Lk 21:12-19
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 12“Before [the end] happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. 13It will lead to your giving testimony. 14Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, 15for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. 16You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name, 18but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. 19By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
THEY WILL SEIZE AND PERSECUTE YOU: Reacting to the commentsof the people on the beauty of the Temple of Jerusalem, Jesus speaks about the inevitable end and destruction of all cosmic realities (see Lk 12:8-11). He, however, states that there will be things that will happen first. Among these are the persecutions against his disciples (Lk 12:12-19) and the punishment of Jerusalem (Lk 12:20-24).
That Christians will be seized and persecuted is rather a general description that can fit any period of history, from the initial Jewish persecution of Christians (Acts 4:1ff; 5:17ff) to that of the various anti-Christian persecutions espoused by the Roman emperors. Luke glosses over all these, avoiding too many specifics. His concern is not to predict the events, but to develop at length what attitude the Christian disciples must have during times of persecution. Not only should the disciples be ready to face a prolonged period of time in history; they should likewise see the positive side of the trials: “It will lead to your giving testimony.”