For many in the body of Christ today, it has become almost the norm to take on a defeatist attitude. We do live in a fallen world and many are convinced that we are fighting a losing battle against evil and the source of evil — the evil one himself. We do know that we are at the end of the age and that the Antichrist will soon be coming on the world’s scene. But many have given up and cloistered themselves in their personal safe zones, giving up being the salt and light in our dark world as our Lord has called us to be.
Yet, it is the Lord who has told us that the gates of hell will never prevail against the Church. Yes, we live in an ever increasingly dark world but the light we have been given cannot be snuffed out, no matter how black the storm clouds become around us. In the Bible, gates serve several purposes, one is as a physical barrier for the protection of a domain; another is as an expression of the center of power, a place where decisions of leaders are made. Either way, hell’s defenses and decisions are subject to invasion by the ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. Hell’s forces don’t plunder us, we plunder them. It may not look like that to us sometimes, but it is nevertheless true. We may lose some battles but the final victory is assured because we serve the Captain who has already won the battle. Ultimately, we win.
We are not meant to live on the defensive, no matter how oppressed we sometimes feel. We will encounter evil often, but evil does not get the best of us. Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God lives within us. Kingdom citizens are called to be on the offensive. “Gates” can’t attack us. We attack them. We invade enemy territory and the gates of hell can do nothing to overcome us!
These are principles that the House of Blessing has lived by for many years, and so it is today. I received several reports in the last few days. The first is from brother Al-Hanini.
Hello brother Jack, this is Al-Hanini. On our last trip we arrived at the home of the father and mother of the child. (As mentioned in an earlier update, this is the child that had died at six months of pregnancy and had been buried. Since the great miracle of the dove and the disappearance of the body witnessed by hundreds of people, many have come to visit the gravesite.) There were guests there from Isfahan, including a blind sheikh and a man who had suffered a stroke, losing control of his right hand and half of his face. They were taken to the site of the child’s grave. We brought water for Aylout, who spoke Farsi and translated for others. Dirgham also had some olive oil for anointing. Abdelrahem and Aylout spoke to the sheikh and said, “Believe in Jesus, and you will be healed.” The olive oil was put on his eyes, some water poured on the ground and mixed with mud and soil and put it on his eyes. A cloth was brought and wrapped over his eyes for half an hour. We asked for a Bible and told him to read. He asked how to read and we told him to put his finger on the page and read. As he touched the Bible, he began to read — just by touching it. The people were naturally amazed at what they were witnessing. How could he read when he was blind and his eyes even covered with a cloth? After about half of an hour, the cloth was removed and his face was washed. There were prayers and supplications from the people, more than 650 of them. The sheikh was told to go ahead and open his eyes and call upon the Lord and thank Him. After praying this prayer, he began to see and walked among the people, strolling, dancing, singing, and giving thanks to Jesus!
Hanini went on…
The second man was also prayed for and anointed with olive oil. The Bible was then put on his head and secured so it couldn’t fall off. We then prayed for him and by the grace of the Lord, through frequent reading of the Gospel by us, his mouth began to speak prayers. Oil was placed on his face and hands, and he was healed of his infirmity caused by the stroke. He also accepted Jesus as Lord. We praise Him! The power of the Gospel has elevated our standing among the people and increased people’s love for us as well. Please, brother Jack, pray for us, you and the brothers and sisters. The Lord knows how much we need the prayers support as well as finances.
Al Hanini
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I also received a message from brother Abdelrahem on the 31st of October. This is what he had to share:
Peace upon you, my brother Jack, and peace be upon those who follow Christ and walk in His light. The Lord has blessed us in great measure, for great multitudes have believed in Him and His miracles. It is truly a great blessing that the Lord shares within us and blesses us in doing good and bringing people to His love. Today it is clear that people love and are growing in their acceptance of Jesus as Lord and in their faith in Him. I wish you were with us, my brother Jack, to pray for the people and help baptize them. The Lord has blessed more than 700 people today who were baptized by me and by Aylout, Hael, and Arshid. Please pray for us so that we may provide them with the Word of the Lord. May the Lord bless you.
Your brother, Abdelrahem and the elders and brothers,
His righteous servants of the Lord.
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The next message I received from the HOB elders was from brother Omar in reference to a high ranking Shiite sheikh named Bareera, whose story was told in the previous Mideast Update. The Lord had healed him after he had been in a coma for at least a month.
Hello brother Jack, this is Omar. Today was full of surprises and miracles from the Lord. Sheikh Bareera, who initially didn’t want to be baptized, changed his mind and decided he wanted me to baptize him as well as those with him, including Sheikh Qafisha and Sheikh Zanada. We then shared bread with one another. Sheikh Bareera had varicose veins on his hands and feet. He was not able to walk, but after being prayed for, he stood on his feet without his crutch, walked, and praised and thanked the Lord. The people were singing and crying, not knowing what to do with themselves! They were so excited they sprinkled themselves with the baptismal water in which Bareera was healed!
Now, they all wanted to be baptized. The problem was, we only had a bucket with about 10 liters of water in it. I have no idea how the water was sufficient for the people because there were over 800 of them! But, the Lord helped us. I had Dirgham with me on one side, and Jaafar and Zalatimo behind me, on my right, and on my left. It was truly wonderful! The Lord’s blessing descended upon us and the Holy Spirit descended. And that’s not all. We then broke bread together. The people brought tomatoes, some cucumbers, oil, and thyme. Before eating, we prayed, and I asked each of them what they preferred. Some said fish, some said they wanted chicken, and others asked for what they would like. I told them, “If you believe in Jesus, make your wish and begin to eat.” It only took a couple minutes until their shock became quite evident. Everyone who had asked for something specific, found they had received exactly what they had asked for. One of them said:
“This is bread!! How did the taste change, O God? What a merciful Lord! Thank you Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!! Praise be to the Lord! Look where we were before and now see where we are! Thank you, Jesus, for this grace. Thank You!! You changed our lives from ignorance to your light. Your blessings! Thank you! Thank You! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! May Your Name be glorified! Come and light our way with Your love and Your great Gospel message!”
God is so good!
Omar
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I received another message from brother Abdelrahem on November the 2nd:
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack, and peace be upon all who follow Jesus Christ, the Savior of humanity from the evil of every accursed devil. We arrived here at noon and what Omar did was due to pressure and the will of the elders. They wanted baptism and acceptance of Christ so they would not die as Muslims. They wanted the Lord to accept their repentance and their following of Christ — all of their own volition because they found Christ to be the Truth, the Truth, THE TRUTH! What glory! What high honor for the Gospel and for all who follow Jesuis! My brother Jack, we are overjoyed because people are simply asking about the Gospel, wanting to learn. Some haven’t left the site for days, some for weeks, just sitting here, new people joining them, coming to accept the Lord. Pray for us, my brother Jack, for success as we share the Good News. May the Lord bless you. Please ask everyone who loves Jesus to give and donate to spread His word. Time is running out before His coming, so let us be ready for His light that will fill the earth and the heavens. You have no idea of the excitement here in the harvest fields! People are ready to sacrifice everything they have for Jesus.
Your brother,
Abdelrahem, servant of the Lord forever
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Here is one last report that has come in. It was from brother Al-Hanini, November the 3rd.
My brother Jack, hello. This is Al-Hanini. Today was a very, very blessed day in the presence of the sheikhs, Father Abdelrahem, Hael, Arshid, and Father Aylout Eban. They spent much time teaching the people the Gospel, and some of them memorized parts of it. People were crowding to take lessons from us, and Sheikh Bareera has a great many followers. What a great thing! The Lord was present with us, and the Holy Spirit descended, and the sound of the reciting of the Scriptures and its chapters echoed through the place. What a day! Just an hour ago, Abdelrahem and the sheikhs took a rest because tomorrow they are traveling and returning to their locations. What a great turnout! We only have a few Bibles, and people are now learning Arabic and understanding it, not only in Farsi. It is the Lord that has opened their hearts and minds. There was a group of people with Abdelrahem, Hael, Arshid, Omar, Dirgham, Murtada, and Shahbandar. They completed the Gospel from the first page to the last. They read the entire 500 pages of the New Testament. They never get bored and are committed to teaching. If only we had enough Bibles! Believe me, the Gospel will be spread throughout the land, and the dream of the Lord’s imminent coming will be more and more beautiful! To please Him, we have delivered the message; this is the most important thing. It is a trust placed upon us, and it will be accomplished with your prayers and support. Pray for us.
Your brother,
Al-Hanini, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ
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As I think over the events of the past few days that have been passed on to us by the House of Blessing elders, it is notable that what the people are most moved by is not so much the spectacular nature of the miracles they have witnessed, or the human vessels used by God to deliver the miracles through prayer, but rather a recognition of Jesus Christ as the source of all the blessings. It is too easy, as we have often seen in the West, to get caught up in the spectacular nature of the miracles being witnessed, or the human instruments being used by the Holy Spirit to deliver God’s intervention — rather than giving full honor and worship to the One on whom all glory and honor is due.
All of the HOB community thanks all of you for your earnest prayers for them and for your faithful support to help them carry the great burden of seeing to the printing of the many thousands of Bibles and teaching booklets needed today. Printing is now done in Arabic, Farsi, and in the most predominant language that the Kurdish people speak. Praise God for the multitudes that are being reached in this last hour — and that our Lord has allowed us the privilege of being part of it! God is good!
If anyone has any questions about the work of the ministry of the House of Blessing, please feel free to contact me at my email address or phone number below. For questions on how to help finance the work, please contact either of the email addresses below. Also, please make sure the Mideast Update you receive is the authentic update. I (Jake aka Jack) have been the sole author of the official updates for the past 13+ years. Thank You.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack) 541 408-2779