Topical Bible: Persecution: The Wicked: Encourage Each Other In

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Persecution, as depicted in the Bible, is a recurring theme where the righteous suffer at the hands of the wicked. This entry focuses on the aspect of the wicked encouraging each other in acts of persecution, a behavior that is both condemned and lamented in Scripture.

The Bible provides numerous accounts where the wicked conspire and support one another in their efforts to oppress the righteous. This mutual encouragement among the wicked is often driven by a shared disdain for God's people and His commandments. In the Psalms, David frequently laments the plots and schemes of the wicked against him. Psalm 64:2-6 illustrates this vividly: "Hide me from the scheming of the wicked, from the mob of workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows, ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. 'Who will see them?' they say. They devise injustice and say, 'We have perfected a secret plan.' For the inner man and the heart are mysterious."

The New Testament also addresses this theme, particularly in the context of the early church. Jesus Himself warned His disciples of the persecution they would face, emphasizing that such opposition would often be a collective effort. In John 15:18-20 , Jesus states, "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well."

The Acts of the Apostles provides historical accounts of the early church facing persecution, often at the hands of those who encouraged one another in their opposition to the Gospel. Acts 4:23-28 recounts the believers' prayer after Peter and John were released from custody: "On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One." Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.'"

The encouragement of the wicked in persecution is not only a historical reality but also a spiritual principle that underscores the enmity between the world and the followers of Christ. The Apostle Paul, in his letters, often speaks of the trials faced by believers and the spiritual forces at work behind such opposition. In Ephesians 6:12 , he writes, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Throughout Scripture, the encouragement of the wicked in persecution serves as a reminder of the spiritual battle that believers face. It calls Christians to remain steadfast in faith, relying on God's strength and the support of the Christian community to withstand such trials.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 71:11
Saying, God has forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Persecution Every Christian's Lot
... And then, to encourage Timothy yet the more, he propounds to him ... manger to the cross,
and see whether any persecution was like ... How was he hated by wicked men? ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/persecution every christians lot.htm

A Caution against Bigotry
... lieth in wickedness, but "lieth in the wicked one;" lives ... we read, "There was a great
persecution against the ... You will encourage others to attend upon his word ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 38 a caution against.htm

Prison Meditations Directed to the Heart of Suffering Saints and ...
... all risks his proofs of the wickedness of persecution for conscience ... 2. Thou dost
encourage me to hold My head above ... us in our restraints Under the wicked's rod ...
/.../the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/prison meditations directed to the.htm

Jesus in the Garden of Olives.
... he sought at once to encourage them to ... error, incredulity, fanaticism, hatred, and
open persecution. ... tepid and unworthy communicants, wicked soldiers profaning ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter i jesus in the.htm

The Folly and Danger of Being not Righteous Enough
... They that will be godly, must suffer persecution; so it ... the pomps and vanities of
this wicked world; if ... from them; but instead thereof, they encourage them by ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the folly and danger of.htm

The Foundation of the Monastery of St. Joseph. Persecution and ...
... At other times, too, wicked and imperfect as I am ... for he knew the great opposition
and persecution we had to ... It will encourage them greatly, who shall come here ...
/.../teresa/the life of st teresa of jesus/chapter xxxvi the foundation of.htm

Christ is All
... a multitude of religions there is in this poor wicked world of ... you into trouble
sometimes, and cause you to endure persecution for his ... A MOTIVE TO ENCOURAGE YOU ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 61 1915/christ is all.htm

Charity and Loneliness.
... Unless he can inspire and encourage them (which ... out, in spite of ingratitude, opposition,
and persecution! ... things, not because they were wicked, and against God ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter vi charity and loneliness.htm

Huss and Jerome.
... pious a cause of affliction and persecution, I have ... priests of the church had become
wicked persons, and ... of faith and constancy would encourage multitudes to ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /6 huss and jerome.htm

The Christ of M. Renan.
... order, then, to do it service and to encourage it, it ... if a mere man, especially if
a wicked man, were ... his day had the courage to brave persecution by declaring ...
/.../the romance of m renan and the christ of the gospels/the christ of m renan.htm