|
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 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. He 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. He 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. He Was stabbed with a spear in India during one
of his missionary trips to establish the church in the
Subcontinent.
11. Jude. He Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny
his faith in Christ.
12. Matthias. The apostle chosen to replace the traitor
Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and then beheaded.
13. Paul. 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 to compare 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 endures to the
end shall be saved.
|
