Christian Persecution

Think about this….

Public gatherings to burn bibles: Okay

Public gatherings to read bibles: Banned in some states

It is believed that modern persecution of Christians is currently at the highest levels in world history. It’s estimated that around 160,000 Christians are murdered for simply being a Christian each year. In the US this week a BLM protest in Portland that included virtually no people of color started burning bibles. What does protesting police brutality and racism have to do with burning bibles?

What realities might we soon be looking forward to in this “new normal”? We can look elsewhere on the globe where trends with the same ideas led to severe persecution. Voice of the Martyrs identifies 52 countries where bibles are (1) difficult/dangerous to obtain, (2) illegal or highly restricted, and (3) strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling.

In North Korea owning a bible or professing to be a Christian is a death sentence. It’s estimated that at any one time there are 70,000 Christians in concentration camps for the sole reason of being a suspected Christian or a family member of a Christian. In North Korea documented incidents against Christians include being hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, and herded off bridges.

In Somalia you can be executed for just being suspected of being a Christian. Persecution can’t stop Christianity from spreading-in fact it has always led to it’s spread. Could it really get that bad in America? History has shown that once communist, socialist, dictatorships, or islamic oppression takes control of a nation and their government things spiral very rapidly. These true stories depict what Christians often face in these hostile countries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIeKSrVdET0

Richard Wurmbrand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGqEgxkF7I8

North Korean Christians

How are we to respond to persecution should it come to our doorstep?

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Revelation 13:10 – If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

1 Timothy 6:12 – Fight the good Fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Advertisement

Today’s America and Christians plight

Is there enough evidence to convict you of being a follower of Jesus Christ or will the evidence convict you of being a follower of a worldy system that opposes God? Following Christ might get you cancelled, killed, or persecuted. In light of what is happening to America Christians need to be clear about who their allegiance is towards. Are they bowing down to the god of system controlled media, science, or institutions or the God of the Bible? Some very clear lines are being drawn.

Endorsement of the beliefs of the cultural shift in America today is not compatible with Christianity. This dangerous ideology has manifest itself in recent history in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and Communist China. Cultural marxism turns into socialism and finally manifests itself as full blown communism in the end. Those systems and ideas without exception have resulted in Christian persecution every place they have been implemented.

Those systems at their core are atheistic philosophy with no room for belief in the God of the Bible. Karl Marx was clear on this point. In these systems the state becomes the ultimate authority. This is not compatible with Christianity as we hold God and his word as the ultimate authority. Our nation was founded on the principle that God was the ultimate authority-so this movement attempts to undo that. Are men owned by governments or free souls under God?

They demand to control your thinking, beliefs, actions, and decide what’s best for you. Christians should submit themselves to the control of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”. Our thoughts and beliefs should conform to Christ not the state, system, so called science, media, or the mob. These movements seek to be Christianity without Christ. It’s a counterfeit Christianity. Jesus died in the place of sinful man to pay the penalty for sins for those who believe. These government systems do not want a Savior such as Jesus-they portray themselves as the savior for the problems they create. Either Jesus is Lord or the government system is lord.

Matthew 7:20 “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits”. When a movement becomes lawless and devolves to riots, looting, chants of f— the police, and other such evils those do not flow from God. Those are not fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness). Certain government restrictions cannot come from God when they include criminalizing churches and church goers, outlawing singing and worship, and banning religious gatherings.

Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul And body in hell”. The Bible tells us to fear God not man or a virus. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The message we are being flooded with is fear of everything except the fear of the Lord. The one thing we should actually fear is a holy God who is also just and will punish sin. Is your allegiance to Christ or to the beast of government systems that oppose the one true God?

What are Christians to do in the face of evil government? Some practical application?

Daniel shows us that we obey God over government when conflicts arise. We are already there in America where those conflicts are arising. The books of Nehemiah and Esther show us that we should protect the oppressed, defend homes, families, and communities. We also should take any action possible to thrawt genocide (Esther). The genocide of abortion has killed over 60 million. We may soon face another genocide more visible on God’s people and we should seek to thrawrt that as well. Jesus tells us to give to Caesar what he is due (taxes) but to give to God what he is due (worship and allegiance to his law). If civil mandates rise to the level of conflicting against religious conviction and Biblical instruction we cannot comply with the civil order.

In America we are given even more options-we were given founding documents that gave the people of the nation freedom to alter, reform, or abolish any future action, law, or government that is contrary to the founding documents. We are in such a place today where much of our government is contrary to the founding documents. Nehemiah faced a similar plight and stuck to the original document from the king when provincial rulers opposed his work. Paul and others fled persecution and government. Christians are being forced into conflict with this new system. Some are facing an impasse now-others may still be years before the impasse arrives. When it arrives we must ultimately seek to obey God over government systems. I would urge Christians to read scripture with a heightened level of urgency to better understand how that is to be lived out today.