A. Their goal is to stop the witness:

JER 11:21. Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

JOH 11:47. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

JOH 11:48. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

JOH 11:53. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

ACT 4:17. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

REV 6:9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

REV 11:7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

B. Wicked carnal men hate the righteous:

GAL 4:29. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

PSA 38:20. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

PRO 29:27. An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

ISA 59:15. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

ACT 7:52. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

1PE 4:3. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

1PE 4:4. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

1JO 3:12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

C. Because truth is a witness against evil:

JOH 7:7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

1KI 22:17. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

1KI 22:18. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

1KI 22:19. And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

1KI 22:20. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

1KI 22:21. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

1KI 22:22. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persude him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

1KI 22:23. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

1KI 22:24. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

1KI 22:25. And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

1KI 22:26. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

1KI 22:27. And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

2CH 16:7. And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

2CH 16:8. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.

2CH 16:9. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

2CH 16:10. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

2CH 24:20. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

2CH 24:21. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

JER 32:2. For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

JER 32:3. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

AMO 5:10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

ACT 6:10. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

ACT 6:11. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

ACT 6:12. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

ACT 6:13. And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

ACT 6:14. For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

ACT 6:15. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

ACT 7:51. Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

ACT 7:52. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

ACT 7:53. Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

ACT 7:54. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

ACT 7:55. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

ACT 7:56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

ACT 7:57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

ACT 7:58. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

ACT 7:59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

ACT 7:60. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

REV 1:9. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

REV 12:17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

REV 20:4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

D. Ignorance of the truth:

ACT 3:13. The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

ACT 3:14. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

1TIM 1:13. Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

E. Do not truly know God:

JOH 5:18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

JOH 5:38. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

JOH 5:42. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

JOH 8:37. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

JOH 15:21. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

JOH 15:24. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

JOH 16:3. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

ACT 13:27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

ACT 13:28. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

F. Self-righteous misguided religious zeal:

JOH 16:2. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

ISA 66:5. Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

ACT 13:50. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

ACT 21:27. And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,

ACT 21:28. Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

ACT 21:29. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

ACT 21:30. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

ACT 21:31. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

ACT 21:32. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

ACT 22:3. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

ACT 22:4. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

ACT 23:12. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

ACT 23:13. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

ACT 23:14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

ACT 26:9. I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

ACT 26:10. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

ACT 26:11. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

GAL 1:13. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

GAL 1:14. And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

PHI 3:6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

G. For breaking religious traditions & doctrines:

MAT 12:10. And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

MAT 12:11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

MAT 12:12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

MAT 12:13. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

MAT 12:14. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

JOH 5:16. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

JOH 9:16. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

JOH 10:31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

JOH 10:32. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

JOH 10:33. The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

H. Religious jealousy & fear of competition:

MAT 27:18. For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

MAR 11:18. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

ACT 13:44. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

ACT 13:45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

ACT 17:5. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

I. Because we do not belong to this world:

JOH 15:19. 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.

JOH 17:14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

1JO 4:5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1JO 4:6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

J. Persecution by corrupt rich:

ACT 19:23. And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.

ACT 19:24. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

ACT 19:25. Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

ACT 19:26. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

ACT 19:27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

JAM 2:6. But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

JAM 2:7. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

REV 17:1. And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

REV 17:2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

REV 17:3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

REV 17:4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

REV 17:5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

REV 17:6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

REV 17:18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

K. Wickedness pride:

PSA 10:2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

PSA 74:22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

PSA 119:69. The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

L. For refusing to compromise faith:

DAN 3:14. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

DAN 3:15. Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

DAN 3:16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

DAN 3:17. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

DAN 3:18. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

DAN 3:19. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

DAN 3:20. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

DAN 6:4. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

DAN 6:5. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

M. For refusing to worship the Antichrist & his image:

REV 13:14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

REV 13:15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

REV 13:16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

REV 13:17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.