Is Christian Persecution in the West Becoming the New Normal?

[James Adams]

In many parts of the world, persecution against Christians has always been expected — but lately, I’ve noticed signs that the same spirit of hostility is spreading here in the West. Churches vandalized, believers mocked for their faith, and even subtle pressures in workplaces or schools to stay silent about biblical truth.

It makes me wonder whether what we’re witnessing isn’t just political or cultural tension, but something deeper — part of the spiritual conflict Scripture warned about in passages like Matthew 24 and Ephesians 6.

I recently helped create a short documentary exploring this very topic, called “Faith Under Fire: The Hidden War Has Begun.” It looks at how persecution is growing, both globally and closer to home, and how Christians can prepare spiritually for the trials ahead.

If you’d like to watch it and share your thoughts, here’s the link:

What are your thoughts? Do you think persecution in the West is truly increasing — or are we simply becoming more aware of it? How should believers respond with both courage and grace in this kind of climate?

 

[miamited]

Hi James Adams
Well, having read the Scripture, I think we all should be fairly assured that it's going to get worse. The Scriptures speak of a time in the Revelation of Jesus that ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD will rise up against Jesus and his armies. The question isn't whether or not it will get worse, but rather how bad will it get? Paul wrote about all the wickedness of mankind growing and building and getting to the point where people will not only do such things as he lists but also approve of others who also do so.

That's what God's testimony tells us about the working out of the last days. It's going to get really bad for believers at some point. And unless you think that you can make God's word out to be a lie... it's going to happen just as God's testimony tells us that it will. What I believe we need to understand as we watch this growing animosity of God's people and His testimony is that the end is drawing near.

I believe that we have already witnessed the Beast rising up out of the sea. It's very possible that we may now be seeing the fulfillment of a lawless one rising to power over the earth. It's coming brothers and sisters. I can't tell you when, but I can see the signs of its coming. I gave my life to the Lord in a fellowship whose senior pastor spoke that he thought we would see Jesus return by 2026. There are some who believe that we are now living in the days of the last Pope of the Catholic church. There are certainly wars and rumors of war. Heck we just ended 9 actual wars just in the last 6 months. And there are constantly rumors of more to come. Here in the U.S. we're talking about attacking Venezuela and Nigeria and many other nations. Just imagine how many other kings of nations are also taking about attacking foreign nations and the rumors that go with all of that. China against Taiwan. Russia against Ukraine. The Sudanese are at war with themselves just as we were in our civil war. There will be wars and rumors of war. That's happening right now. But, how bad will it get?

Jesus is coming and it may, let me be clear that I am not designating any day or date, but as the song Midnight Cry proclaims, "I see the signs fulfilling." Are we living in the day that Jesus spoke of where he would be right at the door to come in and rescue his co-heirs and usher in God's great Day of His wrath?

 

[TiredOfTheWorld]

Hi James Adams
Well, having read the Scripture, I think we all should be fairly assured that it's going to get worse. The Scriptures speak of a time in the Revelation of Jesus that ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD will rise up against Jesus and his armies. The question isn't whether or not it will get worse, but rather how bad will it get? Paul wrote about all the wickedness of mankind growing and building and getting to the point where people will not only do such things as he lists but also approve of others who also do so.

That's what God's testimony tells us about the working out of the last days. It's going to get really bad for believers at some point. And unless you think that you can make God's word out to be a lie... it's going to happen just as God's testimony tells us that it will. What I believe we need to understand as we watch this growing animosity of God's people and His testimony is that the end is drawing near.

I believe that we have already witnessed the Beast rising up out of the sea. It's very possible that we may now be seeing the fulfillment of a lawless one rising to power over the earth. It's coming brothers and sisters. I can't tell you when, but I can see the signs of its coming. I gave my life to the Lord in a fellowship whose senior pastor spoke that he thought we would see Jesus return by 2026. There are some who believe that we are now living in the days of the last Pope of the Catholic church. There are certainly wars and rumors of war. Heck we just ended 9 actual wars just in the last 6 months. And there are constantly rumors of more to come. Here in the U.S. we're talking about attacking Venezuela and Nigeria and many other nations. Just imagine how many other kings of nations are also taking about attacking foreign nations and the rumors that go with all of that. China against Taiwan. Russia against Ukraine. The Sudanese are at war with themselves just as we were in our civil war. There will be wars and rumors of war. That's happening right now. But, how bad will it get?

Jesus is coming and it may, let me be clear that I am not designating any day or date, but as the song Midnight Cry proclaims, "I see the signs fulfilling." Are we living in the day that Jesus spoke of where he would be right at the door to come in and rescue his co-heirs and usher in God's great Day of His wrath?

Will it get so bad to the point that all good people die ?

 

[James Adams]

You put this beautifully, and I think many of us are feeling that same sense of urgency. What strikes me most about your comment is how accurately it reflects Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 — that deception, lawlessness, and division would intensify before His return.

I’ve also been studying how the early church viewed these end-time signs. They seemed to believe that the spiritual rebellion began long before any visible Antichrist rose to power — that unseen forces have been shaping nations for ages, preparing the world for a final confrontation. It really makes me think of Paul’s reminder in Ephesians 6:12, that our true battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in high places.

Like you, I don’t claim to know the exact timing, but the convergence of global unrest, moral confusion, and spiritual apathy feels like a clear signal to stay alert and grounded in Christ. The good news is that none of this takes God by surprise. The darker it gets, the brighter His truth stands out — and the more vital it becomes for believers to encourage one another and keep pointing people to the hope of His coming.

It reminded me of a recent study I came across that explored how this rebellion traces back to Genesis 6 — when heavenly beings crossed forbidden boundaries and introduced the corruption that still echoes in today’s world. It’s a fascinating look at how Scripture and ancient texts connect on this subject:

 

[James Adams]

Hi James Adams
Well, having read the Scripture, I think we all should be fairly assured that it's going to get worse. The Scriptures speak of a time in the Revelation of Jesus that ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD will rise up against Jesus and his armies. The question isn't whether or not it will get worse, but rather how bad will it get? Paul wrote about all the wickedness of mankind growing and building and getting to the point where people will not only do such things as he lists but also approve of others who also do so.

That's what God's testimony tells us about the working out of the last days. It's going to get really bad for believers at some point. And unless you think that you can make God's word out to be a lie... it's going to happen just as God's testimony tells us that it will. What I believe we need to understand as we watch this growing animosity of God's people and His testimony is that the end is drawing near.

I believe that we have already witnessed the Beast rising up out of the sea. It's very possible that we may now be seeing the fulfillment of a lawless one rising to power over the earth. It's coming brothers and sisters. I can't tell you when, but I can see the signs of its coming. I gave my life to the Lord in a fellowship whose senior pastor spoke that he thought we would see Jesus return by 2026. There are some who believe that we are now living in the days of the last Pope of the Catholic church. There are certainly wars and rumors of war. Heck we just ended 9 actual wars just in the last 6 months. And there are constantly rumors of more to come. Here in the U.S. we're talking about attacking Venezuela and Nigeria and many other nations. Just imagine how many other kings of nations are also taking about attacking foreign nations and the rumors that go with all of that. China against Taiwan. Russia against Ukraine. The Sudanese are at war with themselves just as we were in our civil war. There will be wars and rumors of war. That's happening right now. But, how bad will it get?

Jesus is coming and it may, let me be clear that I am not designating any day or date, but as the song Midnight Cry proclaims, "I see the signs fulfilling." Are we living in the day that Jesus spoke of where he would be right at the door to come in and rescue his co-heirs and usher in God's great Day of His wrath?

That was very well said, and I think your point about God’s testimony unfolding exactly as Scripture foretold is right on the mark. The longer I study both prophecy and history, the more I see how spiritual patterns repeat — rebellion always precedes revelation, and pride always precedes the fall. What we’re witnessing feels less like the beginning of chaos and more like the culmination of it.

You’re also right that the “Beast rising from the sea” imagery feels increasingly literal in our time — not just political, but spiritual. We’re watching systems being reshaped globally in ways that blur moral, national, and even biological boundaries. It’s as if the same dark wisdom that corrupted the world before the Flood has resurfaced under new names — technology, ideology, and “progress.”

It brings to mind Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:37: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man.” Those days were marked by knowledge divorced from holiness — humanity reaching upward, but away from God.

That connection led me to study what Genesis 6 really describes — the moment when heavenly beings stepped beyond divine boundaries and brought forbidden knowledge to mankind. It helped me understand how the same spiritual rebellion that began then may still be driving the deception we see today. If you’re interested in that side of the story, this video gives a strong biblical perspective on it:

 

[miamited]

Will it get so bad to the point that all good people die ?

No. I don't think there's any indication that at some point all good people will die. It's just that persecution will be worse than it's ever been. Now surely some will die during this effort, but I don't believe that the Scriptures mean to infer that all the good people die. Of course, if we believe Jesus' words, there aren't any good people anyway.

 

[miamited]

You’re also right that the “Beast rising from the sea” imagery feels increasingly literal in our time — not just political, but spiritual. We’re watching systems being reshaped globally in ways that blur moral, national, and even biological boundaries. It’s as if the same dark wisdom that corrupted the world before the Flood has resurfaced under new names — technology, ideology, and “progress.”

Hi James. Well, if we use the writings of Daniel to define terms, then Beast = nation. Daniel had a vision of a set of beasts. Each beast, as far as we can tell, identified a nation that during its time, would be the strongest nation on the earth. It started with the nation of Babylonia. It was a nation ruled by a king and he was the greatest king over all the earth in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar. Then Daniel writes of another nation that rises up over the nation of Babylon. That nation is represented also by a Beast and it is believed that the nation that beast represented was the Medo-Persian empire that overran Babylon. Then Daniel writes of another Beast. That Beast is said to represent the Greek empire in its day. Finally, Daniel writes of a fourth beast that we believe is a reference to the Roman empire. All describing nations that are the most powerful upon the earth in their days of existence.

So, if we use that definition of Beast, then the Beast that rises up out of the sea... is a nation. The most powerful nation on the earth in its day. Now, the United States, beginning in the 1700's, was created by people from another nation. As it continued to exist it took in people from all over the world, which I see as being the descriptor of all the different people who have come to the United States to create the nation that we see existing today. The United States is, without doubt at this point, the strongest nation on the face of the earth. Hence, it could well be God's intent in telling us of a Beast rising out of the sea, that we understand that the United States is that Beast. Then we read how people will be asking, "who can make war against the Beast." Isn't that pretty obvious today? I mean, at the moment we are blowing up boats filled with people from other nations. And no one is even daring to hold us accountable for killing their citizens. Why? Could it be that these foreign nation leaders are hesitant to raise up against the United States?

So, I just think there is an argument to be made that the United States is the Beast that rises out of the sea. We will see as time marches on. If the end comes anytime before some other nation rises up out of the people of the world, then the U.S. is going to be it.. if we are to understand that the word 'Beast' in the Revelation account describes the same thing that 'Beast' in Daniel's account does. The most powerful nation on the earth at any given time.

Consider that John is describing things that he sees happening in the future, for the most part. So, sometime after John's writing the Revelation of Jesus for us, there is going to be a 'Beast/nation' to rise up out of the 'sea/people'. I believe that it's a fairly valid argument, but we'll see.