Why do good people suffer? An even more vexing question is why God allows persecution to come upon the righteous. If Jesus is correct when He said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6), then why would God permit anyone to persecute those who follow Jesus? Though, on the surface, it may appear that God is cruel or unjust in allowing His people to suffer persecution, in reality God brings much good out of persecution. One of God’s purposes in allowing persecution is that through it, the faith of those who follow Christ is refined. Persecution causes us to re-examine what we believe and the reasons we believe it. Persecution not only shows us where our faith is weak, but confirms that belief in Christ is worth dying for.
Another thing which persecution does is demonstrate God’s justice in granting salvation to those who follow Christ. Those who remain faithful, in spite of all pressure to turn away, show that they are worthy of salvation.
There is another way in which persecution demonstrates God’s justice. It shows that He is right when He condemns and punishes. In verses 6 through 9 of his second inspired letter to the followers of Christ at Thessalonica, Paul writes, “Since it is a righteous thing with God (NIV, God is just) to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,”
In this passage Paul reaffirms that God is just. No matter how unjust our circumstances may seem, a time is coming when God will see to it that justice is done. Make no mistake about it. God will pay back those who trouble or persecute the followers of Christ.
There are many who sincerely believe that it is their duty to persecute Christ’s followers. In their view, by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and that He is God’s Son, Christians blaspheme against God and, therefore deserve persecution. Jesus warned his disciples about this. He told them, “These things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them…” (John 16:1-4)
According to Jesus, the reason people persecute His followers is that the persecutors do not know God. How ironic that the very people who think they offering God a service by persecuting Christians, do not know God themselves! Paul writes that it is because they do not know God that they will be punished. They will be punished, not so much because they gave trouble to Christians but, because of their unbelief which caused them to persecute. It is because they do not know God that they do not obey the gospel of Christ. Because they do not obey, they persecute those who do obey.
Of what does the punishment of persecutors consist? Paul writes that the Lord Jesus will be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire.” (verse 7) The persecutors will be forced to admit that they are wrong. They will be forced to admit the truth about Christ. In another place Paul writes, “…God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…” (Philippians 2:9-11)
Persecutors will reap another consequence of their choice to reject the Lord. Not only will they be forced to acknowledge Jesus, they will be “eternal destruction from the face of the Lord (NIV, shut out from the presence of the Lord) and from the glory of his might.” (verse 9) Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life…” He also said, “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) By being shut out from the Lord’s presence, persecutors will be separated from life as well. In other words, they face total destruction. This will not be something temporary. Paul writes that their destruction is everlasting.
Is their no hope, then, for the persecutors of Christ’s followers? Yes, there is. Paul, himself, was a persecutor before he yielded his life to Christ. You too, may obtain eternal life, even if you have persecuted or killed Christians if you follow Paul’s example. He tells what happened in these words, “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished. It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light around me. I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’ …I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him. He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’’” (Acts 22:4-16)
If, like Paul, you acknowledge who Jesus is, repent of your sins, and are baptized while calling on Jesus’ name you, too, can have your sins washed away. If not, then you will face eternal destruction when Christ returns.