In our world there has never been any form of faith that has endured as much persecution as Christianity. Christians all over the world are being punished, imprisoned, beaten, kidnapped, tortured, raped and executed. All because of their faith in our Lord Jesus the Christ.
In the Open Doors watch list over 360 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Among the Open Doors information it states 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide. And that doesn’t include the many churches and facilities that are destroyed.
Why are so many Christians being persecuted world wide?
The Bible tells us exactly why Christians are being persecuted so let’s examine the Bible to see what it says. In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John is providing information from his vision for the 7 churches located in Asia Minor (Turkey) and this is what he says regarding the souls that are martyred;
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth? And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. Revelation 6:9-11
The early Church has always endured persecution whether from the Jewish Pharisees, the Roman Empire or their Muslim neighbors. And as a Christian we each have a duty to prepare ourselves, our family and the Church for what’s coming. How? By building up our faith. We do this through Prayer, Worship, Fasting, Bible Study, and my all time favorite, learning scriptures.
Because when the antichrist appears on the scene Christians must be prepared to do battle, even to death!
Top Ten Countries known for persecuting Christians;
- Afghanistan
- North Korea
- Somalia
- Libya
- Yemen
- Eritrea
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Iran
- India