Hope of a persecuted believer
- LifewithJesus
- Feb 11
- 11 min read
Revelation 21:3-4 NKJV
“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.””
Nowadays, the Church is experiencing persecution. Unfortunately; this is not new, because the Bible already told us it would happen. Even from the very beginning, in the days of the early church recorded in Acts, believers endured suffering, opposition, and hardship for their faith.
Romans 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
But one of the greatest blessings I have received from reading Revelation is this: hope. Hope for believers. Hope that what we are going through now, the suffering is not the end of the story. And by the help of my best friend, THE PERSON OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD; He wants to briefly share that hope with you.
Romans 8:18 TPT
“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us.”
So what’s the glory? I’m here by God’s grace to enlighten us on this blessed hope/glory
Even Paul said it in that of we have hope only in this life, we are of all men the most pitiable:
1 Corinthians 15:19 - NKJV
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable
So our hope is beyond this life, that's our living hope
Our hope is not rooted in this world.
Our hope is not limited to this lifetime.
Our hope is anchored in what is to come.
This is why we endure.
This is why we remain faithful.
This is why we keep looking forward.
Because the glory ahead far outweighs the suffering now.
So what is the heavenly hope?
Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The basis first of all for this hope is JESUS CHRIST. the future glory promised to believers is guaranteed by Christ living within us now. Our hope is not wishful thinking, and it is not based on our strength or consistency. It is based on Jesus Himself dwelling in us by the Holy Spirit.
But gotquestions.org explains it more fully. It said,
“The Holy Spirit seals us for the day of redemption (see Ephesians 4:30). In other words, the Spirit’s presence in our hearts guarantees our ultimate salvation. Though we are in this world, we are not of it (see John 17:16). God will continue to work in us until He is finished perfecting us (see Philippians 1:6). This forward-looking guarantee of perfection is what is meant by ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The J. B. Phillips translation of Colossians 1:27 puts it this way: "The secret is simply this: Christ in you! Yes, Christ in you bringing with him the hope of all glorious things to come.’”
It goes on to say that “the hope of glory is the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore us and all creation". This hope is not a wishful thought, but the confident, expectant, joyful knowledge that we are being changed by God and will one day see Christ face to face, having been conformed to His image.
The scripture echoes this hope of glory uniformly across the scripture across different Bible verse.
So lets explore with the help of GOD, all glorious things to come
The Joyful Glory for God’s People:
The Glorious Things to Come:
God Dwelling With His People
Revelation 21:1–4 (NKJV)
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.””
All Things Made New
Revelation 21:5 (NKJV)
“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”
No More Tears, Death, or Pain
Revelation 22:1–5 (NKJV)
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
Eternal Fellowship and Joy
Seeing God Face to Face
Revelation 22:3–4 (NKJV)
“And there shall be no more curse… They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
Eternal Life With No Night or Darkness
Revelation 22:5 (NKJV)
“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
God Himself will be our light, and life will never end.
The Celebration After Judgment
Revelation 19:7–9 (NKJV)
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’”
Before we continue, we must understand something deeply comforting.
The promise of a world with no tears, no death, and no pain means that everything that causes tears, death, and pain must one day be removed.
For persecuted believers, this is not a message of fear; it is a message of justice.
Every act of persecution.
Every injustice.
Every hidden evil.
Every moment of suffering that seemed unnoticed.
God has seen it all.
The same God who promises eternal comfort also promises final justice. The same God who wipes away tears is the God who will end forever the things that caused those tears.
This is why the book of Revelation gives both hope and judgment together. Because a world of perfect peace can only exist when evil is finally and completely dealt with.
All Wickedness Will Be Judged
Proverbs 11:21: Evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.
The Bible makes one thing very clear: no evil will go unjudged. God is just, and He will deal fully and finally with wickedness, rebellion, and everything that opposes Him.
Revelation 20:12-15 NKJV
“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.””
Your Patient Endurance Will Be Rewarded
Your patients endurance will be rewarded in the end; it’s not unnoticed by GOD
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
Revelation 7:9-17 TPT
“After this I looked, and behold, right in front of me I saw a vast multitude of people—an enormous multitude so huge that no one could count—made up of victorious ones from every nation, tribe, people group, and language. They were all in glistening white robes, standing before the throne and before the Lamb with palm branches in their hands. And they shouted out with a passionate voice: “Salvation belongs to our God seated on the throne and to the Lamb!” All the angels were standing in a circle around the throne with the elders and the four living creatures, and they all fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing: “Amen! Praise and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these in glistening white robes, and where have they come from?” I answered, “My Lord—you must know.” Then he said to me, “They are ones who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and have emerged from the midst of great pressure and ordeal. For this reason they are before the throne of God, ministering to him as priests day and night, within his cloud-filled sanctuary. And the enthroned One spreads over them his tabernacle-shelter. Their souls will be completely satisfied. And neither the sun nor any scorching heat will affect them. For the Lamb at the center of the throne continuously shepherds them unto life —guiding them to the everlasting fountains of the water of life. And God will wipe from their eyes every last tear!””
Your suffering is not wasted.
Your endurance is not invisible.
Your faithfulness is not forgotten.
Present Suffering, Future Glory
Paul compares our suffering to childbirth; pain endured because new life is coming.
All creation groans, waiting for full redemption and restoration. We may suffer now, but our heavenly reward is worth the wait.
This world is not our home (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13).Our present troubles are light and momentary compared to the eternal glory ahead (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Creation itself is “on tiptoe” waiting for the children of God to come into their full glory (Romans 8:19).
Because of the fall, creation was subjected to a curse (Genesis 3:14–19).But the story does not end with the curse; it ends with restoration.
We may suffer now, but our heavenly reward is worth the wait.
So what’s the better Hope?
Our hope is not that life on earth becomes easy. Our hope is this:
Revelation 21:7“He who overcomes shall inherit all things.”
Revelation 21:3–4“God Himself will be with them… He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain.”
One day we will see Jesus face to face.
We will be like Him.
We will live with Him forever.
Until That Day
The first fruits of the Spirit help us endure.
We rejoice even in trials because they produce endurance (Romans 5:3).
Our bodies may be wasting away, but our spirits are renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16–17).
This earthly body is only a temporary tent. A heavenly body awaits us (2 Corinthians 5:1–4).
The God who raised Jesus will also raise us and present us to Himself (2 Corinthians 4:14).
The Strategy of the Church
The Bible never tells the Church to panic, hide in fear, or lose hope.
Instead, Scripture gives a clear strategy for how believers should live while waiting for Christ’s return.
1. Remain Faithful and Endure
Matthew 24:13 (NKJV)“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
Revelation 2:10 (NKJV)“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
The Church is called to endurance. Faithfulness in suffering is victory in God’s eyes.
Persecution does not mean God has abandoned His people; it means we are following in the footsteps of Christ.
We endure not because life is easy, but because our hope is eternal.
Faithfulness is victory in God’s eyes.
2. Continue to Preach the Gospel
Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The mission does not stop during hardship. The Church continues proclaiming Christ until He returns.
Even in suffering, the mission of the Church does not change.
Jesus commanded: Go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Persecution has never stopped the spread of the gospel.
In fact, throughout history, it has often caused the Church to grow even stronger.
The Church exists to point people to Jesus until He returns.
3. Love and Strengthen One Another
John 13:34–35 (NKJV)“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you… By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NKJV)“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together… but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
In difficult times, the Church becomes a refuge of love, encouragement, and unity.
Believers are called to support, encourage, and strengthen one another. Unity becomes a powerful witness to the world.
The early church survived persecution because they lived like a family.
4. Live Holy and Watchful Lives
1 Peter 1:15–16 (NKJV)“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV)“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”
Scripture calls believers to live differently from the world.
We stay alert. We stay ready and set apart for God. We live in a way that reflects Christ.
Our lives become a testimony of hope to a hurting world.
5. Worship and Praise God
Psalm 22:3 (NKJV)“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.”
Acts 16:25–26 (NKJV)“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God… Suddenly there was a great earthquake.”
Praise has always been a strategy of God’s people in times of suffering.
Like Judah going first into battle, the strategy of God’s people has always been praise.
God inhabits the praises of His people.
So we worship, we praise GOD.
6. Fix Our Eyes on the Hope Ahead
Colossians 3:1–2 (NKJV)“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above… Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (NKJV)“For our light affliction… is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Hope fuels endurance and keeps the Church moving forward.
The Church is a forward-looking people.
We remember:
This world is temporary.
Our suffering is temporary.
Our glory is eternal.
Hope fuels endurance.
Hope produces courage.
Hope keeps the Church moving forward.
Until Jesus Returns
So the Church endures.
We love.
We proclaim the gospel.
We worship.
We lives holy lives.
We fixes our eyes on eternity.
Because we know the end of the story, it is already written.:
Jesus wins. ✨
Victory belongs to Christ. Justice will be done. And the suffering church will become the rejoicing church.
This is the hope of the persecuted believer.
This is our living hope. 💛
Comments