The apostle Paul and Jesus: You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. Luke 21:12

After his triumphal entry at the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus prophesied to his disciples about something that they were able to verify during the early days of the Church after having received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the problem of oppression and its consequence, the persecution by worldly authorities. The Kingdom of Heaven according to the words of Jesus would save many through the spiritual gift of fear of God (constancy, firmness, devotion, and equanimity), but it would also be rejected by fools and people who love money, because as all the wise men and the prophets have taught throughout the Bible there are two paths in the life of man, righteousness ("Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them" Matthew 7:12) and sin.
Jesus knew that his time on earth was coming to an end and he knew that the mission of his disciples would be difficult, so he told them: "You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony" Luke 21:12-13.
This prophecy begins to be fulfilled with the martyrdom of Stephen, the first martyr of the Church; a prophecy that also had an enormous weight in the life of the apostle Paul, who after his third missionary journey was imprisoned in the temple of Jerusalem by the roman authorities for bearing witness to his faith. Paul during his imprisonment, had to give testimony before King Agrippa and even in Rome before the emperor, but this fact did not diminish the hope or determination of Paul who had received faith through a heavenly vision during a trip to Damascus.
But as Jesus also prophesied, his followers would not be alone, but would receive the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the greatest doctor of the Church, something that Paul also bore witness to, and with these words, Paul expressed this fact when he met with the presbyters of Ephesus: "I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me" Acts 20:23. The Kingdom of God as prophesied by the Lord and as taught by Paul is the testimony of a truth capable of transforming the world and society.

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