This Is Real
I was flipping through the FHM magazine just a few days ago and found this very interesting (well, I don't know if interesting is the right word, cos the contents are very gross.) article on how Christians are being persecuted in ancient times. During the Roman empire times and ancient Spanish times, the methods they use to torture & kill Christians are really brutal and very very scary indeed. If you're interested to read about it, you can scroll to the bottom of this entry for a short description. I apologise for the scary pictures. And just a disclaimer, this is not to make you feel fearful, just for casual reading. If your faith level is really so weak, just skip it altogether.
When Paul tells us in his letters to the churches that he's been through all kinds of persecutions and sufferings, he really meant it. No joke about it. When I read about the different desciptions of the punishment used on Christians, I felt mixed emotions. Very sad because fellow Christians actually had to go through such ordeals for their faith. Very proud of them as well because they did not deny God because of fear. Very concerned about my own faith at the same time because I am not sure if I can go through any of those if I live in those times.
We live in a comfortable time as a Christian now. Society has opened up & we no longer face persecution like before. I remember when I was younger, a popular question was whether we are willing to die for Jesus. Almost everyone will slap their chest & say proudly that THEY WILL. Yet, there really needs to be alot more courage & conviction than that. Of course, I am not promoting martyrism (is there such a word??). In fact, it's much better being alive & doing lots of things for God than to die just in the name of glorified martyrism. Still, the question remains. Are we willing to give up our life for Jesus? Or we will be someone who will run away the moment our faith is challenged?
By that, I mean, are we willing to give up the things of the world that we love, for God's sake? Are we willing to die to our old habits and attitudes and mindsets so that we can be pleasing in the sight of God? Are we willing to put God first in our lives and ourselves last so that we can be used by God in a greater way? Our faith is really more than just word of mouth. Our words got to run. Our words got to be seen flying above everything else.
Say. Are u willing?
I was flipping through the FHM magazine just a few days ago and found this very interesting (well, I don't know if interesting is the right word, cos the contents are very gross.) article on how Christians are being persecuted in ancient times. During the Roman empire times and ancient Spanish times, the methods they use to torture & kill Christians are really brutal and very very scary indeed. If you're interested to read about it, you can scroll to the bottom of this entry for a short description. I apologise for the scary pictures. And just a disclaimer, this is not to make you feel fearful, just for casual reading. If your faith level is really so weak, just skip it altogether.
When Paul tells us in his letters to the churches that he's been through all kinds of persecutions and sufferings, he really meant it. No joke about it. When I read about the different desciptions of the punishment used on Christians, I felt mixed emotions. Very sad because fellow Christians actually had to go through such ordeals for their faith. Very proud of them as well because they did not deny God because of fear. Very concerned about my own faith at the same time because I am not sure if I can go through any of those if I live in those times.
We live in a comfortable time as a Christian now. Society has opened up & we no longer face persecution like before. I remember when I was younger, a popular question was whether we are willing to die for Jesus. Almost everyone will slap their chest & say proudly that THEY WILL. Yet, there really needs to be alot more courage & conviction than that. Of course, I am not promoting martyrism (is there such a word??). In fact, it's much better being alive & doing lots of things for God than to die just in the name of glorified martyrism. Still, the question remains. Are we willing to give up our life for Jesus? Or we will be someone who will run away the moment our faith is challenged?
By that, I mean, are we willing to give up the things of the world that we love, for God's sake? Are we willing to die to our old habits and attitudes and mindsets so that we can be pleasing in the sight of God? Are we willing to put God first in our lives and ourselves last so that we can be used by God in a greater way? Our faith is really more than just word of mouth. Our words got to run. Our words got to be seen flying above everything else.
Say. Are u willing?
* * * * *
Top-left: Iron Maiden
A victim is led into a metal figure shaped like a person and lined with spikes. The door is then closedm impaling him. Needless to say, the victim will be pierced to death.
Top-right: Brazen Bull
Most famousl used by the Romans to barbecue Christians, this device is a life-sized hollow brass sculpture of a bull. A martyr is forced into the beast's belly through a trapdoor. A fire is then stoked underneath, slowly cooking him to death.
Bottom-left: Cauldron
Another method of express-mailing Christians to Jesus was this method, in which a pot is placed upside down on the stomach. Mice are put underneath and a fire is lit on top, which drives the rodents to escape by any means necessary. Eventually, they will burrow through the victim's stomach and entrails.
Bottom-right: Sewn into an ass
Christians are sewn into the bodies of dead donkeys with their heads sticking out. Honey is smeared onto their faces attracting bees to come. The victim is also fed rich food so that he is forced to excrete inside of the donkey. Extremely gross.
(extracted from FHM June 2006 issue)
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