Matters Of Life And Death

Matters of Life and Death: February 8th, 2015

Pastor Eric J. Hanson:

Luke 21:10-19

 Jesus warned about persecution.

 “They will put some of you to death”.

 The Most Persecuted People in the World…

 Now let’s consider specific nations.

North Korea

(just under 25 Million)

 70,000 believers in slave labor prison camps. (1/4 of all believers in the nation)

 Unimaginably cruel and demeaning ways believers have been murdered through the years.

Somalia

(about 10 Million)

 Located on the horn of Africa with a long Indian Ocean coast, and infamous for modern pirates

 Christians have no protection whatsoever from Islamic persecution.

Iraq

(About 36 million)

 It was already hard to be a Christian there, but ISIS has made it much harder.

 Christians have fled the country in great numbers, with the amount of them down from 10% to under 5% of the nation’s population.

 Many have been butchered in horrible degrading ways. ISIS has made things much worse than they already were.

Syria

(about 18 Million)

 Isis has made thing much worse here.

 10% of the population is Christian, at least in a formal sense.

 Similar things happening here as in Iraq.

 Even under the Government there, disappearances, imprisonment without charges, etc are common.

Afghanistan

(31 million people)

 Christians are a tiny minority of less than 1% of the population.

 Taliban and others murder them with impunity.

 Jewish Community all fled around 2000. There are none left.

The rest of the 10 worst of the last year. (World Watch)

 Sudan

 Iran

 Pakistan

 Eritrea

 Nigeria

Don’t Panic

 Jesus said “I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” –Matthew 6:18

 Visions and dreams of Jesus are happening in the most closed countries in the World.

 Pray and stand with the persecuted Church. John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me and dies, yet shall he live.”