10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
As Jesus talked with His disciples, He told of all the bad things they would experience. They were not just "out there"; they were going to hit home. Despite all these negative things that would impact their lives, they were see them in a positive light: a way to bear witness. Rather than seeing this as just as scary, they were to trust God for Who He is: trustworthy enough to give them the words they needed to say, the safety they needed to make a difference, and the endurance to bear up under the pressures of life lived for Him. Though we see a bit of all these things in our world today, there is nothing that He will not see us through.
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