The thought of any believer in Christ being martyred is something hard to bear. Yet from an eternal perspective the Iranian believers hold in high regard those who have laid down their lives for the cause of Christ. The stories of the martyrs in Iran are many. These are just a few:
On January 19, 1994, Haik disappeared from the streets of Tehran. The authorities reported his death to his family on January 30; he was stabbed 26 times in his chest: “Indeed, Haik gave his heart to Christ twice. Once when he invited Christ to his life as his Savior, and second, when his heart was torn apart for his faith in Christ.”783
Martyr Mehdi Dibaj wrote:
“I have always envied those Christians who were martyred for Christ Jesus our Lord. What a privilege to live for our Lord and to die for Him as well. I am filled to overflowing with joy; I am not only satisfied to be in prison but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus Christ.”784
Iranians Abbas Amiri and his wife Sakineh Rahnama, who hosted an underground house Church service died from injuries sustained when secret police raided their house Church service and severely beat them to death. Abbas died right away. Before becoming a Christian Abbas had been a devout Muslim even making a pilgrimage to Mecca. His wife died less than a week later. At the house Church service were seven other men, six women and two children.
Martyr Mohammad Ali Jafarzadeh, was executed by hanging in Evin Prison in Iran.
Martyr Mohammad Jaberi was also executed by hanging in Evin Prison in Iran.
Martyr Pastor Ghorbandordi Tourani an Iranian house Church leader was murdered near his house.
Martyr Pastor Mohammed Bajher Yusefi, affectionately known by his flock as Ravanbaksh, or soul giver, was murdered. He had left his house to spend time in prayer, but he never returned. The Iranian authorities notified the family later that evening that his body had been found hanging from a tree in a nearby forest.
Recently a brother was arrested and put on trial for his faith in Iran and he shared this exhortation in a letter: “One day there are intense pains after beatings in interrogations, the next day they are nice to you and offer you candy. These hot and colds only make you a man of steel for moving forward in expanding His Kingdom. When for 120 days you are asleep in a room with one big light that is constantly lit and does not separate day or night and when you can only see true sunlight for a few minutes a week, that’s when you are becoming His workmanship and you can be a vessel in bringing His kingdom in a dark place and you are able to share the Gospel of peace and life to the dying world. And this is where you learn you can love your enemies with all of your heart.”785
The sadness and hurt of any believer in Christ being martyred is hard to bear. Yet from an eternal mindset and perspective there is a glory and esteem the Iranian believers have for those who have laid down their lives for the cause of Christ. The stories of the martyrs in Iran are many. Above we have mentioned a few.
Such lives are not laid down in vain, but are paving the way for the furtherance of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Tertullian786 said in his Apology in AD 200: “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.” This seed is being sown in Iran today and we should expect a vibrant harvest of souls in the coming days before the coming of our Lord.
Martyrdom is a sobering subject. Maybe it will sober us back to the place where the Church needs to be. The martyr spirit is the spirit of New Testament Christianity. We have to recapture a faith that is worth living for and worth dying for in our day. Christ demands our all in His call for discipleship. If we seek to save our lives we will lose them.787
The Bible is filled with the testimonies of martyrs; from the first Book of Genesis where Abel becomes the first martyr,788 to the end of the Book of Revelation, where the last of the martyrs are killed for the testimony of Christ.789 From the beginning to the end of the Bible, martyrdom is not only keenly present but overwhelmingly obvious to any reader of the Scriptures.
The Apostle John gives us this exhortation: “Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.”790 It should not surprise or startle us in anyway when we are recipients of the fact that the world hates us. When we are on the receiving end of a slander, blasphemy, rejection or even a violent act we should not be surprised. This world and all of its inhabitants are offended by the Gospel and by Christ in us. Our light and righteousness speaks of their condemnation.791 Daily, our lives make manifest the fact that they will be judged by God one day.
Hebrews chapter 11 is not only a hall of faith, as many call it but it is also a hall of martyrs. “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”792 This passage along with others should build in us a great sobriety on this subject as we consider those who went on ahead of us in the body of Christ.
Another passage largely misinterpreted and overlooked in its context is in Romans chapter 8: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’”793
Evangelicals quote this passage to speak of the greatness of God’s love; and surely God’s love is great, but unfortunately we have misinterpreted its true meaning. Paul speaks of famines, danger and swords! Shall a sword separate us from the love of Christ? Or, using modern vernacular, shall a gun pointed at our head separate us from the love of Christ? The answer of course is, No. Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ, even when men torture and martyr us for that precious Name, they will not be able to touch our souls. We are safe in Christ’s love. All that men can do to us is destroy this earthly tent, the body we are living in. This was the Apostle Paul’s emphasis and point in this passage. Martyrdom is the secret weapon of the Church. No one can take away the victory of Christ’s love on the cross and the redemption of men for Himself.
We can see clearly that the end of following Christ whole-heartily is to share in His very end: “Martyrdom is not some kind of rare experience for the very few because they were not wise enough to avoid the consequence; it is the normative, logical result of faith in Christ, if we pursue Him truly, because we live in a world that is hostile against Him.”794
May we trust the Lord afresh for a vibrant work of His Spirit in our lives today to be His witnesses (martyrs) of the Gospel.
783 Hovsepian Ministries Testimony
784 Farsi Net
785 Saeed Abedini
786 A recognized early Church father
787 Mark 8:35
788 Genesis 4
789 Revelation 20
790 1 John 3:13
791 John 3:20
792 Hebrews 11:36-38
793 Romans 8:35-36
794 Art Katz (1929-2007)
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