I made the decision a while ago that I would use this space to share reflections from my book, or from my life, or from what God is showing and teaching me along the way. I lead a small group Bible study and we’ve been working through the book of Revelation the past few months. I’m trying to revamp my book into a Bible study format, and so each week I review the particular material, add a few more questions, and create a handout for the lesson.
We recently completed Revelation 6 and looked at the seal judgments described there. It is not my intention here to explain them all or go through the various interpretations of the judgments throughout Revelation, but I do want to highlight the 5th seal specifically.
In Rev. 6:9-11, when Jesus opens the 5th seal, the scene shifts from the war and destruction on earth back to the throne room of heaven. This is an example of the oscillating pattern throughout Revelation. Specifically, what happens in heaven determines what happens on earth. In this case,
the 5th seal reveals “the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God” under the altar in heaven. They were crying out to God for vengeance, but were told to wait a bit longer, “until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been” (6:11, NIV).
Scholars debate the identity of these martyrs and when they were killed. What is not debatable, however, is the fact that they were killed because of God’s word and because of their faithful witness. Which means it is quite possible John is seeing the souls of everyone murdered for their faith in Christ from the days of Stephen (Acts 7) until the day Christ comes again. In fact, this is not just an event reserved for some 7-year period of time in the future; it is happening right now all across the world! In fact, the recent slaughter of Christians in both Syria and in the Democratic Republic of Congo are current examples.
When it comes to persecution and martyrdom, there are some who claim over 400 believers are killed every day around the world and that over the past two-thousand years, approximately 70 million believers have been murdered for their faith and can rightly be called martyrs (from The Insanity of Obedience, by Nik Ripken). These numbers are staggering and demand our attention.
One way we can pay attention and join God in His work is to be a prayer warrior for our persecuted brothers and sisters across the world. As you may know, there are countries today where it is illegal to be a Christian and/or to help someone else become a Christian. To be caught with a Bible in certain countries can earn you a prison sentence, or worse. Churches are routinely targeted and burned, pastors are beaten and sometimes killed, and congregations often live in fear of being discovered or attacked. They need our prayers.
Another way to pay attention to this growing evil is to research and support organizations that minister to persecuted believers worldwide. Although there are many such organizations and resources, I list a few here for your consideration.
1. Under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the President of the United States is required to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designate any country that engages in or tolerates “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). Therefore, the US Department of State maintains a website called, Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch Countries, Entities of Particular Concern. You can find it at…
2. Another organization, the Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com), provides information and ministry support to persecuted Christians all over the world. The International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org) is another excellent source of information on statistics, trends, specific countries, and reports on Christian persecution across the globe as well.
3. Two additional resources, Ministry Watch (https://www.ministrywatch.com) and Open Doors US (https://www.opendoorsus.org), also track Christian persecution worldwide. Note the following:
a. The 2024 World Watch List (https://www.opendoorsus.org)
b. “The Ten Most Dangerous Places for Christians”
https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-most-dangerous-places-Christians
4. Finally, The Christian Post (www.Christainpost.com) is also an excellent website for news pertaining to Christian interests. A quick scan of their Home Page will reveal content related to persecution, as will navigating to their “World” section. You might be surprised to learn just how prevalent religious persecution is world-wide.
Therefore, I encourage you to stay informed about our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world through one or more of these organizations mentioned above. Don’t ignore it and stick your head in the sand. And don’t just read the stories, either. Consider joining in the fight against religious persecution through your prayers and financial support to the front-line ministries of those affected.
Although things look grim at times, the persecuted church is strong and unrelenting, growing and thriving in places where Satan is desperately trying to silence and destroy it. Thankfully, he will never succeed! The Scriptures make it clear that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, and when God is for us, nothing can stop us (Romans 8:31).
On a personal note: I believe persecution is increasing worldwide and will only get worse. It is becoming more and more prevalent in the west, too, and will undoubtedly increase in scale and intensity. Count on it. We should not be surprised by this, however, as Jesus basically promised that it will get much worse before it gets better. We may be seeing the decline of Christianity in the western world and the proliferation of evil, thereby increasing persecution of God’s people worldwide. We need to be prepared for this, as rejection, oppression, and blatant persecution of Christians is at our doorsteps, and it won’t end until Jesus comes again in glory.
When it comes for you, will you buckle under the pressure and deny Christ… or will you overcome?
