Page updated 25 August 2016
End Time Persecution
End Time Persecution
Scoffing, discrimination, imprisonment, execution... are you ready to stand up for Jesus Christ?
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I see a gossip war... I know now that Satan has declared war on every true minister of Jesus Christ. He's gonna leave no stone unturned and in his attempt to discredit and shipwreck every man of God who's determined to stay true. Those ministers who refuse to cheat on their wives, they refuse to indulge in the freedom of the new morality, they are gonna be the target of the most vicious, malicious gossip of all times. The devil is gonna raise up bassett monguls to harass, and malign, and lie against you....ridicule, gossip and misunderstanding by the press and by liberal people in the media. Every motive is gonna be questioned. Every statement is gonna be examined and cross examined. They are gonna be mocked by comedians on television and ministers who once thought they had no enemies in the world will one day wake up to find out that someone's talking about them. They don't understand where it comes from. ...churches especially will face the most malicious gossip of all....innuendos, lies, false statements that will float around and come from the very pits of hell. It would be a supernatural demonstration of demonic power. -David Wilkerson, 1973 Prophecy - The Vision-
The Death of Jesus Christ
Excerpted and edited from The Voice of the Martyrs, November 1976 newsletter. Enlarge Photo.
At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to death. At the time Crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals, condemned to death by Crucifixion, Jesus was to be nailed to the Cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist -Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed-. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breath.
Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus, He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs, just to continue to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering and the courage.
When you have been falsely accused... look up for so was Jesus. When people twist what you say for their own selfish motives... look up for so was Jesus. When you have been betrayed... look up for so was Jesus. When you have been falsely arrested... look up for so was Jesus. It is written, Jesus will bring in the light for all to see. He will bring justice. He will vindicate you. Shake the dust off your feet. Forgive and move on. -Unknown-
Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours!
Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds. From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side... But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body? A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body.
The beating was so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture. He had no more blood to bleed out; only water poured from His wounds. The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured all 3.5 Liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33
All these, without mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in His face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where His hands were nailed). Jesus had to endure this experience, to open the Gates of Heaven, so that you can have free access to God; so that your sins could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Do not ignore this situation. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!
Are you ready to stand up for Christ in the face of death?
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4
