16 Bible Verses about Martyrdom, Reasons For

And whoever shall not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it is so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.read more.
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

And said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he hath risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For John had said to him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.read more.
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birth-day was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Upon which he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask. And she, being before instructed by her mother, said, Give me here the head of John the Baptist in a dish. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the sake of the oath, and of them who sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a dish, and given to the damsel: 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 forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:read more.
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and observed him: and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day had come, that Herod on his birth-day made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief men of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod, and them that sat with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he swore to her, Whatever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said to her mother, What shall I ask? and she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in forthwith with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou shouldst give me, immediately, in a dish, the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry: yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not 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 dish, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them who showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers; Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.read more.
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people, and kindreds, and languages, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.read more.
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you: and ye will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

Now the brother will betray the brother to death, and the father the son: and children will rise up against their parents, and will cause them to be put to death. And ye will be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

And ye will be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsmen, and friends; and some of you will they cause to be put to death. And ye will be hated by all men for my name's sake.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

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

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: