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Articles
Blessed Are The Persecuted
We conclude today our series of studies on the beatitudes by looking at the last of the eight. In Matt.5:10-12 we read, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." This last beatitude comes as a result of living and applying the first seven beatitudes in our lives. Men and women who are poor in spirit, having come to the Lord with a broken and contrite heart, who have meekly obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness will be persecuted. Those who are merciful and that seek to be pure in heart, trying to be a peacemaker will cause the ungodly to persecute them. As Paul said in to Timothy 3:12, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." It appears as one studies New Testament, that the majority of persecutions comes from religious people. Consider the life of Jesus and the lives of the apostles, and one sees that most persecutions comes from religious people who are in error. Religious people who are deceived can become very irate at the righteous, godly people who are seeking to do what is right and teaching it to others. We ought not to get discouraged and downhearted about these persecutions for Jesus tells us that ours is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said we are blessed and that we should rejoice and be exceeding glad. Glad about what? Glad that we have a great reward in heaven; and that we stand in good company, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
