15 Bible Verses about Riots

Then all the people in the synagogue, on hearing these things, were filled with fury, and they rose up and drove Him out of town and took Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, to hurl Him down the cliff. But He Himself passed through the midst of them and went on His way.

Now just about that time a great commotion arose about The Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, by manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing in great profits to his workmen. He called together his workmen, and others engaged in similar trades, and said to them: "Men, you well know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours,read more.
and you see and hear that, not only in Ephesus but all over the province of Asia, this man Paul has led away a vast number of people by persuading them, telling them that gods made by human hands are not gods at all. Now the danger facing us is, not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into contempt and that she whom all Asia and all the world now worship will soon be dethroned from her majestic glory!" When they heard this, they became furious and kept on shouting, "Great Artemis of Ephesus!" So the whole city was thrown into confusion and with one impulse the people rushed into the theatre and dragged with them two Macedonians, Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions. Paul wanted to go into the assembly and address the people, but the disciples would not let him. Some of the public officials in Asia, who were friendly to him, also sent word to him, begging him not to risk himself in the theatre. So they kept on shouting, some one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority of them did not know why they had met. Some of the crowd concluded that it was Alexander, since the Jews had pushed him to the front, and since Alexander had made a gesture of the hand as though he would make a defense before the people. But as soon as they saw that he was a Jew, a shout went up from them all as the shout of one man, lasting for two hours: "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"

in floggings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger;

But the high priests and the elders lined up the crowds to ask for Barabbas, and to have Jesus put to death. Still the governor answered, "Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate asked them, "What then shall I do with Jesus. the so-called Christ?" They all answered, "Have Him crucified!"read more.
He asked, "Why, what has He done that is wrong?" But they kept on shouting louder and louder, "Have Him crucified!" So Pilate, since he saw that he was making no headway with them, but that a riot was about to break out instead, took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, and said, "I am not responsible for this man's death; you must see to it yourselves."

Now at the time of the feast Pilate usually set a prisoner free whom the people requested. There was in prison a man named Barabbas, among some revolutionaries who in their uprising had committed murder, So a crowd of people came up and started to request of the governor the usual favor.read more.
Then Pilate answered them by asking, "Do you want me to set the king of the Jews free for you?" For he knew that the high priests out of envy had turned Him over to him. But the high priests stirred up the crowd to get him to set Barabbas free for them instead. Then Pilate again said to them, "What then do you want me to do to the man whom you call king of the Jews?" They shouted back, "Crucify Him!" Then Pilate again asked, "Why, what has He done that is wrong?" But they shouted at the top of their voices, "Crucify Him!" So, as Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, he set Barabbas free for them, but after having Jesus flogged, he turned Him over to be crucified.

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, went on performing great signs and wonders among the people. But members of the synagogue known as that of the Libyans, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, got to debating with Stephen, but they could not cope with his good practical sense and the spiritual power with which he usually spoke.read more.
So they instigated men to say, "We have heard him speaking abusive words against Moses and God." By this means they excited the people, the elders, and the scribes, and so they rushed upon him, seized him, and brought him before the council. Then they put up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and against the law, for we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will tear this place down, and change the customs which Moses handed down to us."

But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar. They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus."read more.
Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this, and they made Jason and the other brothers give bond, and then turned them loose.

As the seven days were drawing to a close, the Jews from Asia caught a glimpse of him in the temple and began to stir up all the crowd, and seized him, as they kept shouting, "Men of Israel, help! help! This is the man who teaches everybody everywhere against our people and the law and this place; yea, more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and desecrated this sacred place." For they had previously seen Trophimus of Ephesus in the city with him, and so they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.read more.
The whole city was stirred with excitement, and all at once the people rushed together, and seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and its gates at once were shut. Now while they were trying to kill him, news reached the colonel of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in a ferment. So he at once got together some soldiers and captains and hurried down against them, but as soon as they saw the colonel and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the colonel came up and seized Paul and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he then asked who he was and what he had done. But they kept shouting in the crowd, some one thing, some another. As he could not with certainty find out about it, because of the tumult, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. When Paul got to the steps, he was actually borne by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob,

Then the high priests and the elders of the people met in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted to arrest Jesus by stratagem and put Him to death. But they kept saying, "It must not be at the feast, for a riot may break out among the people."

Now the feast of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread was two days later. So the high priests and scribes kept looking for some way to arrest Him by stratagem and have Him put to death, for they kept saying, "It must not be at the feast, for there might be a riot."

At last the city recorder quieted the mob and said: "Men of Ephesus, who in the world does not know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image that fell down from heaven? So, as this cannot be denied, you must be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here, although they are not guilty of sacrilege or of abusive speech against our goddess.read more.
So then, if Demetrius and his fellow-workmen have a charge against anybody, there are the courts and the judges; let them go to law. But if you require anything beyond this, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting for today's assembly, as there is not a single reason we can give for it." With these words he dismissed the assembly.

For we have found this man a perfect pest and a distributor of the peace among the Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes; once he tried to desecrate the temple, but we arrested him, Omitted Text.read more.
and now, by examining him for yourself, you can find out exactly what charges we bring against him." The Jews also joined in the charges and maintained that they were true. At the governor's signal to Paul, he answered: "Since I know that you for many years have acted as judge for this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, for you can verify the fact that not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship, and they have never found me debating with anybody in the temple nor making a disturbance in the synagogues or about the city,

Let us live becomingly for people who are in the light of day, not in carousing and drunkenness, nor in sexual immorality and licentiousness, nor in quarreling and jealousy.

The night has almost passed; the day is at hand. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness, and put on the weapons of light.

They think their daily luxurious living real pleasure; they are spots and blots, deceitfully living in luxurious pleasure while they continue their religious feasting with you.