This post was last updated on January 10, 2026

Day 300, Year 1

Reaping the Punishment of Generations

… “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:34-35 NASB)

Zechariah in today’s verses is recorded in the Book of Chronicles. In the Israeli Bible (the Old Testament), the Chronicles is not divided into two books, and it is the last book. So, when Jesus speaks of the blood from Abel to Zechariah, He was referring to the entire period of the Old Testament. And Jesus mentioned that He would be sending prophets, wise men, and scribes among them, which seems to clearly include the messengers before and after the Gospel of Matthew. Thus, this passage does not refer only to the problems of the Pharisees, etc., but also indicates that this hypocritical religious group of unbelief will continue after the Gospels’ time of writing. So, the punishment of murderers will befall this generation. This generation refers to the time between Jesus’ first and second comings, including the present.

In the passage, Jesus pointed out three groups of people. First, the Pharisees, etc., who were persecutors. Second, the persecuted prophets, wise men, and scribes, who are God’s messengers and familiar with the Bible. Third, the crowd. If you are among the crowd, you should wisely choose whom to follow and avoid partaking in the persecution of the Lord’s messengers. Moreover, among the perpetrators and victims, it should be clear to the readers who God will save.

We can see that those who persecute God’s servants are part of a continuing lineage. Whether it is a generational sin or out of demonic influence, Jesus connected what happened to the Old Testament prophets with His own encounters, as well as the experience of God’s servants throughout. The war against hypocrisy and the persecution of God’s servants has been recurring for thousands of years, and it seems that no believers can evade this fight. If so, which side would you be on? What would you do? It is likely that “the predecessors sow and the successors reap” applies once again to humanity as a whole. Jesus’ words today reveal that the cause of the great tribulation preceding the end of the world and His return is the persecution of His servants. So, we must not only be free from all hypocrisy, etc., but also obey Him and His prophets, wise men, and scribes in preparation for the tribulations of the last days.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you agree that it is inevitable to participate in the war of hypocrisy? If so, what would you do?

2) How do you think we believers should prepare ourselves for the calamities before the end of the world?