1⃣Matthew: Killed with the sword in Ethiopia
2⃣Mark: Dragged through the streets by horses in Alexandria, Egypt
3⃣Luke: Hung in Greece
4⃣John: After a miraculous delivery from a vat of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome, John was sentenced to a political prison on the island of Patmos where he recorded the prophetic book of Revelation. He was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern-day Turkey where he died in his old age; the only apostle to die peacefully
5⃣Peter: Crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition, Peter told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died
6⃣James: Led the church in Jerusalem where he was thrown 100 feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple (where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation) for refusing to deny his faith in Christ. When his enemies discovered that he survived the fall, they beat James to death with a fuller's club
7⃣James, the son of Zebedee: A fisherman by trade called by Jesus to a lifetime of ministry who later became a strong leader within the church. As the Roman officer who had guarded James accompanied him to the place of execution, he was overcome with conviction, declared his faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept the same fate. James was beheaded in Jerusalem
8⃣Bartholomew: Also known as Nathaniel, he was a missionary in Asia/present-day Turkey who was flayed to death with a whip for having preached in Armenia
9⃣Andrew: Crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being severely whipped by seven soldiers, they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, as he was led towards the cross, he said, "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it". He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he breathed his last
🔟Thomas: Stabbed with a spear during a missionary trip in India where he sought to establish the church in the subcontinent
1⃣1⃣Jude: Killed with arrows for refusing to renounce his faith in Christ
1⃣2⃣Matthias: An apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and beheaded
1⃣3⃣Paul: Tortured and beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero in Rome in AD67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had helped establish throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which teach of the many foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
"You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)
This can serve as a reminder to us that our sufferings are relatively minor compared to the intense persecution faced by the apostles and disciples during their times 2000 years ago.
Pass on to encourage other believers. Why do we fall asleep in prayer yet stay awake through a 3-hour film? Or why do we quickly disengage when reading the Holy Book, yet find it easy to read other books? And why is it so easy to worship a celebrity, but very difficult to engage with God?
No comments:
Post a Comment