The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Persecution

Franklin Graham

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No one likes to suffer persecution. Yet, the Bible makes it clear that those who commit themselves to Jesus will be persecuted. The Apostle Paul declared this truth very bluntly in one of his letters to Timothy: “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus Himself also warned that His followers would be despised by the world: “You will be hated by all because of My name…” (Mark 13:13).

In fulfillment of these prophecies, Christians have been persecuted throughout history. Even when the Catholic Church dominated Europe, true Bible-believing Christians were tortured by the apostate Church and were burned at the stake.

Today, Christians are being persecuted throughout the world as never before. They are being harassed, tortured and even slaughtered pell-mell by Muslims, Hindus, Communists and Humanists. It is currently estimated that more than 100,000 Christians are being martyred yearly for their faith.

Christians in the United States have lived charmed lives for 350 years, from the establishment of the Jamestown colony in 1607 to the beginning of the decade of the 1960s. During those years, our nation’s Christian heritage was recognized and respected.

But Christianity went on the defensive with the cultural revolution of the 1960s. And since Barack Obama’s election in 2008, true Bible-believing Christians have become a persecuted sub-culture within American society.

Hatred toward Christianity in America today is blatant, crude and loud. Just type the word, Christian, into an Internet search engine and see the nature of the critical articles that appear. They are horrific in nature. Christianity is vilified as “what is wrong with America,” and Christians are denounced as “intolerant bigots.”

I was jolted by the anti-Christian vehemence that exists in our nation today when I started doing research on Franklin Graham. For every positive article I found about Franklin, there were a dozen that were hyper-critical, meanspirited and hate-filled. A classic example is an article that appeared in the Huffington Post that was titled, “Franklin Graham is Still the Worst Thing to Happen to God in a While.” Newsweek wrote him off as a “theological bully.”

The extreme hatred expressed toward Franklin, particularly among homosexuals, makes me fear for his life. He will certainly need heavy security next year when he launches his campaign to hold a prayer rally in every state of our nation.

Increasingly, in our nation, it is going to be difficult to live a Christian life without experiencing some form of extreme persecution. Jobs will be lost. Businesses will be destroyed. In fact, the current anti-Christian wave of opinion is so strong, I would not be surprised to see “hate speech” criminalized so that those speaking out against sins like sexual perversion can be put in prison.

The good news in the midst of the paganization of our culture is that the resulting Christian persecution is a definite sign that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. Satan knows Bible prophecy (Revelation 12:12), and he knows from the signs of the times that his time is short — and thus he is intensifying his attacks on Christians worldwide.

As we face increasing persecution in the days ahead, let us keep in mind the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:11-12 — “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…”

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

4 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • I love Franklin Graham's intense commitment to Our Lord! Praise God for the leaders like him, David Reagan, Hal Lindsey and others like them. We live in perilous times.

  • I always knew these times would come but part of me always thought of it as being way in the future, almost to the point where I would think maybe it wouldn't happen in my lifetime.

    But the world I knew (I grew up in the 1970's) but just a short 40 years later the world I grew up in is a long distant memory.

    I do not recognize America anymore nor it's citizens. I truly, truly feel like I am an alien just landed on this strange and evil world.

    Please come quickly, Lord!!!

  • Allow me to point out that:
    a) valid criticism of one's words and deed are not hatred; and Franklin Graham certainly has done and said MUCH to be criticised for;
    b) it is not Christianity at large that is vilified and denounced, but certain, quite virulent, strains of fundamentalism, and rightly so;
    c) good Doctor, if you think Christians in USA are persecuted, you know squat about persecution.

    HT to good people of fstdt.

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