For many of us, even those who have been Christ-followers for many years, some teachings in Scripture are more difficult to conform to than others. That is just being honest. The passage below is an example:
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also ….” Luke 6:27-29a
Most of us in the West who are blessed with relatively peaceful lives under a Judeo-Christian system of law and order, have a natural revulsion to the brutality and barbarity done in the name of religion in other lands. This is certainly true in the many cases the readers of these Mideast Updates have heard in the past 14 years. Sharing these accounts with you, often in greater detail than some would like, I still am revolted by the things human beings will do to another. It is simply demonic. It shows the malevolent hatred the devil has for human beings — especially those who have chosen to follow Christ.
Our natural inclination is to respond to others as they treat us. What Jesus asks from us goes against the grain! If we are cursed, the natural man wants to curse back. If we are abused, our response is, “how dare you!” If we’re maligned or mistreated, our fallen nature demands to at least be bitter about it and carry a grudge. Being an ambassador of the kingdom of heaven doesn’t allow any of that. We are to love even if it grates against our souls.
God’s word teaches us that we were all once enemies of God (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21). God’s response to us was to rain blessings upon us. God paid the ultimate price with the Blood of Jesus in order to set us free. Does that cause us to become proud? No! To the contrary, God’s blessing, in spite of our enmity with Him, subdued us and made us humble. We dare not lose that humility! God will pour His grace upon some that we cannot imagine would be worthy of His grace and forgiveness. This is the case with many of the perpetrators of the barbaric acts upon God’s people in the Middle East today. Many of the very ones that killed, maimed, raped, and disfigured God’s people have been overcome by the grace of God and turned from their previous wickedness. They then go on to share the love of God with others who were trapped in the demonic deception they themselves were controlled by. Subsequently, many of them experience the very same horrible treatment, but are now taught to love and pray for their “enemies” . God’s ways certainly are contrary to man’s!
The first message I received from the House of Blessing for today’s update was from brothers Bazalmit, Kilani, Hab Rimon. I received the report on 2/19/2026. The accounts I received in the last few days came in parts and not all of the details are available yet. Most readers are not yet aware that there was a major attack on three sheikhs and their students. The information was given to Dr. Nibras and he, along with two other men, Dr. Kawlani and Sheikh Zakarias immediately left for the location to be of aid. This led to the abduction of both doctors and Sheikh Zakarias. More information is revealed in the reports below, particularly in the final report.
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Peace be upon you, my brother Jack. We live day by day, not knowing what tomorrow holds, but we trust in God to help us overcome any difficulties we may face. I am reminded here of a passage from the Bible in Hebrews 11 which mentions many heroes of faith from the past. Among other things, it is noted that all of them believed in God’s promises, but they passed away before witnessing their fulfillment in their lifetimes. They understood that this short earthly life is fleeting. The community of believers in the House of Blessing understands the same thing today.
All of the Hebrews 11:13-24 heroes continued to live by faith until they died. They did not receive the promises, but they saw them from afar and welcomed them. They acknowledged that they were searching for a homeland. If they were thinking about the homeland they left, they would have had the opportunity to return. But they longed for a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Today, as the biblical prophecies are being fulfilled before our very eyes, we realize that we represent the last generation before the return of Jesus Christ. Yet, believers throughout the world continue to pass into eternal life daily without hearing the great trumpet, the voice of the archangel, the voice of God calling his people into His house while they are still in their bodies. One day, perhaps sooner than we imagine, this will indeed happen! Praise be to God!
Those who belong to the House of Blessing — the focus of these updates on the Middle East– understand that the world is heading toward difficult and unprecedented times, and they are not surprised by what is happening. Those who have not yet connected with their Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, feel despair. There is not only widespread anger among refugees, but also a growing realization that Islam is responsible for much of what they are experiencing. The true nature of Islam is being revealed. This, in turn, is becoming a factor that is driving people to open themselves to the Gospel message. It is the only message of hope being proclaimed, and hundreds are responding to it every week.
Dr. Nibras, Khalawi, and Sheikh Zakaraia have been lured and kidnapped. Please pray for them.
Your brothers,
Sheikh Hab Riman , Al-Kilani, and Al-Bazlamit, servants of the Lord
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The second report was from brother Abdelrahem on 2/20/2026.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us … and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose … What shall then we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:18, 28, 31
Peace upon you and all the followers of Jesus. HOB has made it a point to make an annual effort to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible during the month of Ramadan. This year, Ramadan begins after sunset on Tuesday, February 18th, and ends on Thursday, March 19th. While many Muslims will observe Ramadan, perhaps even more extensively, I want to emphasize that the path of missionaries is not paved with roses, nor is it a path paved with red carpets. Let the world know that the sacrifice of a missionary is unlike any other. No matter what we do, our sacrifice will never equal even one percent of what Jesus sacrificed for us. It is an honor for me, and for all the brothers, elders, and sisters, to be servants in the work of the Lord. As is the case every year, none of us knows if this will be the last Ramadan before the Day of judgment. Although many today doubt this truth and prefer to deny or ignore the fact that God’s judgment upon this Christ-rejecting world is very near, it is nonetheless imminent.
One of HOB’s most pressing needs is to provide printed copies of the Bible in Arabic and Farsi for distribution to new believers reached through these special evangelistic efforts. If you, our readers, are able to contribute to meeting this urgent need, it would be greatly appreciated. Please follow the Lord Jesus’ promptings and commands. All donations sent will be used for printing Bibles and teaching booklets for HOB. Please keep praying for our brothers Dr. Nibras and Dr. Khalawi and Sheikh Zakaria. I know they have a strong faith and nobody will be able to break it.
I will conclude with a few more verses from Romans 8:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
His servant forever,
Abdelrahem
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The third and final report I received was also on 2/20/2026 and has a lot more information gathered by Al-Kilani and checked for accuracy. It was then passed on to Abdelrahem, who sent the report to me through Sister Rolla.
As said earlier, the incidents described in Abdelrahem’s report are still lacking some information as details are still not complete. I will update as I receive more information. The House of Blessing is under another fierce attack right now. Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, has begun and religious fervor is running high. God, however, interrupts the Islamic Ramadan every year and the pot gets stirred! Another factor for the vicious attacks is that the government authorities across the Mideast know who the House of Blessing is and are trying to stop the spread of Christianity. Imams, sheikhs, and mullahs are being reached in large numbers now, and their congregants are following them and submitting themselves to Jesus Christ by the thousands. The devil hates this and his hatred is being channeled through those he has deceived.
According to Al-Kalani the three sheikhs mentioned below, Sheikh Al-Tutunji, Sheikh Makram, and Sheikh Al-Tafouri were viciously attacked by 10-15 men and disfigured, as were quite a number of their students — how many, I don’t yet know. The three sheikhs were placed in a cave not far from where Dr. Nibras, Dr. Kahlani, and Sheikh Zakarias are being confined. Please pray for these faithful and courageous brothers and sisters!
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Peace be upon you, brother Jack, and upon the followers of Jesus. The truth has gradually become clear; how Dr. Nibras and his companions were arrested. People have seen that they never abandon helping others — even Muslims, and were betrayed, arrested, and placed in a cave where animals were kept. We ask for your prayers for their steadfastness in the faith of Jesus. Over the past three weeks, we have been blessed with great grace and encouragement through the miraculous story of a large group of sheikhs who came to believe in Jesus Christ after hearing Sharifa and her husband’s story (of her vision of her children in paradise, following being killed by a bomb strike), followed by the prayers of Sheikh Zakaria, and after listening to the Bible lessons about the blood of Jesus. It only took hearing some simple truths that we take for granted; absolute doctrinal truths about who Jesus truly is and why His blood possesses a power unlike any other blood in the universe.
Since their commitment to Jesus Christ, they have been diligently studying and learning as much as they can in order to reach their Muslim communities and teach them the truths found only in the Word of God. Several of these men were elderly sheikhs, and thanks to their high standing in Muslim communities, they have enjoyed widespread popularity and influence. The HOB volunteer missionaries dedicate long hours each day to teach the new converts. They are all aware of the limited time we have. From what I’ve heard, it has been a period of great blessing.
Yesterday, I received a call from Al-Kilani and the sheikhs (brothers) with him, informing me of a tragedy. A group of new converts from their group were gathered, and after hours of instruction, they were finishing their study of the section of the booklet “The Blood of Jesus” — around 6:00 PM. As they were returning home, three of the sheikhs were ambushed by extremist gunmen and tortured. Most, if not all, had crosses carved into their faces and chests with knives. I know that in non-Eastern regions, people are not accustomed to this kind of brutality and barbarity — all in the name of religion — in this case, in the name of Allah and his messenger, Muhammad.
Brother Dr. NIbras, Dr. Khalawi, and Sheikh Zakaria were the first to receive the news and went to see for themselves. When they relayed the heartbreaking news, they broke down, saying that no one should have to witness such a scene. They wept aloud as they described it. The faith of Sheikhs Hab Rumman, Al-Bazlamit, Al-Kalani, Abu Layla, and Al-Bakawti, who found out what happened remained unshaken, but they were deeply shocked by the brutal torture inflicted upon these new brothers. These brothers are Sheikh Al-Tutunji from Damascus, Sheikh Makram from Latakia, and Sheikh Al-Tafouri from Idlib. Their followers number over 14,000, who pray in their mosques. It is our duty as their brothers and sisters in the Lord to stand with them and sincerely pray for them.
I recall a passage from the Bible that I have frequently referenced in these updates over the past few months. It is found in Hebrews 11, and its text in the new version of the Bible (the New King James Version) reads as follows:
“Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They 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 — of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:36-40
The text continues:
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
These two verses of chapter 12 urge every believer to prioritize. We serve Christ Jesus, who has paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Therefore, we must live for Him so that He may lift us up from this earth, by whatever means necessary.
In the past few days, Sister Mufida and the Widow Sisterhood have suffered a devastating loss. The widows work in northern Syria, and as Brother Jack knows, they work in areas with large numbers of wounded. Over the past few months, many of these widows have lost their lives while trying to save the lives of the wounded and dying. Other brave women have also been killed in recent months. These attacks have also claimed the lives of many civilians who have taken Jesus as their Lord, including children who were having Bible stories read to them. The chaos engulfing the Middle East is a true tragedy. The ongoing attacks are not only by the SDF forces, but also by the army of the legitimate government and their allies, as well as, now, by their mercenaries. There is also suffering at the hands of the oppressive and tyrannical Iranian government. Omar and his brothers Shahbandar, Murtada, Durgham, and Aylout are experiencing the same situation. I have instructed them to be cautious and vigilant. Teaching is being carried out to the fullest extent there, and volunteers are being recruited to assist the teachers. There are long lines of people waiting to be taught and to learn about the Gospel and who Jesus is. We are doing our utmost to fulfill the trust placed upon us. May the Lord bless you. Please remember us in your prayers.
Your brother, the servant of the Lord,
Abdelrahem
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In conclusion, I want to thank you all for your prayers and support. Some of you may think that your personal prayer support may not make a difference. Wrong! God hears our prayers, and He answers. I appreciate the many messages I’ve received from readers. It tells me how many of you truly hold the House of Blessing close to your hearts. What is happening today, truly, is historic.
In reference to the abductions and the vicious attacks reported above, this kind of thing has happened on multiple occasions in HOB’s past. Many times, Bibles and teaching materials have been confiscated. Sometimes attempts were made to burn them, to no avail. Other times, the captors secretly began to read what they confiscated and God’s Spirit arrested them and they found themselves realizing that what they were reading was true and they became believers themselves. My prayer is that this happens once again.
The harvest of souls is being brought in by the tens of thousands all across Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, and the Kurdistan region. The printing of Bibles and teaching booklets is going on non-stop. This is because of generous people who see what is happening and are being moved to help. Thank you all!
(Note: I have just received additional information about the events referred to above but in order not to make this update any longer, I will write an additional update in a day or two…)
Once again, a caution: There is only one official newsletter being produced for the House of Blessing, and this is it. I will leave it at that … Thank you for understanding. For any questions, please feel free to contact either of the email addresses below.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)