Roman Colosseum to Be Lit Blood Red for Persecuted Christians

February 12, 2018 — Breitbart.com reports: “The Roman Colosseum along with two churches in Mosul and Aleppo will be lit up by red lights later this month to draw attention to the global persecution of Christians.

‘Christians are the victims of at least 75 percent of all religiously-motivated violence and oppression,’ declared the latest report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the group organizing the event, and moreover ‘the extent of this persecution is largely ignored by our media.’

In a gesture meant to combat global indifference to the plight of persecuted Christians, on Saturday, Feb. 24, one of Rome’s most iconic structures—the Colosseum—will be illuminated in red, representing Christians who have shed their blood for the faith.

At the same time, prominent churches in Syria and Iraq will be illuminated with red lights as well. In Aleppo, the St. Elijah Maronite Cathedral will be lit up in red, as will the Church of St. Paul in Mosul. Turning on the lights in Mosul, said the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako I, ‘means bringing back hope to Iraqi Christians who have suffered so much.’

According to Alfredo Mantovano, president of ACN-Italy, the media event is meant as a denunciation of ‘the martyrdom suffered by our brothers and sisters.’ It is our intention, he said, ‘to involve them directly through two of the communities who have suffered the most in recent years, those of Syria and Iraq.’…”  (“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” – Revelation 2:10, 11.  Christians who suffer and die for Christ will receive the “Crown of Life” to place at the feet of Jesus – James 1:12; Revelation 2:10.  The 24 elders represent 12 Old Testament Tribes and 12 New Testament Apostles – saved Jews and redeemed Christians.  In Revelation 4: 10 & 11 they cast their earned crowns before the Lord Jesus Christ.  Question – Will you be among them?)

Chinese Pastors Ordered to Post Signs on Churches Forbidding Entry to Minors

February 11, 2018 — Breitbart.com reports: “As part of its most recent clampdown on Christian churches, Chinese authorities have instructed priests and pastors to post signs on churches barring entry to minors.

The instruction is part of a new set of communist party-controlled regulations on religious activities that went into effect on February 1 and is aimed at preventing children and young people from getting religious instruction or taking an active part in Christian worship.

According to a report Thursday from ucanews, the leading independent Catholic news source in Asia, authorities have begun enforcing the government ban on minors in church in several regions, while forcing a number of Protestant house churches in Henan province to close.

The new regulations are an expansion of bans already tried out in certain regions. As Breitbart News reported last August, communist officials had already issued ‘notices’ to over a hundred churches in Wenzhou, within the largely Christian Zhejiang province, informing Christians that children are no longer permitted to enter any church. The notices stated that minors attempting to enter a church would be turned away at the door, even if accompanied by their parents.

Chinese authorities stated that church attendance and religious instruction keep young persons from developing ‘a correct worldview and set of values.’…”  (“Train us a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” – Proverbs 22:6.  Psalm 127:3 states: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord…”  Paul wrote to Timothy: “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.  Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also” – II Timothy 1:3-5.  How sad that China is attempting to prevent children from attending church.)