End Time Sign: Persecution Rising
One sign of the end times is that there will be increased persecution of those who believe in God. The Bible even says they will be killed.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Matthew 24:9-10.
Most of us in the Western world have no idea what persecution is. We have to turn to Fox’s Book of Martyrs to read up on it. But there are people in parts of the world who are living it daily—and dying from it. Right now, today.
The Prophecy Dude Report has been tracking incidents of persecution lately. Not all of them, because there are more than anyone can keep up with. Here are a few:
- Report: 70,000 North Korean Christians Remain 'Locked in Concentration Camps'
- Christians Flee from Radical Rebels in Syria
- Christians Say Forced Conversions to Islam Happening in Gaza
- 50 Christians burned to death in pastor's home
- Crackdown on Churches "Spreading" in Southern Laos
- Britain Fights Christians’ Right To Wear Cross
- Another Christian Convert Beheaded by Islamic Extremists in Somalia
- Pope: America is “increasingly hostile to Christianity”
- Christianity is gathering persecutors.
- At Least 45 Christians Killed in Nigeria
- ‘We’re well on the way’ to Christian persecution in the U.S.
- Church Faces Increasing Hostility in Sudan
- All church buildings in Afghanistan have been destroyed
- ACLU Attacks Christian Prayer, But Fights for Muslims
- Facebook, Google, social media sites ‘actively’ censor Christian content: study
- Europe Becoming More Intolerant Towards Christians
- UK Postal Workers Refuse to Deliver 'Offensive' CDs of Bible Reading
- Canadian School Bars Christian Prayers, but Allows Muslim Prayertime
- Houston Veterans Can’t Bless Fallen Comrades
- Uzbekistan, illegal to own a Bible or pray together
- ‘Evangelicals are like totalitarian Muslims’, says Govt advisor
If all of that isn’t bad enough, governments are also pushing anti-Christian agendas. This is especially notable for the nation founded on Christian principles established by its government. Yep, the good ol’ USA.
- Obama's Incredible Attacks on God and Country - Shocking Documentation
- State Dept. sweeping religious persecution under the rug
- High court permits NYC schools to ban churches
- State Removes 3 Crosses From Calif. Town's Inspiration Point
- Federal Court Rules Jesus Name Unconstitutional
-
Florida Courthouse Ordered to Remove Ten Commandments Monument
Atheists work hard to sanitize God from every aspect of life. Through their nitpicking efforts, they have gradually eroded foundational beliefs in God to such an extent that Christians fear disclosing their faith for being marginalized.
- Atheism on the Rise in Asian and European Nations
- Obama snubs Israeli participation in anti-terror conferences
- Atheists Launching Mob Attacks Against Christian Films
- Atheists Demand Removal of Historic Jesus Statue
- Atheism Becoming a Mainstream Norm in America?
- New York Atheists Suing City Over Street Sign with Word 'Heaven'
When Jesus warned persecution would be a sign of the end, He didn’t disclose whether He meant Christians or Jews. We believe the rise in anti-Semitism is a sure sign that we are approaching the end, setting the stage for the Great Tribulation.
- State Dept. Shows "Rising Tide" of Anti-Semitism
- Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe
- Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Switzerland
- Muslim Brotherhood Calls to Kill All Jews
- Cars set alight, anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed in Brooklyn
- Survey: Majority of Argentinians hold anti-Semitic beliefs
- PLO's UN Logo Reveals the Truth: Wipe Israel Off the Map!
- Russian Neo-Nazis Firebomb Synagogue
- Shocking Report of Norway's Anti-Semitism
Persecution against Christians and Jews is increasing all over the world. Christians are being pegged as intolerant, anti-government, and just plain unruly. We believe that this is the agenda designed to marginalize Christians and characterize them as undesirables. It’s all a tactic of the enemy. We are heading to a time where Christians will be considered radical nonconformists. They will be exterminated.
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 6:9-11
This is a description what takes place during the tribulation, but if you ask many Christians suffering persecution today, they will describe to you what they believe is the tribulation.
Persecution carries with it a promise and assurance from God:
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 1 Peter 4:12-14
The tribute and experience of the first recorded martyr, Stephen, certainly attests to what Peter revealed.
When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60
The sting of death is replaced with a special visitation. This is the one time where the Bible records Jesus standing—every other place the Bible instructs us that His place is seated at the Father’s right hand. Persecution carries with it the blessing of the Spirit of glory and God resting on us. That raises it to an honor—an honor to host His presence.
Are you or someone you know experiencing persecution now? Tell us about it.
Further reading:
Image credit: © Alex_ostrometski | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
We reserve the right to delete comments that are snippy, offensive, or off-topic. For more, read Prophecy Dude’s Comments Policy