47 Bible Verses about Persecution, Attitudes To

And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.

Homes we have none. Wearily we toil, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we bear it patiently;

It so increases that we ourselves make honourable mention of you among the Churches of God because of your patience and faith amid all your persecutions and amid the afflictions which you are enduring.

So you also must be patient: keeping up your courage; for the Coming of the Lord is now close at hand.

Therefore, surrounded as we are by such a vast cloud of witnesses, let us fling aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles our feet. And let us run with patient endurance the race that lies before us,

In conclusion, strengthen yourselves in the Lord and in the power which His supreme might imparts. Put on the complete armour of God, so as to be able to stand firm against all the stratagems of the Devil. For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world--the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare.read more.
Therefore put on the complete armour of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground on the day of battle, and, having fought to the end, to remain victors on the field. Stand therefore, first fastening round you the girdle of truth and putting on the breastplate of uprightness as well as the shoes of the Good News of peace-- a firm foundation for your feet. And besides all these take the great shield of faith, on which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the Wicked one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Pray with unceasing prayer and entreaty on every fitting occasion in the Spirit, and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all God's people, and ask on my behalf that words may be given to me so that, outspoken and fearless, I may make known the truths (hitherto kept secret) to spread which I am an ambassador in chains--so that when telling them I may speak out boldly as I ought.

As a good soldier of Christ Jesus accept your share of suffering.

Withstand him, firm in your faith; knowing that your brethren in other parts of the world are passing through just the same experiences.

And you endure patiently and have borne burdens for My sake and have never grown weary.

Live honourable lives among the Gentiles, in order that, although they now speak against you as evil-doers, they may yet witness your good conduct, and may glorify God on the day of reward and retribution.

But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors;

Do not be revengeful, my dear friends, but give way before anger; for it is written, "'Revenge belongs to Me: I will pay back,' says the Lord." On the contrary, therefore, if your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, quench his thirst. For by doing this you will be heaping burning coals upon his head.

For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons.

Yet argue modestly and cautiously, keeping your consciences free from guilt, so that, when you are spoken against, those who slander your good Christian lives may be put to shame.

And not only so: we also exult in our sufferings, knowing as we do, that suffering produces fortitude; fortitude, ripeness of character; and ripeness of character, hope; and that this hope never disappoints, because God's love for us floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

"Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake. Be joyful and triumphant, because your reward is great in the Heavens; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted.

"Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil things, for the Son of Man's sake. "Be glad at such a time, and dance for joy; for your reward is great in Heaven; for that is just the way their forefathers behaved to the Prophets!

They, therefore, left the Sanhedrin and went their way, rejoicing that they had been deemed worthy to suffer disgrace on behalf of the NAME.

The crowd, too, joined in the outcry against them, till at length the praetors ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods; and, after severely flogging them, they threw them into jail and bade the jailer keep them safely. He, having received an order like that, lodged them in the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.read more.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

Now I can find joy amid my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my own person whatever is lacking in Christ's afflictions on behalf of His Body, the Church.

Rejoice triumphantly in the prospect of this, even if now, for a short time, you are compelled to sorrow amid various trials.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at finding that that scorching flame of persecution is raging among you to put you to the test--as though some surprising thing were accidentally happening to you.

Why, what we now suffer I count as nothing in comparison with the glory which is soon to be manifested in us.

But you have intimately known my teaching, life, aims, faith, patience, love, resignation, and the persecutions and sufferings which I have endured; the things which happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know the persecutions I endured, and how the Lord delivered me out of them all.

So that we fearlessly say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid: what can man do to me?"

Because in spite of suffering you have guarded My word, I in turn will guard you from that hour of trial which is soon coming upon the whole world, to put to the test the inhabitants of the earth.

Your lives should be untainted by love for money. Be content with what you have; for God Himself has said, "I will never, never let go your hand: I will never never forsake you."

and teach them to obey every command which I have given you. And remember, I am with you always, day by day, until the Close of the Age."

pursued, yet never left unsuccoured; struck to the ground, yet never slain;

Pray with unceasing prayer and entreaty on every fitting occasion in the Spirit, and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all God's people,

bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you.

And will not God avenge the wrongs of His own People who cry aloud to Him day and night, although He seems slow in taking action on their behalf? Yes, He will soon avenge their wrongs. Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?"

But the end of all things is now close at hand: therefore be sober-minded and temperate, so that you may give yourselves to prayer.

For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet.

We, however, are free citizens of Heaven, and we are waiting with longing expectation for the coming from Heaven of a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the exercise of the power which He has even to subject all things to Himself, will transform this body of our humiliation until it resembles His own glorious body.

A plain token of God's righteous judgement, I say, since it is a righteous thing for Him to requite with affliction those who are now afflicting you; and to requite with rest you who are suffering affliction now--rest with us at the re-appearing of the Lord Jesus from Heaven, attended by His mighty angels. He will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on those who have no knowledge of God, and do not obey the Good News as to Jesus, our Lord.

The seventh angel blew his trumpet; and there followed loud voices in Heaven which said, "The sovereignty of the world now belongs to our Lord and His Christ; and He will be King until the Ages of the Ages."

That indeed is the reason why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know in whom my trust reposes, and I am confident that He has it in His power to keep what I have entrusted to Him safe until that day.

Dismiss your fears concerning all that you are about to suffer. I tell you that the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be put to the test, and for ten days you will have to endure persecution. Be faithful to the End, even if you have to die, and then I will give you the victor's Wreath of Life.

Then, addressing me, one of the Elders said, "Who are these people clothed in the long white robes? And where have they come from?" "My lord, you know," I replied. "They are those," he said, "who have just passed through the great distress, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they stand before the very throne of God, and render Him service, day after day and night after night, in His sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne will shelter them in His tent.read more.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and never again will the sun or any scorching heat trouble them. For the Lamb who is in front of the throne will be their Shepherd, and will guide them to watersprings of Life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death.

Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he ordered to be scourged, and gave Him up to be crucified. Then the Governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and called together the whole battalion to make sport of Him. Stripping off His garments, they put on Him a general's short crimson cloak.read more.
They twisted a wreath of thorny twigs and put it on His head, and they put a sceptre of cane in His right hand, and kneeling to Him they shouted in mockery, "Long live the King of the Jews!" Then they spat upon Him, and taking the cane they repeatedly struck Him on the head with it. At last, having finished their sport, they took off the cloak, clothed Him again in His own garments, and led Him away for crucifixion.

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the mob, released Barabbas for them, and after scourging Jesus handed Him over for crucifixion. Then the soldiers led Him away into the court of the Palace (the Praetorium) they arrayed Him in crimson, placed on His head a wreath of thorny twigs which they had twisted,read more.
and went on to salute Him with shouts of "Long live the King of the Jews." Then they began to beat Him on the head with a cane, to spit on Him, and to do Him homage on bended knees. At last, having finished their sport, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God. And it is to this you were called; because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example so that you should follow in His steps. He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth.read more.
When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge.

But even if you suffer for righteousness' sake, you are to be envied. So do not be alarmed by their threats, nor troubled; but in your hearts consecrate Christ as Lord, being always ready to make your defence to any one who asks from you a reason for the hope which you cherish. Yet argue modestly and cautiously, keeping your consciences free from guilt, so that, when you are spoken against, those who slander your good Christian lives may be put to shame.read more.
For it is better that you should suffer for doing right, if such be God's will, than for doing evil;

On the contrary, in the degree that you share in the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice, so that at the unveiling of His glory you may also rejoice with triumphant gladness. You are to be envied, if you are being reproached for bearing the name of Christ; for in that case the Spirit of glory-- even the Spirit of God--is resting upon you.