The Bible says of these last days that “the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has … a short time” and “he persecuted the woman [the church]” (Rev. 12:12-13). And Satan has taken advantage of the fact that God’s people have been destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6).

 

Martyrdom is a special calling or anointing. Not every Christian is called to be a martyr. Many believers, however, have suffered torture and death because they did not know who they were in Jesus. They did not know that they had the authority to speak out biblical promises and declarations of protection in faith.

 

We submit the following verses as declarations of protection over the many persecuted Christians around the world, along with our prayers that our Father Love will grant them understanding of their identity in Jesus. We invite you to come in agreement with our prayers and our declarations. We also thank our Father that many of those persecuted, some without access to the written Word, will have the grace to connect with our site and be strengthened in their faith.

 

We ask our Father through the Holy Spirit to speak to those who are indeed called to martyrdom, so that they will know their anointing and receive God’s supernatural ability to face death for the glory of Jesus, and that their blood will open doors for the spreading of the true gospel of the Kingdom in their areas.

 

For the others, the vast majority, we declare these words of God: “In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you…No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of [Jesus], And their vindication is from Me, declares [Jesus]” (Isa. 54:14-17).

 

While the Word of God puts limits on what men can do to people of faith, we pray that these persecuted believers will exemplify the love Jesus called us all to have in the face of persecution, quoted from Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun tor rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

 

We also pray Jesus’ blessing on the persecuted: “Blessed are those have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…” (Mat. 5:10-12).

 

We declare that true believers who love Jesus dwell in the shelter of the Most High and in the shadow of El Shaddai (Ps. 91:1). “A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you…no evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone…With long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation” (Ps. 91:7,10-12,16).

 

We declare for these believers: “I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of [Jesus]” (Ps. 118:17). Those who have honored their parents will live long on the earth (Ex. 20:12).

 

The violent will not be able to touch them, for they are God’s anointed: “He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm’” (I Chr. 16:21-22; Ps. 105:15). Furthermore, you will “live securely in the land … lie down with no one making you tremble…no sword will pass through your land…” (Lev. 26:5-6).

 

We claim the Davidic covenant of defense for them: “He delivers me from my enemies; Surely you lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man” (Ps. 18:48). “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent” (Jer. 15:21). “Do not take my soul away with sinners, Nor my life with men of bloodshed” (Ps. 26:9).

 

Many Christians live daily with the ever-present danger of capture, torture, and death confronting them. We declare for them Psalm 68:19-20: “Blessed be the [Eternal], who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverances [the Hebrew mowshah implies “opened wide to freedom], And to God the [Eternal] belong escapes from death.”

 

We know that their battle and ours is a spiritual one (Eph. 6:12) – a fight of faith against Satan and his demons that Jesus has already won and expects us to enforce by our words. We have authority, and we pray that these persecuted ones may come into the knowledge of the authority they have in Jesus’ name: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you” (Luke 10:19-20).

 

Jesus is the great Deliverer. When His people are in danger, “….they will cry to [Jesus] because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them” (Isa. 19:20). “For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their live from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight” (Ps. 72:12-14).

 

 We will end in claiming the familiar Psalm 23 for our persecuted brethren around the world, and also for those in our Western nations where end-time persecution is heating up as never before: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” (Ps. 23:4-5). Blessed indeed are those who have been persecuted for the name of our Savior Yashua, Jesus, our Deliverer, for theirs is the Kingdom of our Father Love.