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Pray For Our Brethren In North Korea

What so often happens in geo-political brinkmanship like the kind we're seeing between North Korea and the rest of the world is the fact that human beings are reduced to pawns -- and that's if they're even given a single passing thought at all.

What I mean is that we tend to ignore the human element to the type of thing that's happening upon the world stage right now. Simply put, whatever happens in the next few days and weeks, there are real lives at stake, and countless souls that will enter into a fiery torment for all of eternity forever separated from the Lord.

So, that's why we would be remiss (and hypocritical as Christians) if we didn't take an opportunity to remind ourselves to pray for the lost, as well as for our brethren, in North Korea.


While the world news is dominated by reports of a militaristic and political kind coming out of that region, hardly much at all is being said about the cultural and sociological state of affairs. To be more specific, we want to take a moment to highlight the spiritual condition of North Korea.

In short, it's the Seat of Satan for so many reasons. Forget about the aggressive actions and the belligerent threats being spewed from North Korea's brutal leader, because they are nothing in comparison to what life is like for the average citizen inside and under the rule of this evil regime.

In January 2013, new reports of cannibalism -- yes, cannibalism -- emerged from those humanitarians on the ground there. Notice I said they were "new" reports of the same old story. Sadly, this sort of behavior has been going on for quite some time I'm afraid.


The specifics regarding the widespread famine that has become commonplace in North Korea are absolutely disturbing. We'll refrain from going there though.

What about the spiritual implications of such a reality? What does the Bible say about cannibalism? Is there cannibalism in the Bible? Believe it or not, cannibalism is mentioned in the Bible.

Although there is no direct statement such as, "Thou shalt not eat human flesh," the obvious indication from Scripture is that cannibalism is a terrible evil. After the global flood, God gave Noah permission to eat meat. "Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3).

However, God specifies that the "food for you" does not include fellow human beings. People are treated much differently from animals: "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind" (Genesis 9:6). Cannibalism is mentioned several times in Scripture (Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 2:20; 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10), but in each case, the practice is regarded as a horrible curse and inhuman act of desperation.

Moses and other prophets predicted that, if the Israelites forsook God, they would fall into such awful degradation as to cannibalize their own children. These harrowing prophecies were fulfilled during the siege of Samaria during the reign of King Jehoram (2 Kings 6:28-29).

The Old Testament closely associates cannibalism with the final stages of judgment from God, thus marking it as a loathsome and evil practice. Bottom line, cannibalism was the physical horror which accompanied the spiritual horror of apostasy. It's this "apostasy" that I would like for us to focus on for the remainder of this piece.

What is life like for the average North Korean citizen? It isn't pretty.

***WARNING: Some of the content and video images below are extremely graphic so please exercise caution. We ultimately decided to include such content here only to underscore the gravity of the situation as well as to expose the obvious satanic influence that has engulfed North Korea. To put it another way, we wanted to show you why our prayers are desperately needed.***







Everything about North Korea and her people screams pride. Everything about North Korea screams demonic. In a word, everything about North Korea and her people is anti-Christ. Yet, at the same time, we must view the North Koreans as the mission field and not the enemy for they are a people who simply don't know any better since they haven't been exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ like we have.

By the way, if none of what you've just seen doesn't burden your heart as a believer and make you weep, then you better check your pulse, my friend. The evil is beyond comprehension. Unbelievably, this is the reality of life for millions in North Korea.

Ironically, Pyongyang was once called the "Jerusalem of the East" by the rest of the world. From the Jerusalem of the East to the world's top persecutor of Christians. North Korea is a prime example of how quickly -- and totally -- things can change.

But celebrities like Dennis Rodman would like you to think that the North Korean political leadership is just "misunderstood" and that the country is being "misrepresented" by the press. After all, Kim Jong Un "he loves basketball!" and that makes him just like one of us.

Thankfully, the Lord has called some to be missionaries to that nation. Others have been born and raised in North Korea their whole lives, but they responded to His call to repent, to place their full faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and have since committed their lives raising a family that will honor Him in a place where Christians are regularly persecuted violently even unto death.

Partly due to the efforts of South Korean missionaries on the Sino-Korean border (and international ones too), there are a growing number of Christians in the North Korea who are practicing their faith underground, secretly, and risking severe punishment if caught. Again, we need to lift these saints up to the Lord in prayer!






Beloved, those are only a select few of the many video testimonials you can easily find on YouTube. Take a few moments to acquaint yourself with the plight of other Christians in North Korea (or those who made it out alive), because maybe it will make you appreciate what you have.

You can own a Bible. You can read your Bible. You can greet other believers and fellowship with them in public. North Korean Christians cannot do any of that without risking their lives and the lives of their families sometimes three generations removed.

My dear brothers and sisters, we need to lift up in prayer that portion of the Body of Christ that is living in North Korea right now and ask the Lord to provide them with the faith, strength, and courage to persevere for His glory, honor, and praise.

Likewise, we need to pray for Kim Jong Un and his loyal subjects. We need to pray that they would come to know the grace, forgiveness, love, and mercy of Jesus Christ. After all, the Apostle Paul was once a great persecutor of Christians too.

Remember, we serve a God of miracles -- anything's possible!

From the "Arduous March" to what could be an arduous April.

Fight fear with faith. Rest in Him and upon His Word.

Until next time, God willing, grace and peace to you and yours.

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Thank you for visiting A Lutheran Layman! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question since we do not exercise censorship. We've seen a similar policy with other blogs and it's worth repeating: Please act as if you're a guest in my home, and we'll get along just fine. I think anyone would agree that the kind of back-and-forth that is characteristic of blogs/chat forums and social media is becoming tiresome for all of us. Still, we should confess, edify, and love (and contend and defend when needed). Bottom line? Search the Scriptures! Apply Acts 17:11 to anything and everything you find here and, if you do happen to disagree with something you find here (which is certainly ok), or think I'm "irresponsible" and "wrong" for writing it, then please refute my position by supporting yours with Scripture and/or the Confessions. I don't think that's an unreasonable request, especially for those who identify themselves as "Christians" here, right? Besides, Proverbs 27:17 tells us "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" and 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." If you have an opinion that's great, I welcome it, but try to support it using God's Word. I mean, if the goal here is to help us all arrive at the truth of God's Word (myself included), then it should be easy to follow through on this one simple request (I'm talking to all you "Anonymous" visitors out there). Grace and peace to you and yours!

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