This may seem to be an odd title for a Mideast Update but allow me to explain. I was reading Ezekiel 10 and 11 and noted a phrase that caused me to think about where we, in this generation, are in man’s history according to the Bible. Ezekiel 10:18 reads, “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple…” I realize this is a phrase lifted out of a complicated story told over several chapters in the book of Ezekiel, but it reminded me of a passage in the New Testament:
6 Now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8
All times and seasons are in God’s hands. They are definite and cannot be changed by the will of man. History is divided into epochs. We are in the final days of the Age of Grace. The Age of Grace will end at the Rapture / Catching-Up of the true believers and followers of Christ. Although most of the world is convinced that mankind’s history is no more than an unending series of cycles, true believers know that is not true.
Ancient Israel’s history includes both the favor of God, which included the presence of His glory in the Holy of Holies, and also when He removed His glory and blessing from the Holy of Holies, essentially allowing them to follow their own way, which led to destruction.
This is exactly what happens when God removes the Restrainer from the earth. It does not mean God’s Spirit leaves the earth; He is, after all, omnipresent. It does mean, however, that He removes the restraining force of His work through the true believers — essentially holding the forces of hell back from being able to unleash their malevolent plans upon humanity until it is time.
This event, as of my writing today, has not happened, but it is at the door. Regardless of many predicted dates which have not yet been realized for the “harpazo / catching-up” of the true followers of Jesus Christ, we truly have run out of time. Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 that true believers should not be caught off guard. Jesus’ coming “as a thief” is a description of how the event will affect the non-believing world.
Because the return of Jesus for His Bride is imminent, and in a very real sense, “the Glory of the Lord” (the Restrainer) will be lifted out of this world, the House of Blessing is working feverishly to get the Word of God to as many people as possible — no matter the cost — even the sacrifice of their own lives if the Lord wills.
There was a wonderful miracle that happened a few days ago. The first message referring to what happened came from Abdelraham.
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack. A special greeting from the land of beloved ones, and greetings of love and affection from Fatima, the widow of brother Salem. She is still serving the Lord today as before. When we arrived at our destination in Shaqiawa, Iraq (east of Irbil), we were received by more than 950 people. You know this is the season of oil and olives. We prayed before and blessed the mill that works with a circular stone pulled by a calf. The Lord blessed the amount of oil. Every house brought one or two tons of olives, and every ton normally gives 150-200 kilos or liters of oil. The Lord so blessed every ton, that we got 350 kilos or liters. There are more than 40 families here and they donated a can to us and two to the work of the Lord. Each can is worth $200. About $18,000 were saved to print Bibles, and our Lord will increase that amount. By prayer, blessings are pouring down on us.
Abdelrahem
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I received a second message from Abdelrahem a day later with a few more details. One of the things that had been decided after Abdelrahem, Hael, and Arshid spent time in prayer, is that funds should be made available to help Shabo and Rabbi Spazi set up their printing operation again.
Peace be upon you and upon those who follow Christ. I am here, my brother Jack, and we pray for you from the bottom of our hearts that the Lord may open to you from His goodness for the growth of your mind and intellect so that you may convey to the world and to all brothers and sisters what is the truth of Jesus; the truth of the One in which we have grown and matured. People have only found love and compassion by following Jesus. What happened yesterday and today is only by the blessing of the Lord. A good amount was provided to support our brother Rabbi Spazi and Shabo so the word of the Lord can be spread and so that people will call on Him.
Today, the Lord blessed the baked food. A good number of people ate today. People come to see the love of Jesus and the teaching and the love of the Gospel. Today we prayed as a normal day and the joy was complete with the arrival of many people. Sister Fatima did what she could after knowing the need and the harm that befell our brother Shabo. The women all, without being asked, took whatever gold they had in jewelry and donated it. They all insisted on doing so. You could see the love of the Gospel in them and their desire to spread it. I am extremely happy,not because of the availability of money, but because of the giving attitudes and manners of the people. The goal of my life, my brother Jack, is to share the teaching of Christ until the Lord Jesus fills the universe! I am comfortable even though I have a pressing need to provide money for Rolla to transfer the Gospels, but the Lord is responsible for this and will bring abundant sustenance to her, I am sure. Pray for us to be able to provide security and safety for the transfers of the Word. The need is urgent. People are thirsty beyond imagination for the Word of the Lord. May the Lord bless you.
Your brother, servant of the Lord,
Abdelrahem.
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I received some more information this morning (Oct 29th) concerning a ministry opportunity that has been made available. Abdelrahem, Aylout, Omar, Dourgham, Shahbander, Murtadah, Hanini, Sister Fatima and others are going to pray for a very famous, powerful Shiite sheikh, whose name is Sheikh Bareera. His family lineage goes all the way back to Muhammad. Today this man is in a coma. This information came about by invitation of two sheikhs by the names of Haj Zanadah and Afeesha. These men had been given Bibles in the past. Now, they came asking for the men to come and pray for this suffering sheikh. I am told there are over 500 people waiting at the hospital to see what results come from the prayers of the House of Blessing brothers. Some of these people had heard the story of the miracle of the child recently. The story spread like wildfire. Now, they are looking for another miracle. Please pray for our brethren as they once again walk into the lion’s den.
In closing, all of the House of Blessing wants to thank you for your prayers and support. As you can see, the Lord is working on both ends. He has provided miraculously from the front lines of the HOB mission field and He has also provided through you folks here in the West. Praise God.
Note: As much as it grieves me, I have to warn that someone is taking my personally written updates, rewriting them as they choose to, and removing my name and contact information. Some of the names and information are being changed, others left as they are. My personal name is exchanged for someone else’s. The basic stories are taken from the official update. This is deceptive and disturbing, and just plain wrong. Please be careful and make sure you are reading the authentic that I have sent out. I (Jake / Jack) am the only one writing the original stories. If you have any questions about this matter or anything else concerning the House of Blessing, please feel free to email me or call me on my personal phone number provided below.
If anyone would like to help with the enormous task of printing Bibles and teaching booklets, please contact either one of the email addresses below.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack) 541 408-2779