There is only one word that springs to mind on concluding a book like this-grateful. I am grateful that none of these terrible things have happened to me.....yet.

This classic book documents Christian martyrs through the centuries. There are some updated chapters running to the publication in 1997. The details are gruesome but factual, they are not sensationalised. They don't need to be as the terrible things that were done to some of these faithful people are shocking enough.

Why read a book like this? The main reason that I can think of, particularly for Westerners, is to get a sense of perspective or stated another way, to remind ourselves how far we have fallen from the standards set by previous generations. This should not lead us to discouragement or doom and gloom, but instead should renew our sense of vision and mission to stand for Jesus NO MATTER THE COST.

We live in comfort and security, even in church we focus on ourselves--our preferences and styles. The martyrs refused to compromise, even when it came to things like whether the elements really became Jesus blood and body during the Lord's Supper. They lived and died for their faith in Jesus. Are we willing to do the same when the time comes, as it surely will.....

In the meantime, here is a list of five points to keep in mind when praying for the persecuted (pg 201)

1. Pray for those in prison that they would know they are not forgotten.
2 Pray that the needs of families of martyrs would be met abundantly.
3. Pray that the govt and prison officials would be drawn into a relationship with Christ.
4. Pray that Christians would love those who are persecuting them.
5. Pray that God would give new ways to get Bibles and other forms of Christian literature to help Christians in restricted nations.

A few highlights to challenge and inspire;

John Bunyan, on being offered his freedom in return for agreeing not to preach "If you let me out today, I will preach again tomorrow." He remained in prison for 12 years.

Robert Thomas killed in Korea 1866. "When Thomas saw that he was going to be killed, he held out his Korean Bible to them and said in that language 'Jesus, Jesus.' His head was cut off and thrown into the river.......Twenty-five years after Thomas's death an American visitor stayed at a small guest house in the area Thomas was killed, and noticed strange wallpaper in the main room. The Korean Bible that Thomas had held out to the soldiers had been used to plaster the walls. For twenty-five years many had come to the house to 'read the walls' where Thomas's Bible was preserved."

Pastor Selchun tortured in Nigeria 1992 "The fanatics cut off Pastor Selchun's right hand. When it fell to the ground, he raised the other one and sang 'He is Lord, He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Stenley killed in Indonesia in 1996 "Stenley's beating and death so affected the people of his hometown, that five of the Christians enrolled in Bible school, and eleven Muslims received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. In the middle of the night on which Stenley died, seven of the Bible students gathered for prayer and then woke the school superintendent and requested that they be sent to preach the Gospel on the island of Mentawai, where Stenley was martyred. Shortly after Stenley died, the Muslim official who beat him, drowned with his family while on a boat trip during a storm."

I'm not going to tell anyone that they must read this due to the graphic details contained within. However, every Christian should at least be aware of what is going on and the numbers of Christians that are still being persecuted and martyred around the world today...... ( )

Relates the stories of men and women who have suffered because they confessed their love of Jesus Christ.

I enjoyed reading this book. Not only does it have pages of stories about people who have died for their faith in Jesus, it also has a lot of great, historical information, especially about the church. A classic. ( )