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Persecution Then and Today


The Early Church underwent great persecution. The Disciples were direct targets of persecution and all but St. John were killed for their faith. The Church then found itself hiding deep beneath the earth ins caverns, where there was no light. Emperors of Rome eliminated any person who professed to be followers of Jesus Christ. Among the personalities of these Christian killing Caesars was Caligula, Nero, and Diocletian. Nero is infamous for having made torches out of Christians, and more disturbing, he had Christians skinned and used their skin as clothing!

The point is that those before us suffered. They were put to the test and they prevailed. The evidence of their victory is us. Christianity survives today because those in the furnace of adversity and antagonism preserved. But are we worthy? The Church is crumbling. The faithful forsake their Father in Heaven and those who hang on find themselves despondent and beset with grief. The devil is stoking the fires once more and what Nero did will seem like nothing compared to the atrocities that will befall believers in this century.

The age is not unlike the days of the Early Church. Our faith still grows and glows among people; but many are forced  to hide from the wolves. In the world abroad, terrorists like Boko Haram and ISIL (ISIS) are rounding up Christians to defile and destroy. In China the Church is censored and in North Korea the penalty is death if a citizen is discovered to be a Christian. In the US, the persecution and subversion of the faith is coming predominately from the educational system (academia, schools, and curriculum) and entertainment industry (books, films, and video games). In time America will become another hot bed for beating down believers.

How are we to respond? One way is to pray, "Come quickly Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20). The other is to think on the early Church fathers and those who suffered for the faith. They persevered and because of their persistence of pursuing the Truth of Christ, we are here. The light was not snuffed out then and it shall not be put out in our lifetime. We must prepare ourselves for the coming tribulation and the terrors towards our faith in Jesus Christ.

Read the Bible and pray. These will be the mainstays you must master, to get the Word inside you for the days when you may not have access to it. Prayer will be possible no matter the conditions, for we can pray in our minds and hearts and the Lord will listen. Make no mistake, tough times are ahead and the testing will separate many goats from the sheep (Matthew 25:31-46). For those in countries where severe persecution is common, the Lord has already been preparing you. For those of us blessed in freer countries like the USA, we must prepare our hearts and souls for what is rapidly approaching. For the Lord said in somber saying, "When the Son of Man (Jesus is talking about himself) returns, will He find faith?" (Luke 18;8).

Hold on. Remember those who came before and kept the light burning through the centuries. Do not give into the lies of the evil one. Persist in prayer and saturate your soul with Scripture. Cast aside those things that sow doubt and teach the doctrines of demons. Make Christ your cornerstone, so that when the storm comes your house will be built upon the rock and survive the waves of tribulation. (Matthew 7:24-27).

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