“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” – Revelation 6:9
Levels of Christian persecution are at a record high globally, according to the watchdog organization Open Doors. Their 2020 report revealed that more than 340 million Christians suffered high levels of persecution for their faith, representing 1 in 8 Christians worldwide.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has turned a bad situation into an unbearable one,” said David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA. “This public health crisis created an opportunity to expand faith-based discrimination and violence in regions where religious persecution had already reached alarming rates.”
For the first time in the 29-year history of the World Watch List, every country in the top 50 is ranked as experiencing very high or extreme levels of persecution.
In 2020, extremist attacks spread further throughout sub-Saharan Africa, from Nigeria and Cameroon to Burkina Faso, Mali, and beyond. In Nigeria alone, 10 Christians a day were murdered on average due to their religious beliefs. As the total number of Christians killed for their faith rose 60% for the year—from 2,983 registered cases to 4,761. It was found that 91% of the violent killings for religious reasons occurred in Africa.
Many Christians throughout history have suffered and died for their faith in Christ. Today in prayer, give thanks to those faithful Christians who have died for the faith. Pray for those who today are facing persecution in the world.
“You can kill us, but you cannot hurt us.” – Justin Martyr
God’s Word: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 10:22
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