believing that Jesus was the prophesied Jewish Messiah. Some of them were arrested. It was a mixed congregation of both believing Jews, and Gentile believers.

They were attacked by the Satanic Jews who rejected Jesus, the equivalent of the “Zionists” in today’s culture.

As in many of Paul’s journeys recorded in the book of Acts, the Satanic Jews probably tried to kill him, which forced the believers to quickly get him out of Thessalonica.

As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. (Acts 17:10)

Being cut off from these new believers, Paul grew concerned about them, especially because they were being persecuted by the Satanic Jews.

So he wrote a letter to them, and this is recorded in the New Testament, in 1 Thessalonians. He reminded them that all believers are “destined” for these kinds of trials and persecutions.

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-4)

After Paul sent Timothy to check on them, he brought back a positive report that they were standing strong in their faith.

Later, Paul sent a second letter to the believers living in Thessalonica, and wrote this:

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Therefore, among God’s congregations we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

Very Few American Believers Have Experienced Persecution, Unlike Other Believers Around the World

American Christians for the most part have never experienced these kinds of trials, and this kind of persecution.

The few that have, including myself, have mostly left the churches, the synagogues of Satan.

What is persecution?

It is the same today as it was in the First Century.

First, the ‘Persecutors” are false believers. In the First Century, they were the Satanic Jews who claimed to be following the Laws of Moses.

Today, these Satanic Jews are joined by Christians, many of them Zionist Christians. Even the Christians in the U.S. today who do not support Zionism, are mainly “Pharisee Christians”, who adhere to a specific way of “Christian life,” and criticize and persecute those who do not agree with them.

Secondly, the acts of persecution are much the same today as they were in the days of Jesus. If a believer does not follow the accepted Christian teachings of the dominant culture, they are usually kicked out of the churches, and often lose their job and can even be arrested for daring to oppose the Christian leaders, many of them serving in politics and law enforcement.

So some things never really change, do they?

When Paul wrote this about persecutions trials: “You know quite well that we were destined for them,” he was stating a truth that is always true in all generations. One either serves Satan through their religion, or one stands for Christ and accepts a lifestyle of constant trials and persecutions.

There is no other way. This is the Way of the Cross (Hodos), the way of shame, suffering, and persecution.

It is the path least traveled by the people of this world, mainly the religious people.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14)

And for those of us traveling on this path with all the difficulties and persecutions that come our way, this is our promise, because we are certainly NOT without hope:

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

Anathema Maranatha!

Comment on this article at Created4Health.org.

This article was written by Human Superior Intelligence (HSI)

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