You would
remember that when Jesus Christ started His Public Ministry at the age of 30,
He chose men some of whom were far older than Him to be His disciples.
They were
12 in number and included James and John the Sons of Zebedee.
Except
for 1 who betrayed Him (by name Judas Iscariot), all the disciples were with
Him until the end of His Earthly sojourn.
When
Judas saw that His Lord and Master was about to be killed for real, he
committed suicide and was replaced by Matthias when the Disciples re-connected
after the resurrection of Jesus.
It was
the Power of the Holy Ghost as was given out to the Disciples on the day of
Pentecost even as Christ had promised them, that gave them the unction to
become Apostles.
Now, this
is an account of how they died
1. MATTHEW- Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.
2. MARK- Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.
3. LUKE- Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.
4. JOHN- Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome.
However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was
then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his
prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos .
The
apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa
in modern Turkey .
He died as
an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully
5. PETER- He was crucified upside down on an
x-shaped cross.
According to church tradition it was because he
told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that
Jesus Christ had died.
6. JAMES- The leader of the church in
Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast
pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
When they
discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death
with a fuller's club.
This was
the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the
Temptation.
7. JAMES THE SON OF ZEBEDEE- was a fisherman
by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.
As a
strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at
Jerusalem.
The Roman
officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at
his trial.
Later, the officer Walked beside James to the
place of execution.
Overcome
by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside
James to accept beheading as a Christian.
8. BARTHOLOMEW- Also known as Nathaniel was a
missionary to Asia.
He
witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.
Bartholomew
was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death
by a whip.
9. ANDREW-
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece.
After
being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross
with cords to prolong his agony.
His
followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew
saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy
hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on
it.'
He
continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he
expired.
10. THOMAS- Was stabbed with a spear in India
during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent.
11. JUDE- Was killed with arrows when he
refused to deny his faith in Christ.
12. MATTHIAS- The Apostle chosen to replace the
traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
13. PAUL-
(was not among the original 12 but became one by unction of God's grace.)
He was
tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.
Paul
endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many
epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.
These
letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of
Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
Perhaps
this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor
compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the
apostles and disciples during their times
For the
sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
But he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
May God
give us the GRACE to run this RACE OF FAITH in
JESUS NAME. Amen.
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