Page 41 - The Promise of Persecution
P. 41

that  nature  taken  away  from  them.    And



             then chapter 13, verse 3, speaks of praying



             for  those  who  are  in  prison.  So  we  find



             clearly that in the first century, the church



             was  going  through  much  persecution.    In



             fact, the first 300 years the church was going



             through  persecution.  Sometimes  it  was



             isolated in certain cities, and sometimes it



             was  throughout  the  entire  kingdom  and



             especially  when  Nero  was  on  the  throne.



             Christians began to be persecuted by apostate



             Judaism immediately — I mean, immediately



             — and then around 54 AD or so, we find



             that the Christians began to be persecuted



             by the Roman Empire under Nero.












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