Living martyrs....Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? How can you be living and yet a martyr? I would propose that there are such people as living martyrs.
Think of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. They were told to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, but they refused. The king got extremely angry and declared that the three Hebrews should be thrown into a fiery furnace. How did the three Hebrews reply?
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he well deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you set up." (Daniel 3:16b-18)
These young men had made up their minds to follow the Lord even when it, in all probability, would cost them their lives. They were prepared to follow God even if that meant it would lead them into a fiery furnace.
The Lord did protect them, even when they were thrown into the fire. When they got out of the furnace, they came out without even so much as the smell of fire on them! So, I believe that these young men were living martyrs because they stood for the Lord, the king tried killing them, but their lives were miraculously saved.
Can you think of any more examples of living martyrs?
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