Evidence For Christianity

Do you know the story of how the author of the gospel of Mark died?

It is really an amazing story.

It is a story of incredible courage.

The following description of the end of John Mark's life is originally from a book entitled "Extreme Devotion"....

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After writing the gospel of Mark, John Mark traveled, sowing the seeds of the faith throughout Northern Africa and Egypt, and finally settled in Alexandria and established a church there.

On April 21, A.D. 64, Mark preached a sermon remembering the suffering and death of Christ as part of Passover. He had been at odds with the local heathen priests, and they took this day to incite the general population to rise up against him.

The rebels stormed the church and seized John Mark. Using hooks and ropes, they dragged him out through the congregation, into the streets, and out of the city. He left a trail of blood and flesh that stained the rocks over which they dragged him. Blood flowed from virtually every spot on his body as the mob jeered and mocked him. With his last words, he commended his spirit into the hands of his Savior and died.

Even with Mark's death, the crowd's thirst for violence was not satisfied, and the priests called for his body to be burned instead of buried. Suddenly, a storm erupted, scattering the mob in every direction, and Mark's body was left where he had died. A group of Christians then came and took the body and gave Mark a proper burial.

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The truth is that all of the apostles and early leaders of the church faced the constant threat of torture and death.

But none of them ever turned away.

None of them ever denied Christ.

Why?

Because they knew it was true.

They had seen the risen Christ.

If Christ had not risen, they would have known that to be a rock solid fact, and so it would have been insanity to continue to insist that Christ was risen from the dead in the face of torture and death.

But Christ did rise from the dead and the apostles had firsthand knowledge of this fact.

That is why they held on to their faith - even unto the death.