The good news will be proclaimed throughout the world
Matthew 24:9-14
9 ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.
We read this and may say to ourselves, that is a bit dramatic is it not, a bit over-the-top, the conversation about torture, death, betrayal. However, in parts of the world today these are things that Christians face.
Open Doors annually produces the list of countries where it is the most dangerous to be a follower of Jesus. By their count 4,998 Christians were killed for their faith in 2023. Some 365 million “Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.” The top 10 most dangerous countries in order are: North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan. We are invited to pray that Christians in these countries will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to endure and remain faithful.
Following Jesus is a difficult path to walk. The followers of Jesus will be criticized, ridiculed, laughed at, and much, much worse, for their decision to be loyal to Jesus. And while some people will be dissuaded from following Jesus because of the persecution (vs. 12 – the love turning cold is a reference to the love for Jesus, love for God, turning cold) many remain faithful to Jesus even in the face of threat and physical harm.
But the good news will still be proclaimed, even though the followers of Jesus face persecution. In fact, in countries like Iran the good news is spreading faster now than it has done ever before, even as though the persecution is high. The good news about Jesus will be proclaimed in all the nations of the world. Once the good news has reached everywhere, the end will come. Nothing can stop the good news from reaching all the nations of the world. That will happen, Jesus says.
PRAYER:
O Lord, we pray for our siblings in Christ who face ridicule, oppression, and the threat of physical harm, simply because they are followers of your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit they will be strengthened to remain faithful to you. We rejoice that neither threat nor persecution will prevent your good news from being shared throughout the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.