THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT Most western Christians would be shocked to know that 45.5 million of the estimated 70 million Christians who have died for Christ did so in the last century. The true extent of Christian persecution during the past 100 years is believed to be of staggering proportions. For most of the 20th century the fearsome communist regimes of China and the Soviet Union committed the bulk of atrocities. Its estimated that in China as many as 50 million total lives were lost, while the Soviet Union claimed another 25 million. Think about that! While not all of those killed were Christians, this is where the majority of Christian victims can be found in the twentieth century. Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky said, Communism typically killed as many people in a day as the Inquisition killed in all the centuries of its existence. But in the 21st century THE MOTHER LODE OF CHRISTIAN MARTYRDOMS IS BEING PERPETRATED BY ISLAM--THE SO CALLED PEACEFUL RELIGION. And its growing worse by the day. Consider this: One Christian organization in IRAQ has reported eighty-eight Christian victims of violence since 2003. Dozens of churches have been bombed or attacked by Muslim extremists, and hundreds of thousands of Christians have already been forced to flee the country. In EGYPT, Christians are frequently arrested, tortured, and imprisoned just for converting. One chilling example from 2005 is that of Gaseer Mohamed Mahmoud, a Christian convert, who was tortured for refusing to renounce Christ. His toenails were pulled out and he was kept in a water-filled room, beaten, whipped, and confined to a mental hospital. Only pressure from the international community saved his life. He was released and is now in hiding. In SAUDI ARABIA, it is considered a religious obligation for Muslims to hate Christians and Jews. Apostasy from Islam warrants a death sentence. In BANGLADESH, Christians are being denied access to water wells and are frequent targets of physical violence and destruction of property. In TURKEY, they are denied access to civil and military jobs, and it is almost impossible to build churches. The so called Arab Spring, hailed by our president as a positive development in Egypt, has become an Arab nightmare. Hundreds of Coptic Christians--who have existed in Egypt since the 4th Century, have been systematically tortured and slaughtered. In Syria, Egypt, and other areas, indigenous Christian populations are being tortured, killed, and displaced. And the barbaric Islamic militants of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) have swept into the Iraqi city of Mosul (which encompasses parts of the ancient city of Nineveh and is believed by many to be the burial site of the Biblical Jonah). Here churches and monasteries have been attacked and ransacked, Christians have been murdered, raped, or forced out with threats of oppression, financial ruin from taxes, forced conversion, and death. One observer noted, The fire [of Islamic extremists] is devouring churches, mosques and burning history... Let me bring this home. The Bible implores all Christians: Don’t forget about those in jail. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, for you know what they are going through (Heb.13:3). And by the way, if you think this persecution madness cant reach our own shores, youre wrong. The spirit of Anti-Christian bigotry is already growing daily in the media, as well as in other key pockets of American life. The solution? Stand up for Jesus. Tell the truth found in His Word. Refuse to be intimidated by Political Correctness. Let your light shine and your lamp burn. Jesus is coming soon!
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 18:20:23 +0000
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