An uncomfortable witness

There has been and will probably always be a lot of discussion and presumption about the end times and the return of Christ.  Eschatology (study of the end times) comes with such scholarly sounding words as pre-, post-, a-millennial, and mid-, pre-, and post-tribulation, and finding a consensus on their meaning and agreement is impossible.  In the gospels of Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus spends much time addressing the "end times" and trying to answer some of His disciples questions of just how these things would come down.

In the words of Jesus we find potential explanations of not just the great tribulation that will follow the return of Christ (or precede it depending upon your eschatological viewpoint) but also of how things will be when the temple is destroyed by Rome (which would occur a couple of decades after He spoke these words).  Making sense of the time line and order of it all can be a daunting task, one that I choose not to dive too deeply into.  Instead, I choose to focus on the fact that I believe Jesus when He says that He will one day return for His church and whether I am in heaven when it happens are I am still waiting here on earth, I figure that as long as I am an heir of this great promise it doesn't really matter to me if I have to go through a tribulation period or not.  It will be incredibly worth it no matter what I must endure in the end.

That being said there is at least one segment of Jesus' discourse that I believe I can comment on with certainty - persecutions and suffering for the Christian faith are to be expected for the follower of Christ.  In my own life I can honestly say that I have rarely suffered for the faith beyond being made fun of or mocked on a few occasions.  Yet I also know that believers in Muslim nations and communist countries across the globe regularly suffer greatly for their faith in Christ.  Mark 13:9-13 predicts such sufferings and persecutions in the future for followers of Christ, and no time line can really limit when that will happen.  But what I find most revealing is the reasoning behind persecutions that we will face: "as a witness to" those who are persecuting us.

I will admit, if someone is beating me for my belief in Christ, my primary concern isn't probably how my attacker is being influenced for Christ.  Yes Jesus made it clear that when we do suffer for His name it is so that He will be made famous.  My witness for Christ is all about Him, not so that others will see me as uber-godly or special.  When I suffer for my faith it is so the gospel can advance more readily. 

Do we as followers of Christ avoid confrontation and potential suffering for our own sake?  If we do, then we are missing out on opportunities for the advancement of the glorious gospel of Christ.  No one willingly wants to be beaten or battered, yet when we surrender our lives to Christ we must understand that these things are possible if not even likely.  Our witness if far more than setting a godly example.  It includes the possibility of personal injury and insult for the glory of His name.