10 ways the early Christians were tortured

Public Domain via Wikipedia

In the beginning, the emperor threatened them with bonds and imprisonment. But a while later, when he began to work the matter in good earnest, he devised innumerable sorts of torments and punishments, such as

1. whippings and scourgings,
2. rackings,
3. horrible scrapings,
4. sword,
5. and fire.
6. A great number were put in boats, which were then sunk; they drowned in the bottom of the sea.
7. Also, hanging them on crosses, binding them to the bodies of dead trees with their heads downward;
8. hanging them by their middles on gallows till they died of hunger;
9. throwing them alive to wild beasts which would devour them, such as lions, bears, leopards, and wild bulls.
10. Pricking and thrusting them with daggers and the talons of beasts till they were almost dead;

(also, pricking and thrusting them with daggers and the talons of beasts till they were almost dead; lifting them up on high with their heads downward. There were other sorts of punishments, most tragic - or rather, tyrannical and pitiful to describe: such as first binding them to trees and their boughs, then pulling and tearing apart their members and joints; mangling them with axes; choking them with smoke by small fires; severing their hands, ears, feet and other joints)

10 verses in the Bible that tell us God is Good

1. Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
2. Psalm 84:11: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
3. Psalm 100:5: For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
4. Psalm 107:1: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
5. Psalm 145:9: The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
6. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
7. Lamentations 3:25: The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him
8. Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him
9. James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
10. Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

He is omnibenevolent

10 verses in the Bible that tell us God is Great

1. Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
2. Job 36:26 How great is God - beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
3. Psalm 48:1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
4. Psalm 86:10 For you are great and do marvellous deeds; you alone are God.
5. Psalm 95:3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. (Also 96:4)
6. Psalm 135:5 I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.
7. Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
8. 1 Chronicles 16:25 For great is the LoHrd and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
9. Jeremiah 32:19 ... great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
10. Titus 2:13 ... while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ ....

He is omnipotent

Ezekiel 39:3 A surprisingly encouraging verse

Scythian archer
(British Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.

These words are addressed by God to God, King of Meshek and Tubal, the enemy of God's people.

1. The Identity of the Invader

The target of the prophecy is Gog, pointing to the nomadic tribes of the Eurasian steppes - Scythians and others. These northern armies were famous and feared because of their mastery of mounted horse-archery. Their entire military strategy and reputation relied on the bow and arrow.

By specifically targeting their archery, the text shows God attacking the enemy in the very place where their confidence and pride lay. He doesn't just defeat them, he completely dismantles their identity as a dominant military force.

2. The Ergonomics of Ancient Archery

To understand the imagery you have to look at how an ancient archer fought. In his left hand (if he was right handed) was his bow. A right-handed archer holds the bow grip firmly with his left hand. The left arm acts as the steady anchor and aiming platform.

In his right hand was his arrows. The right hand draws the string, places the arrow and releases the shot.

By striking the bow from the left hand and the arrows from the right, God is described as interrupting the exact physical mechanics required to fight. It is an image of simultaneous and total disarming - in one swift motion, both the weapon and ammunition are rendered useless.

3. Total Helplessness and Vulnerability

In the ancient world, if a swordsman lost his sword, he might still have a shield to defend himself but an archer stripped of both bow and arrows is left entirely defenceless. The verb used for the arrows ("dash down", "cause to fall") implies the weapons will drop uselessly to the ground before a single shot can be fired.

It highlights the idea of the enemy being completely paralysed. They are caught in the middle of an offensive stance but are frozen and disarmed by a superior, divine power before they can even engage in battle.

4. A Shift in Sovereign Control

Symbolically, the hands represent human strength, action and agency. Holding weapons in both hands signifies an army fully operational and in control of its own destiny. When God strikes the weapons out of both hands, it serves as a stark theological message. Human power is completely empty when it opposes God. Ultimate control in the battle is violently shifted from the hands of the invaders to God himself.

This is how God deals with his enemies. How encouraging.

10 Things found in a drawer (9, 10)

Two final contrasting items. First, my dad's Boy's Brigade handbook. My dad enjoyed his time in the youth movement. He played the bugle. Founded in 1884 it was one of several uniformed organisations for young people that flourished in more jingoistic times and still survivie to this day. The other item is an oddity. It is a signed publicity postcard for Roger de Courcey. De Courcey was a ventriloquist best known best known for performing with Nookie Bear. He was the winner of the 1976 New Faces tv talent competition grand final. My parents would have sene him somewhere locally. He has lattelry become an agent for musician Rick Wakeman.

10 Things found in a drawer (7, 8)

 

On the right is a Bibel that belonged to my dad oresented to him when he was 11. My grandfather was a Roman Catholic but my grandmother was something of a Baptist and so my dad was sent to the nearby Sunday School. This was the first Bible I used when I was converted at the age of 12 in mys own nearby Baptist Church. On the left is an abandoned box containing various cards that I have used in the past in order to try to memorise Scripture.

Lord's Day October 4 2026

So the beginning of my new life churchwise yesterday. I have preached every Sunday since the beginning oof May so I appreiated a day off. It was more than that, however, as the futre pattern (when I'm not preaching siomewhere) will be to be in the congregation in Emmanuel Baptist, Gabalfa in Cardiff. There were things I could quibble about but it was a good day.

The morning was a bit different - the pastor Paul Whitely preached on Noah, All aboard! (Three points - God's judgement on sin, God's grace to the world, Invitation to be saved) but we also had a helpful testimony from Gareth Swann plus a big children's talk from Aneurin Britton on upheld (part of an A-Z). About eighty in the morning and not many fewer in the evening. I know lots of people but more know me than I know myself. Spoke to several people including Richard Myerscough and his wife Anna whose daughter is in the church. He has also recently retired but the future for them is a little less clear than for us. Bit of a baby boom in the church. It's going to take a while to fit in and get used to it all.

One of the elders, Gareth Davies, preached in the evening on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Again quite evangelistic and three points - the necessity, the cost and the reality of reconciliation. So a good day and hopefully we will soon adjust to being in a much larger church than we are used to.

God is Good, God is Great

I was reading Psalm 86 recently and I noticed how it underlines that God is both good (verse 5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you) and great (verse 10 For you are great and do marvellous deeds; you alone are God). The theme is found elsewhere especially in Psalm 145 (verses 3 and 7-9, also see Psalms 135, 136). There is an old children's table grace that goes

"God is great, and God is good, and we thank him for our food.

By his hand we all are fed; give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen."

To adapt Keats (Ode on a Grecian urn)

Our God is great, he's good - that is all

We know on earth, and all we need to know.

10 Things found in a drawer (5, 6)

Next we have a couple of matching ornaments that were my mother's. She loved glass things and had a Swarowski collection. Perhaps these were designed as paperweights. The second item is a clothes brush. If the story is correct, when I was in my early teens my friend, Stephen Price, found an ad offering a mystery parcel for £1. We put in 50p each and received a parcel of plastic fruit, etc, which we then needed to divide between us. I later added a Jesus sticker to this item in my early enthusiasm for Christ.

10 Things found in a drawer (3, 4)

On the left we have a pair of scissors, which were apparently my great grandfather's. William Burke Hazelton (1883-1965) was a barber and had a shop at 454 Corporation Road in Newport until at least 1946 (see here). It is currently a beauty salon, it seems. The other item is an 1824 edition of A Key to Lennie's Grammar. It is an answer book to a popular text book of the time by a Scotsman called William Lennie (1779-1852). Not sure where it came from but it has hung about the house a while. Such books can fetcch up to £60 but this one is not in great condition.

10 Things found in a drawer (1, 2)

 

Sorting through a drawer I found a number of things that may be of interest. I may have shown the "I like Ringo" badge here before. It came in a lucky bag or Jamboree bag (3d a shot). I just saw one on sale in ebay for £16. The other item is an unused blazer badge that belonged to my dad. The choir has since amalhgamated with the Cwmbran to form the Torfaen Male Choir.

Cynydd

As the weekend approaches we feel we have made good progress (as may be you can see).

Wales beat Norway

Neco Williams
(Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>
 via Wikimedia Commons)

Good to know that Wales beat Norway 2-1 tonight in the football, their first win in nearly a year. Still bottom of Group D in the nations league but it's progress. Williams and James the scorers.

10 Accusations made againt Christians during the early persecutions

Unidentified painter, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

Foxe says that according to Eusebius in about the year of our Lord 205 the crimes and false accusations objected against the Christians included

1. sedition and rebellion against the emperor
2. sacrilege
3. murdering of infants
4. incestuous pollution
5. eating raw flesh
6. libidinous commixture whereof certain indeed, called then Gnostici were infamed (ie defamed)
7. It was objected against them for worshipping the head of an ass which whereof it should rise I find no certain cause except it were perhaps by the Jews
8. Also worshipping the sun for that peradventure before the sun did rise they convented together singing their morning hymns unto the Lord or else because they prayed toward the east but specially for that they would not with them worship their idolatrous gods and were counted as enemies to all men.
9. (Christians were also often accused of cannibalism, misinterpreting what goes on at the Lord's Table
10. And they were accused of causing public calamities, being scapegoated for natural disasters, plagues and fires)

Can't have rainbows without rain

I have long reconciled myself to the fact that moving to South Wales will mean a lot more rain. What I hadn't thought of is that there may well be more rainbows too. I'm no Charismatic butyou'd jhave to be an atheist to miss what God is saying to me this morning when I look up my new street. How encouoraging.