“HE WILL ENABLE ME TO BEAR IT” (martyr’s belief of) Rose Allen Munt – England 1557
Rose Allen jumped from her bed and peeked out the window. There in front of her door stood a sheriff, two police officers, and a crowd of people carrying torches. They were talking with her father on the doorstep. She looked at the clock on the mantle. It was two in the morning.
Rose’s mother, Alice Munt, had also been awakened by the loud pounding on the door. “What is it, Rose?” she whispered.
“They’ve come to get us, Mother,” Rose whispered back. Rose could hear her father, William, letting the men in below. Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Friends had warned them of the danger of NOT ATTENDING THE OFFICIAL CHURCH (of England), but their sense of duty to the truth was stronger than their fears. They continued to worship in secret places with a few men and women of ‘like faith.’ Now the authorities had come to take them away.
Alice, who was not in good health, was so shaken up by the sudden alarm that she felt faint. She asked the sheriff if her daughter could get her some water before they all left for prison.
The sheriff allowed Rose to go to the well. She took a candle and a pitcher to the well and returned with the water. As she came back toward the house, the sheriff me there at the door and said, “persuade your father and mother to act more like good Christians and less like heretics. Then they’ll soon be set free.”
“Sir,” Rose replied, “they have a better instructor than I, for the HOLY SPIRIT teaches them – One who, I hope, will not allow them to err.”
“Well!” It’s time to lock up such heretics as you!” the sheriff replied. “I reckon you will burn with the rest, for company’s sake.”
“No, sir,” Rose replied, “not for company’s sake, but for my Christ’s sake, if I have to. And I trust in His mercies, that if He calls me to do it, He will enable me to beat it.”
One of the sheriff’s men shouted, “Prove her now, and you shall see what she will do by and by!”
With that, the sheriff took the candle from the girl, and holding her wrist in a firm grip, put the lit candle under her hand, burning it across the back for sl long that the skin peeled off, the tendons cracked, and the bones showed.
“CRY, WENCH! LET ME HEAR YOU CRY!” he yelled.
Rose refused to utter a sound.
When he finally pushed her away, Rose said, “Sir, have you done what you will do?”
“Yes, and if you don’t like, then mend it.”
“Mend it!” said Rose, “NO, the Lord mend YOU, and give you repentance, if it be His will. And now, if you think it good, begin at the feet, and burn to the head also. For He that sent you to this work shall pay you your wages one day, I promise you.”
Have said this, Rose carried the water into the hour to her mother.
The same morning, the sheriff and his men also arrested six others. After they had been in prison a few days, they were all brought to trial. Each one answered with firmness and reused to change their BELIEF in any way. They were sentenced to burned at the stake.
When they were brought out, the martyrs knelt, said their prayers, and were tied to the stakes. When the fire rose all around them, they clapped their hands for joy in the fire.
The people who looked on – thousands of them – cried out, ”LORD STRENGTHEN YOU! THE LORD COMFORT YOU! THE LORD POUR OUT HIS MERCIES UPON YOU!” and other words of comfort.
The martyrs gave themselves to the flames with such courage that all who saw them were amazed.
Jesus says, “Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of RELIGIOUS bullies. True, they can kill you, but THEN what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for GOD, who holds your entire life – body and soul – in HIS HANDS.” Luke 12:4,5
Religion: self-deception by the perversion or suppression of the truths in God’s Word. Our founders left England because of this: rules and regulation for worship, worshipping their false gods.
By God’s grace and leadership our founders were led here and by God’s principles of righteousness and justice, how to keep and support the peace and prosperity for a law-abiding society, established the Constitution/Bill of Rights of the United States of America, back when our nation’s governing body claimed to be one nation of states UNDER GOD watch and favor.
Now we have a part of our governing body (within this current administration) displaying a ‘false belief under the cloak of Christianity (Catholicism),’ proclaiming Bible verses as their support of policies and means that clearly go against our Constitution/Bill of Rights and INDEPENDENCE UNDER GOD. We clearly see those being exposed in high seats of authority over us, that deem themselves (their one-party government) as whom we are to bow to and obey. They claim to be the voice of sound moral reason and their policies the new standard for the correct way of life, but they clearly deny Christ and the true voice God’s wisdom. Their unrighteous and unjust politics have evolved to now producing ways to shame and make laws to condemn ‘true biblical’ Christianity/Christians, those who stand up for what God calls the truth, exposing lies, and who hold to faith in the life that God says is ‘truly life.’
Any faith in the living Word of God that these government leaders in some time may have had – has clearly been compromised by self-greed and an appetite for power, which is why there is a call to “short-term serving.”
The more that true believers stand up for what is biblically right and true, the more we will experience what Jesus warned us about in the last days, the fulfillment of martyrdom and all governments (nations) standing against the LORD and His Word. Then the end will come just as HE promised, with Christ’s RETURN to conquer all evil and rebellion, and the glorious renewing of all things that our Creator God once called “good” with His creation. Hallelujah! All power and glory belong to the LORD JESUS CHRIST.