In this daily Bible reading is the account of Paul coming to Jerusalem where he met with James, leader of the Jerusalem church. This James was the biological brother of Jesus. Mary was his mother as well.
James told Paul that many of the Jewish converts in Jerusalem had heard that Paul was teaching other Jewish converts to forsake Moses and not follow the law. So, James advised Paul to sponsor some Jews who were under a vow and demonstrate that he was following the law. However, while Paul was in the Temple with those Jews, some other Jews from Asia recognized Paul. They accused Paul of bringing Gentiles into the Temple.
The Jews dragged Paul out of the Temple. A mob then formed, which started to beat Paul. Roman soldiers had to save Paul. The crowd was confused, but their anger was intense against Paul. They wanted to kill him.
This example shows me the spiritual forces at work in this world; specifically the demonic world. I believe that Satan instigates this uncontrolled anger. It is the same anger that stirred up the crowd against Jesus and resulted in Jesus’ crucifixion for no legitimate reason. The Jewish crowd beat Paul for no legitimate reason. He would have been killed had the Roman soldiers not saved him.
I believe this same frenzied anger will become more and more prevalent against believers as we approach the end times. Many believers will be killed during ‘the great tribulation,’ but we must stand firm in our Faith even unto death.
