In the early morning hours of February 13, 2025, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) woke Christians in the village of Mayba, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), yelling, “Get out, get out and don’t make any noise.”
The ADF, a rebel group with ties to the Islamic State terrorist organization, captured 20 Christians that morning. After hearing the disturbing news, villagers met to discuss how they might free the captives, but things only worsened. The ADF militants had already surrounded the village and shortly thereafter took another 50 people.
The 70 men, women, and children were later found dead in a nearby church, slaughtered with machetes and hammers just for being Christians. Many Christians have fled the region out of fear. “We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres,” said an elder in a nearby church. “May God’s will alone be done.” Read the full story from Open Doors.
The same Open Doors article states, “The ADF has long carried out brutal attacks in North Kivu province. Thousands of Christians have been displaced multiple times or killed, houses have been looted and burned down, schools have been relocated, churches and health facilities have been forced to close, and several Christian villages have been abandoned because of the violence.”
Although 90 percent of the DRC’s population is Christian, Islamist terrorists persecute them along the eastern border. The Voice of the Martyrs reports, “In areas controlled by the ADF, Christian villages have been raided, churches destroyed and hundreds of believers brutally killed. Dozens of local Christians have been abducted by the ADF and told to recant their faith in Christ and convert to Islam. Those abducted have witnessed horrific acts of violence against fellow Christians.”
Roughly 13 Christians are killed every day for their faith. Yet, for most of us, martyrdom or even imprisonment is unlikely. However, you might be surprised to learn that the Bible says that will change, even in developed countries like the United States.
Are you prepared to stand?
Nothing New Under the Sun
Sadly, God’s faithful have always suffered persecution. Adam’s firstborn son, Cain, murdered his younger brother, Abel, when God favored him for his obedience (Genesis 4). Yet, this hostility didn’t surprise God. He had predicted it even before the brothers were born (3:15).
Some of the fiercest objects of persecution have been God’s prophets. When God called Jeremiah to the prophetic office, He warned that the people “will fight against you” (Jeremiah 1:19). Later, Jeremiah lamented, “Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?” (15:18). And his own people plotted to “attack him with the tongue, and … not give heed to any of his words.” They eventually “had him beaten and imprisoned” (37:15 NIV).
From the first to the fourth century AD, several Roman emperors persecuted Christians, Nero perhaps the most infamous. He had many crucified and thrown to wild animals in the Colosseum for entertainment. Others were burned alive on poles as human torches to light the royal gardens at night.
The church of the Dark Ages killed countless so-called heretics who rejected its teachings. Millions were imprisoned, tortured, and put to death during the Protestant Reformation for repudiating the church’s traditional teachings that did not stand up to the scrutiny of Scripture.
Even today, it’s estimated that 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide. King Solomon wrote, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Even in the Land of the Free
Could things really get that bad in America, “the land of the free”?
The book of Revelation describes a time when the U.S. government will “cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:15–17).
This passage depicts the United States as enforcing a state-sponsored religion and passing laws that allow for economic persecution and even the death of dissenters. Perhaps you’re thinking there is no way this could happen in America, where the First Amendment to our Constitution forbids the government from establishing a state religion or interfering with one’s religious practice. And maybe you’re wondering if that’s what these verses are really saying. If these ideas are new to you, take a deep dive into unpacking and understanding the details of this incredible prophecy by reading our free Study Guide, “The USA in Bible Prophecy.”
To the End
So, how do we prepare for such intense persecution?
Again, Revelation tells us how we overcome the enemy, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11). Preparation and ultimate victory can only come to those who fully entrust their lives to Jesus, the Lamb who shed His blood for us.
When 19th-century missionary James Calvert was on his way to preach the gospel to the indigenous cannibals of the Fijian islands, the ship’s captain warned him, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.”
Calvert replied, “We died before we came here,” indicating they had already surrendered their lives to Jesus and were willing to die for their mission if necessary.
Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). It’s never safe to compromise our faith to avoid persecution. Only Jesus can save us. He also warned us, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
But remember, we are not alone. Our Savior promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).