It is difficult for us to imagine what the Lord's command to be faithful unto death (Rev 2:10) really entails. Yet it is good to reflect on what our Saviour's words have meant in the history of the church and still mean today, especially as we celebrate Reformation Day on October 31. After all, during the ages countless children of God have given up their life for the cause of Christ. Also in the time of the Reformation and in the following century many paid the ultimate price for their faith and today many continue to do the same.

Martyrs' Monument⤒🔗

As Reformed believers we are familiar with the martyrdom of men like Guido de Bres and the killings and suffering that the Huguenots in France endured. Presbyterian believers in the British Isles were also not spared the anguish of being faithful to death.

There is a poignant monument in the cemetery surrounding the historic Greyfriars church in Edinburgh. This memorial commemorates the suffering of 18,000 Scottish Covenanters who died between 1661 and 1688 during "the Killing Times." A key reason for the persecution was the refusal of the Covenanters to affirm that the reigning monarch was the head of the church, for this would be a denial of Christ's preeminent position. In other words they resisted with all their might the establishment of episcopacy as found in the Anglican church. It was William of Orange who in 1690 eventually established Presbyterian church government in Scotland. However, in the meantime much suffering took place and the Martyrs' Monument attests to it.

At the base of this monument are found three passages from the book of Revelation in the King James Version. They are instructive for shaping a biblical view on the persecution of God's children. For ease of comprehension, I will quote them in the New International Version (1984). The first passage is from Revelation 6:9-11,

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

By quoting this passage, the Martyrs' Monument cries for vengeance! Is this right? Should Christians not love their enemies and want to forgive them? However, a careful reflection on this passage leads to the conclusion that those killed for the faith are not crying for personal vengeance. They address God as the holy and true One. By doing so, they indicate their desire that God's holiness and truth be vindicated. Has God not said that he would avenge the death of his saints (Deut 32:35, 43; Heb 10:30)? Well, Lord, show the world that this is true and avenge our blood! This is a legitimate cry for vengeance, for it seeks God's honour. However, God's time is not our time and in Revelation 6 the Lord indicates that he will restrain his wrath until the very last martyr has suffered. The saints however are dressed in white robes as they await that great day.

The next passage on the monument elaborates on the white robes. Speaking of the believers before the Lamb in heaven, Revelation 7:14 says, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Those who have come out of the great tribulation and placed their trust in Christ's one sacrifice for the complete atonement of all their sins are not disappointed. The blood of the Lamb has made their robes white. The white robes symbolize the purity and holiness that comes only through Christ's saving work. This reality is of great encouragement for those still struggling to be faithful on earth.

The third passage on the memorial is therefore one of exhortation and it is addressed to those still living in this world. "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). In this way the Martyrs' Monument speaks to one generation of Christians after another, urging them to be faithful as those who preceded them have been. Surely a timely message, because Christians must always be ready to give up all for the sake of Christ.

Be Faithful even to the Point of Death←⤒🔗

To be faithful in North America presents challenges that are different from those who struggle to be true to God in parts of the world where open persecution enforced by death is a daily threat and reality.

According to current estimates, the persecution of Christians has never been so intense and widespread. Especially Islamic countries are notorious for the rigorous oppression of Christians. This is usually due to Shariah or Islamic law being the single most influential judicial norm of the nation. Here are some recent examples. In Iraq, the very survival of one of the world's oldest Christian communities is in doubt. Many Christians are fleeing their homeland where between 2003 and 2010 more than an estimated two thousand Christians have been killed. In Afghanistan, where Canadian troops have paid with their lives to secure a future for that nation without the Taliban, there is no legal basis or freedom for being a Christian. If brought to trial, those converting from Islam to Christianity are sentenced to death. In Nigeria, Muslims have killed thousands of Christians since 1999 as part of a larger attempt to drive them out of the northern part of that country. No one is ever called to account.

Many more examples from countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Indonesia can be cited, not to mention oppression in communist regimes like North Korea. More detail can be found with organizations such as Compass Direct News and reports like Persecuted and Forgotten? (2011) which are found on the web and are sources of information for the above statistics. Being faithful to the point of death is a life reality for many Christians today. The souls below the altar are crying to God for his just wrath. We need to continue to remember these Christians in our prayers as they pay the ultimate price.

Our Situation←⤒🔗

The peace and tranquility we enjoy as Christians is a far cry from the turmoil and oppression elsewhere. Does this make the testimony of the Martyrs' Monument irrelevant for us? No. After all, the call for vengeance for the sake of God's honour and the demand for faithfulness are from Scripture. As such these passages also address us and remind us that in spite of an outward peace, there is a battle raging in our country as well. It is the struggle between the agents of darkness and the children of God. We must never forget this conflict. Our foe is crafty.

Satan has thousands of years of experience and he uses the spirits of the times to his advantage. We have a holy obligation to discern the battle lines and to stay faithful to God's work in the great Reformation of the sixteenth century.

By God's grace we are heirs of a rich heritage that we must protect and use. That includes maintaining the norm of Scripture for all our talk and walk in the face of an immoral and highly sexualized culture. It means holding fast to the historicity and trustworthiness of Scripture also for the events in the opening chapters of Genesis. Such faithfulness includes affirming the doctrines of the Reformation, including infant baptism. In short, safeguarding and using the Reformed heritage with which we have been entrusted means that our mindset and way of thinking must be completely moulded and shaped by Scripture. For that to be possible we must not quench the fire of the Spirit who works through the Word (1 Thess 5:19; Rom 10:17). Then by God's grace we see through the deception which undermines faith and weakens resolve and we are strong over against the spirits of the times. We recognize the reality of the conflict between Satan and the children of God, also in our culture and our country.

But, all of this is only possible if we have died with Christ and been raised by him to a new life (Gal 2:20). Then, should it ever be necessary, God will also enable us to be faithful to the point of death.

After all, we will already have put to death whatever belongs to our sinful earthly nature (Col 3:5-6) and we already possess the life that never ends (John 11:25-26). Such a reality makes us strong in the Lord and we can take our stand against the devil's schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Eph 6:12-13

Yes, to stand and be faithful, even if it should be necessary, to the point of death! Remember those who have gone before us and those who suffer now.

The Promise←⤒🔗

When the Lord admonishes to be faithful even to the point of death, he also encourages with the promise that he will dress his children in white robes of salvation and give them the crown of life (Rev 2:10; 7:14). Christ's admonition and encouragement are powerful reminders on Reformation Day that we are ultimately but pilgrims in this life. One can be faithful even to the point of death for death is not the end. Christ is the victor who has triumphed over the grave and he will triumph over the present forces of darkness. He gives the crown of life, that is life eternal, to all those who stand fast in him. And therefore, as Luther's hymn puts it:

Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill,
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.