Alice

I am not aware of too many countries, but I do know that Indonesia is one of the countries and some countries which were previously part of what was called the Soviet Union are the ones in which the Christians are facing persecution. The book of Revelation will help persecuted Christians to seee that GOd os still in control. It give teh hope that their persecution will come to an end and it will end in victory. This hope will help them to persevere till the end. May I clarify here as an Indian Christian living in India, that in India it is not a norm for people to kill family members who have become Christains. Yes there are degrees of ostracism but murder is not one of them. India is definitely open to the gospel but then which country is? Persecution is prevalent in all countries in varying degrees.

These verses prove that God and Jesus were united in all respects. This shows the true meaning of oneness. Being one in every way. It also establishes Jesus as being leagues ahead of all those "holy" people and "prophets" that the world tries to group Him with.

Persecution, when intense and prolonged tends to weaken the persecuted. What is needed at that time is encouragement and strength to continue with renewed vigour. At such a time a personal testimony (which is a personal experience/knowledge) from one who has endured and overcome similar persecution provides the encouragement and motivation to continue holding on or simply stand up to the persecution. Jesus is the one who is our Hope. He is the one for whom we are willing to go the end of our everything because He has done it for us first. He has promised that there will be an end to the persecution and that end will be victory. So when Jesus testifies, His testimony gives us the necessary courage to gird up and continue to press on till He comes again to keep up His promise. We are afraid to be clear witnesses in a culture where we aren't persecuted due to the fear of rejection, the pressure of popular culture and mainly the absence of a deep personal and intimate relationship and experience with Jesus. Most of us have just skimmed the surface of our relationship with Him. Unlike those who were with Him when He walked the face of this earth, our knowledge of Him is more head-knowledge than heart knowledge. For eg. If I was blind like Bartimaeus and had been given my sight back I would be compelled to be a clear witness to what I had experienced. The fear of man etc would be overruled by my own experience. No one would be able to stand up/say anything against what I had received. This intimate awareness is available to us even today even though Jesus is not physically with us and I believe that those of us who have reached out and availed of this are clear witnesses in the areas of their experiences.

Hello All, My name is Alice and I am from Mumbai India. I am a homeschooling mother of 2 daughters aged 7 and 5. I was brought up in a traditional church. My husband and I are now part of a home church. We meet in our pastor's home for Sunday worship. I am really excited about this study and am really looking forward to participating in it. I have been struggling with having a quiet time for a while now this has come along at the right time as I resume my efforts at some regular time alone with the Lord. Thank you Pastor Ralph for all your efforts at making this kind of study available on the net. May God bless you, your family and all your efforts with abundant success. God bless you all, Alice