Jesus's disciples asked Him, "...What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3.  This month's newsletter is the sixth in a series of ten newsletters that will expound on each of the ten signs Jesus said would signal His return.  Jesus said, "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake," Matthew 24:7-9.  This month, the focus will be on "They will deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake," which Jesus spoke of concerning the last days.  We will look at the nations where Christian persecution is prevalent today, in order to determine the magnitude of hate and persecution taking place throughout the world against Christians. 

According to en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians, an estimated one million Christians face persecution today, particularly in North Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia.  about 75 out of 100 people killed due to religious hatred are Christians.  The current average for Christian martyrdom is 159,960 per year - known killings.  Christians are being tortured and executed by Islamic nations for "apostasy" throughout the world.  Muslim nations are declaring religious Jihad (holy war), in order to usher in the Mahdi (Muslim messiah), who the Qu'ran teaches will return when Muslims begin to prevail against Christians and Jews.  This week, hundreds of Christians in Pakistan fled to a nearby forest in fear of their lives, after an 11-year-old Christian girl was arrested for "burning the pages of a Qu'ran" in their village.  The child has Down's syndrome. 

Known Christian persecution prevalent in the world today is summarized below:

North Korea:  Christians in North Korea suffer more persecution than in any other country in the world, according to Persecution.org.  Christianity is illegal in North Korea.  Christians are arrested, beaten, persecuted and imprisoned solely for practicing their faith, worshiping in their homes and conducting Bible studies.  North Koreans are taught from a young age that the president of North Korea is their "god." 

Sudan:  It is estimated that one and a-half million people have been executed in Sudan by the Janjaweed, the Arab-Muslim militia, since 1984.

Nigeria:  More than 300 churches have been burned and hundreds of Christians have been burned alive in those churches, within the 11 northern Islamic states of Nigeria over the last several years.  More than 30,000 Christians in Kano, the larges city in northern Nigeria, have fled from persecution.

Vietnam:  Christians have been tortured, imprisoned, forced to starve and killed in Vietnam in recent years.  Voice of the Martyrs magazine featured articles about Christian persecution in Vietnam in their two latest editions.

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

India:  There has been a sharp increase of violent attacks against Christians in India in recent years. 

Philippines:  The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf attack and kill Christians in the Philippines. 

Soviet Union:  An extensive education and propaganda campaign has been undertaken to convince people, especially the youth, to abandon religious beliefs.  Millions of Christians have been killed from the 19th century into the 20th century to create an atheistic state and tens of thousands of churches have been destroyed.  The Soviet's 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 who were tortured, nor does it include Christians from other denominations that have been killed. 
* Source: en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians.

Death tolls are difficult to tally in these nations within specific timeframes, because the media are not allowed to release that information in many instances.  The numbers we do have are staggering and the situation is growing worse.

All signs point to the soon return of Jesus.  Are you prepared to stand before Him if He should return today?  God bless you.