For Christians in America, Palm Sunday and Easter were wonderful occasions to celebrate the uniqueness of the Christian faith and a time to worship the King of kings and spend quality time with family and friends.

For our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, the celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter were the scenes of martyrdom.

Over Palm Sunday, Islamist Fulani militias carried out a massacre against Christians in Plateau State in east-central Nigeria. At least 30 people, including children, were slaughtered at the hands of these Islamic militias.

“The incident occurred during the evening, when armed men reportedly entered the community and opened fire on residents. Eyewitnesses described the attack as coordinated, with multiple casualties recorded and several homes affected.”

Easter weekend was no different.

“Days after the Palm Sunday massacre in Jos left at least 30 Christians dead, coordinated Easter weekend attacks across central Nigeria claimed dozens more lives, with multiple communities in Benue, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states reporting killings, abductions, and extensive destruction during one of the most significant periods in the Christian calendar.

In Benue state, at least 17 Christians were reportedly killed in the Mbalom community, Gwer East Local Government Area, during an early morning incident on Easter Sunday. Residents reported that unidentified gunmen entered the village before dawn, opened fire on civilians, and set homes on fire. Survivors fled into nearby bush areas, while local sources indicated that additional bodies were being found in surrounding areas as search efforts continued.”

The significance of these attacks is not lost on those of us who are believers.

The Holy Week that we celebrate which sealed salvation for God’s people was the very week that Nigerian Christians were slaughtered in the name of Christ.

As Christians, we grieve with the families and faith communities in Nigeria who are experiencing persecution for the name of Christ and are grieving the loss of husbands, wives, and children.

We also find rest and hope in the truth that because Jesus is alive, death has no claim on those who are in Christ.

Those believers who were slaughtered on Palm Sunday and Easter are alive with Jesus today.

The truth we celebrated on Easter Sunday is the very truth that comforts the hearts of believers in the midst of persecution.

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.

‘Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)

Because Christ conquered death, believers conquer death. Because Jesus rose from the dead and lives, believers live.

But make no mistake. God is a holy and just God, and He is an avenger of His people.

Revelation 6:9-11 gives us a glimpse into the throne room of heaven:

“When he 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 witness they had borne.

They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”

God will not allow the atrocities that occurred during Holy Week in Nigeria to go unpunished.

One day, the cries of the martyrs – of every believer who has died in the name of Jesus– will be satisfied because our King is coming and He is coming soon.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16)…

“Behold, I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:7)