How the Apostles Died

Father Al just sent me this meditation.  It's perfect for Lent, but I need it now.  Maybe you do too?

How The Apostles Died/ The Death of Jesus               Matthew  Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.       Mark Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.     Luke  Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.    John  Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of  Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. Peter  He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died. James  The leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.  When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. * This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.  James the Great  Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem.  The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian. Bartholomew  Also known as Nathaniel was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.  Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip. Andrew  Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece.  After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour.  The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.'   He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.  Thomas  Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent. Jude  Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. Matthias  The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded. Paul  Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.  Perhaps this is a reminder to us  That our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times for the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew Faith is not believing that God can, It is knowing that God WILL!” Jesus' Death The Death of Jesus  THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS  At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to death .  At the time Crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by Crucifixion, Jesus was to be nailed to the Cross by his hands and feet. Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into his wrist, not into his palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use his back muscles to support himself so that he could breath. Both of his feet were nailed together, thus he was forced to support himself on the single nail that impaled his feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with his legs because of the pain so he was forced to alternate between arching his back then using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage. Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before he died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds. From common images we see wounds to his hands and feet and even the spear wound to his side but do we realize his wounds were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even larger nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing his side with a spear.  But before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from his body. The beating so horrific that his face was torn and his beard ripped from his face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture.  He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from his wounds. The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; he had three nails hammered into his members; a crown of thorns on his head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into his chest. All these without mentioning the humiliation he suffered after carrying his own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where his hands were nailed). Jesus had to endure this experience, to open the Gates of Heaven, So that you can have free access to God. So that your sins could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Don't ignore this situation. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU! He died for you! It Is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but when it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward to others because you are worried of what they may think about you.  God has plans for you, show all your friends what he experienced to save you. Now think about this! May God bless your Life! 60 Seconds with God... For the next 60 Seconds, set aside what you're doing and take This opportunity! Let's see if Satan can stop This.. All you have to do Is: 1. Simply Pray for the person who sent this message to You: 2. Then, send this message to people. The more the better. 3. People will pray for you and you will make that many people pray to God     for other people. 4. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for     doing what pleases him. If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus' instructions. He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33):  "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in heaven". Yes, I love God. He is my source of life and my Savior. He keeps me alive day and night. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13.