Remember the Persecuted

REMEMBER the PERSECUTED
By Dr. Peter Hammond

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them
– those who are mistreated – since you
yourselves are in the body also." Hebrews 13:3

“Then Jesus said
to His disciples,
‘if anyone
desires to come
after Me,
let him
deny himself,
and take up
his cross, and
follow Me. Matthew 16:24-26

For whoever desires
to save his life will
lose it, but whoever
loses his life
for My sake will find
it. For what profit is
it to a man if he
gains the whole
world, and loses his
own soul? And
what will a man
give in exchange for
his soul?’”
Matthew 16:24-26

If the World Hates You
The Lord Jesus warned us:
“If the world hates you,
you know that it hated Me
before it hated you.
If you were of the world,
the world would love its own…
John 15:18-20

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you. Remember the Word that I said to you,
‘the servant is not greater than his master.’ If they
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”
John 15:18-20

Indeed, all
of the
Apostles
suffered
severe
persecution
for Christ:
The
Testimony of
the Apostles

Peterwas crucified upside down in Rome
after much outreach.

James
the Elder
was beheaded
by Herod
in Palestine
after fearless
preaching.

John,
after a life of
evangelism,
was boiled in oil
and banished in exile
to Patmos.

Andrew was crucified in Greece
while spreading the Gospel there.

Philip died
as a martyr
in Asia Minor
after
preaching
the Gospel
to the
Gauls.

Nathaniel preached
the Gospel in India
and Armenia
before being flayed alive
and beheaded.

Thomas
established churches
throughout Babylonia
and India before being
axed to death.

Matthew
was burned to
death while
preaching
the Gospel
in Ethiopia.

Jude preached
the Gospel
throughout
Syria and Persia
where he was
finally
martyred.

James the
younger
was crucified
while
evangelising
in Egypt.

Simon the Zealot preached the Word of God
throughout Syria and Mesopotamia and was
sawn in half in Persia.

Matthias
was crucified
on a missionary
outreach
in the Crimea.

MARK was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt

The Sufferings of Paul
The Apostle Paul testified:
“In labours more abundant,
in s t r i p e s a b o v e
measure, in prisons more
frequently, in deaths often.
From the Jews five times
I r e c e i v e d f o r t y
stripes minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three
times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in
the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the
Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,

in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in
weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – beside the
other things which come upon me daily: my deep concern for
all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

The Suffering
is Temporary
The Apostle Paul wrote:
“For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be
compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:18.
The suffering is temporary
– the glory is eternal.

Tested by Fire
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if
need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the
genuineness of your Faith, being much more precious than
gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found
to praise, honour and glory at the Revelation of Jesus
Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

Following in His Steps
The Apostle Peter wrote: “For what credit is it if, when you are
beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do
good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable
before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should
follow His steps.” 1 Peter 2:20-21

Will Suffer Persecution
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

Scripture does not say some, nor does it say many, nor even most.
“All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
will suffer persecution.”

Brother Andrew writes of a mission
behind the Iron Curtain to Hungary
where a pastor asked him if there
were any pastors in prison in
Holland. Brother Andrew replied
that, - No, he was not aware of
any pastors who were in prison
in Holland.

“What then
do your churches
do with
2 Timothy3:12 ?”
Brother Andrew
reported that he
had to admit that
their churches did
nothing
with this verse.

Faithful Under Fire
If we are seeking to be faithful to our Lord Jesus,
surely, we will suffer some persecution. By God’s grace,
perhaps, not the violent and vicious persecution which Christians
in communist and Muslim lands have suffered.

However, if we remain faithful to the Lord, there will be times
when we will be misunderstood, slandered, discriminated against,
threatened and abused.

Whether from family or friends, neighbours or co-workers, whether at
school or at the work place, those who maintain a consistent testimony
for the Lord are bound to suffer some abuse.

Watch and Pray
When the Lord warned
his disciples of
coming persecution
(Matthew 16:21-16; 26:31-35),
they responded
with disbelief.
Because they did not
believe Christ’s warning,
they did not
“watch and pray.”
As a result, they denied the
Lord and ran away
(Matthew 26:40-46; 56; 60-75).

The Apostle Paul strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to
remain true to the Faith by teaching: “We must through many
tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

Rooted in the Word
Jesus taught that many believers would forsake Him (Matthew 24:9-10)
when trouble or persecution comes because of their superficial
commitment. Those with no roots in God’s Word would fall away
quickly (Matthew 13:21).

In response to the clear warnings of these Scriptures,
and in the light of the increasing hostility towards Christianity
in so many circles, it would be wise for every Christian to
study what the Word of God has to say about persecution.

Persecution Worldwide
Over 400 million Christians live under 67 governments which
restrict religious freedom and persecute believers. Every year
Thousands of Christians are killed for their Faith.

In Matthew 25:35-40 , Jesus said: “For I was hungry, and you gave Me
food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you
took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited
Me; I was in prison and you came to Me…

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You
hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see
You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

Or when did we see You sick, or imprisoned and come to You? And the
King will answer and say unto them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, in as
much as you did it to one of the least of these brethren, you did it to
Me.’” Matthew 25:35-40

“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer
with it; or if one member is honoured,
all the members rejoice with it. Now you are
the Body of Christ, and members individually.”
1 Corinthians 12:26-27

Victorious Faith
“And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of
their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Revelation 12:11

Christians can
overcome satan
by the Blood of
Christ’s
Atonement and
by the Word of
God. Not only
by the Word
known and
memorised in
our hearts and
minds, but by
our living
testimony,
applying the
Word of God to
every area of
life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ
taught that we should
not be afraid of those
who can only kill the
body and after that
can do no more. The
Lord told us whom we
should fear. We must
fear God, who after
the killing of the body
has power to throw
both body and soul
into hell, forever.
(Luke 12:4-5)

Courage
And it is this kind of courage that we see in the Apostles in the Book of
Acts. When Peter and John were dragged before the Sanhedrin they
courageously responded: “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in
God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking
about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20.

In response to the
threats of the Sanhedrin,
Peter and John gathered
with the other disciples
and prayed for the
boldness to continue to
proclaim God’s Word
“Now Lord, look on their
threats, and grant to
your servants that with
all boldness they may
speak Your Word…”
Acts 4:29

And the Scripture records that “when they had prayed, the place where
they were assembled together was shaken;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

To Obey God or Man?
Then we read that the High
Priest rose up with great
indignation and arrested the
apostles, casting them into
prison. “Did we not strictly
command you not to teach in
this Name? And look, you
have filled Jerusalem with
your doctrine, and intend to
bring this Man’s blood on
us!” But Peter and the other
apostles answered: “We
ought to obey God
rather than men.”
Acts 5:28-29

Suffering Shame for His Name
The Sanhedrin then had the
apostles flogged and
commanded them not to
speak in the Name of Jesus.
We read that the Apostles
left the council “rejoicing
that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame
for His Name. And
daily in the Temple,
and in every house,
they did not cease
teaching and
preaching Jesus as the
Christ.” Acts 5:41-42

The Steadfastness of Stephen
We then read of the martyrdom of Stephen who is described as “full of
Faith and power” and who did great wonders and signs
among the people (Acts 6:8).

The people were stirred up
against Stephen and false
witnesses were produced.
Stephen’s courageous
stand before the Sanhedrin
is recorded in Acts 7:
“You stiff necked and
uncircumcised in heart
and ears! You always
resist the Holy Spirit; as
your fathers did, so do
you. Which of the
prophets did your fathers
not persecute?

And they killed
those who foretold
the coming of the
just One, of whom
you now have
become the
betrayers and the
murderers, who
have received the
Law by the
direction of angels
and have
not kept it.”
Acts 7:51-53

Scattered by Persecution
We read that “a great persecution arose against the Church which was
at Jerusalem; and they all scattered throughout the regions of Judea
and Samaria…those who were scattered went everywhere
preaching the Word.” Acts 8:1-4

The Martyrdom
of James
In order to please
the people,
King Herod
had James, the
brother of John,
beheaded.

He then ordered the Apostle
Peter to be arrested.
However, God
opened prison
doors and set the
captive free - in
answer to prayer.

And God judged Herod.
“An angel of the Lord struck
him, because he did not give
glory to God. And he was
eaten by worms and died.
But the Word of God grew
and multiplied.”
Acts 12:23-24

Power Amidst Persecution
Throughout the Book of Acts we see peace and power amidst
persecution. Paul and Barnabas boldly proclaimed the Gospel and
responded to persecution with joy.

“But the Jews
stirred up the
devout and
prominent women
and the chief men
of the city, raised
up persecution
against Paul and
Barnabas and
expelled them
from their region.

But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and came to
Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy
and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:50-52

Singing in
the Cells
In Acts 16 we read of
Paul and Silas seized
and dragged before the
authorities,
“Then the
multitude rose up
together against
them; and the
magistrates tore off
their clothes and
commanded them
to be beaten with
rods.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them,
they threw them into prison, commanding the jailor
to keep them securely…he put them into the inner prison
and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But at midnight
Paul and Silas were
praying and
singing Hymns to
God and the
prisoners were
listening to them.”
Acts 16:22-25

Triumph Amidst Tribulation
Stripped and beaten, flogged and imprisoned, chained in the prison
cells, Paul and Silas determined to praise God amidst their persecution.

“Suddenly there was a
great earthquake, so
that the foundations of
the prison were shaken;
and immediately all the
doors were opened and
everyone’s chains were
loosed.” Acts 16:26.
By God’s grace Paul and
Silas were able to see
their captor converted
and his entire family
brought to Salvation.

Refusing
to Worship Caesar
Foxes Book of
Martyrs records
many testimonies
of courageous
Christians who
suffered for the
Faith.

It is important to note that Christians were not persecuted in the Roman
Empire for worshipping Jesus. The Romans were polytheists.
They had an entire pantheon of gods.

If the early Christians had registered their religion with the state
And if they had burnt incense before an image of Caesar,
they would have been left alone.

However, by refusing to participate in Emperor worship and declare
“Caesar is lord” Christians came under suspicion and violent

persecution. They were not persecuted because they worshipped
Christ, but because they refused to revere Caesar.

Christian Courage
It is extraordinary to read
the testimonies in
Foxes Book of Martyrs
of dynamic believers
responding
to persecution
with joy.

Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch, when sentenced to death by the Emperor Trajan
responded: “I thank Thee O Lord, that Thou has vouchsafed
thus to honour me. I am God’s grain, to be ground
between the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may
become a holy loaf for the Lord.”

Polycarp of
Smyrna
When Polycarp, the
Bishop of Smyrna,
was arrested he
declared:
“God’s will be done!”
He provided food
for his captors before
they escorted him to
the Roman consul.

The consul was struck by
how old Polycarp was:
“Pity your grey hairs,
old man,
just burn some incense
before the Emperor
and you can go free.”

Polycarp responded:
“If you think for a
moment that I would
do that, then you
pretend not to know
who I am.
Hear it plainly,
I am a
Christian!”
“Then do this, old
man, just curse
Christ and
I will set you free.”

Polycarp responded:
“86 years I have served my Christ, and He has never done me any
wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?”
“I have wild beasts” threatened the pro-consul.

“Bring them”
Polycarp said.
“I would change my
mind if it meant
from going from the
worse to the better,
but not from the
right to the
wrong.”
“If you despise the
wild beasts, I will
have you burned”,
warned the consul.

“You threaten me with a fire that burns for but an hour and then is
extinguished. But you know nothing of the fire of Eternal Judgment
which will never be extinguished. Bring what you will.”

As Polycarp was led into the arena he was heard to pray:
“Lord God, Father of our blessed Saviour, I thank Thee that I have been
deemed worthy to receive the crown of martyrdom,
and that I may die for Thee and Thy cause.”

Cyprian of Carthage
Cyprian of Carthage, when sentenced to be beheaded, exclaimed:
“Thanks be to God!”

Perpetua – Forever Faithful
Perpetua was a Christian noblewoman living in
Carthage (North Africa). In A.D. 202 when Perpetua
was a 22-year old mother, she was one of the first to
be arrested in a new wave of persecution.

When her pagan father visited and pleaded with her to deny that she
was a Christian, Perpetua responded that it was impossible that
she be “called anything other than what I am, a Christian.”

When the governor ordered Perpetua to worship the
emperor her response was decisive: “I will not.”
“Are you a Christian then?” asked the governor.

“Yes I am!” Perpetua’s determined response
brought immediate condemnation.

The governor condemned her and her friends to be
thrown to the wild beasts and to die in the arena.

The amphitheatre was filled with nobles, ladies, senators, ambassadors,
and tens of thousands shouted their insults and derisions as she was led
to her death. Wild beasts and gladiators circled them on the arena floor
and the crowds in the stands roared, demanding to see blood.

When Perpetua and her friends entered the stadium they were singing
Psalms in such a joyful demeanour that the crowd demanded that the
Christians be scourged first. This was done.

As the mob screamed
abuse, Perpetua was heard
to say:
“You have
condemned us,
but God will
condemn you.”

A wild heifer charged and tossed Perpetua into the air. As she
fell on her back she sat up and adjusted her ripped tunic,
“thinking more of her modesty than of her pain.” She then
walked over to help Felicitas, her servant to her feet.

Perpetua encouraged the other Christians:
“You must all stand fast in the Faith and not be
weakened by what we have gone through.”

Witnesses in the stands
described Perpetua in the
arena as
“young and beautiful”,
“a pure and modest
Christian lady”,
“with shining
countenance and calm
step, as the beloved of
God, as a bride of Christ,
putting down everyone’s
stare by her own
intense gaze.”

Her bold testimony: “I am a Christian and cannot deny Christ” was
repeated throughout the Empire. Her example of Christian resolve and
Christian courage, choosing to suffer and die with a clear conscience,
rather than deny her Saviour, inspired generations of Roman Christians
to stand firm in the face of relentless persecution.

“Be faithful
until death,
and I will
give you the
crown of life.”
Revelation 2:10

The Blood of the Martyrs
As Tertullian famously declared: “The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church.” For every Christian killed in the arena
multitudes were converted in the stands.

Converting the Persecutors
In time the slaves of the Roman Empire were converted,
the nobles of the Roman Empire were converted,

the barbarian invaders were brought to Christ,

and even the
violent Vikings
were won to
Christ.

The Waldensians
The Waldensians of Southern France, Northern Italy and Switzerland
endured much persecution between the 12th and the 17th Century,
courageously standing firm and enduring as
the oldest community of Protestants in the world today.

Wycliffe and the Lollards
Professor John Wycliffe of Oxford University and his itinerant
Evangelists (the Lollards), despite severe persecution continued to
translate the Scriptures into English and to proclaim and sing
the Gospel in English in the market places.

They were the field workers of the Reformation, sowing the
good seed of the Word of God and laying solid foundations
for the mighty move of God’s Spirit in the Reformation.

Jan Hus of Prague
Professor Jan Hus of Prague courageously worked for Biblical
Reformation and was burned alive in 1415. His final prayer was:
“Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. I am willing, patiently and
publicly to endure this dreadful, shameful, and cruel death

for the sake of Thy Gospel and the preaching of Thy Word.”
He died signing praises to God.

William Tyndale
The Reformer William Tyndale was
burned alive at the stake for the crime of
translating the Bible into the English language.

His last words, his dying prayer: “Lord, open the King
of England’s eyes!” was wondrously answered as the
very King, Henry VIII, who had condemned Tyndale
for his work of Bible translation…

Within two years, by order of King Henry VIII, every parish church in
England was required to make a copy of the English Bible available to all
its parishioners.

George Whishart
Patrick Hamilton and George Whishart
of Scotland were burned at the stake
for preaching Biblical Reformation.

George Whishart prayed
an Imprecatory Prayer
against the cardinal who
had condemned him.

Within three months that cardinal
had met a violent death.

John Knox
Reformer John Knox of Scotland was
imprisoned and chained as a slave in
a galley for nineteen months.
At one point he refused to kiss an idol
of Mary. Throwing it overboard, he
declared: “She is light enough,
let her learn
to swim!”

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
The Huguenots of France endured vicious
persecution and massacres, particularly the
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 24 August 1572.

Condemning a Nation
At one point in the
16th Century the
Spanish Inquisition
condemned the entire
nation of Holland
(3 million men, women
and children) to death
as heretics!

By God’s grace, and
through the courage of
Prince William the Silent
and his followers, the
Dutch succeeded in
throwing back the
Spanish invaders and
winning freedom for
Protestant Holland.

The Greatest Century of Persecution
More Christians died for Christ in the 20th Century
than in all previous 19 centuries combined.

Over 1.5 million Christians were slaughtered by the Muslims in Turkey
during 1915.

Missiologist Patrick Johnstone calculates that at least
42 million Christians were martyred
in the 20th Century

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn calculated that the
Communist Soviet government murdered over
66 million Christians in Russia & Eastern Europe.

Serving the Persecuted
During the last 38 years of missionary work I have had the privilege of
serving the persecuted Church in Mozambique, Angola, Romania,
Albania, Rwanda, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, the Congo and Zimbabwe.

Angola’s Agony
On numerous occasions, Cuban soldiers in Angola
placed the heads of cattle, or an AK47,
on altars or pulpits demanding that the Christians
commit idolatry and bow before them.

They have walked into services, and taken the Bible off the
pulpit and thrown it by the door and demanded: “You may all
leave – one by one – just spit on the Bible and you can go
free. If you don’t – we will kill you!”

Communist troops burst into church services declaring:
“You Christians – you say that you worship the Lamb
– well here is a lamb!”

The Cubans taunted the
worshippers as they started
pouring the blood of this lamb
over the believers saying
“the blood of the lamb
is shed amongst you
– worship the lamb!”

The head of the lamb was placed mockingly on the pulpit
and people were dragged and forced to their knees
to bow down before it.

Christians who have
escaped from communist
concentration camps and
prisons in Angola told
how they were often
tortured by the Marxists.
One prisoner told me of a
time in Angola when they
were near breaking point
and one of them shouted
out: “Why don’t you
just kill us, and get
it over with?”

The response of the communist
concentration camp guards was
most enlightening: “Oh no,
we don’t want to kill
you! We don’t want to
send you to Heaven to
be with God! No, we
want you to curse
Christ and to come
to hell with us,
for all eternity!”

The Aim of Persecution
The aim of persecution is not to kill Christians. There is no victory
to the kingdom of darkness for Christians to go to Heaven.
The aim of persecution is to intimidate Christians into silence.

To persuade believers to compromise. To terrify Christians, to
giving in to cowardice. If the devil cannot stop us being
converted, he at least wants to divert us and distract us so
that we are not effective in fulfilling the Great Commission
and winning other souls to Christ.

As long as you refuse to be intimidated into silence,
neutrality and compromise, persecution fails.

Violence against Christians in Egypt has escalated sharply over the last
ten years. Churches have been targeted for car bombings.

Incredibly the Egyptian church has survived 14 centuries of Islamic
discrimination and persecution.

There are however over 10 million Christians, mostly Coptic Orthodox,
making up 12% of the population of Egypt.

I have endured aerial bombardments, ambushes, artillery and rocket
barrages and I have been arrested and imprisoned for missionary work.

Speaking up for the Persecuted
Some of what Christians suffer in Marxist and Muslim lands has been
documented in Faith Under Fire in Sudan; Holocaust in Rwanda; In the
Killing Fields of Mozambique; Slavery, Terrorism and Islam;

and in documentary films that we have helped to produce such as:
Sudan: The Hidden Holocaust and Terrorism and Persecution –
Understanding Islamic Jihad.

“They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome
them because He is the Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him
will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”
Revelation 17:14

When the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, attempted to achieve
world domination and impose an idolatrous religion on all his subjects,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood firm.

On the plain of
Dura, a massive
statue of gold,
90 feet high,
was set up and
it was commanded
that all peoples,
nations and
languages fall
down and worship
the golden image
set up by
Nebuchadnezzar.

"And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately
into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace."

So we read that:
"When all the people
heard the sound of the
horn, flute, harp and
lyre, in symphony with
all kinds of music,
all the people, nations
and languages fell down
and worshipped
the gold image which
King Nebuchadnezzar
had set up." Daniel 3:7

But Shadrach,
Meshach and
Abednego
stood up straight
and would not
prostrate
themselves
before this idol.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego… 'is it true… that you do not serve
my gods, or worship the gold image which I have set up?

...If you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst
of a burning fiery furnace and whom is the God who will deliver you
from my hand?'" Daniel 3:13-15

The answer of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was simple and
straightforward:

"Our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your
gods nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up!"
Daniel 3:17-18

The three courageous young
men were bound hand and foot
and cast into the midst of the
fiery furnace.
The men who cast them into
the flames were incinerated by
the intensity of the blaze.

Yet, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked unharmed in the midst
of the flames and Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth person with them
"like the Son of God!" Daniel 3:21-25

The king ordered them
out: "'Servants of the
most High God, come out
and come here!' And the
satraps, administrators,
governors, and the king's
counsellors gathered
together, and they saw
these men on whose
bodies the fire had no
power; the hair of their
head was not singed, nor
were their garments
affected, and the smell
of fire was not on them.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke,
saying: 'Blessed be the
God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego,
who sent His angel and
delivered His servants
who trusted in Him and
they have frustrated the
king's word,
and yielded their bodies
that they should not
serve, nor worship,
any god except their
own God…
there is no other
God who can deliver
like this!'"
Daniel 3:26-29

During a Mission to Albania, I encountered an example
of how resilient believers resisted the beast.

When I was working in Durres, each day I would walk down the hill,
past the coliseum where Titus was martyred.
A kind Albanian man would greet me each day with an ice-cream.

One day I asked him why he was giving me an ice-cream. He said:
"You are from South Africa, you have a very good country!"

The next day I asked him
why he thought that
South Africans had a
great country,
and he said:
"Because our newspapers
were filled with articles
attacking you
year after year."

I was a little puzzled, so he explained: "The communists controlled the
media in Albania. We were a one party dictatorship. So, we knew
whatever the media said were lies. So if the communist hated you,
God must have a great plan for your land!"

I was impressed at
his refusal to be
brainwashed by
propaganda.
Whatever the state media
told him, he took a 180⁰
position from it and found
that to be
a very accurate rule of
thumb. The truth is the
exact opposite of what the
communist controlled
media said it was!

One day I asked this man how
he came to make
ice-cream?
The man became very
animated. He explained:
“My father made
the best ice-cream in Albania!
When the communists took
over this country he called my
brothers and I together.

He explained: 'This communist scum is going to destroy this country.
We must dismantle our machinery and bury it before they come and
confiscate it. But before we do, I want you to learn again how to
assemble this later when the communists are overthrown.'

Then he told us with great intensity:
'Sons, never forget: We are Christians!
We are capitalists! We hate communism!
And we make the best ice-cream in Albania!”

Here this man
was, over
45 years later,
honouring
his father
as a Christian
capitalist -
making
the best
ice-cream
in Albania!

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

but his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in
His Law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not
wither and whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:1-3

When the communists took over Romania they bullied and intimidated
the church leaders to line up and come onto the platform
to endorse communism.

One after the other, ministers
stood up to proclaim that
communism was actually
Christianity in practise and
all Christians should support
the Communist Party of
Romania.

A young Lutheran minister, Richard Wurmbrand, walked up to the
podium and quoted this passage of Scripture from 2 Cor. 6:14-18:
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?

And what communion has
light with darkness?
And what accord has Christ
with Belial?
What part has a believer
with an unbeliever?
And what agreement has
the Temple of God with
idols?
For you are the temple of
the Living God.

As God has said,
'I will dwell in
them and walk
among them.
I will be their God
and they shall be
My people.

Therefore come out
from among them
and be separate',
says the Lord,
'Do not touch what is
unclean and I will
receive you.
I will be a Father to
you, and you shall be
My sons and
daughters',
says the Lord
Almighty."

Richard Wurmbrand reported that he ended up in jail
very quickly after that.

Then he added,
all the other ministers who
had compromised and lied
and twisted the Scriptures in
order to please their
communist masters ended up
in the same prison cells,
just a little bit later.

However,
Richard Wurmbrand
observed,
the difference was
that he was there with
a clear conscience.
Their consciences
were tortured
by their cowardice
and compromise.

"Therefore do not be partakers with them." Ephesians 5:7

Sabrina Wurmbrand
The wife of Romanian
Pastor Richard
Wurmbrand, Sabrina
Wurmbrand, testified
that before she went
to prison she was very
poor. But once she
went to prison she
became very rich.

This was because she was
poor in the things of the
world, but rich in the things of
God. When she came to
prison she had the only
currency that was of any
value, she had much of the
Word of God memorised and
stored up in her heart and
mind. Therefore in prison she
was able to make many
people rich!

After years in the slave labour camps of Romania,
Sabrina was finally released.
Some time later a man came to her claiming to have been in
prison with her husband, and having a message from him
to share with their congregation.

Knowing how the communist state sought to infiltrate congregations by
infiltrating spies and blackmailing members into being informers,
Sabrina was cautious. “Please, before we go any further,
would you lead us in prayer?” She bowed her head.

There was an awkward silence
and then the man, who claimed
to have a message from her
husband, stuttered and
stammered. Sabrina Wurmbrand
looked up and, gazing directly
into the man’s eyes, said: “Now
then, aren’t you ashamed of
yourself? Wouldn’t you like me
to explain to you how you can
become a real Christian?”

We need to fear God,
refuse to be conformed to the world, and
have our minds renewed daily by the Word of God.

We need to devote our lives to obeying the Cultural Mandate
and the Great Commission.

As the Apostle Peter
declared:
"We must
obey God
rather than
men!"
(Acts 5:29).

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Psalm 111:10

To Prison with
Praise
In 1987, while leading a
Frontline mission team across
the border, we were arrested.
This was my first prison
experience. We were stripped
and beaten.
Thrown into cells covered with
human filth. Deprived of water
and food, blindfolded and
transported from Livingstone to
Lusaka. There we were thrown
into an overcrowded prison.

The cells, which were 15 feet by 25 feet, were crammed with an average
of 60 prisoners per cell. There were no beds, furnishings, plumbing or
electricity in these cells.

The whole prison seemed to be one big stinking disease factory. With
our shoes taken away, walking barefoot, with cut and bleeding feet,
amongst this filth, we could only imagine how many infections and
diseases God protected us from.

Falsely Accused
In our prison cell there was Isaiah Moyo, a 26 year old black South
African, who had been imprisoned on trumped up charges of being a
South African spy!

Actually, he had lent money to some ANC refugees in Lusaka, who had
decided, rather than repay him, to accuse him of being a spy!

Tortured
Isaiah had been severely tortured. He had many pussy sores on his
body where red hot pokers had been pushed into his skin. His knees
were calloused from the many hours he spent kneeling on the concrete
floor praying to the Lord.

When, by God’s grace, international prayer and pressure forced the
Zambian government to open the prison doors and let us free,
I determined to campaign for the release of Isaiah Moyo.

Publicising the Plight of the Prisoners
American Christians
that I met in Cape Town
encouraged me to come
overseas and testify of the
reality of communist
persecution in Africa.

I received an invitation to speak at the International Society for Human
Rights Conference in Frankfurt, Germany and used that as the launching
pad for my first overseas ministry trip.

This involved radio and
TV ministry in the USA,
testifying to
government officials of
the atrocities I had
witnessed and
documented in
communist
Mozambique and
Angola, and speaking
on the BBC World
Service.

Later I heard that prison wardens had rushed with their radios to Isaiah
Moyo in Lusaka Central Prison shouting: “Isaiah, that white South
African missionary who was locked in here, he is speaking on the radio –
and he is talking about you!”

Isaiah heard the tale end of my interview as I gave people his prison
address, and requested people to send care packages, with salt, soap,
sugar, vitamins, pens, pencils, paper, etc.

Isaiah told us later that from that time on he was never mistreated
again. Mail sacks of letters and parcels were dragged into the cell.
He became the most popular person in prison.
He had so many trading items which everyone wanted.
People couldn’t do enough favours for him.

The BBC World Service radio programme had raised him to celebrity
status in the prison. The prison guards treated him with great respect,
and soon he was set free and allowed to travel back to South Africa to
be reunited with his wife and two children.

Publicity Provides Protection
for the Persecuted
This was my first experience of seeing what an influence Western
Christians can have through prayer and pressure.
Publicity provides protection for the persecuted.

As our Lord Jesus
taught in Luke 18:1-5,
even an
unjust judge
will do what
is right in
response to
persistent
prayer and
pressure.

As virtually every Marxist dictatorship in the world is a beneficiary
of vast amounts of foreign aid from Western nations,
this provides leverage.

Most dictators prefer foreign aid to foreign prisoners. If given
a choice, they will let the prisoners go free in order to
continue to receive the Western dollars, pounds or euros.

Setting Captives Free
Whatever we bind will be bound, whatever we loose will be
loosed. By the power of prayer, and through persistent
pressure, we can see the powers of darkness limited, prison
doors opened and captives set free.

In the Book of
Revelation, the
Apostle John was
given a glimpse into
Heaven.
He sees the
martyrs, and he
hears their prayer.
What are these
martyrs who have
died for Christ
praying?

The Martyr’s Prayer
“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
those who had been slain for the Word of God
and for the testimony which they held.

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘how long,
O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’

Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them
they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their
fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were,
was completed.” Revelation 6:9-11

Praying for Justice
Here we obtain a glimpse into Heaven. Those who had been faithful to
God’s Word, and had been slain for the testimony that they had
maintained, are in the very presence of God and they are praying:

“How long, O
Lord, holy and
true, until You
judge and
avenge our
blood on those
who dwell on
the earth?”

Throughout the world I have come across many people who
are praying for peace. However it is notable that the martyrs
in Heaven are praying for justice.

And how does the Lord respond to these prayers? Does He
rebuke them? No! Each of them is given a white robe
signifying their right standing with Almighty God.

They are told to be patient for a little while. When the full
number of their fellow servants and brethren have died for
Christ, their prayer for justice will be answered.

The Wrath of the Lamb
The rest of Revelation 6 illustrates that Judgment:
“And the kings of earth, the great men, the rich men,
the commanders, the mighty men, every slave
and every free man,

hid themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains,
and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us
from the face of Him who sits on the Throne and from the
Wrath of the Lamb! For the Day of His wrath has come, and
who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:15-17

The Lord Jesus Christ declared:
"The Stone which the builders
rejected has become the chief
Cornerstone. Whoever falls on that
Stone will be broken; but on
whomever it falls, it will grind him
to powder.“
Luke 20:17-18

Daniel had a vision of all the kingdoms of the world:
the head of gold, the chest of silver, the stomach of bronze,
the legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay.

"And in the days of these
kings the God of Heaven
will set up a Kingdom
which shall never be
destroyed; and the
Kingdom shall not be left
to another people;
it shall break in pieces
and consume all these
kingdoms and shall
stand forever."
Daniel 2:44

Daniel described a
stone that smashed
into pieces the iron,
the clay,
the bronze, the silver
and the gold and how
that stone would grow
to become a
mountain that would
fill the whole earth.

The Kingdom of God will destroy and replace
all these human attempts to create a New World Order.

In Moscow, about 900m North East of Red Square,

Lubyanka building with statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky – KGB
headquarters
In Lubyanka Square, a huge statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky,
the founder of the Cheka, which later became the KGB,
was erected in 1958.
The Statue and the Stone

This statue was directly in front of the Lubyanka, the notorious
Headquarters of the KGB, wherein many Christians were interrogated,
tortured and murdered.

In 1991, the statue of Dzerzhinsky was removed

from the Solovki Monastery from Solovetski Island,

which had been the first prototype Concentration Camp
of the Soviet Union,

The symbolism of the Victory of Christ over Communism is striking.

"And whoever falls on that Stone will be broken; but
on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
Matthew 21:44

“… and on this rock
I will build My Church,
and the gates of Hell
shall not prevail
against it.”
Matthew 16:18

Those who persecute the Church of Christ

are doomed to defeat and disgrace.

Those who faithfully serve the King of kings
and the LORD of lords will be vindicated.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear
brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.

"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the nations will bow down before Him,
for our dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations."
Psalm 22:27-28

“Remember the prisoners as if chained with them –
those who are mistreated – since you yourselves are
in the Body also.” Hebrews 13:3

Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74
Newlands
7725
Cape Town
South Africa
E-mail: admin@frontline.org.za
Web: www.FrontlineMissionSA.org

Remember the Persecuted

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