Gospel of Luke 3:18-20 New King James Version
And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet in the Bible who had the privilege of seeing the Messiah! Immersing the Messiah!
What is the role of prophets in scripture?
- Prophets hear from God directly
- Prophets relay the message they hear from God to the people no matter how unpopular that message may be
- Prophets become the object of God’s parable, a picture of what God was going to do through His message
- Prophets turn the hearts of people towards God
Prophets are literally the messengers of God. Living out the words of God and having the word of God on their lips.
What happens when the Word of God is shut up?
In the passage above, Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist because John rebuked him for his evil ways.
The Gospel of Mark provides us with more context:
Mark 6:17 New King James Version
For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her.
John the Baptist, a righteous man whose calling was to reveal THE Son of God, the Messiah to the masses, proclaimed the truth from his mind to the evil ruler and was shut up in prison.
All John the Baptist did was to declare the truth from God’s Word, the moral truth from the Mosaic Moral Law. And for that, he was imprisioned.
Exodus 20:14 New King James Version
You shall not commit adultery.
So… what happens after the Word of God is shut up by rulers, critics, and society?
Two things begin to happen when the Word of God is shut up:
- God adds to the sin of the person, the judge, ruler, society who shut His Word up. Storing up his wrath against the sinner. (Luke 3:19-20)
- God doubles up on spreading His Word
After John was shut up in prison, Jesus the Messiah, the TRUE Word of God began preaching and teaching, taking over from John.
Matthew 4:12,17 New Kings James Version
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee... From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Where is the Word of God being shut up today?
The Word of God is given to us today in the form of the good book called the Bible. The Words in the Bible are life, they are light, they reveal the prophesied Messiah of Israel who came, was crucified for our sins, died, was buried and rose to life. He ascended into heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, and gave us His Holy Spirit as a seal for the day of our redemption when He returns.
The Bible is the Word of God, through which all believers of Jesus understand the ways of God from. All believers should.
The Word of God being shut up around the world
It’s 2026. There are rulers today who have bear the same spirit as Herod of Antipas.
Take a look at a few of them according to this excerpt from Christian Global Relief:
“So what are some of the restrictions on the Bible around the world? Here are some of the most prominent examples:
- North Korea: One of the most dangerous places for Christians. Even having a Bible there is enough to be arrested or killed. An American was arrested and detained for five months, simply for leaving a Bible in a restaurant in the hopes a North Korean might find and read it.
- China: Bibles are allowed but tightly regulated. The government restricts online sales of Bibles and closely monitors churches that distribute or teach from Scripture.
- Iran: Assyrian and Armenian Christians may legally own Bibles in their own languages. But conversion to Christianity and Bible possession in Persian – the national language – can result in arrest, torture, or long-term imprisonment.
- Maldives: It is not illegal for a foreigner to have one Bible in their own language, but there is not a complete translation of the Bible in the native language.
- Malaysia: Bibles are allowed, but it’s not allowed to refer to God as “Allah” in Malay-language Bibles and other publications, limiting religious expression.
- Saudi Arabia: It’s fine to bring in a Bible if you’re a foreigner – but if you do something like read it in public, or it’s suspected you have any intention of speaking publicly about your faith, that could mean prison.
- Sudan & Yemen: These countries frequently confiscate Christian materials and penalize believers for possessing or distributing Bibles.
- Brunei: Bibles cannot be imported and digital access is carefully monitored. Christians risk serious consequences for having or sharing Scripture.
- And in many places it’s permissible for traditional Christians and foreigners to worship in private or in their own ethnic groups, but if someone leaves Islam or is found with a Bible in their own language, it can lead to significant punishment.
These are just a few examples from the Bible banned countries list. In many of these places, Christianity is illegal in practice, even if not officially outlawed. The religious freedom of Christians is heavily curtailed.“
The excerpt above lists some examples of restricting, restraining or shutting the Word of God up.
Päivi Räsänen convicted in Finland for expressing her beliefs on a church pamphlet
Excerpt from ADF International:
“HELSINKI (26 March 2026) – In a narrow 3–2 decision, the Finnish Supreme Court has found parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” on one charge relating to the expression of her beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a twenty-year-old church pamphlet. Räsänen has been criminally convicted for publishing the 2004 pamphlet for her church, alongside Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola. The conviction is for “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group”. The Supreme Court unanimously acquitted Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet.
Räsänen was previously unanimously acquitted on all charges by two lower courts.
The long serving parliamentarian and former Minister of the Interior has been convicted for “hate speech” under a section of the Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. The medical doctor and grandmother of twelve was tried in early 2022 and again in 2023 for expressing her beliefs in a 2019 tweet, which included a Bible verse, in addition to a 2019 radio debate and 2004 church booklet.
After the prosecutor appealed for the second time, the Supreme Court, which heard the case in October 2025, has now ruled on two of the three original charges: concerning the tweet and the church booklet...
The Court found Räsänen and the Bishop guilty for having “made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation”. It held that: “it must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred. The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offense”.
What happens when the Word of God is shut up today?
In the words of Jeff King, President of the International Christian Concern (ICC), as published in the 2025 Global Persecution Index:
“While the adversaries of faith seek to extinguish the Church, they
only spread its flame.“
Take Iran and China for example, where Christians are imprisoned, churches closed or pastors are imprisoned. Church in those regions are growing and not diminishing.
Iranian Christians Hormoz Shariat shares about the attitude of Christians in Iran in a Fox interview:
“…it is punishable by death and it is on fire. Believers in Iran are full of the Holy Spirit. They are courageous, they are out there. They don’t care if they die for Jesus. Many of them are living for Jesus and some of them are dying for Jesus and they don’t care… They love Jesus and they appreciate the light and they believe that Iran will be a Christian nation.”
An excerpt from Transform Iran:
“Despite intense political turmoil, acts of war, government surveillance and persecution, millions of Iranians are exploring Christianity, joining underground fellowships, and encountering Jesus through digital ministry platforms. At the same time, protests, leadership struggles, and economic collapse are reshaping the country’s future. Amid these dangers, the underground church is not only surviving; it is expanding in ways few outside Iran can imagine.“
Despite the growing persecution of Christians in China by the communist government, words in this article from His Feet International still hold true:
“In the face of such persecution, the Underground Church has become the heart of Christianity in China. These gatherings, held in homes or secret locations, offer believers a place to worship freely and grow in their faith. Despite the risks, the Underground Church is expanding, with some estimates suggesting that house churches are more attended than state-sanctioned congregations...
Despite the increasingly restrictive policies imposed by the Chinese government, Christianity in China is not only surviving but expanding at an impressive rate. The estimated 100 million Christians across the country, a significant number considering the continued state suppression of religious activities, are a living testament to the work of the Holy Spirit. This growth, despite constant surveillance, restrictions on worship, and the forced closure of churches, is especially remarkable.”
What happens again when the Word of God is shut up?
Two things begin to happen when the Word of God is shut up:
- God adds to the sin of the person, the judge, ruler, society who shut His Word up. Storing up his wrath against the sinner. (Luke 3:19-20)
- God doubles up on spreading His Word
These same two things are happening across the world as we speak in areas where the Word of God is shut up.
How should we respond as believers of Jesus?
I lives in Singapore where I enjoy religious freedom. Having freedom to openly proclaim my faith without fear of oppression by the government.
If you are like me, enjoying the freedom to live and speak freely as a Christian, we should continue to live boldly for Jesus, proclaiming His Word and our faith through our words and actions because everyone needs Jesus.
We also have to be mindful of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world and support ministries that God has placed in our hearts. Praying for regions that God is placing upon our hearts.
But if you live in a region where proclaiming the Word of God can be shut up, remember that our faith overcomes the world because Jesus shed His blood for us, freed us from our sins and has given us a hope of resurrection in Him. And that there are millions of Christians around the world praying for you.
1 John 5:4 New King James Version
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.