9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
There are some people who go through life working to make sure everyone likes them. When someone doesn’t like them, they take it personally. Well, for those people, the end times are going to be extremely difficult. For some believers around the world, times are extremely difficult right now. Followers of Christ are not liked. But in the end of time, Believers will be the object of unbelievable hatred. That is because people will see Jesus in us, and Jesus will be hated because of the Truth that He embodies. No politically correct statements from Him. He states the Truth and lets the chips fall where they may. For some around the world this type of activity is already happening. In increasing frequency Christians are being persecuted and killed. This is especially true in Muslim dominated areas. Islam purges ‘Infidels’ with the sword. Islam is intolerant of the Truth. The hard question is whether we are personally willing to hold on to the Truth when it means life or death. Will we hold our faith or drop it like a bag of smelly diapers. As Jesus tells his disciples what the end times will be like, he doesn’t hold back the difficulties that will be present. He doesn’t sugar coat it. He lays the cards on the table: persecution and death. That is what we have to look forward to as Christ’s return draws near.
The Arnold Journey 