Books Of The Bible
Martyrs

Revelation Series • Chapter 7
Easter 4, Series C
FIRST LESSON     Revelation 6, 7, 14

Leader: When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given;

Congregation: They cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’

L: They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

C: After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

L: I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God.

C: And he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, 3saying, ‘Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.’

L: And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel:

C: From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed, from each tribe of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphatali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin , twelve thousand sealed.

L: After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

C: They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

L: And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’

C: Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’

L: I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’

C: Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

L: For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple,

C: And the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

L: For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

C: Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion!

L: And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

C: And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.

L: No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth.

C: It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

L: They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

Gospel     Matthew 5:10-11

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Bulletin Cover

Revelation 7
Martydom
Albrecht Durer

http://camel2.conncoll.edu/visual/Durer-prints/apocalypse.all/big/Box%2022-06.jpg

Martyrs

Today continues our series of sermons on the Book of Revelation. Why Revelation? Because it is the Word of God.  Why Revelation? Because God has always spoken through this book in centuries past and still speaks through this book today? Why Revelation? Because, in the Book of Revelation, God invites us to have the faith and commitment of those first century martyrs.

Martyrs. The title of the sermon for today is “martyrs.” In the first century and for twenty centuries, the word, “martyr,” has been at the heart of discipleship. Jesus invited his disciples to love him more than family and friends, more than our homes, more than our nation, more than the earth, and even more than life itself. Jesus has invited us to love God and our neighbor more than any thing here on this earth. Jesus has invited us to be willing to die so that others might live.

Jesus taught that the greatest of his commandments was to love.  Jesus taught that no greater love has a person than this is that they are willing to lay down their life for their friends. In the Christian faith, Jesus was the first martyr. He died on the cross that others might live. His death was an expression of sacrificial love.

Stephen, the deacon in the Book of Acts, followed Jesus’ example of love and sacrificial death. Stephen was the second martyr. Stephen was followed by a wave of early Christian martyrs such as James, Peter, and Paul. The early church fathers tell us that Peter was crucified upside down on a cross in Rome and that the Apostle Paul head was severed from his neck by a guillotine under Nero and that James, the brother of Jesus, was martyred as a church leader in Jerusalem. These early disciples were then followed by another wave of martyrs such as Ignatius of Antioch. Throughout all of church history, and all centuries and cultures, there have been waves and waves of martyrs.

The Greek word for martyr is the word “martyrea” from which we get our word, “witness.” Martyr is the same Greek word for witness. The Bible says, “You are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth.” That is, you are to be my martyrs in Jerusalem, Judea and the ends of the earth. A witness is a person who speaks for his or her faith in such a way that that person may be killed for expressing their faith.

Today, the word, “martyr”, is getting bad press because the word, “martyr,” has become associated with the fanatical Muslim terrorists who bombed the Twin Towers and are claimed to be martyrs for their faith. Today fanatical Muslim terrorists tie bombs around themselves and intentionally kill civilians as targets. This is true both in Iraq and also in the Israel/Palestine conflict. They practice jihad, a holy war against us pagan infidels. The Arab TV media, Jazeea, consistently calls these people, “martyrs.” And Mohmed Atta, one of the extremist leaders of the group who bombed the Twin Towers, wrote to his fellow hijackers just before 9/11, “The virgins are calling you.” This was a reference that Muslim martyrs will go to paradise and marry seventy- two black eyed virgins.

These people are not martyrs; these are murderers. That is what Thomas Friedman in his classic book, LONGITUDES AND ATTITUDES, calls them. His book is about our war with fanatical Muslim terrorists. Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and syndicated columnist for the New York Times, is a “must read” if a person wants to attempt to grasp Arab hostility against the USA.

Murders and martyrs. There is an enormous difference between a murderer and a martyr. Let me explain. There is an enormous difference between a murderer and a martyr, between a crazed terrorist and a true martyr. A crazed terrorist kills other people; a true martyr dies so that others might live. One creates death; the other creates life. A crazed terrorist takes the lives of others and kills innocent people. A true martyr is just the opposite of a crazed terrorist: a true martyr dies because they offer themselves as a living and loving sacrifice so that others might live.

Even though the word, “martyr,” is getting “bad press” today because of its association with the fanatical Muslim terrorists, we know that the word, “martyr,” has been a strong word in the Christian faith throughout history. Martyrs for the Christ have always at the core of our Christian faith.

The Book of Revelation is about the first Christian martyrs during the satanic reigns of two Roman emperors, Nero and Domitian. As we have repeatedly emphasized in these sermons, the Bible is always directed first to a historical context and real historical people and then we ask, “How to these Bible verses apply to us and our lives today?” The Book of Revelation was directed first to the historical context of Nero and Domitian. To understand the Book of Revelation more clearly, you need to know about Nero. Some of the things I am going to be mentioning to you about Nero are so offensive that I would rather not tell of these events, especially since there are children at here at worship.

Emperor Nero was crazy, but so were his mother and father.  Nero’s father was one of the most violent men who ever lived. Nero’s father drove his chariot across the body of a live baby and cut the child in half. Talk about gruesome.

Nero’s mother was just as crazy. As Nero grew up in this violent household, his mother made plots for him to obtain the crown of Rome. She wanted Nero to become Roman emperor over Britanicas after which the encyclopedias are named.

Nero came into power and there were many strange things about him. He had a pregnant woman beat to death, so that she and her child died.

Nero fed Christians to the lions in the coliseum in Rome.

We remember that Nero took Christians and wrapped them with animal skins so that they would smell like animals. He placed those animal-skinned Christians out into the woods so that wild dogs would chase them and hunt them down. The wild dogs would eat those Christians as they would eat any animal.

Another thing that Nero did was to wrap Christians in sacks filled with rocks and throw those sacks into the Tiber River so that the Christians would drown.

Another thing that Nero did was to take Christians and cover them with oily pitch, tie them to a stake, light them on fire in order to provide candlelight for his palace at night.

Another thing that Nero did was to behead and guillotine the first Christians such as the Apostle Paul who was beheaded by Nero’s villainy. 

In subsequent chapters in the Book of Revelation, we will discover that Nero’s code name was 666, the sign of the beast. If a person adds up the numerical letters of the alphabet for the name Emperor Nero, the total of those numbers is 666, the sign of the beast. Nero was one of the vilest human beasts who ever lived on earth. Nero was in a category with Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

Nero had finished his reign and then there was the reign of Emperor Domitian who was the first Roman emperor to take seriously emperor worship. If people would not worship Domitian as god, they would be executed. But that story will be told in another sermon.

It is with this background that we approach the Book of Revelation and the intense persecution that was poured on the first Christians.

Would you please turn to your bulletin insert and we will study the Bible verses. We will now do our Bible study. We remember that these sermons are expository sermons in which we study the Bible verse by verse. Use your pencil to highlight and circle important words. By doing so, you see more of the details and specifics in the text. All these Bible verses are about the blood of the first Christian martyrs. We need to remember that there were waves and waves of martyrs in those first centuries.

From Revelation 6:9-11

R: When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; Circle the word, “slaughtered.” This is the same word that was used of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of God. Why were these first Christians slaughtered? Because of the word of God and the testimony they had given. Circle the word, “testimony.” It is the Greek word, “martyria,” from which we get our English word, “martyr.” This is the same Greek word for “witness.” We are to be witnesses for Christ; that is, we are to be willing to die because we speak up for Jesus Christ.

Why are these altars under God’s throne? Because they are near to God’s throne, so near that they are under it.

C: They cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’ Circle the words, “judge and avenge.” As we noted in last week’s sermon, the theme of judgment in the Book of Revelation slips and slides and becomes vengeance. The martyrs are asking, “God, how long before you and your wrath avenge our bloody deaths by Nero?” How long before that evil empire, Rome, will be destroyed?” We recall that vengeance is never to be part of human motivation, but God will enforce vengeance and anger on particular people or nations whenever God knows that it is right to do so. 

R: They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed. Circle the word, “white robe,” and write, “washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.” In the Book of Revelation, the martyrs are wearing the white robes and their robes have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ who cleanses us from all of our sin. These martyrs would have to wait until the full number of future martyrs were killed, their brothers, sisters and fellow servants. Circle the word, “killed.” These martyrs had been killed because of their faith. A Christian can be ridiculed and persecuted for the faith, but the word, “martyr” is reserved for those who are actually killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

From Revelation 7:

C: After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree. At this time, the earth was thought to be flat and there were four corners of the earth.

R: I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. Circle the word, “seal.” “Seal” is an important word in the Christian faith. We recall I Corinthians 1:22 where “God has set his seal upon us and given us the Holy Spirit.”

C: And he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, 3saying, ‘Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.’ Before the intensity of the final persecution begins, the Christians are to be marked with the seal of God’s name on their forehead. Baptism is referred to as the seal. We put the sign of God on our foreheads at baptism to remind us that we have been marked by Christ and that his seal of ownership has been placed on us. The primary mark on the forehead of the Christian is the cross. We are marked with the cross forever to show that we belong to God in this life and in our deaths.

On Ash Wednesday, our foreheads are marked with the seal of the cross in ashes to remind us that we have the mark of God upon us, that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 

R: And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel: Underline the number, 144,000. Write the word, “symbolic number.” This is a huge number. It symbolizes the twelve tribes of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the New Testament times one thousand. 144,000 is a symbolic number of the true Jews and true Christians who were marked on the forehead.  Circle the word, “seal.”

C: From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed, from each tribe of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphatali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin , twelve thousand sealed.

R: After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. From the sermon last week, we recall an engraving by the German Renaissance artist, Durer, of the infinite number of people in the foreground with palms in their hands. Circle the four words, “nations, tribes, peoples, languages.” Underline the phrase, “robed in white.” These people have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. We recall that Jesus said to Simon Peter at his foot washing that Simon was to be clean, every part of him. Palm branches are symbolic of praise such people gathered for the Palm Sunday parade. Christians who have been forgiven and purified by the blood of Christ and are praising God and the Lamb. 

C: They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ Circle the word, “salvation.” God wants to save us; Jesus the Lamb wants to save us. Years ago, I learned the word, “ binatarian.” “Binatarian” refers to two persons of the Godhead and Trinitarian refers to the three persons of God. In the Book of Revelation, we consistently hear about two persons of the Godhead, the One on the throne and the Lamb.  The theology of the Book of Revelation is binatarian.

R: And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ Circle the word, “worshipped.” We Christians are to worship God. In the Forty Days of Purpose, we hear the number one purpose of all Christians and of all people on earth is to worship God. Circle the seven words of the doxology of praise that we saw in chapter five. “Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, might.” We recall our hymn of praise on page 81 of our Lutheran hymnbook, “Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was saved, whose blood set us free to be people of God.

C: Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ Underline the words, “robed in white.” This is the third time we have heard about these robes. Who are these people who are robed in white?

R: I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’

C: Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Circle the word, “great ordeal.” This is the great tribulation. Many people think that they were or are living in the last generation on earth and that they are going through the “great tribulation.” This has happened numerous times in history. It is easy to imagine that people who lived through the persecutions under Nero and Domitian thought that theirs was the “great ordeal,” “the great tribulation.” For them in their generation, the persecutions under Nero were the “great tribulation.”

Underline the phrase, “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This is a strange image for us, “washing our robes white in the blood of the Lamb.” This phrase makes sense to us only if we think of Christ as the Lamb of God whose blood cleanses us from all of our sins. That is what chapter five of Revelation was all about. We recall Isaiah 1:18, “Though our sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like white wool.”

This is at the heart of the prophet John’s theology: Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

R: For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, Circle the word, “they,” and write in “martyrs.” Because they know that the Lamb was washed their sins purely and perfectly, they are before the throne and the Lamb and worshipping God and the Lamb night and day. Circle the word, “worship,” for that is our purpose: to worship God. How often? Night and day. Where? In his temple in heaven.

C: And the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat. In heaven under God’s protection, there will be no more hunger and no more thirst and no more scorching heat. Remember that these Jews had been living in hot, dusty, dry Palestine. No hunger. No thirst. How many people on earth are hungry and thirsty?

Circle the phrases, “hunger nor more” and “thirst no more.” 800 million people went to bed hungry and thirsty last night. This is a clear vision of heaven where there will be no more hunger and no more thirst.

R: For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ We find the Lamb at the center of the throne where God has been sitting. So we find both God and the Lamb on the throne. The metaphor gets mixed up and the Lamb becomes our shepherd to guide us to the springs of life. The Lamb becomes our Shepherd.

Underline the phrase, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Circle and focus on the word, “every.”  In heaven, all our tears are finally wiped away. Every single tear will be wiped away. What a vision of heaven. What a vision of our eternal future with God.

From Revelation 14:1-4

C: Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! Mount Zion was the mountain that Jerusalem stood upon. The Lamb was standing.

R: And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. The 144,000 had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. This is important. Both the name of God and Jesus was written on their foreheads. We will learn in other chapters that the people of the pagan Roman world will have the number of the beast written on their forehead, the number 666. The name of both God and Jesus in the New Testament is “Lord,” or “Adonai.” Jesus is called “Lord.” God is called “Lord.”

C: And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. There was this heavenly choir with their heavenly harps and they were singing a new song. We have a symphony in heaven with glorious heavenly strings. Notice the word, “like.” Like the sound of many waters, like the sounds of loud thunder, like the sounds of harps and harpists. None of these words are meant to be literally.

R: No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. Underline. Underscore. Highlight. No one could learn that song except for those who had been redeemed and freed by the Lamb. Circle the word, “redeemed.” Christ came to redeem us, free us from our sin by the payment of his own blood. The 144,000 had the mark of God and Jesus on their forehead, the mark of God’s name, the seal of God’s presence. What is that seal? The cross.

C: It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These people had not defiled themselves with sexual immorality. Circle the words, “defiled with women” and write the words, “sexual immorality.” Most importantly, they followed the Lamb where ever he goes. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep who know his voice and follow him on his path.

R: They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless. Circle the word, “redeemed.” Write the word, “freed, the price has been paid for their freedom. The redemption fee has been paid for.” Here ends our Bible study.

There are four characteristics of martyrs. This was true in the first century. This is still true in our twenty-first century.

First, Martyrs get killed, not for their convictions, but for expressing their convictions. Martyrs don’t keep their faith private. Martyrs are people who “don’t know better” but they open their mouths and often at the wrong times. They refuse to keep their mouths shut, and therefore they get into trouble. There are all kinds of people who have beliefs in Christ and beliefs in Christian values and they never get hurt at all. The key is to keep your mouth shut and you won’t get hurt. Keep your mouth shut and nobody will bother you.  But as soon as you open your mouth about Christ and the Christian faith, that is when you will start becoming a martyr. It is the same Greek word for both witnesses and martyrs and both have a lot in common: both witnesses and martyrs open their mouths for Jesus Christ. So Stephen had this problem, as did all martyrs, of not keeping their mouth shut and keeping silent about their Christian convictions.

A second characteristic of a martyr is not only what they say but when and where they say it. For example, back in the Soviet Union during the Stalin era, if you declared that you were a Christian, you could be killed for it. If you said the same thing in the United States, nobody would be bothered at all. It is not just what you say but when and where you say it that makes for martyrdom. If you talk about Christ and social justice in church among believing friends, nobody gets too upset about it. But in certain situations and certain epochs of history, you can get killed for saying the same words.

A martyr is not a person who checks the wind of public opinion. They don’t say to themselves, “I will check the wind of public opinion and then I will make my pronouncement.” That person has the guts to go against culture. That person has the guts to go against public opinion. They have the guts to go against the king or governing authority.

A third characteristic of a martyr is that they are willing to die. They don’t want to die, but they are willing to die for Jesus Christ that others might live in justice and freedom. Christian martyrs believe passionately in Jesus Christ. These martyrs believe so deeply that they are willing to die for their faith in Christ and their consequent moral values. These martyrs don’t hide behind the safety of silence; they speak God’s Word when and where it is not safe to speak the truth; and they are willing to die for the truth of Christ.

A four characteristic of martyrs:  Martyrs inspire us. Martyrs encourage us. Martyrs lift us up so that we are more committed to Jesus Christ in our day and age, in our world.

We are now going to look at five images on the screen before you. The first is by Durer. Focus on the prophet John from the Book of Revelation who was going to be martyred. This is a legend about his martyrdom. Notice that he is in a kettle of water with fire underneath it. Notice the soldiers doing the dirty work. Notice the crowd enjoying the scene. Notice the ruler at the left, pompously dress. This public official represents all authority (government, economic, religious) who want the potential martyr killed because the martyr is a threat to his system, prestige and power. There is always that powerful official working to kill the martyr.

Martyrdom

Revelation 7
Martydom
Albrecht Durer

http://camel2.conncoll.edu/visual/Durer-prints/apocalypse.all/big/Box%2022-06.jpg

DEITRICH BONHOEFFER, GERMANY

Europe. Dietrich Bonhoeffer didn’t want to die, but he came to the conclusion that Hitler was an insanely cruel man who plotted to conquer the whole world and enforce his dictatorial Aryan policies around the globe. Hitler needed to be stopped. Bonhoeffer was arranging for Hitler’s assassination, but was discovered and martyred. He was killed for standing up for his beliefs. A martyr is willing to die for justice, freedom and Christ. Bonhoeffer’s life inspires us today to be more dedicated and loyal to Jesus Christ. That is always the purpose of martyrs: to inspire us. We recall that Bonhoeffer authored important books such as THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP and LIFE TOGETHER. Look into his eyes again and let his life inspire you.

All four of these martyrs are from the twentieth century. Each of these martyrs have been an inspiration for my personal life of faith. Each of them have become legends in their own time for my life.

STEPHEN BIKO, SOUTH AFRICA

Africa. Steven Biko, from South Africa, a young medical student, who combated the racist policies of apartheid in his nation. He was killed because of what he said and how he said it. I love the title of his book, “I SAY WHAT I LIKE.” When you say what is just and true to a hostile and powerful government, you can get killed and Biko got killed. He was another martyr in the long history of martyrs in the Christian faith. When we think of South Africa, we think of Nelson Mandella, whose life inspires, but he was never killed as martyrs always are. Biko was killed for his faith, for his expressing his faith to the powers that be.

ARCHBISHOP ROMERO, EL SALVADOR

Central/South America. We need to mention Bishop Romero of El Salvador. He could have been a nice, plain, Roman Catholic Bishop and kept his mouth shut about the atrocities committed by the ruling military junta. If he would have had any brains, he just would have kept his mouth shut about economic injustices and nobody would have bothered him at all. But he would get in the pulpit and criticize the government in front of everyone in the church. One Sunday morning, when the Cathedral was full and he was celebrating the Mass, a shot rang out and splattered the body and blood of the Archbishop so his body and blood joined the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ on the altar. He could have been a good Catholic and remained silent about economic injustice. Nothing much happens to you if you remain silent. But a witness and a martyr is a person who is willing to speak out against the injustices of the world because of Jesus Christ. They are often killed/martyred for doing so.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., USA

North America. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a black Baptist preacher who was inspired by the Word of God to overcome racism here in the United States of America. Like all prophets, he was willing not to be silent but speak about against racial injustices and oppression. King’s voice and face and message have become legendary, not only here in the United States of America, but throughout the whole world. Many of us remember that awful scene in the media of his moment of assassination.

The martyrs of the faith inspire us today. That is what martyrs always do.

Revelation, Sermon Seven, The Martyrs. Amen.

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