Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

The harsh punishment comes amid a government crackdown on Iran’s so-called “house churches” – where worshippers gather in unofficial buildings to conduct Christian ceremonies.

The four men, Behzad Taalipasand, Mehdi Reza Omidi, Mehdi Dadkakh and Amir Hatemi, were originally arrested in the middle of a service just before Christmas last year. They were finally sentenced for the crimes on October 6 and given ten days to launch an appeal.

Reacting to the punishments, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Mervyn Thomas said: “The sentences handed down to these members of the Church of Iran effectively criminalizes the Christian sacrament of sharing in the Lord’s Supper and constitutes an unacceptable infringement on the right to practice faith freely and peaceably.”

He added: “We urge the Iranian authorities to ensure that the nation’s legal practices and procedures do not contradict its international obligation under the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights to guarantee the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by all of its religious communities.”

It is estimated that 370,000 Christians live in Iran and, despite assurances from President Hasan Rouhani that the harsh treatment would be scaled back, a UN special report into Iranian human rights criticized the country for routinely punishing non-Muslims for violating Islamic theocratic laws.