China Can’t Defeat God

Posted on February 10, 2022

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By David Ettinger

With Beijing hosting the Winter Olympics, the eyes of the world are on China. But no matter how much that nation’s leaders attempt to sanitize China’s image, they can’t cleanse its sins against God.

Wave of Persecution
And though the world doesn’t care, our beloved brothers and sister believers in China are currently enduring a wave of Christian persecution which is going on 4 years.

In August 2017, the Chinese government announced new “Regulations of Religious Affairs” which were to take effect in February 2018.[1] Those laws did take effect, and they took hard.

Included in the crackdown:

  • Hundreds of churches throughout the country have been shut down.
  • In the bigger cities, teenagers are no longer permitted to attend services.
  • Christian schools have been closed, with parents and students being warned of the consequences of involvement with “Western religion.”
  • The online sale of Bibles was prohibited, a major setback considering that in China printed Bibles are immensely difficult to obtain.
  • Churches were ordered to replace posters or banners displaying Bible verses with displays of Communist Party slogans and propaganda.
  • Pastors who don’t cooperate are arrested, harassed, and threatened.
  • Churches have been raided mid-service and pastors handcuffed in front of their congregations and led out.

Fighting the Good Fight
This is nothing new in China as, according to Voice of the Martyrs, “The Church in China has a long history of standing up under persecution ­– even growing and expanding while suffering fierce oppression.”[2]

Chairman Mao

Modern-day China’s Christian population has been enduring severe persecution since 1949 when Chairman Mao Zedong came to power. The zenith of oppression came between 1966 and 1976 (the year of Mao’s death) and the initiating of the brutal “Cultural Revolution,” which, among other objectives, strove to eliminate Christianity from China.

Since Mao’s death, Christian persecution has ebbed and flowed as believers have experienced varying periods of “freedom” followed by severe affliction. What has been occurring since February 2018 in China has reached a level reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution days.

God Wins the Victory
So, how has God reacted to this attack against, ultimately, Him, and how successful have the Chinese government’s efforts been in abolishing Christianity?

Samuel Lamb, one of the fathers of the modern house-church movement in China and who has been imprisoned for more than 20 years, said: “More persecution, more growing!”

The bottom line is this: In 1949, there were fewer than 5 million Christians in China. Today – despite the efforts to wipe out Christianity – there are an estimated 128 million Chinese believers boldly serving Christ in the face of ongoing opposition from their government.

Furthermore, it is projected that in 10 years China will have the world’s largest Christian population.

Humanity can rant, rave, and revile all it wants, but the Lord God Almighty holds all the cards. His will cannot be impeded, His right hand of power cannot be hampered. His will will be done despite humanity’s most vigorous efforts, and He will keep those who are His for all eternity.

In the meantime, as believers in free nations, let us remember our brothers and sisters in bonds, who awake every morning never knowing what fate awaits them because of their bold and courageous love for the Lord Jesus.

May we be found faithful to be praying for them, and may God bless and keep the Persecuted Church!

[1] “China: New Law Leads to Crackdown on Christians,” Voice of the Martyrs special newsletter, January 2019.

[2] Ibid.

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Posted in: Christ's Deity, Christian Fellowship, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Dedication to Christ, Defying God, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, Glorifying God, God's Grace, Jesus the King, Loving God, Making a Point, Obeying God, Persecution, Practical, Rejecting God, Salvation in Christ, Serving God