Question: I have heard that Christians are being killed because of their religious faith! How can that be true today in these modern times?
Answer: Outside of the United States, some Christians are being arrested, sent to prison, and/or executed. Some countries do not allow their citizens to have Bibles at home or meet with others to worship and pray together as a church. Not all countries have laws like America does that gives them freedom of religion. Some foreign governments don’t allow any religion at all or only allow a particular one. The Bible shows that this persecution of people who follow Jesus has always existed. Jesus said:
Watch out! For they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake to answer for why you follow Me. Mark 13:9
There was a bright side to the warning by Jesus, though! He assured His followers that He would reward them in heaven because they were once abused for believing in Him:
Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, and talk bad about you because you follow Me. You should rejoice! Your reward in heaven will be even greater because you had to go through this. People treated my prophets the same way. Luke 6:22-23
In our country now, Christians are not being killed because they follow Jesus. But Christians suffer in different ways. They are criticized and made fun of by unbelievers and some who write news stories for television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Some reporters angrily call some Christians names they have created, such as “Right Wing Fundamentalists” or the “Religious Right”. Because Christians believe that the Bible is God’s message for the world, the media has labeled them as fanatics or crazy people who shouldn’t think God’s way is the best.
Would people think that you are one of those fanatics for believing God’s words in the Bible? Let’s hope so! Rejoice!
