Persecuted Church Archives

June 26, 2022August 28, 2022

The Persecuted Victims of Torture

Every 5 minutes, a Christian is murdered for their faith. All around the world, people are being tortured for their beliefs and/or political stances. In fact, people are being tortured for no reason at all. What do we as Christians do when it comes to persecution of the Church (other Christians) or others in general? Do we stand up for what’s right? Are we a voice for the voiceless? Do we pray for the persecuted Church? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the desire of God in his message, The Persecuted Victims of Torture.

Jeremiah 38:1–6
Matthew 24:9–13

The Persecuted Victims of Torture

Where In Scripture Does It Talk About The Victims of Torture?

³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

How Is This About Victims of Torture?

According to Jesus, how we treat the Church, especially the persecuted Church, will be how we treat Him. Jesus isn’t physically on this earth anymore. He now lives through us, His Church. So, when the judge, Jesus, tells them they have done well because they took care of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and prisoner. Jesus isn’t talking about a physical act. This is a spiritual action. This is ministering. Verse 44 confirms this. Jesus is saying that we need to have compassion and love for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that are victims of torture because of their faith. Those who are being persecuted for their faith. How do we do that? We pray for the persecuted church. We lift their name up before the throne of Heaven.

And If We don’t?

⁴¹Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Matthew 25:31-46

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Remember Me

Today is National Religious Freedom Day; it’s a day when we acknowledge and celebrate the freedom of religion that is written into our constitution. This luxury is not found in any other country. So, why does it feel like our society today is very keen on giving up our religious freedom? Are we just destined to join the Persecuted Church? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the dangers of losing our religious freedom and so much more in his message, Remember Me.

Matthew 24:9–12
1 Corinthians 13:1–3

Remember Me

Remember the Persecuted Church

Today we still have freedom that the early Church didn’t; don’t let that religious freedom come to an end. Don’t give it up, lest we too join in the persecuted Church. And for as long as there is a Church, we must pray for the persecuted Church, for prayer is our greatest weapon.

⁸For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. ¹⁰He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again. ¹¹You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11

Websites to Partner with to Fight the Good Fight of Religious Freedom

https://www.prisoneralert.com/
https://www.persecution.com/
https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/who-are-the-fulani/
https://www.persecution.com/stories/fulani-muslim-convert-prepares-new-believers-for-persecution/
https://aclj.org/united-nations/religious-freedom-shaky-ground-united-nations

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Church Under Attack Pt. 2: Beware of the Wolves

In today’s world, Christianity has been mixed with other religions, specifically Catholicism (the Catholic Church). Even when asked what religion someone is, they tell you either Catholic or Christian. This now begs the question, is Catholicism Christianity? Are Catholics Christians? Or are they wolves in sheep’s clothing? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches through historical documents and Scripture to find the answer to these questions and more in his video, Church Under Attack Pt. 2: Beware of the Wolves.

Matthew 16:18b
Matthew 7:15
1 Timothy 2:5–6
Matthew 28:19–20
Acts 20:29-31a

Beware of the Wolves

Catholics Stopped the Spread of the Word of God

Martin Luther 95 Theses

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh.
The penalty of sin remains as long as the hatred of self (that is, true inner repentance), namely till our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons.
The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.
Read more…

The Catholic Church has never been a friend of the Christian Church. The Catholic Church kept the Word of God from the common people so that they could not learn the Truth of Christianity and thereby gaining discernment to see through their disguise.

Scripture was only for the clergy to read

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19–20

Jesus makes it plain that we are to teach the people to observe and obey all that He commanded. Therefore, they must understand what we are teaching. But in the dark ages, the people were kept in the dark regarding the truth of the Gospel. Only the clergy were allowed to read the Scriptures. The laypeople were not allowed to own, read, or distribute Scripture.

Catholics Contradict Scripture

Pope Francis calls Jesus a Failure

Many people believe that Pope Francis is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We know we should beware of the wolves, but is Pope Francis a wolf? Let’s take one of his statements from 2015.

And if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and produce no fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus . . . and His life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, in the failure of the cross.
Pope Francis, September 24 2015

Scripture Contradiction

No matter how you try to twist it or spin it, Jesus’ life did not end in failure. No one took His life; He willingly laid it down.

¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I [Jesus] lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
John 10:17-18

No one took Jesus’ life from Him. He freely gave it up. Why? Because that was His one mission in life. Why? Because that was the only way that we could be saved.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.⁵Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; ⁶in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. ⁷Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

⁸When He said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹then He added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:4-10

Jesus came for one reason, and one reason alone, to die for the sins of the world. Therefore, no matter how you try to spin it, Jesus, as a man, did not fail but completed the will of His Father. For this reason, we have to pay close attention to all of the teachings out there because we are sheep amongst wolves. So beware of the wolves.

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Theology

Church Under Attack Pt. 1: The Beginning of Persecution

From the very beginning, the Church has been under attack. The children of God have never been accepted by the world because the Church is not a part of the world. From the time of the first Church, Peter, James, Paul, and more all were in agreement that they were in the last days. Historian John Foxe recorded the persecution of the early Church in his book Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sets the stage to the beginning of the persecution of the Church in this first video of Church Under Attack.

Mark 16:15–18
John 11:45–53
Matthew 12:13–14
Acts 7:51–53
Acts 7:54
Acts 7:55–58
Romans 5:3-5
Revelation 17:10
John 15:18–25

The Beginning of Persecution

Persecution of the Early Church

The Jews

¹³Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. ¹⁴Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed Him. ¹⁶And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” ¹⁸This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 5:13-18

Nero

Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

Domitian

The emperor Domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty, first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the Christians. In his rage he put to death some of the Roman senators, some through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. He then commanded all the lineage of David be put to death. Another hardship was, that, when any Christians were brought before the magistrates, a test oath was proposed, when, if they refused to take it, death was pronounced against them; and if they confessed themselves Christians, the sentence was the same.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

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Theology

The Cost of Following Pt. 6: It’s Worth the Price

All over the world, there is great tribulation for the Church. Christians are being persecuted for the name of Jesus. They give up their lives for Jesus. Why? Why are they willing to give up their lives and endure persecution for the sake of the name of Christ? If the threat of tribulation is coming for the entire Church, even here in the West, the free world, is there hope? Why is paying the price of following Jesus worth it? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sheds light on the reward for following Christ in his final message, It’s Worth the Price, of his message series, The Cost of Following.

Matthew 13:44–46
Mark 8:36–37 (KJV)
Luke 12:20–21
John 14:1–3
1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)
1 Corinthians 2:10–12
Hebrews 11:5–6
Matthew 5:5
Revelation 21:1–4
Revelation 21:20–27
Revelation 22:6–7
Revelation 22:10–17, 20-21

It’s Worth the Price Summary

Why is following Jesus worth it?

Right now the Church is like a woman in labor pains. The world feels impossible and difficult right now, but there is always hope. It is worth paying the price of following Jesus.

¹⁶“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”
¹⁸So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
²²So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. ²³In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:16-24, 33

Tribulation will come, but one day Jesus will return for His people. He’ll wipe away every tear from their eyes, heal every wound. There won’t be any more sorrow or pain. But, there is so much more in store for those of us who can find that it’s worth paying the price of following Jesus.

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1–4

Top 5 Worst Countries For Christian Persecution

The-Persecuted-Church-Following-Jesus-in-North-Korea

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The Cost of Following Pt. 5: The Threat

Our freedoms are dwindling all around us. Everywhere we turn, someone is trying to take away our freedom while trying to convince us that we want it because it’s for our own good. But is it really for our own good? Why do we need to give up so many of our freedoms? What is their end goal? Will the Church be persecuted? Do the conspiracies of a One World Government (The New World Order) and the persecution of the Church have any truth to them? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to coming persecution of the Church in his sobering message, The Cost of Following Pt. 5: The Threat.

Revelation 13:7–8, 15–18
Revelation 13:1–2
Revelation 13:16–17

The Threat of a One World Government

Will the Church Be Persecuted?

What does the Bible say about the persecution of the Church? Here are a few instances of the Church going through tribulation under a One World Order.

¹ And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. ²And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. ³One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. ⁴And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
⁵And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. ⁹If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
¹⁰If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:1-10

According to Revelation 13, we have the coming threat of the Beast who, as leader of the New World Order (a One World Government), will make war on the Saints of God. The Saints of God are the Church.

¹⁵So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²²And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:15-22

²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31

It isn’t until after the Great Tribulation that the rapture (the second coming of Christ) occurs. During this time, the Church will be under persecution like never before under the rule of a One World Government (The New World Order). This calls for great faith and endurance of the Church. This is the threat that is coming upon the Church. We have to prepare for the threat that is upon us instead of turning a blind eye because it makes us uncomfortable and filled with fear.

We don’t’ have to be afraid of this coming threat because Jesus has already conquered and we conquer through Him.

¹¹And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Revelation 12:11