Chapter Seventeen/'Slaughtered Souls' Rewarded - Continue

 John himself witnessed martyrdom in the first century as the cruel serpent and his earthly seed waged war on the growing congregation of anointed Christians. John had seen our Lord impaled and had survived through the slayings of Stephen, of his own brother James and of Peter, Paul and close associates. (John 19:26, 27; 21:15, 18, 19; Acts 7:59, 60; 8:2; 12:2; 2 Timothy 1:1; 4:6, 7) In 64 C.E., Roman emperor Nero has made a scapegoat of the Christians, accusing them of burning the city, to counteract a rumor that he was the guilty one. The historian Tacitus reports: "They [Christians] died by methods of mockery; some were covered with the skins of wild beast and then torn by dogs, some were [impaled], some were burned as torches to light at night." A further wave of persecution under Emperor Domitian (81-96 C.E.) had resulted in John's being exiled to the island of Patmos. As Jesus said: "If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also." - JOHN 15:20; MATTHEW 10:22. 

Next time: Chapter Sixteen/'Slaughtered Souls' Rewarded - Continue

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