56 Bible Verses about enemies, of believers
Most Relevant Verses
If the world hates you, remember that it has first had me as the fixed object of its hatred. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own property. But because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world--for that reason the world hates you.
I have given them Thy Message, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
And indeed every one who is determined to live a godly life as a follower of Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
But let not one of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil-doer, or as a spy upon other people's business. If, however, any one suffers because he is a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God for being permitted to bear that name.
"Then the King will say to those at His right, "'Come, my Father's blessed ones, receive your inheritance of the Kingdom which has been divinely intended for you ever since the creation of the world. For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome; when I was ill-clad, you clothed me; when I was sick, you visited me; when I was in prison, you came to see me.'read more.
"'When, Lord,' the righteous will reply, 'did we see Thee hungry, and feed Thee; or thirsty, and give Thee drink? When did we see Thee homeless, and give Thee a welcome? or ill-clad, and clothe Thee? When did we see Thee sick or in prison, and come to see Thee?' "But the King will answer them, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.'
"And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.
Jesus said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that causes of stumbling should come; but alas for him through whom they come!
and falling to the ground he heard a voice which said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" "Who art thou, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," was the reply.
You will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name, but those who stand firm to the End will be saved.
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.
But they will inflict all this suffering upon you on account of your bearing my name--because they do not know Him who sent me.
"Do not suppose that I came to bring peace to the earth: I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's own family will be his foes.
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? No, I tell you that I came to bring dissension. For from this time there will be in one house five persons split into parties. Three will form a party against two and two will form a party against three; father against son and son against father; mother attacking daughter and daughter her mother, mother-in-law her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law her mother-in-law."
Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death.
"Brother will betray brother to be killed, and fathers will betray children; and children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
So they recalled the Apostles, and ordered them altogether to give up speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus.
"We strictly forbad you to teach in that name--did we not?" he said. "And see, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and are trying to make us responsible for that man's death!"
But Saul cruelly harassed the Church. He went into house after house, and, dragging off both men and women, threw them into prison.
Now Saul, whose every breath was a threat of destruction for the disciples of the Lord, went to the High Priest and begged from him letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, in order that if he found any believers there, either men or women, he might bring them in chains to Jerusalem.
But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be teachers of falsehood among you also, who will cunningly introduce fatal divisions, disowning even the Sovereign Lord who has redeemed them, and bringing on themselves swift destruction.
You will be excluded from the synagogues; nay more, the time is coming when any one who has murdered one of you will suppose he is offering service to God.
"I can see Heaven wide open," he said, "and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand." Upon this, with a loud outcry they stopped their ears, rushed upon Stephen in a body, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments and giving them into the care of a young man called Saul.read more.
So they stoned Stephen, while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then, rising on his knees, he cried aloud, "Lord, do not reckon this sin against them." And with these words he fell asleep.
Now, about that time, King Herod arrested certain members of the Church, in order to ill-treat them; and James, John's brother, he beheaded.
"I myself, however, thought it a duty to do many things in hostility to the name of Jesus, the Nazarene. And that was how I acted in Jerusalem. Armed with authority received from the High Priests I shut up many of God's people in various prisons, and when they were about to be put to death I gave my vote against them.
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed because of the word of God and of the testimony which they had given.
But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors; that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong.
"But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies; seek the welfare of those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you. To him who gives you a blow on one side of the face offer the other side also; and to him who is robbing you of your outer garment refuse not the under one also.
Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." And they divided His garments among them, drawing lots for them;
So they stoned Stephen, while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then, rising on his knees, he cried aloud, "Lord, do not reckon this sin against them." And with these words he fell asleep.
not requiting evil with evil nor abuse with abuse, but, on the contrary, giving a blessing in return, because a blessing is what you have been called by God to inherit.
and forgive us our shortcomings, as we also have forgiven those who have failed in their duty towards us; and bring us not into temptation, but rescue us from the Evil one.' "For if you forgive others their offences, your Heavenly Father will forgive you also;read more.
but if you do not forgive others their offences, neither will your Father forgive yours.
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring us not into temptation.'"
When they reached the place called 'The Skull,' there they nailed Him to the cross, and the criminals also, one at His right hand and one at His left. Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." And they divided His garments among them, drawing lots for them;
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.
Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question. "Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?" "Go to the Law," said Jesus; "what is written there? how does it read?" "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'"read more.
"A right answer," said Jesus; "do that, and you shall live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said, "But what is meant by my 'fellow man'?" Jesus replied, "A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among robbers, who after both stripping and beating him went away, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be going down that way, and on seeing him passed by on the other side. In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity. He went to him, and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. Then placing him on his own mule he brought him to an inn, where he bestowed every care on him. The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.' "Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?" "The one who showed him pity," he replied. "Go," said Jesus, "and act in the same way."
Curb every passion, and be on the alert. Your great accuser, the Devil, is going about like a roaring lion to see whom he can devour.
"Simon, Simon, I tell you that Satan has obtained permission to have all of you to sift as wheat is sifted.
The Lord, however, stood by me and filled me with inward strength, that through me the Message might be fully proclaimed and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and I was rescued from the lion's jaws. The Lord will deliver me from every cruel attack and will keep me safe in preparation for His heavenly Kingdom. To Him be the glory until the Ages of the Ages! Amen.
Withstand him, firm in your faith; knowing that your brethren in other parts of the world are passing through just the same experiences.
The weapons with which we fight are not human weapons, but are mighty for God in overthrowing strong fortresses.
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,
I would therefore have the younger women marry, bear children, rule in domestic matters, and furnish the Adversary with no excuse for slander. For already some of them have gone astray, following Satan.
I have gone through the glorious contest; I have run the race; I have guarded the faith.
Submit therefore to God: resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
I do not ask that Thou wilt remove them out of the world, but that Thou wilt protect them from the Evil one.
"And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Do not two sparrows sell for a halfpenny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave. But as for you, the very hairs on your heads are all numbered.read more.
Away then with fear; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.
But *I* have prayed for *you* that your faith may not fail, and you, when at last you have come back to your true self, must strengthen your brethren."
From this time onward there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who love the thought of His Appearing.
The last enemy that is to be overthrown is Death;
but which has now been plainly revealed through the Appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus. He has put an end to death and has brought Life and Immortality to light through the Good News,
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of fire; this is the Second Death--the Lake of fire.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more; nor sorrow, nor wail of woe, nor pain; for the first things have passed away."
