One of the signs of the end times is found in Matthew 24:9 where Jesus is answering the disciples when they ask Him what will be the signs of the times when His return is close. After Jesus tells them about how there will be wars and rumors of wars, and end time deception, among other things - He says,“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me".
We see these words come to life everyday when we discuss the often untold story of persecuted Christians.
I am thankful that The Calgary Herald did a nice piece on the subject of persecuted Christians and how often it really is under reported. Click here for the full article. Here are a few pertinent passages.
Not so long ago Bethlehem was a majority Christian town - about 80 per cent - and now is down to less than a third. Nazareth, too, has seen its Christian population almost halved in recent decades, and in Jerusalem itself the Christian community has fallen from a slight majority 80 years ago to below two per cent today.
Christians are leaving the West Bank, in particular, to escape the instability and a long-standing Muslim boycott of Christian businesses that has ravaged the community's economic foundations.
** Please keep praying for Christians worldwide.