“They Will Consider Nothing Sacred”

 

In Jerusalem, Israel, a Christian Cemetery  near Christ’s Church was vandalized by Orthodox Jews (it could be a violent group posing as Jews to cause enmity between Jews & Christians while concealing their identity). Over thirty gravestones were destroyed, most of which had crosses. This wave of anti-Christian hate acts has been happening to the cemetery before, but not on this scale. 

What is happening? Nothing seems to be sacred anymore. They’ve got new abortion pills to terminate unwanted pregnancies, churches  are being vandalized like the one in India, and even now cemeteries are not safe; you aren’t even respected in death. Nothing is sacred, and this was foretold in Scripture, 

“For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.” (2 Timothy 3:2). 

It is evident there is inherent disrespect of our faith rising in sectors of the world. Hate crimes like these are a reminder that being a Christian means we will be persecuted and Jesus was not joking when He said we must pick up our cross daily, “Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me,” (Luke 9:23), which means suffering.  We have become to comfortable with Constantinian favor, when The Church became popular. We forget for four-hundred years Christians faced “death everyday,” (1 Corinthians 15:31), and that Scripture promised it shall be so again in the last days, and if you wish to be a righteous Christian you will suffer, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). 

This is only going to increase, and we must become like Jesus, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51). For the age of the Church being favored is seemingly ending. But take heart, a persecuted church is a better one, as seen in the world where churches grow and thrive in suffering around the world. We should rejoice as the apostle says, “but rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed,” (1 Peter 4:13), being ready to suffer for Jesus, for then we are done with sin, “So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.” (1 Peter 4:1). Amen.