13 Bible Verses about defence, divine

And I also tell you, [although] you are Peter [i.e., a stone], it is on this rock [i.e., the truth you have just confessed] that I will build my church and [not even] the gates of the unseen place of departed spirits will win out over it [i.e., all efforts to stamp out the church by killing Christians will fail].

I give them never ending life and they will never be destroyed, and no one will [be able to] steal them out of my hand. What my Father has given me [i.e., my sheep] are greater than everything [else], and no one is able to steal them from the Father's hand.

At my first defense [Note: Paul here refers to his initial hearing before the Roman court] no one supported me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message could be fully proclaimed and that all the Gentiles could hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. [Note: This is probably a figure of speech indicating that Paul had escaped some immediate danger. See Psa. 22:20-21]. The Lord will [continue to] rescue me from all harm and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. May He be praised forever and ever. May it be so.

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be praised for being so merciful as to have given us a new birth, which provides for us a hope of never ending life through the means of Jesus Christ's return from the dead. Through Him we have an inheritance that cannot be corrupted or contaminated, and will never disappear; it is reserved in heaven for you. Through God's power you are protected by [your] faith, so that you can expect to be saved in the end.

And do not be afraid of those who can kill your body but not your soul. Instead, fear Him [i.e., God] who is able to destroy both your soul and body in hell. [See note on 5:29]. Are not two sparrows sold [in the market for food] for a small coin [Note: The coin mentioned here was worth about a half hour's worth of a farm laborer's pay, or about $3 in 1994]? And not a [single] one of them can fall to the ground without your Father [knowing about it]. God even knows the number of hairs on your head [Note: The average full head of hair has approximately 25,000 hairs].read more.
So, do not be afraid, for you are [much] more valuable than many sparrows.

And I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who can kill your body and after that can do nothing more. But I am warning you about whom you should fear. Fear the One [i.e., God] who, after He has killed [i.e., the body], has power to throw [you] into hell [See note on Matt. 5:29]. Yes, I tell you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold [i.e., in the market as food] for two coins? [Note: The coins here amount to just over one hour's worth of a farm laborer's pay, or about $8 in 1994]. Yet in the presence of God, not a [single] one of them is forgotten.read more.
[God even knows] the number of hairs on your head [Note: The average full head of hair has approximately 25,000 hairs]. [So], do not be afraid, for you are [much] more valuable than many sparrows.

I am not praying that you should take them out of the world, but that you should protect them from the evil one [i.e., the devil].

What then should we conclude from this? [Just this]: If God is on our side, who can [successfully] oppose us? God did not withhold His own Son [from dying], but offered Him up for all of us. [Since He did that], will He not, along with Jesus, freely give us everything [else] also? Who will bring an accusation against God's chosen people? [Certainly not God, for] He makes people right with Himself.read more.
Who condemns [us]? Certainly not Jesus, for He is the One who died [i.e., to save us], and what is more, He was raised from the dead and is [now] at the right side of God. He also goes [to God] on our behalf [i.e., as we pray]. Who [i.e., what] can separate us from Christ's love [for us]? [i.e., what unfortunate circumstance of life might suggest that Christ does not love us?] Would [it be] trouble? Or distress? Or persecution? Or inadequate food? Or inadequate clothing? Or danger? Or [even] death? Just as it is written [Psa. 44:22], "We are [in danger of being] killed all the time. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, [suffering any one of these things is not proof that Christ does not love us], for in spite of all these things we have a decisive victory [over life's difficulties] through [the care shown us by] Christ who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor [the trials of] life, nor [evil] angels, nor [evil] rulers, nor present or future [circumstances], nor [evil] powers, nor [things] above, nor [things] below, nor any [other] created thing will be able to separate us from God's love [for us], revealed through Christ Jesus our Lord [Note: The idea of this passage is "Regardless of what happens to us, God still loves us"].

The Lord will [continue to] rescue me from all harm and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. May He be praised forever and ever. May it be so.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me if I were to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and [all] the prophets, who, by [having] faith, conquered kingdoms, practiced what was right, and obtained what was promised [by God]. They shut the mouths of lions, they put out raging fires, and they escaped being killed by swords. They were strengthened when weak, became mighty in battle, and defeated foreign armies.read more.
Women received their dead [loved ones] back to life. Others were tortured but refused to be rescued, so they could obtain a better resurrection. And [still] others experienced mockings and floggings, and were even chained up and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were executed by the sword. They traveled around in sheepskin and goatskin clothing; they were destitute, afflicted and mistreated. (The world did not deserve such people). They wandered in deserts and mountains, [living] in caves and [even] holes in the ground. And all of these people were commended [by God] for their faith, yet did not receive [all of] what was promised to them,

Be sensible and alert; your enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring [i.e., hungry] lion looking for someone to [kill and] eat. You should withstand his efforts by maintaining a strong faith [in God], remembering that your [Christian] brothers in [the rest of] the world are experiencing [and enduring] suffering similar to yours. And the God who bestows every unearned favor [upon His people], who invited you to partake of His eternal splendor through Christ Jesus, will restore, confirm, strengthen and stabilize you people [in the faith], after you have gone through a brief time of suffering.

Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. [For] look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you may be tested, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. [But], you should be faithful [to God] even to the point of dying [for Him], and I will give you the crown of [never ending] life.

Then one of the [twenty-four] elders asked me, "Who are these ones dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?" And I answered him, "Sir, [surely] you know." And he said to me, "These are the people who have come through the terrible persecution, and they have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. So, [now] they are in front of God's throne and they are serving Him day and night in His Temple. And He who sits on His throne will spread His tent over them [i.e., He will protect them].read more.
They will not be hungry anymore, nor will they get thirsty anymore. The sun will not beat down on them, nor will they become scorched by the heat. For the Lamb, who is at the center of the throne, will be their Shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."