This is a continuation of a synopsis of Jesus's teachings in Matthew 24, which began five days ago.  Today, we are at the sixth sign signifying the return of Christ, spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:9, "Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and they will kill you; you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake."  

According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians, an estimated 1 million Christians face persecution, particularly in North Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia; 75 out of 100 people killed due to religious hatred are Christians.  In many Muslim nations throughout the world today, Christians are being executed by Islamic governments for "apostasy."  Because so many Muslim nations are declaring religious Jihad, in order to usher in their Mahdi (Muslim messiah), they are killing, dismembering and torturing more Christians today.  Muslims are forbidden to convert to Christianity.  If they are suspected of converting to Christianity, they are brought to court, tried and sentenced to death for "apostasy."   

North Korea:  Christians in North Korea suffer more persecution than in any other country in the world, according to persecution.org.  Christians are arrested in North Korea, persecuted and imprisoned solely for practicing their faith, worshiping in their homes and having Bible studies.  

Sudan:  In Sudan, it is estimated that 1.5 million people have been executed by the Janjaweed, the Arab-Muslim militia since 1984.  

Nigeria:  In the 11 northern states of Nigeria, where Sharia law is enforced, many Christians have been killed and churches have been burned.  More than 30,000 Christians have fled their homes in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria.    

Vietnam:  Increased persecution of Christians have led to killings, torture, or imprisonment and forced starvation in Vietnam in recent years.  

China:  In China, Christians must worship in registered churches, which are not allowed to teach the whole Bible, only selected parts of it.  When groups are found conducting home churches or prayer meetings, they are arrested and imprisoned in China.  

India:  In recent years, there has been a sharp increase of violent attacks on Christians in India.  

Philippines:  The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf has attacked and killed Christians in the Philippines.  

Soviet Union:  An extensive education and propaganda campaign was undertaken to convince people, especially the youth, to abandon religious beliefs.  Millions of Christians have been killed from the 19th century, on into the 20th century, to create an atheistic state.  Tens of thousands of churches have been destroyed.  The Soviets' official religious stance has been that of "religious freedom and tolerance," but the state established atheism as the only scientific truth.  It is estimated that 500,000 Russian Orthodox Christians were martyred in gulags by the Soviet government, which numbers do not include those tortured or Christians from other denominations that were killed.   
Source:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians

After conducting hours of research throughout the internet, I found there is no way to know for certain the mass numbers of those killed for their Christian faith; but one thing is prevalent and certain, Muslims are killing, dismembering and torturing Christians in vast numbers throughout the world today, with a drastic increase in the last ten years.  We need only be reminded of the over 3,000 souls that perished on 9/11 to understand that Christians are being targeted and persecuted in greater numbers today than they have been in the last century.  It is true that not everyone killed on 9/11 was a Christian, but that isn't the point.  The attack was waged against our predominantly Christian nation.  We need to understand that if the greater population in this country were Muslims, 9/11 would have never happened.

The sixth sign spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, is further proof that we are living in the last days.  These facts have also been noted in previous articles posted on this site:  President Barack Obama openly criticized the Bible, Jesus and His Sermon on the Mount, and mocked its passages during his presidential campaign in June 2006; he has ordered that the words "Islamic terrorist" be removed from national security documents; under his administration, FEMA has labeled Christians who believe in end times as potential terrorists; Michelle Obama has said that "the government needs to mold America's children;" and the list of our president's Marxist agenda continues...(too many issues to relate here).  The nations are forming a "one world government" and a world dictator, which the Word of God refers to as the Antichrist.  Are you saved?  Have you received Jesus as your Savior?  If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website.  Your eternal soul depends on your decision about whether or not you accept Jesus as your Savior.  God bless you.