He Knew they Would

My enemy’s enemy,
May become my ally,
But be warned, not my friend;

The Enemy has only enemies,
Some are used as allies,
But he has no friends.

If you follow Jesus,
The world will hate you;
Just as it first hated Him,

They reject Him, they deny Him,
For rebellion is our nature;
And they hate Him without reason,
As He knew and said they would.

If you belong to Jesus, friend,
Opposition awaits, just as He said;
Opposition becomes hatred,
Just as they first hated Him;
Persecution follows surely,
Surely as they persecuted Him,
As surely as
He knew that they would.

Know then friends,
Just as he has promised,
Just as he has warned us
In His word,
If you follow Him,
As He commands you,
As it did to Him,
So the world will do to you.

– inspired by John 15:18-25