The pale color of a sick person. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Though the Tribulation will be the worst time in church history, martyrdom has been a part of its history from the beginning.
Today there are more martyrs than ever.
It is estimated that 10 million believers have been martyred since 1950. 156,000 believers were martyred last year alone. While we don t see martyrdom in this country today, there is a growing contempt and hostility toward Christians. It is OK to be generically spiritual today. However, society is increasingly intolerant of those who are for Jesus Christ and Him crucified.