Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:32-35

The believers who had endured through personal insult, persecution, and confiscation of their property are exhorted not to cast away their confidence in eternal life and reward, or to become timid, disheartened, and discouraged.

JUST A MOMENTARY LIGHT AFFLICTION

For this momentary light affliction is working for us a far more exceeding and everlasting weight of glory; 2 Corinthians 4:17

The details of the momentary light affliction the Apostle Paul refers to is found in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

WHY PAUL COULD REJOICE

The reason the Apostle Paul could exhort believers to always rejoice even when he was writing his prison epistles sitting in a dark, damp dungeon is that he had seen the third heaven – the paradise of God. He understood the brevity and difficulties of this life paled in comparison to the exceeding and everlasting weight of glory awaiting believers in Christ. In a similar fashion, the writer of Hebrews tells his readers, “… do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

WE NEED TO PERSEVERE IN THE FAITH

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” Hebrews 10:36-37

These believers needed to see endurance as a necessity for persevering in the Christian life. The toughest and most discouraging trials are when we are called to obey God’s will when the fulfillment of His promise seems so far away. This is why we need endurance. Faithfulness during the time when the promise seems unfulfilled is the measure of your obedience and spiritual maturity. This endurance is built through trials, the testing of our faith (James 1:2, 3, 4).

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10:38-39

The writer now quotes the words of Habakkuk 2:4b, “The righteous will live by faith,” repeated by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. The quote from Habakkuk emphasizes that not shrinking back even in persecution equates with saving faith and that the person who has been declared righteous by God lives and will survive the coming ordeal by faith.

THOSE WHO ARE BORN-AGAIN DO NOT FALL AWAY

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Matthew 13:5-6

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Matthew 13:20-21

In the “Parable of the Sower,” the “seed” represents the Word of God. The seed that fell on rocky ground (a stony heart), produced a plant that sprung up quickly but soon withered. When trouble or persecution comes, only a true born-again believer who is rooted and grounded because they have good soil (a softened heart) will not fall away but bear fruit. The Hebrew Christians to whom this letter has been written will not shrink back when faced with persecution because they have saving faith.

As a Jewish believer in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Son of God and Messiah (Christ), I am sharing my understanding of the natural and spiritual fulfillments that are foreshadowed in the Festivals of Yehovah in a series of posts. For an overview of these teachings, use the link provided below:

FROM PASSOVER TO THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES – AN OVERVIEW OF THE SEVEN ANNUAL FESTIVALS
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/from-passover-to-the-feast-of-tabernacles-an-overview-of-the-seven-annual-festivals