The preaching of the gospel in the Roman Empire began many years ago, when the apostle Paul brought the message, many were converted.
However, as time went by they deviated after the celebration of pagan cults, and in this way, anyone who professed the Christian faith was a victim of torture and persecution.
All of this resulted in religious conflicts, and it was not until February 27, 325, that the so-called Council of Nicaea was held, in which it was intended to put an end to all these problems.
It was then that Emperor Constantine intervened, not to impose the Christian religion as the only one in the state but to seek to achieve peace.
Between the different ecclesiastical representations existing at that time, they reached an agreement adhering to the emperor’s proposal that claimed to consider Jesus and God as a single entity, which allowed the suspension of the persecutions against Christians and therefore the punishment. for those who profess a different faith.
That decree was called Cunctus populos, in which the following was said, among other things: “ Only those who obey this decree can be called Catholic Christians .” The rest whom we declare insane and crazy have the shame of following the heretical doctrine. Their meeting places cannot be considered temples.
Muslim Christians
Christians in Egypt
Do you remember me telling you about the Coptic Christians? They are precisely that current of Christianity that belongs to the nation of Egypt, various sources indicate that this nation was mostly Christian between the 11th and 14th centuries but then after strong military campaigns many were converted to Islam.
It is believed that the Patriarchate of Alexandria was founded by Mark the Evangelist in the year 33, who was the one who favored the perpetuation of the Christian religion in Egypt.
Even at this time, Christians in that place were victims of persecution, sexual exploitation of women, the marriage of Coptic girls with Muslim men, the destruction of their temples as well as the prohibition of the construction of new churches, and all kinds of abuses against them.
Traditionally, Christians converted to Islam enjoy multiple benefits and civil liberties, but otherwise, they only join the group of abused people in that country.
Despite all this, it is the second most professed religion in Egypt, since Muslims are attracted to biblical teachings, the values that Christians possess, and the testimonies of others, which is why they decide to convert to Christianity.
Arab Christians
They are those people who profess the Christian faith and speak the Arabic (Muslim) language.
It is important to tell you that the preaching of the gospel in Arabia was started by the apostle Paul, as stated in the Epistle to the Galatians 1:15-17.
Currently, they have Maronite Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and other churches.
Both Muslims and Arab Christians refer to God as Allah as it is the translation of that name in their language.
Recently there has been a deployment of missionaries which has increased the number of converts to the Protestant, Baptist, and Methodist churches.
Christians in Iraq
In that country, as in others already mentioned, Christianity has had strong opposition and this has resulted in the population decreasing in number.
There are various denominations such as the presence of the Chaldean and Syrian Catholic churches, as well as some Orthodox churches, which have also suffered abuse and kidnappings. Its members have been beheaded, and tortured and many injustices have been committed against them.
An important fact is that Christians, because of such vileness, have had to flee and in many cases deny their faith. In practically the entire region it is forbidden to even talk about the subject, except in one called Kurdistan, where they have been allowed to profess their beliefs.
Christians in Syria
The largest Christian denomination in this place is the Orthodox Church of Antioch, although there are others.
The crucial thing is that many Syrians, as a result of a series of vandalism events like the ones I have already mentioned, that occurred in the 1800s, emigrated to the United States, the majority of whom were Christians.
But there are still some, faithful to their beliefs, willing to defend their faith, longing to one day stop receiving so many attacks from those who love Islam.
Christians in Palestine
They represent a minority, and the most predominant are the Catholic and Orthodox Church, they have had to emigrate to other places, and forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and even death have been implemented with them in case a Muslim sympathizes with Christianity.
Christians in Israel
That nation is known as God’s chosen people because they are descendants of Abraham to whom he had promised a great nation that could not be counted, as the Bible points out in the book of Genesis 12:1-9.
If you read the book of Exodus you will realize how those people had been captive in Egypt and everything that God did to free them from the oppression they had, since they were forced to the servitudes of Egypt and their beliefs in the powerful God were not respected. of the one they had known by inheritance from their parents.
But despite having seen the glory of God, these people strayed after pagan traditions.
Currently, there are very few Christians in that nation since many have had to emigrate to other places.
The majority religious denomination is Catholic, followed by Orthodox and to a lesser extent Protestant. Israel continues to be considered the holy land.
Christians in Jerusalem
It is one of the most important cities in Israel and in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, it is named many times.
Jesus was taken to that place to be presented in the temple, and many miracles that he performed during his ministry are narrated, as well as his arrest, death and resurrection, and many other experiences that he had with his disciples, to corroborate this I invite you to read the gospels.
In the year 135, by the hand of the emperor Hadrian, the city was destroyed, which caused the Christian faith to decline, and it was not until 325 when the emperor Constantine and his mother undertook the task of rebuilding and equipping all the temples that they had. It had been left in ruins and practically non-existent, a fact that favored the congregation of many Christians.
However, they were still under the Muslim empire, which caused the Christian faith to be devastated. The good thing about everything is that God’s purpose does not change.
In the book of Revelation, in chapters 21 and 22, it speaks of a new heaven and a new earth which is promised to Jerusalem, into which only those who are written in the Book of life will enter.
Would you be prepared to go with Christ to the new Jerusalem?
In this nation, there are also Judeo-Christians, also called Jewish Christians, who are precisely Jews converted to Christianity.
This translates into people with a Christian presence but with a Jewish past that makes them faithful to their Jewish traditions such as circumcision for example.
Christians in India
In this nation, Hinduism predominates, followed by Islam, thus making Christianity the third predominant religion.
The message of Jesus reached that nation through the Apostle Thomas who founded the first church, then in 1498, it was converted to Catholicism.
In this country the Christian religion is not respected the laws have been designed to prohibit religions other than Hinduism, thus Christians are persecuted, abused, and discriminated against.
Fact that allows many not to openly confess their faith due to fear of being oppressed, or deny them the opportunity to obtain employment and higher education.
Priests are imprisoned, and religious women are raped, in general, they are not taken into account either in political matters or in reporting to the authorities when they are attacked.
With all this against them, Christians strive to do charitable works aimed at caring for the sick in their localities.
Christians in China
In this country the Christian religion is strictly prohibited the gathering of more than 5 people for religious purposes is not allowed, however, a church called Almighty God has been founded, who are victims of persecution, torture, imprisonment, placement of excessive fines, and countless abuses against them.
Many have had to hide, deny their Christian relatives, or, in more serious cases, emigrate to other places.
Studies affirm that this has not stopped the growth of Christianity but rather it has grown, the word in the book of Romans says that to those who love God, all things work together for good.
Christians in China
This nation has a decree of religious freedom, although the official religion is Catholicism, Protestantism is also professed in its various denominations.
Like others, they claim to be atheists and do not belong to any religion. Recent studies have shown that many have been converted to the Pentecostal gospel and their numbers have been growing considerably.
Christians in Nigeria
It is the most populated country on the African continent, it has a low percentage of Christians.
Many classify the persecution of Nigerian Christians as the bloodiest in the world, the mostly Catholic churches and a few Protestant ones are surrounded with walls to prevent attacks.
There is a terrorist group called Boko Haram that is responsible for the siege of Christianity, to which the government is indifferent for fear of confrontations.