Martyrdom of the 12 Apostles
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Matthew: Killed by the sword in Ethiopia
Philip: Beheaded in the city of Hierapolis
Simon: Said to have died from being cut in half with a saw
John: Amid a wave of fierce persecution in Rome, John miraculously survived immersion in a vat of boiling oil. He was later sentenced to a political prison on the island of Patmos, where he recorded the prophetic book of Revelation. He is the only apostle who died of natural means in old age
Peter: Crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition, Peter had informed his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way as the Lord
James: Led the church in Jerusalem where he was thrown 100 feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple for refusing to deny his faith in Christ. When his persecutors discovered that James had survived the fall, they beat him to death with a "fuller's club"
James, son of Zebedee: A fisherman by trade who was called by Jesus to a lifetime of ministry, James went on to become a leader of the Church. As he was being accompanied by a Roman officer to the place of execution, the officer was imbued with conviction, professed his faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept the same fate of beheading
Bartholomew: Equally known as Nathaniel, Bartholomew was a missionary in Asia/present-day Turkey and was flayed to death with a whip for preaching the Gospel in Armenia
Andrew: Tradition has it that as he was being led towards the cross, he said the following: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The Cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it". He fervently preached the Gospel to his tormentors, and after being severely whipped by seven soldiers, his body was tied to the x-shaped cross with cords to prolong agony. He was crucified in Patras, Greece
Thomas: Stabbed with a spear during a missionary trip in India where he sought to establish the church in the subcontinentJude: Killed with arrows for refusing to renounce his faith in ChristMatthias: An apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and beheadedPaul: Tortured and beheaded by Emperor Nero in Rome in AD67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write numerous epistles to the various churches he had helped establish throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which form the 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)
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Why do we fall asleep in prayer and devote minimal time to reading God's Word, yet comfortably sit through a two-hour documentary?
Let us be wise with our time and make every effort to understand the New Testament promise that Jesus and his disciples shed their blood for, as recorded in the Holy scriptures.
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people. (Hebrews 8:10)
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