Introduction: Peter’s first epistle was written to Christians suffering persecution. It was a circular epistle meant to be circulated among churches in five Roman provinces, all of which were located in Asia Minor, which is northern Turkey today. These churches were being persecuted by the Roman Empire, which was the “Babylon”—Gentile world power or superpower—of that time. Peter, who wrote this epistle from Rome, where the last decade of his life was spent and where he was eventually martyred, actually calls Rome “Babylon” in 1 Peter 5:13.
The Bible predicts that the superpower of an end-time world will unleash unprecedented persecution against the church during the perilous times of the last days. The book of Revelation, the Bible’s most important prophetic book, calls this end-time superpower: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF ALL HARLOTS (Revelation 17:5). This world’s final “Babylon,” which was an unheard of mystery in Biblical times, was foreseen by John the Revelator as both the consummate world power and cruelest of all persecutors of the church.
Much to the chagrin of American evangelicals, the only power in the world today poised to play this Biblically predicted end-time role is America. Equally startling to today’s evangelicals is our country’s growing hostility toward the church and all things Christian. That America is becoming increasingly antichrist is absolutely irrefutable. Lady Liberty is conspicuously slipping into her Biblically predicted end-time role as the “MOTHER OF ALL HARLOTS.”
Like the recipients of Peter’s first epistle, you and I are about to suffer persecution at the hands of the “Babylon” of our time. In the case of the recipients of 1 Peter, it was Rome; in our case, it is end-time Rome, America. Therefore, the study of this divinely inspired Christian handbook on persecution should be seen as imperative for every Christian in today’s America, a country poised to become the greatest persecutor of the Christian church in all of human history.
It is believed that Peter wrote his first epistle from Rome around 64 AD. The persecution his readers were suffering was at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero. Some scholars argue that Peter penned his epistle on the precipice of Nero’s persecution, while others argue that he penned it in the initial throes of it. Those who argue Peter penned it on the precipice of Nero’s persecution point to 1 Peter 2:17 as a proof text for their position. According to them, it was still possible for Peter’s readers to “honor the king” at the time the epistle was written. Of course, this insinuates that it would not have been possible if Nero’s pitiless persecution had already commenced.
This raises a serious question for America’s contemporary Christians. When does patriotism become impossible under persecution? If Christian America, to which we once pledged allegiance, is no more, and current America has become antichrist, can we still salute the flag and sing the Star-Spangled Banner? What loyalty do we owe our country once it turns its sights on Christ our Lord?
While the Bible clearly instructs us to submit to government authority and to obey the laws of our land, as long as we can do so in submission to God and in obedience to His higher laws, we are not Biblically obligated to bow to a blasphemous government whose laws are contradictory to God’s commands. Much to the chagrin of America’s contemporary Christians, we’re nearing this line of contention in this country. I’m afraid we’ll soon find ourselves forced to choose between faithfulness to Christ or waving our country’s flag.
While we’ve always equated patriotism with Christianity in a Christian America, patriotism will become antithetical to Christianity in an antichrist America. Our heavenly citizenship will crash with our earthly citizenship once our country becomes the chief nemesis of our Christian Faith. How can Christians pledge allegiance to a country that prohibits them from professing and practicing their Christians Faith, as well as from preaching Christ to their fellow countrymen?
Truly, if the Christian’s divinely inspired handbook on persecution, 1 Peter, has ever been needed, it is today. Let us prayerfully peruse it to find answers to the important questions being posed by our present and precarious predicament in a land that has gone from being the protector of our faith to becoming the persecutor of our faith.
The persecuted churches to whom Peter wrote his first epistle were comprised of both Gentiles and Jews. These churches’ large contingency of Jewish believers undoubtedly touched a soft spot in Peter’s heart, whose ministry was primarily to the Jews, as Paul’s was to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-8). Peter was undoubtedly passionate about penning this epistle, not only as an encouragement to Gentile believers, who were facing deprivation and death, but especially to Jewish believers, who suffered the double scourge of persecution, for being both Christians and Jews.
This double scourge of persecution suffered by Jewish Christians makes 1 Peter, the Christian’s handbook on persecution, even more relevant to us today. According to the Bible, the unprecedented persecution of the perilous times of the last days will target both Christians and Jews. In fact, Scripture predicts that two-thirds of the world’s Jewish population will be wiped out by end-time persecution.
According to the ancient Prophet Zechariah, only one-third of the world’s Jewish people will survive end-time tribulation (Zechariah 13:8-9). This surviving remnant is symbolized in Revelation by the 144,000 of chapter seven. Notice, they are sealed by the angels for their protection (Revelation 7:1-8), which is, as Hebrews 2:14 teaches, part of the ministry of the angelic host. Angels, according to the Bible, preserve God’s elect, those “who shall be heirs of salvation,” until the day of their salvation. Now we know why there is such rejoicing in the presence of the angels every time a soul is saved (Luke 15:10). Every saved soul is a mission accomplished by Heaven’s secret service, ministering angels sent to safeguard God’s elect until the day of their salvation.
It is no coincidence that our country, as well as our world, are becoming increasing anti-Semitic at the same time they are becoming increasingly antichrist. The sights of both, our republic and our planet, are simultaneously being set on Christians and Jews. Truly, the Biblically predicted end-time persecution has arrived, and the Bible’s handbook for persecuted Christians, 1 Peter, has become required reading for all of those being targeted for persecution.
1 Peter 1:1a — Peter’s assertion of apostolic authority serves as authentication of the divine inspiration of this New Testament guidebook for God’s persecuted people.
1 Peter 1:1b-2 — The Christian is a stranger in a world at enmity with God, because he or she is foreknown by God the Father, of whom the world is ignorant, sprinkled by the blood of God the Son, by which the world is insulted, and sanctified by God the Spirit, of whom the world is incognizant.
1 Peter 1:2b — God’s persecuted people should pray for God to multiply His grace and peace to them, since only the bolstering of Heaven can enable us to bear what is humanly unbearable.
1 Peter 1:3 — The Christian's hope is a living hope in the resurrected Christ. It is safe and secure as long as the everlasting Christ is alive. Therefore, unlike the rest of the world, the Christian has an endless hope rather than a hopeless end!
1 Peter 1:3 — The hope of the born again Christian is a living and eternal hope, since it is hope in the resurrected Christ, who lives forevermore. In other words, the Christian’s hope will last as long as Christ lives!
1 Peter 1:4 — Christians have an assured inheritance awaiting them in Heaven, which can never be destroyed, defiled, or diminished.
1 Peter 1:5 — Christians, who are protected in all current and coming persecution by the power of God, will also persevere by God’s power until the consummation of their salvation at Christ’s Second Coming.
1 Peter 1:6-7 — Although Christians rejoice in their eternal salvation, the sorrows of temporal sufferings gauge the genuineness of their Christian faith, which in turn generates praise for Christ, praise that will reach its apex when the Christian's sincere faith becomes sight at Christ’s Second Coming.
1 Peter 1:8-9 — Thanks to our ability to see, through the eyes of faith, the invisible Christ working out the salvation of our souls through all of our sorrows, we can gloriously rejoice with great joy in all of our sufferings.
1 Peter 1:10-12 — The Christian’s salvation was predicted by the prophets, preached by the apostles, and pondered by the angels. How, then, can so great a salvation fail to maintain us in our misfortunes or be minimized in our minds?
1 Peter 1:13-16 — The Christian should be a tough minded and tenaciously obedient servant of Christ, whose exclusive hope is in Christ’s return and whose holiness is made evident by the forsaking of wicked ways and worldly things.
1 Peter 1:17 — We should live this fleeting earthly life in fear of our Heavenly Father, who is the impartial Judge to whom alone we are forever accountable.
1 Peter 1:18-19 — It’s not with perishable gold or silver that God has redeemed humanity, but with the imperishable and precious blood of Jesus. It is truly the wonder of all wonders that God would personally buy you back for Himself at so inestimable a price!
1 Peter 1:18-19 — Christians are especially God’s possession, since we’ve been purchased by Christ’s precious blood as His peculiar and eternal treasure.
1 Peter 1:18-19 — It took the perfect life and precious blood of a sinless Savior to redeem guilty sinners.
1 Peter 1:20-21 — It was so that we could place our faith in Him and put our hope in Him that Christ was chosen before creation, revealed in the Incarnation, and glorified by His resurrection.
1 Peter 1:22 — Obedience to the truth is made obvious by one living a pure life and loving others with a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:23-25 — Unlike all that stems from perishable seed, such as withering grass and fading flowers, the Christian’s regeneration will endure forever, since it stems from the imperishable seed of the Word of God planted in the Christian’s heart by the sown Gospel.
1 Peter 2:2-3 — All who taste God's grace will crave God's Word.
1 Peter 2:5-7 — Christ builds His church with us, little pebbles or living stones who confess Him like Peter, but it is build on Him, for He is its immense and immovable Chief Cornerstone. (Matthew 16:18)
1 Peter 2:21 — God became a man so that He could provide us with the perfect example of how a man should live.
1 Peter 2:21 — The right steps to take in life, as well as the steps to life everlasting are found in the footsteps of Jesus.
1 Peter 2:21 — Every Christian should emulate the perfect example of Christ.
1 Peter 2:22 — Christ never committed a single sin and lived His whole life without ever speaking a single lie.
1 Peter 2:24 — The best Christmas gift ever given was on a tree, not under one!
1 Peter 3:15 — To sanctify Christ in your heart is to reserve your heart for Him as a single occupancy residence. Then, when others ask the reason for the hope in your heart, you can readily answer that it is your heart's single resident⏤Christ alone!
1 Peter 4:7 — As we see the end draw near, we must be sober-minded, singularly focused on heavenly things, self-controlled, not caught up in world events nor carried away with worldly things, and pray steadfastly, constantly and without ceasing!
1 Peter 4:9 — No one feels at home in the presence of grudging hospitality.
1 Peter 4:13 — When we suffer as Christians, we not only partake of Christ's sufferings, but, as the body of Christ, His church, we also complete His sufferings for us by suffering ourselves for Him. (Colossians 1:24)
“We will never be a victorious church until we see suffering as a divine gift.” (Dietirch Bonhoeffer)
1 Peter 4:17 — The Bible teaches us that judgment must begin in the house of God. Instead of the church being secretly snatched out of the world before end-time judgment begins, as is popularly believed today, the Bible teaches that end-time judgment will begin with the church.
1 Peter 5:7 — You can certainly cast all your cares upon the caring Christ, who incontrovertibly proved His unconditional and incomprehensible care for you upon the cross of Calvary!
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