Most of us have wondered what it is going to be like during the millennial kingdom of Christ. Almost since the very beginning, our earth has been contested territory. God’s promises are nearly always contested by deception, delays, or distractions. God’s people are relentlessly tempted and tested. At the very time that two prophesied deliverers (Moses and Jesus) came to fulfill their missions, ungodly kings were inspired to try to eliminate an entire generation of boys. Neither Moses nor Jesus were eliminated, but both were resisted to the max. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of this world in exchange for false worship. Why? It was because the kingdoms of the world are the contested territory.
The battle is for more than the souls of men and women. In Daniel 7, we have account of a vision he was given in which the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven were given into the control of the Son of Man. In Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27, the kingdoms are given to God’s people.
Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Daniel 7:27
You or I may not have any desire to rule over anyone. That’s okay. The Kingdom is not for those who have a lust for power over others. Nevertheless, the Son of Man will share His authority with us. In some ways, a bit of that authority has already been granted to faithful followers of the King. Exercise it and use it for His glory. One day, we will walk in it fully.
Examples of this principle being practiced in real life is what we are witnessing through the ministry of the House of Blessing today. Below, is a continuation of what is happening these very last few days before Christmas 2025.
Over the past couple of days I have received several messages from brother Abdelrahem and I’m sure there will be more before the weekend is over. He was very excited about the prospects of what was just ahead…
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack. Peace comes from the strength of faith and the strength of will in the hearts of those who love Jesus. The time has come, the time is near for the Lord to come. Perhaps He will come while we are baptizing the new believers who are waiting for me and the elders to get to them. They are guarding the way for me and showering me with love. Honestly, I am not used to this because I am just a servant of the Lord. All this, my brother Jack, is the love of the Lord that He plants in the hearts of His righteous servants. I ask you to tell our loved ones what is happening — something that has never happened before with HOB, because Jesus is looking down upon us with His favor. Glory and majesty belong to Jesus. His gospel, and His Holy Word. Pray for us; we are in the end times, and we will provide you with more good news, God willing.
Abdelrahem, Servant of the Lord
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A day later I received another message:
Peace be upon you, brother Jack. Peace be upon those who follow the guidance of Jesus and His light. We arrived in Fasa and decided that the baptism should be far from the hands of treachery. I gave instructions to the 625 teachers on site that 300 of them were to perform the baptisms and the other 325 to observe all going on and keep everything organized. The Scripture tells us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” In Acts 2 we read:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as well as for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him” Acts 2:38-39
Following the example of John the Baptist and Jesus and His commandment, the apostles called the people of Israel to repentance, and they expressed this repentance through baptism. This is what the text above says. The promise given to the people is not only for them, but for the generations that followed them, and for others as well — that is, for us. What unites all these people? They are all those whom the Lord our God calls to Himself. Those who have answered the call and come to Jesus are part of God’s new family, which has been formed since Jesus’ coming. This family is open to all who hear and respond. Forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit are given to those who repent and follow Christ, and then express this transformation through baptism. How I wish you were with us! There are those who have been baptized and want to baptize others out of love for their salvation from sin. Fifteen thousand believers have already been baptized and more than fifty thousand will be baptized soon. Pray for us for safety and peace, and pray that the Gospel will be made available to them. In these times, the sick among the sisters are being healed, and people are being fed and blessed through our prayers of blessing — my prayers and those of the elders. What a beautiful sight it is to see people lining up to receive baptism! It is coming! How happy we are! Please send this to the brothers and sisters and tell them about the great power of the Gospel.
Your brother, Abdelrahem and the elders, servants of the Lord.
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Later on the same day (today), I received an additional message to share with you:
Peace be upon you and upon all who follow Christ, my brother Jack. There are more than 13 sheikhs and mullahs in Iran who recently converted to Christianity. And those are very important to the people who are following them. Thousands of believers followed them. All of these people were put to a severe test, as terrorists demanded they renounce their faith in Christ and return to Islam, Allah, and his prophet Muhammad. Not one of them wavered, no matter what! It is truly astonishing to hear the testimonies of courage, loyalty, and faith these new believers have shown under such harsh circumstances! I am astounded that it appears their love for God is as strong as my own. We are confident that our faith would rise to the same level if we were called upon to stand by our Lord in similar circumstances. God has promised that He will be with us no matter what we face. One of God’s many promises to us is found in Deuteronomy 6:31, which reads:
“Be courageous and strong. Do not be afraid of them, nor be terrified, for the Lord your God is with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Then 2 Timothy 1:7 reads:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound disciplined mind.”
Neither Satan nor any of his followers can harm us as we walk with the God of all creation. We walk by His power, we live by His wisdom, and His presence surrounds us. Indeed, God promises us in Isaiah 58 that He will be our faithful guardian! And when the time comes for us to have the honor of suffering for His name, He will deliver us from it and bring us directly into His presence!
It has recently become clear that Islamic jihadists and Shiite extremists see themselves in a kind of competition with Christian missionaries, even considering themselves participants in a “holy war.” They believe their delivery of the Islamic message must be stronger and more effective than that of Christian missionaries. And if they cannot refute the missionaries’ message, they readily resort to violence, something that the Quran not only justifies but also commands.
The message of God’s love for humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ stands in stark contrast to Islam, to the point that Sunni, Shia, Assyrian, and Yazidi Muslims are embracing the worship of Jesus in droves. While Islam teaches that the unbeliever must be forced to kneel before Allah and his prophet, Muhammad or be beheaded, the Bible teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who wrong us. While Islam teaches the right to retaliate, the bible says, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” While Muslim men consider women and children the property of their husbands, God shows men the treasures they possess in their wives and children! How can any other belief system rival this good news from the heart of God?
For this reason, and given the overwhelming number of new believers, there is an endless queue of people eager to learn more about God — the true God — and His teachings! In Iran and the surrounding areas, brother Omar and his assistants are preparing spaces to accommodate at least a thousand people in each session of the HOB School of Ministry. Thousands more are still waiting, but the missionary teachers will begin teaching them as soon as they are able. Currently, HOB is working hard to provide enough copies of the Bible for people to share during their intensive study.
While this situation continues in Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan, sisters Ratiba, Zainab, Suad, and Dujaa, along with elders Saftawi, Bukhari, Rabbi Sabazi, and Shabo continue their work of baptizing and teaching people. Sisters Mufida, Hafiza, Ferial, and Sarah continue their work with widows in Syria and Iraq, providing aid and healing to those injured in attacks. Everyone who receives assistance prays a prayer of repentance, asking for forgiveness for their sins and imploring Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives. Throughout the Middle East, people whose faith is nurtured by the missionaries of HOB also receive Holy Communion whenever possible. Healings continue, and many receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Just wait, more and more are coming to faith. It’s a big victory for the Gospel!
Your brother Abdelrahem, servant of the Lord
Blessings to all
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As the weekend progresses, I am receiving additional information. This truly is an amazing and unique move of God in the Middle East today. Until the final reckoning, it will be very difficult to get an actual number of those who have been baptized and those who were able to participate in communion. An accurate report of the specific locations is also difficult at this point — in fact, dangerous to disclose before the event has finished. Many people have traveled great distances to participate and so multiple locations have been set up to handle the multitudes gathered. Specifics are purposely being avoided right now. We have learned that not all who track these updates are servants of our Lord.
I should mention that the 13 sheikhs and mullahs that Abdelrahem said became believers recently are not the only ones who have been reached. There are now quite a large number. These 13 happen to have had special positions of authority within Shia Islam and since their conversion to Christianity, have proven themselves very capable of joining in the work of reaching the masses with the Gospel.
I received a fourth update from Abdelrahem this morning with some additional information. He provided additional numbers of those being baptized, etc. As I stated before, we won’t really know the totals for a few days, at best.
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Peace be with you, Brother Jack, and with all who believe in Jesus. The great outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit continues in Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, and Iraq. Today, over 7,900 new believers were baptized in Iran, and approximately 22,000 more are waiting. According to the latest report from Syria, the Gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection has reached over 2,860 more people. The 35 missionaries whom Brother Omar instructed to work with Mufida, Sarah, Ferial, and Hafiza were able to pray with each of them and then receive holy Communion. While they were participating in the service of Communion, many were healed, and all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit is being witnessed in several regions of Syria, as well as in the Iraqi cities of Basra, Fallujah, Erbil, Kirkuk, and Mosul, where an additional 2,650 people were baptized.
While these great events are taking place, the number of believers is increasing. Sadly, eight more of Omar’s missionaries were killed while preaching. Many in Iraq, as they are working tirelessly day and night, are asking for prayer support from our Christian brothers and sisters. What is being done there is by the instruction of the Lord Himself and it is a testimony of the great power of the Gospel.
As mentioned in my previous report, the missionaries of the House of Blessing organization in Kurdistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan are now sharing Holy Communion with all the new believers. The ingredients given to Sister Ratiba, Zainab, and the wives of the elders are being used in these places, and God is performing great miracles wherever people receive Communion! A large number of new believers are also being baptized by the Holy Spirit and given the signs mentioned in the Book of Acts. I believe it won’t be long before the Spirit of God overflows into all the places where the missionaries of the House of Blessing serve. I want to let you know that yesterday, with so many people coming, we couldn’t totally handle the massive influx. The turnout was absolutely enormous. Today, everything was organized, and they were given food and Holy Communion. Brother Jack, it’s a beautiful day to see people being baptized and accepting Jesus. Be ready, because Jesus’ coming is very near, closer than ever!
Your brother, Abdelrahem
Servant of the Lord
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The House of Blessing thanks you all for your prayers and your support. Sharing the Gospel in the Middle East, like it is in other dangerous locations in our world, takes a full commitment to Jesus Christ. Nothing less is sufficient. HOB missionaries, elders, teachers and volunteers don’t know when they leave in the morning if they will be coming back and sleep in their own bed that night. They commit their day, and their very physical existence into the hands of the One who sacrificed Himself for them. Are we doing the same? We must. Even in the West, no one knows from one day to another what major changes may come about before it is our time to sleep for the night. Scriptures teach us to be vigilant in our walk with the Lord, and make sure our lamps are full of oil!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)