<p>10:34- see on Mt. 5:7; Heb. 4:15.</p><p><em>For you had both compassion on them that were in bonds, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your own property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one</em>- It is tragic that believers who suffered so much could then revert to the very temple system which had so persecuted them. But this is a feature of our natures. We become like that which we hate the most and have suffered from the most, like Israel worshipping the idols of the nations whom they believed had defeated them. The giving of property to the poorer believers may therefore have partly been because property was being confiscated from Christians anyway. These verses in Hebrews 10 give us vital information about the persecution of the Hebrew Christians which the Acts record doesn't mention, just like the Acts record doesn't mention Paul's final privations in prison, of which we learn in 2 Tim. 4.</p><p>The manuscripts followed by the AV add: &quot;Knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven...&quot;. They had once understood what Paul has earlier explained in this chapter; that believers &quot;in Christ&quot; are &quot;in heaven&quot;, in the Holiest, their spiritual man &quot;in yourselves&quot; was in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). But they were turning away from that faith and understanding.</p><p>The early Christians &ldquo;joyfully accepted the plundering of their property&rdquo; by the state. There was a <em>joy</em> felt amongst them because of their loss. This is a totally counter-instinctive feeling- to be <em>joyful</em> because you lost or gave away &lsquo;possessions&rsquo;. The Philippians likewise gave out of a deep <em>joy</em> at giving away; the abundance of their joy resulted in their liberality (2 Cor. 8:2). And let&rsquo;s not think that the early church were necessarily all dirt poor. The Christians of Heb. 10:34 had property which was plundered- and still they gave support to the poor saints in Palestine (Heb. 6:20).</p><p>The more we grasp that it really is God&rsquo;s will that we will be there in God's future Kingdom, the more strength we will have to resist seeking for material things in this life. By being sure that we will be there, the Kingdom becomes our treasure, where our heart is, rather than any material treasure in this life (Lk. 9:34). The RV of Heb. 10:34,35 brings out well the same theme: &quot;Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your <em>possessions</em>, knowing that ye have your own selves for a better <em>possession</em>&quot; (RVmg). Who we ourselves will be turned into is our better possession, &quot;a better possession and an abiding one&quot; (RV). And this compensates for the loss of material <em>possessions</em> in this life. Therefore the writer urges them to not cast away their confidence in the receipt of this reward at the Lord's return (:35). The more humbly confident we are in receiving the Kingdom, the less the loss of possessions now will mean to us. Hebrews also associates the hope of the Kingdom with the characteristic of patience in the small things of this life. Hence Job, when he lost his hope, could exclaim: &quot;What is mine end, that I should be patient?&quot; (Job 6:11 RV).</p><p>Who we ourselves will be turned into is our better possession, &quot;a better possession and an abiding one&quot; (RV). And this compensates for the loss of material <em>possessions</em> in this life. Therefore the writer urges them to not cast away their confidence in the receipt of this reward at the Lord's return (:35). The more humbly confident we are in receiving the Kingdom, the less the loss of possessions now will mean to us.&nbsp;</p>