Page 40 - The Promise of Persecution
P. 40

Now,  in  four  chapters  in  the  book  of



             Hebrews  we  find  the  persecution  of  the



             saints  in  the  first  century.  In  Hebrews  11,



             verses 35 through the end of the chapter,



             the  apostle  is  going  back  to  the  Old



             Testament  and  drawing  a  picture  for  the



             New  Testament  saints  who  are  going



             through persecution, and he's encouraging



             them.  In  Hebrews  chapter  12,  verse  1,  he



             calls  those  in  the  Old  Testament  who



             obeyed God and suffered for their faith “a



             great  cloud  of  witnesses,”  and  he  says  in



             Hebrews  12:4, “Ye  have  not  yet  resisted



             unto blood, striving against sin.”  And then



             in  chapter  10,  verses  33  through  39,  they



             had the spoiling of their goods. Think about



             that — jobs, homes, possessions, things of



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