I just received a heavy email from Dr. Nibras that needs to be passed on right away to all who have a prayer burden and love for the missionaries of the House of Blessing. Please take the time to hear the heart’s cry of a man who, along with Pastor Abdelrahem and others, has borne a heavy burden, just as Pastor Rashid experienced at the beginning of HOB. Dr. Nibras writes:
Peace be with you, my brother Jack. Pastor Abdelrahem couldn’t hold back his tears today, nor could those with him, as I told him the latest news. It was reported that 35 widows from the House of Blessing were arrested along with Hafiza, Mufida, Ferial, and the other sisters. They have all been killed for spreading the Gospel of Jesus. Most of these widows had been trained by Mufida and the others, the first members of the “Widow Sisterhood.” These courageous women fell into the hands of ISIS, and as I understand it, their hands were bound. They were then humiliated by being stripped naked and attempts were made to force them to renounce their faith in Jesus and accept Muhammad, the prophet of Allah, as their savior, or be killed. Not one of them renounced their faith in Jesus Christ. Then each of them was placed in the hands of several men who used their long knives to end the lives of these faithful women, tearing and mutilating their bodies as their twisted minds dictated.
I make no apology for mentioning these details, because I believe that we all, as the family of Christ the Redeemer, sometimes need to hear these stories to appreciate the greatness of these martyrs’ faith and to remember our covenant with our God. How can we know that we will not face the same circumstances before our Lord calls us to him? Is your relationship with God so close that you don’t care about the price of serving him? He died for us, and even if it costs us our mortal bodies, so be it. Before the majesty of eternity in the presence of our King, nothing else is worth mentioning!
Brother Zacharias and his companions, who oversaw the missionary work in Syria in spite of immense sacrifices required, shared additional news. Two separate groups of believers fell into the hands of ISIS while spreading the greatest story of all — the story of our creator and His great love for fallen humanity, and His granting of eternal forgiveness to all who accept Him. These missionaries, a group of 76 men and another group of 35 women, were taken to one location. Their hands were bound, and like the widows in the previous account, they were stripped naked and forced to lie on the ground and were brutally beaten. They were then given the same choice as the widows; deny their relationship with Jesus Christ, accept Allah and His prophet Muhammad as their savior, or die where they bled. Each of these courageous men and women said the same thing to their captors: “No matter what you do to us, we will never waver in our faith and love for Jesus!” All of them chose death rather than deny their Lord Jesus, and they were martyred in the way each murderer chose — whether by stabbing, beheading, dismemberment, or any other hellish method that came to their demon-possessed minds.
I must ask: Where are the warnings — His warnings? Where is the powerful word that compels people to examine themselves in light of God’s expectations and requirements? Why are most of us afraid to call sin by its true name? Why are we afraid of offending? Why is it considered offensive to deliver the warning that God requires of His ambassadors? The prophet Noah preached God’s urgent warnings until the day the ark was completed.
Those who flock to that great altar described in Revelation 6:9-11 gradually add their numbers to the total that God has already recorded in the heavenly registers. Soon, the last of them will sacrifice his life, and God will say, “Enough!” God counts each of these precious souls. I remember a passage in Hebrews 11, where the heroes of faith are mentioned, beginning with verse 35:
35Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented — 38of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of earth. 39And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Hebrews 11:35-40
I’m tired brother Jack. I’m sorry, the situation is very bad. We pray to our Lord for His mercy and help to overcome…
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)