10. Shortly before His betrayal the Lord repeated the warning with solemn impressiveness, citing the persecutions to which He had been subject, and declaring that His disciples could not escape: "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you."--(John 15:18-20.) 11. The extreme of depravity to which the bigoted persecutors would sink is set forth in these further words of the Savior: "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."--(John 16:2, 3; compare 9:22, and 12:42.) 12. These predictions had speedy and literal fulfilment. From the time of the crucifixion, Jewish malignity and hatred were directed against all who professed a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. In the early stages of their ministry several of the apostles were imprisoned--(Acts 5:18; compare 4:3.) and the priestly leaders sought to take their lives.--(Acts 5:33.) Stephen was stoned to death because of his testimony;--(See Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60.) and the persecution against the Church became general.--(See Acts 8:1.) James, the son of Zebedee, was slain by order of Herod,--(Acts 12:1, 2.) and Peter was saved from a similar fate only by a miraculous intervention.--(Verses 3:10.) The scriptural record informs us as to the ultimate fate of but few of the apostles; and secular history is likewise incomplete. That Peter would be numbered with the martyrs was made known by the resurrected Lord.--(See John 21:18, 19.) Paul sets forth the fact that the apostles lived in the very shadow of death--(I Cor. 4:9.) and that persecution was their heritage.--(Verses 11-13; see also II Cor. 4:8, 9; 6:4, 5.) 13. Not only did the Jews wage relentless persecution against those of their number who professed Christ, but they sought to stir up opposition on the part of the Romans, and to accomplish this end charged that the Christians were plotting treason against the Roman government. Even during the personal ministry of the early apostles, persecution of the saints had spread from Jerusalem, throughout Palestine and into the adjacent provinces. In this evil work the Jews sought to incite their own people living in the outlying parts, and also to arouse the opposition of the officers and rulers of the Roman dominions. As evidence of this phase of the persecution, partly Jewish and partly pagan, instigated by Jews and participated in by others, the following quotation from Mosheim may suffice: