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Death Sentence for Self-Defense, An Astronaut's Faith, and the Millennium
A Christian farmer’s unjust death sentence, an astronaut’s appeal to his faith, abolitionist activism in D.C., other news, John Foxe’s famous book, and—inspired by a recent conversation with some readers—the first installment in a series explaining various views about the end times.
Anthony Langer
March 22, 2025
It’s Saturday, March 22, 2025.
Today’s edition covers a Christian farmer’s unjust death sentence, an astronaut’s appeal to his faith, abolitionist activism in D.C., other news, John Foxe’s famous book, and—inspired by a recent conversation with some readers—the first installment in a series explaining various views about the end times.
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:10-11)
Of Christian Concern
CHRISTIAN FARMER IN NIGERIA SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SELF-DEFENSE
Sunday Jackson (TruthNigeria, cropped)
Nigeria’s Supreme Court sentenced Christian farmer Sunday Jackson to death for wresting a knife from an assailant and killing him in self-defense after the Fulani Muslim attacked and stabbed him multiple times.
The case highlights an ongoing “pattern of injustice” in which Fulani Muslim herdsmen get away with targeting Christian farming communities, reports TruthNigeria. “There are more Nigerians on death row for defending themselves against Fulani attackers than there are Fulani herdsmen facing justice for massacres,” Jackson’s attorney Emmanuel Ogebe said.
Human rights activists are seeking to raise awareness of the case internationally and pressure the governor of Adamawa State to grant Jackson clemency, his only remaining legal escape.
RESCUED ASTRONAUT POINTS TO CHRIST’S SOVEREIGNTY
Left to right: Astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Suni Williams gave an interview from the International Space Station before their return to Earth. (Screenshot: NewsNation / YouTube)
Butch Wilmore, one of the two astronauts recently rescued after being stranded on the International Space Station for many months more than initially intended, answered what his life lesson or takeaway has been from the experience:
To your question, I can tell you honestly, my feeling on all of this goes back to my faith. It's bound in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working out His plan and His purposes for His glory throughout all of humanity, and how that plays into our lives is significant and important.
And however that plays out, I am content because I understand that—I understand that He's at work in all things. Some things are for the good—go to Hebrews chapter 11—some things look to us to be not so good, but it's all working out for His good for those that will believe.
And that's the answer, so thanks for asking.
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Also Noteworthy
Front and back of a tract abolitionists are handing out in Washington, D.C., this week (Ben Zeisloft / X). The red lizard alludes to the metaphor of indwelling sin in C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce.
→ Abortion abolitionists have been in Washington, D.C. since Thursday for an activism event called “We The People Demand Abolition” (#WTPDA). They are calling on President Trump to issue an executive order, Congress to pass legislation, and courts to rule that preborn humans be treated equally to other humans. Here is the petition.
→ A homosexual couple fears returning to Italy after obtaining a child through surrogacy in the U.S. in light of a new law against procreative tourism.
→ Bible sales in Britain went up 87 percent between 2019 and 2024, from £2.69 million to £5.02 million, reports The Times.
→ Northern Ireland authorities are prosecuting retired pastor Clive Johnson, 66, under the Abortion Services Safe Access Zones Act for open-air preaching outside of a hospital, even though his sermon made no mention of abortion.
→ 52% of U.S. Protestant churches’ worship services have increased attendance by at least 4% in the past two years, a new Lifeway Research study found. Of the remaining near-half (48%), 33% saw attendance stay within plus or minus 4%, and 15% saw it decrease by at least 4%.
→ Around 70 students wrote the entire Gospel of John in chalk on the sidewalk of Western Kentucky University’s campus last week.
Content Catch-Up
Recent, notable content of Christian interest.*
→ “UNANIMOUS”: A new documentary highlights how Utah legislators have now unanimously voted to pass a bill to use tax dollars to cover in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for public employees. (Full Documentary)
→ “House of David,” Good or Bad?: Todd Friel of Wretched and Fortis Institute criticizes Amazon’s new “House of David” series, a dramatization of King David’s life (Video). Jon McCray of Whaddo You Meme responds to Friel’s video and defends the show’s creators (Video).
*Not necessarily an endorsement
Church History Tidbit
Foxe’s Famous Book
Frontispiece to the 1563 edition of The Book of Martyrs
John Foxe (1516-1587) was an English historian and clergyman known for his work Actes and Monuments, commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs. First published in 1563 after an initial Latin edition in 1559, this cornerstone of Protestant historiography chronicles the sufferings of Christian martyrs through the ages, starting with the protomartyr Stephen and the apostles but giving great attention to English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the 14th century through the reign of Queen Mary I (1553-1558).
Purpose. The book was a response to accusations that Protestant doctrines were novel and ill-intended. “Foxe sought to establish the continuity of a proto-Protesant piety from apostolic times to the Reformation,” writes scholar S.J. Barnett. The suggestion, then, was that the Catholic Church’s persecution of Protestants was merely the latest iteration of persecution against true Christians.
Bloody Mary. Mary I, a devout Catholic who sought to restore Catholicism, caught much of Foxe’s ire. Her efforts included executing Protestants for alleged heresy, with estimates suggesting around 287 executions, including 56 women, during her reign. This earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary," largely due to Foxe's vivid accounts.
Influence. The book was widely read, often alongside the Bible in Puritan households, and highly influential, even displayed in churches across England. It helped shape public opinion against Catholicism for centuries.
Editor’s disclosure: AI assisted with the composition of this text.
The Bible, Briefly
Views of the Millennium, Explained
Icon of Second Coming, c. 1700, Greece. (Public Domain)
Eschatology, from the Greek έσχατος (“last”) and -λογία (the study of something), is the study of last things. As anyone with a cursory knowledge of Christian theology knows, there are several views of “last things” or the end times.
One critical aspect of the study is the concept of the Millennium. “‘The Millennium’ is a technical term” that “refers to what is mentioned in Revelation 20,” says Joshua of Ready to Harvest:
There are three main views about this Millennium. Here’s a breakdown based on Joshua’s helpful summary:
1. Premillennialism: The Second Coming occurs before the Millennium.
Premillennialists believe our present timeline will be interrupted by Jesus’ Second Coming, which begins Christ’s thousand-year reign.
Most premillennialists believe the Millennium is a literal period of one thousand years.
The Millennium will be followed by the Final Judgment and the New Heaven and New Earth.
2. Postmillennialism: The Second Coming occurs after the Millennium.
The Millennium will “ramp up” as “Christians usher in a golden age, and at its peak, Christ comes back, and the Final Judgment happens, and New Heaven and New Earth.”
Most postmillennialists believe the Millennium is not necessarily a literal thousand years but only “represents an indeterminate but somewhat lengthy period of time.”
3. Amillennialism (AKA Nuncmillennialism): The millennium is right now.
Like postmillennialists, amillennialists believe Christ’s Second Coming will occur after the Millennium, but unlike postmillenialists, they believe the Millennium is purely symbolic. It began with Christ’s resurrection and ends at the Second Coming (which is more than a thousand years, since “we’re already two thousand years into it.”)
Also, unlike postmillennialists, they don’t believe the Millennium will necessarily result in a godly world, though it could.
“Christ is reigning from heaven right now in this view.”
This only scratches the surface of this key eschatological topic. In our next “The Bible, Briefly,” we’ll explore other crucial end-time definitions.
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