scene from the animated film The 21.
On February 15th, 2015, twenty-one men were executed on a beach in Libya by the terrorist group ISIS.
None of these men had committed any of the crimes usually associated with execution. They had not stolen anything. They had not harmed anyone. They were killed solely because of who they were.
Who were they?
These twenty-one men were tortured both physically and psychologically for weeks. Day after day the Muslim extremists told them that if they would only renounce Christ, they could go free.
None of them did.
And they all died.
A few weeks ago marked the ten-year anniversary of these men’s deaths.
an image from the video ISIS posted of the murder of 21 Coptic Christians. They rehearsed this walk across the beach with the men more than once over their weeks of torture before finally killing them.
In the sheltered bubbles we inhabit in our Western paradise, it’s easy to think that persecution isn’t really that common anymore.
The story of the twenty-one reveals to us something very different.
Persecution is still present, and it’s still happening in its most brutal forms.
These men’s heads were literally rent from their bodies on camera for the entire world to see.
ISIS, similar to many other extreme Muslim groups, filmed the murder on camera and sent it out to shock the world.
Our brothers and sisters in the Coptic Church and in millions of other churches across the globe face torture and death threats every day.
How quickly we forget.
To honor these men’s sacrifice, a short film was released in their honor. Simply called “The 21” it documents the torture and the persecution of these men till death. The symbolism of the film is incredible; using the expertise of 70 artists and animators around the globe, it depicts the story using Coptic Iconography, the artistry used by the Egyptian Coptic Church that would have been so familiar to the twenty-one men.
I’ve watched the film more than once. Both times I’ve been blinking back tears.
More importantly, since watching the film I’ve been burdened by a heavy question.
Would I do that?
If I was tortured for weeks on end with the choice to go free—would I break? Or would I, like the twenty-one, stand strong?
What would you do?
The Word of God tells us that “to live is Christ. To die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
Do you believe that?
These men did.
“But the one who endures to the end shall be saved.”
-Matthew 24:13
The 21 is currently free to watch on YouTube.
And I can guarantee that it will be the best-spent 12 minutes of your day.
Watch the story of the 21 now.
And afterwards if you have the time—comment below and share your thoughts on the film. I’d love to hear what you think.
To Mark Rodgers, Mandi Hart, and all the people involved with the making of The 21 and MORE Productions: Thank you for making this film a reality. This was a story that the world needed to remember again, and I thank God for people like you who are willing to put in the work to share it.
I just watched the film.....that was genuinely moving!! Like you said, my prayer is just that if it ever came to it, I would die like them. Not crying, not begging for mercy. Just praying.
This is such an incredible story! I also pray that I would die like them if I were ever faced with that situation, faithful to Christ up to the very end.