CHRISTIANS IN RUNAWAY

 

This is a difficult subject to deal with, because it is uncomfortable and because of this many people do not want to talk about it. But it must be said: although Christianity brings peace, comfort, happiness and a balanced life to believers, there are times when difficulties may arise. Being a Christian sometimes implies going through certain sufferings, because, as the Apostle Paul says, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).  

Already at the beginning of the Church of Christ, this aspect of Christianity can be observed. According to the evangelist Luke, at a certain point in its origin, "the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers" (Acts 9:31). However, before this period of tranquility, things were not quite so. According to Doctor Luke, after the stoning of Stephen, "...a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria... Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison" (Acts 8:1-3).  

Obviously, for someone who thinks he is fearless, running away can seem like a sign of weakness. But, many times, it is the best solution, because it avoids the premature confrontation of situations that can be harmful or dangerous and that don't need to be faced beforehand. The Lord Jesus Himself directed the Apostle Paul to leave Jerusalem in haste when he returned there after his conversion. See the text: "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. 'Quick!' he said. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me... Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts22:17,21). 

The Lord also, when prophesying the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which happened in 70 A.D. by the Roman armies, told the disciples to flee. See Matthew 24:15-20, associated with Luke 21:20-24. Luke interprets Matthew. The Lord says, "when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies... flee to the mountains..." (Luke 21:20,21). Matthew adds, "...Pray that your flight will not take place in winter..." (24:20). According to New International Version Bible commentators, the Jerusalem Christians fled to the city of Pella in the Transjordan region shortly before A.D. 70[1].  

The Apostle Paul, guided by the Lord himself, used flight as a solution to the persecution he was suffering in proclaiming the gospel among the Gentiles.  Writing to the Corinthians, he said, "in Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands." (2Corinthians 11: 32,33). This issue of persecution and escape is not something afflicting only important leaders, preachers and missionaries. Persecution constitutes a topic of Jesus' teaching (Matthew 13:21; Mark 10:29,30). See also what Paul said, writing to the Thessalonians: "Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring" (2 Thessalonians 1:4).  

In this context, looking at Church History, one can see that Christians were initially persecuted by their own brethren, the Jews. The early church was made up of Jewish converts. Then they were persecuted by the Romans until Christianity became the official religion of the empire. From that moment on, the Church enjoyed peace and tranquility. But as time went by, doctrinal deviations led it away from the gospel of Christ, and it gradually became so secularized that it became a temporal power. At this point, it goes from being persecuted to being persecutor. The Church, distant from Christ, in the Middle Ages, through the institution of the Holy Inquisition, rigorously persecuted the Jews and all those who disagreed with it.  

In the last two centuries, Christians have again been persecuted in dictatorships and non-Christian countries in the East and Far East. In the liberal democracies of the West, they still live in freedom and comfort, but we can already see signs of persecution due to ongoing ideological conflicts and social changes. There seems to be a tendency for the persecution of Christians to increase. The darkness cannot stand the light of God. That is why Paul said, "in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2Timothy 3:12). Jesus himself, in his last speech to the disciples, speaking about the end of times, said: "then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me" (Matthew 24:9).  

Then Jesus goes on to talk about a great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now (Matthew 24:21). It will mark the end of this humanity and the rebirth of a new one, created along the lines of His Person, that is, in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-22). The book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, says that in this great tribulation everyone will die. The non-Christians, for having rejected Christ, after death will be cast into a condition of suffering and eternal indefiniteness for being separated from their Creator (Revelation 20:15). Those who have died in the great tribulation because of their faith in Christ will be reunited with God in His Kingdom and enjoy eternal life in the fullness of being (6:9-11; 7:9-17; 21:1-5; 22:1-5).

Antônio Maia – Ph.B., M.Div.

Copyright

[1] BÌBLIA Nova Versão Internacional. São Paulo: Editora Vida. 2010, p.1658.