Christianity has always proven to be the most giving, loving and profoundly devout religion known to man. The death of the Apostles serves as an important message for us all Christians, and a true testament of faith. We currently live in a day and age where people make the simplest excuses as to why they don’t read their Bible and why they don’t attend Church. It often makes me wonder how will we ever be like the Apostles and remain faithful and strong when our faith is tested, if we can’t simply read our Bible. May God have mercy on us all!
Our personal sufferings are minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty the Apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ faced in those times… because of their undying Faith.
The disciples of Jesus gave their lives for the preaching of the gospel:
Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.
Mark
Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.
Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.
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. In the Tewahedo Orthodox Church, the whereabouts of his last days were never confirmed. Therefore, we don’t claim he died.
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.
Just “The Leader” of the church in Jerusalem, he 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.”
James the Great
Son of Zebedee, James was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately 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.
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.
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.
Thomas
Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.
Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
Paul
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.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV)
Tewahedo Orthodox Girl 