And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their fore heads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4

John saw the souls of them that were beheaded during the tribulation for their witness to salvation through Jesus. It is clear that the terror of beheading  will be used against Christian believers by the forces of evil during that time of wrath some theologians call the tribulation. This monstrous form of execution is from the pits of hell and the most rotten part of the human heart. 16,500 people, among the thousands upon thousands who died during the French Revolution were beheaded. The Nazi’s records indicate that beheading was used in over 16,000 executions during their reign of terror in Germany and Austria. Islamic terrorists of the Middle East use individual beheadings in the most brutal way to attempt to terrorize the world. Underlying these examples, and, in my opinion, true in almost all historical uses of beheading, appears to be an ultimate satanic plan to oppose Christianity and terrorize and kill people who in any way have a connection, however tenuous, to Christianity or the God of Israel. The time will come when God’s justice will prevail and all unredeemed terrorists will regret and lament for eternity their personal evil and unbelief in Christ. Until that time the governments in existence around the world (according to Romans 13:1 ordained of God to be a terror …to the evil) have the responsibility before God to confound and eliminate terrorism of any sort, thus promoting a more stable, peaceful world, and protecting citizens of all nations, who seek to live and work without fear, from the murderous intent and actions of terrorists.