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EARLY CHURCH PERSECUTION; HOW THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST ENDED
Preaching the Gospel in the first century was a dangerous endeavor. Christians were widely persecuted, and most Apostles suffered brutal martyrdoms for spreading the message.
-1). James. James the Great was the first to be martyred. He was the brother of John. Herod Agrippa was desperate to suppress the growing movement in Judea, and had him beheaded before a crowd in Jerusalem in 44 AD.
-2). Simon Peter. Peter bravely took his ministry to center of the globe-Rome, making him a target for Emperor Nero who branded Christians enemy of the state. Insisting he wasn’t worthy of dying like Christ, he had the Romans crucify him upside down.
Peter’s legacy lives on as the first Pope, and the majestic altar of St. Peter’s Basilica stands just meters from where he was killed. His bones were only discovered in 1968, right beneath the altar floor where they were most expected
-3). Andrew. Peter’s brother Andrew also died on the cross, after travelling through Asia Minor and Greece. Roman authorities caught up with him in Patras and strung him on an X-shaped cross — now the national flag of Scotland.
-4). Bartholomew. Bartholomew was skinned alive for converting the king of Armenia, but apparently kept preaching to the audience as they peeled off his skin.
-5). Philip. Philip, executed in Hierapolis for converting the wife of a proconsul, was also crucified upside down. As he hung there he continued to preach, as tradition holds, and he wasn’t the only one…
-6). Simon The Zealot and -7). Jude traveled together to Persia, where Jude was beaten to death with clubs. Simon, however, was quite literally sawn in half by the authorities.
-8 ). Thomas. Doubting Thomas preached in India and later became its patron saint, although locals eventually came for him with spears
-9). Judas Iscariot He died before the Resurrection. Consumed by guilt, he returned the 30 pieces of silver received to betray Christ, and hanged himself near Jerusalem.
-10). Matthias. And Matthias, who replaced Judas as the 12th Apostle, is said to have journeyed as far Ethiopia before local pagans beheaded him.
-11). Matthew. Matthew, the redeemed tax collector turned Gospel writer, also got to Ethiopia by many traditions. Again, he was martyred for his words, hacked to death with swords and spears.
-12). James The Less. Others faced death in Jerusalem. James the Less was called to deny Jesus before a large crowd, from atop the Temple. Instead, he proclaimed Christ as the saviour — before being thrown from the building and killed by a mob.
-13). John The Beloved. John was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil by order of the Roman emperor Domitian but he miraculously survived
As a result he was exiled to the Island of Patmos where he received the visions recorded in Revelation. What is clear is that the Christian message terrified the powers that be.
However, 12 great men had the courage to spread it anyway, and in so doing endured persecution but now see how far the gospel has reached. Happy Easter .Jesus Christ is KING alone 👑
