Martyrdom

[Pastor Josh]

Martyrdom is the death of a person for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ Part of being a Christian is standing up for your beliefs and faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout scripture we are told to prepare for persecution and the very real possibility that you may die standing up for what you believe in. In scripture we see all kinds of examples of martyrs many of whom where the early prophets, disciples and apostles of Jesus Christ. We also see various attitudes towards martyrdom in scripture both from believers and non-believers. In todays study we are going to look into some of these things and find out what we need to do as Christians to prepare for what seems to be inevitable. Will we as Christians be able to stand and endure persecution in the face of tribulation or will we be weak, and break; giving in - and selling out to satan as he tries to beguile us with temptation and flattery. Esau sold his birthwright to his twin brother Jacob because of hunger and the lust for imediate satifaction. In today's society we are very much used to getting things immediately or with the push of a button. How do you think we will react when the comforts and amenities of today are no longer available and it has been weeks since we've had a bite to eat or perhaps a drink of water. What will we do when we can no longer afford shelter becasue we refuse to have the mark of the beast in our forheads which would temporarily take all of your problems away. Satan is coming as antichrist peacefully and prosperously and he will be able to fix all the problems of the world for short amount of time. Many will give in to temptation and think that they are taking the easy way out when they are really comdemning their own souls to death with no hope of attaining eternal life with our Heavenly Father here on Earth. I think that the story of Jacob and Essau was an example for us to use as a type for what is to come. We have tribulation, persecution and even the death of the flesh to look forward to if we hold true to our beliefs and faith in Jesus Christ. In Revelation we see the saints asking GOD when will the prayers of the martyrs be answered and avenged and then we see vegenge and wrath taken out on all the nations as the 7th trumpet sounds and the seven vials are poured out upon the earth. So martyrdom is a very real possiblity for us Christians especially in these endtimes and we must prepare ourselves by praying and growing in the Word so that we can stand up like men and women of God and Represent the way our Father would have us do. Remember you always want to do His will and not your own. So let's open up our Bibles and find out what we should expect and what we should do to prepare for what is to come...but before we do that let us open up in Prayer: A.What are some cause of martyrdom:     Antichrist's Persecution...Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
     The Whore Mystery Babylon's Hatred of Christians is another cause of martyrdom especially in the endtimes...Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.      Our Faith will also be a reason we will face martyrdom...Rev 6:9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev 6:11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 
B. What should a believer in Christ's attitude be concerning martyrdom:     Always remember that Christ warned us about it...Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.      We are not to fear martrydom but should rejoice in it much like our attitude should be towards persecution...Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.     Be prepared becasue you may face martyrdom...Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mat 16:27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Mat 16:28  Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.      Paul said that we must not only prepare but we must be ready to die if necessary... Act 21:13  Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
C. To help us prepare let us look at some early examples of martyrdom in scripture:      The prophets and apostles faced martydom... Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar
and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.      John The Baptist died for his faith and radical teachings...Mar 6:18  For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Mar 6:19  Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: Mar 6:20  For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Mar 6:21  And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; Mar 6:22  And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. Mar 6:23  And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. Mar 6:24  And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. Mar 6:25  And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. Mar 6:26  And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. Mar 6:27  And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, Mar 6:28  And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. Mar 6:29  And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.      Stephen was the first martyr after the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ... Act 7:58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. Act 7:59  And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Act 7:60  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.      The early disciples of Christ all faced martyrdom...Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. We know that Paul (formerely Saul of Tarsus) was first a persecutor of the Church and a Roman citizen; however, shortly after the previous two verses we see him converted on his way to damascus being struck down by the hand of God and blinded by His radiant light. We know that Paul repented for his sins and that it weighed heavily on him that he lead many Early Christians to their death including St. Stephen. God had work for Paul whom we know was eventually martyred as well. But it is through paul that we have approximately 2/3's of the New Testament as well as a greater understanding of the Old testaments laws, prophecies and promises. We gather from scripture that God wants us to prepare for and to be ready for martyrdom. He does not want us to fear it. He expects us to edure it and to heed Christ's warning as well as the early prophets that it is going to happen if you are faithful. We are told that we will be hated for our faith and that even our own families will turn against us to the point of turning us in to be killed. Death of the flesh is not something that we should dwell on
to the point of making us sick but we should rejoice in knowing that if we remain faithful, serve our LORD and Savior with love that the reward is not only eternal life but to become inheritors of God's Kingdom. What more could you ever desire? Before we conclude I want to bring to your attention something that is going on today and is very much kept on the down low by modern media. Our fellow Christians are suffering, being persecuted and even murdered all over the globe but particularly in the middle east here is an article Posted by Bruce Carroll    Monday, July 21, 2014 at 4:55pm Concerning the eradication of Christians in the middle east:
Below the big blaring headlines about Middle East turmoil, there is growing and systematic elimination of Christians being undertaken by Islamists. It is difficult to accurately gauge the extent of the actual number of executions by crucifixion or displacement of families — but the Christian community is being decimated from areas from North Africa through Iraq.
Whether we want to admit it or not, the Arab dictators that the United States supported during the Cold War were non-secularists and supported their nation’s minority Christian communities. The Arab Spring’s evil genie has been released and not only is Israel facing the consequences, but the Christian slaughter and “relocation” may be the most long-lasting result. In my mind, there is nothing comparable to the Holocaust by Nazi Germany — though some are making that reference.
When U.S. troops invaded Iraq in 2003, there were at least 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Over the last ten years, significantly in the last few months with the emergence of ISIS, that figure has dropped to about 400,000.
In a region where Christians predate Muslims by centuries, over one million Christians have been killed or have had to flee because of jihadi persecution, while America is basically standing by and watching. This is the sad news that Breitbart’s National Security Editor and one of the world’s leading experts on asymmetric warfare, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, brought to Breitbart News Saturday. Dr. Gorka explained that “in the last 48 hours, ISIS, which is now called the Islamic State in Mosul, has painted the letter “N” for Nazarene on the houses of all the surviving Christians in the city. ISIS has basically given an ultimatum to all the Christians left: You can either flee or convert to Islam, or we will kill you.”
ISIS was painting Christian-identified homes in Mosul, Iraq, with the red marking in the photo above. The black Arabic lettering next to it was a brave show of support by local residents — “We are all Christians.”
The last Assyrian Christian family left Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul on Saturday. Assyrians have lived in Mosul for over 6,000 years, becoming one of the first communities in the world to convert to Christianity at the dawn of the religion. Again, the headline referencing the Holocaust — in my mind — is inappropriate. It is all too easy these days to equate every atrocity to Nazi Germany. But it should not hide what is a fundamental truth — the Christian community in the Mideast is collapsing by the force of Islamic terrorists and Islamic-run nations.
This is the future of Christians living in the new “Islamic State” — submit or be executed. ISIS fighters took control of Mosul and swathes of north and west Iraq in a sweeping offensive that began last month. Their leader has since then declared a “caliphate” straddling Iraq and Syria. The group claims its goal is to return the lands they conquer to a state approximating that of early
Islam, in which Jews and Christians who did not convert had to pay a “jizya” tribute to their Muslim rulers.
“From one old woman they took $15,000 (11,100 euros). She asked for just $100 of it so she could reach Dohuk. They told her that these are the funds of the Islamic State, and we cannot give it to you,” Fadi said. Robbed of their cars and cash, many Christians were forced to walk to safety.
Some of Mosul’s Christians might be able to afford to pay the jizya, but they appear unwilling to take their chances living under the thumb of rulers notorious for executing and crucifying their opponents.
ISIS already decimated the Syrian Christians for siding with President Assad over the Islamic terror group. Syria once held one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East. The ISIS terror campaign against them has resulted in over 800,000 Christians having to flee Syria or give up their property to ISIS.
For over 200 years, the United States has always tried to stand up the “little guy” — the underdog — throughout the world. Though maybe too slowly, we have garnered international support to stop genocide in Kosovo, Africa, Southeast Asia, South America and even helped nudge the Middle East toward liberal democratization. We have been Israel’s staunchest and sometimes lone ally as a fellow democracy and nation that respects all religions.
So what is our nation doing while one of history’s “big guys” — Christians — are being systematically hunted down and massacred? Practically nothing.
This inaction is probably yet another shock for Ahlam, a Christian mother of two boys, who had to flee Mosul this weekend for fear of death by ISIS.
She described an exodus of hundreds of Christians walking on foot in Iraq’s searing summer heat, the elderly and the disabled among them.
“We first reached Tilkkef in a state of exhaustion. We hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for a whole day,” she said, referring to a town some 20 km (12.4 miles) north of Mosul where volunteers are picking Christians up in their cars.
“My husband and I were carrying our children on our shoulders the whole way.” Many Christians are making their way to the relative safety of the city of Dohuk in Kurdish autonomous territory further north.
“I left my home in Mosul, that my family built decades ago. And it was taken away in an instant,” Ahlam said with tears in her eyes.
“Everything’s gone, all our memories. Our home has become property of the Islamic State.” So Remain steadfast my friends and be prepared like a soldier ready for battle for. We are talking about a battle not against man but against principalities and spiritual things and losing our eternal life is the only thing that should strike fear into your hearts. With that being said I am Pastor Josh signing off until next time remember to stay in God's word - an may His love and peace be with you always.
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