To suffer for Christ is an honor. A chance to demonstrate their faith and to grow closer to God.
Yes I concur with your answer. I don't think though that embracing or even willingness to submit to suffering is the typical Christian mindset, at least in the Western hemisphere. The reason I cited Heb 11 is that why wouldn't those in that chapter prefer to be released and instead endure more torture, flogging, imprisonment and even death itself? The passage itself gives the answer in that they might obtain a "better resurrection." So at least for the believer, one suffers in order that he/she might obtain a better resurrection. The pertinent question then becomes what is the better resurrection?
"Better resurrection" in v.35 implies more than one resurrection.
Is one resurrection good, but the other resurrection better? And if so, what are the requirements of attaining to a better resurrection?
Rev 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and
they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Question: Is the "better resurrection" cited in Heb 11:35 the same event as "came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" described in Rev 20:4? In both scenarios, the saints suffered even to the point of martyrdom and death. We do know that when Jesus returns to gather his church, the dead in Christ will rise first. If so, giving up one's life (figuratively) possibly even to the point of death (literally) are the requirements for attaining to the better resurrection. When Christians figuratively die by dying to themselves, crucifying their desires/flesh in this life and suffer, they are rewarded with a better resurrection in the age to come which is the millennial reign of Christ on earth. Pain and suffering in this world is rewarded with a better resurrection in the next age.
So do all genuine believers automatically obtain a better resurrection?
The Apostle Paul wrote the following in Phil 3:11-12
10to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death,
11if, by any means, I
may attain to the
resurrection from out of dead.
12Not that already I have obtained it or already have been perfected, but I am pursuing, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13Brothers,
I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing indeed: Forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things ahead,
14I press on toward
the goal for the
prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. (BLB)
Notice that Paul wrote that he had not yet obtained/attained to the resurrection from out of dead. He also described reaching his goal as a prize - not a gift. Thus it is unlikely that Paul was referring to his gift of salvation but to something else instead that he referred to as the
"resurrection from out of dead." This term is translated from the Greek
"exanastasis." The regular Greek word for “
resurrection” appearing throughout the New Testament is
anastasis. This different word exanastasis is made up of three parts (
ex-ana-stasis). The latter two parts of the word (
ana-stasis), means “to rise up,” or “to stand up.” But the preposition
ex (from
ek) prefixed to
anastasis adds a new dimension. The first part,
ex (the form that “
ek” takes when prefixed to words beginning with a vowel) means “out of,” making
exanastasis mean “to stand up out of [out-resurrection].” Exanastasis occurs only once in the NT in this verse and differentiates itself from all other occurrences of resurrection mentioned in the NT.
Only those Christians who have persevered and have overcome the world, the flesh and Satan will partake in the exanastasis. This is the first resurrection referred to earlier in Rev 20:4 and further described in Rev 20:5-6:
5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This
is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but
they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
My thought is that all Christians do not automatically qualify for the first resurrection. Paul stated that he had not yet attained it. Those who suffer and persevere through it do qualify so my guess is that suffering does have a greater purpose in our lives in that we would co-reign with Christ in the age to come.
