Why did Paul have a sense of the coming persecution on Christians?
By the sovereign grace of God, Paul was given a foreview of the horrible persecution that would soon fall upon Christians. Alongside expecting the Lord to return at any moment, this awareness shaped his preference for singleness, since persecution would make marriage and family especially painful.
Les teaches that Paul lived expecting the Lord to come at any moment. On top of that, by the sovereign grace of God, Paul had a little foreview of the horrible persecution that was going to come upon Christians. If persecution suddenly fell, it would be easier for people to be single. A wife would not have to suffer her husband being taken away in the middle of the night, or children suddenly kidnapped and their fate unknown. It would be better to be alone, face persecution, face death, and have it over with. This helps explain Paul’s statement that he wished all men were even as himself, though he was not putting down marriage and family.