16 Bible Verses about Martyrdom, Reasons For

And whoever does not fall down and worship, at that moment they will be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you on this matter. If it is so that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, then He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects, and the satraps, and the officials and governors, have planned together to establish a royal law, and to make a strong ban that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except from you, O king, he shall be thrown into the den of lions.

For the ships of Kittim shall come against him. And he shall be grieved and return, and have fury against the holy covenant. So he shall do; he shall even return and give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. And forces will stand from him, and they will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall remove the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the desolating abomination. And he will ruin by flattery those who do evil against the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will work.read more.
And those who understand among the people shall teach many; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by exile, and spoil, for days.

And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

But they were disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your Law behind their backs. And they killed Your prophets who testified against them to turn them to You, and they worked great blasphemies.

and said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and therefore the powerful works are working in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and had bound him, and had put him in prison because of Herodias his brother Philip's wife. For John said to him, It is not lawful for you to have her.read more.
And when he desired to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask. And she, being instructed before by her mother, said, Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter. And the king was sorry. But for the oath's sake, and those reclining with him, he commanded it to be given. And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl. And she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

For Herod himself had sent out and laid hold on John and had bound him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For he had married her, and John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And Herodias held it against him, and desired to kill him, but she could not.read more.
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man. And he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly. And a convenient day came, when Herod made a supper to great men on his birthday, and to the chiliarchs, and to the first ones of Galilee. And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced and pleased Herod, and those who reclined with him, the king said to the girl, Ask me whatever you desire from me, and I will give it to you. And he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask from me, I will give it to you, to the half of my kingdom. And she went out and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And immediately going in with haste to the king, she asked, saying, I desire that you give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And becoming deeply grieved, the king, because of his oath, and those reclining together, he did not wish to reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a platter and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

O stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so you do. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you have now been the betrayers and murderers; who received the Law through disposition of angels, and did not keep it.read more.
And hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts. And they gnashed on him with their teeth. But being full of the Holy Spirit, looking up intently into Heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, I see Heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. And crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and ran on him with one accord. And throwing him outside the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid their clothes down at the feet of a young man named Saul.

And when they complete their testimony, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war against them and will overcome them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And many of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three days and a half, and they will not allow their dead bodies to be put in tombs.read more.
And the ones who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, and will make merry, and will send one another gifts, because these two prophets tormented those living on the earth.

Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake.

And a brother will betray a brother to death, and a father his son. And children will rise up against their parents and will cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but he enduring to the end, that one will be kept safe.

And you shall be betrayed also by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends. And they will cause some of you to be put to death. And you shall be hated by all for My name's sake.

not as Cain who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. And for what did he kill him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's things were righteous.

And on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held.