There are many times we read right through and then past a scripture without stopping to contemplate all of what the narrative is trying to tell us. One of these passages has to do with an old man named Simeon. This man’s appearance in scripture is a brief eleven verses and he is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. In Luke 2:25 we find the words: “…and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel…” We might read right past that and think, well, that is nice, without catching the jist of what is being said.
In verse 26 we read that it had been revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes. For most of us, waiting is not an enjoyable way to pass time. It seems like a waste. But in Simeon’s case, he was living with constant expectation of Jesus’ arrival. He delighted in watching for the Messiah! He had his eyes fixed on God’s promise to him. This shaped his thoughts and actions about the time he was living in. And, the Holy Spirit was faithful in drawing him to the temple just at the right time when Joseph and Mary were headed in that direction.
Simeon is pointed out in Scripture, not only because he was righteous and devout, but because he lived in anticipation of Christ’s first coming. It was put into the biblical narrative for all to see through the ages. The question must be asked: Can it be said of us that we live with an ongoing excitement about Christ’s return? Is our yearning strong enough that we don’t allow it to be derailed by the interruptions of daily life? Both the Apostle Paul and Titus referred to this event:
12 “…teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” Titus 2:12-13
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8
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The first report for today’s update from the House of Blessing was received from Dr. Nibras on April 12, 2026. Dr. Nibras will share a few of the details of what happened to 51 of the newly trained leaders that were already having great success in reaching lost souls after Omar and five other leaders had been horribly tortured for well over a week. The Islamic judge who was made the final judgment as to what was to happen to the men was a man named Hamoush. While Omar and the others were still strung up with ropes and enduring terrible things, Omar was able to lead the judge to the feet of Jesus. Not only was Judge Hamoush reached with the Gospel but so were 50 officers under his oversight. It was these men who, after having received intensive training for many hours a day — hardly sleeping in between class sessions, studying the many teaching booklets put at their disposal and memorizing as much of the scriptures as they possibly could, were murdered for their faith — the judge being the first one to lose his life. These men were viciously beaten with rods before each man had multiple gunshots to their legs. As is confirmed in the report below, none of the men survived. In addition to this, over 1,000 new students were brutally beaten as well but were apparently not executed. This gives the reader a little background of the tragic events. Dr. Nibras relates more details of the story below.
Peace be upon you, brother Jack. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus made this promise to His disciples:
8“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:8-11
For two thousand years, lovers of Jesus Christ and His true followers have longed with great anticipation for His promised return. The Apostle Paul, knowing his execution was imminent, expressed his deep love for his Lord and urged Christians everywhere not to lose hope in His coming. This is what he said to Timothy:
6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 1 Timothy 4:6-8
Although the true Church of Jesus Christ has been looking forward to and waiting for Christ’s return for nearly two thousand years, only this generation has had the privilege of witnessing the fulfillment of many of the great events He prophesied for the end of time. Now, the times of the Gentiles are drawing to a close. The scriptures promise that there will be early and late spiritual rains before Christ’s second coming. As the gospel of Jesus reaches millions of people every day, the fallen Lucifer and his infernal kingdom have fought against every move of God with intense hatred. More saints of the Kingdom of God have been killed for their witness in the last century than in all nineteen centuries since Pentecost.
Our HOB missionaries have suffered a great loss in the past few days. The persecution suffered by HOB is very much the same as the true saints of God have suffered since the martyrdom of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. I do not know the exact number of HOB missionaries who have been martyred in recent years but it is a great number. HOB’s School of Ministry continues to train new missionaries to replace the martyrs, and so, by the grace of God, the work continues.
The blow HOB suffered in the recent attack was devastating. It took two days for the community to recover, especially the leadership who knew the victims well, but their faith is unwavering, and they are eager to return to missionary work and make the most of the time they have left. Of the 51 who were shot, none survived. Several of these 51 lost their legs, and due to the severity of their injuries, amputation was the only option. These men lost their lives when they bled to death. The remaining wounded missionaries, as well as the widows and children, are in dire need of our prayers. Sister Ikhlas, the wife of Judge Hamoush, is doing her utmost to bring them together and begin training 50 widows to take over the work their husbands, the officers who were killed for refusing to abandon Jesus, had been doing.
There are still at least 20,000 new believers waiting their turn to join the House of Blessing School of Ministry. There is another reason why the loss of leaders at this time is so important. Omar and the remaining leaders are trying to reorganize, and in addition to everything else they are currently doing, they are redistributing the responsibility of the remaining HOB missionary leaders in Iran to educate as many people as possible at once in the eastern, central, and western regions of the country. Omar is presently returning from northern Iran with Shahbandar and Morteda.
A little over three weeks have now passed since the end of Ramadan, and we still have much work to do before Eid al-Adha (see note at the end of this report), which falls on May 27. Despite limited resources, the fate of souls hangs in the balance, and as in every year, the House of Blessing will consider this Muslim feast as possibly the last before the Lord calls His people to Him. If this is not the result of the evangelistic effort before Muslims go on their pilgrimage on the Hajj and follow Jesus as Lord, then at least every missionary will know that they have done their utmost. This is the same attitude that all true followers of Jesus should have. Our Lord’s return is near, and it is important that we be engaged in the message of our Heavenly Father.
I realize that talking about the end times and the imminent return of Jesus Christ is not a common topic in many Christian circles, especially in the Western Church. It is a shame! Many have become so complacent that they no longer truly yearn for Jesus’ return. Personally, I believe that this not only saddens our Lord but will also cause Him to allow very difficult events to occur as harsh warnings. The door of the ark is about to close, and now is the time to wake up! There is a reason why the Bible speaks of those who have a genuine love for the return of our Lord. This is because many of God’s people are enamored with the world around them. Many Christians have lost their first love — and perhaps they don’t even realize it. It’s truly sad.
Since we know we will all stand before our Lord soon, let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in making the best use of our time. We cannot leave this to others. It was God’s will to place each of us in this generation, indeed, at the end of time. What a great honor — and what a weighty responsibility!
I want to thank everyone who prays for the House of Blessing. I also want to thank everyone who has donated generously. May God bless every prayer and multiply every dollar. We worship a great God! Every dollar goes toward the work of the missionaries. There are no paid employees at the house of Blessing; everything they do is by faith in the Lord of the harvest. We are in the end times, and we ask for your prayers for us to open as many schools and educational centers as possible.
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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A second report was received from Dr. Nibras on April 13, 2026.
Peace be with you, brother Jack. Sheikh Zakaria and I have been praying for some time, and I have been thinking about how often these attacks on the brothers and sisters occur. Over the years, there have been stories of Gospels being provided and distributed, numerous accounts of souls being converted, stories describing some of the horrors witnessed and experienced by the HOB missionaries, and, of course, the stories of the hundreds of missionaries who are martyred each year.
Some of these stories are more compelling than others, thanks to their unique accounts of miracles in the lives of individuals. However, most of the true stories contain general information. These stories often include a list of the number of people attending HOB’s School of Ministry courses, the number of people gathering in various locations to hear the missionaries’ sermons and teachings, and, of course, usually an account of those who have participated in the prayer of repentance since the last news. Then, it is my duty to inform you of the truth about those who have given their lives for their witness to Jesus Christ.
While Sheikh Zakaria and I were deep in prayer, I heard a voice from inside the tent, a man of brilliant light, asking a question. The question was surprising and unexpected, but he asked Zakaria and me, “What motivates you?” Because I was preparing my thoughts and praying with him, asking God for salvation and more births of new believers, and for the Lord to provide us with sufficient Gospels and booklets, I knew I would include God’s question in this. But first, I had to answer the question for my Lord and this angel myself.
“In light of the fact that the universe itself has a limited value, what is the value of the soul?” The situation we found ourselves in was overwhelming and as we did not know how to answer, the angel disappeared. As limited humans, I am not sure we can fully comprehend the value of a soul. When Adam and Eve, the first parents of humanity disobeyed their Creator in the Garden of Eden and brought death into a perfect environment, God showed them that He had ordained a predetermined rescue for them and for all humanity. In fact, God had ordained this rescue before the creation of the earth. What is this rescue? The only sufficient sacrifice is the pure, perfect, and redeeming Lamb of God, Christ, the Savior of the world. Had God not intervened and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, the fate of all humanity would have been destruction! So — what is the value of the human soul? It seems that the human soul was so precious in God’s eyes that He provided redemption for it through the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Galatians:
3Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5
Many new believers have been freed from misleading Eastern sects such as Shi’ism, Liberation Islam, and Slavophiles, from the clutches of witchcraft and sorcery, and from the touch of evil spirits. This liberation from Satan’s grasp comes from an expression of complete surrender to the will of Christ Jesus. Material possessions no longer held any value, and careers were placed in the Lord’s hands with great joy! This was not considered a sacrifice, for the joy was immense!
I fear that a large part of the Church today has lost that joy and complete surrender to the Lord’s will. True missionaries still give their lives to convert the lost, yet when we hear their testimonies about the greatness of what God is doing among them and their accounts of real events, people dismiss them as mere fables and programs rather than the lost souls being gained into God’s kingdom. God’s question was once again, “What moves us?”
Are we moved when we hear about those who were lost and are now part of God’s family? Are we moved when we hear about miracles in the fields of evangelism, or do we immediately wonder if the stories are exaggerated? Do we even doubt God’s ability to do such things today? Are we touched when we hear about the great financial needs of these missionaries — people just like us, called to live by faith alone? Does it sometimes make us wonder if God is asking us to distribute what has been entrusted to us in a different way than we had planned? Is this a question we ever ask ourselves?
For the House of Blessing, the recent attack that took the lives of many of our new leaders was a devastating blow. But the Lord was faithful, encouraging the missionaries and giving them the courage and desire to return immediately to the field of evangelism to which God had called them. It was a terrible blow, but God is greater than any attack by Satan. In fact, the widows asked these men to train them to do the same work their husbands had done when they were killed! These brave men and their love for their Christ are greater than any fear they have of those who want to kill them! Praise be to God for their faith!
Since the start of the attack three days ago, the missionaries have been working tirelessly to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible. During these days, they sleep very little, as most of the evangelism work is done during the cool night hours. So, as the daytime heat intensifies, they try to get some rest before returning to work again.
Each brother in the House of Blessing has his own individual responsibilities. Many of them meet with large groups of new believers. In my last phone call with Omar, he provided me with lists of several groups spread throughout Iran. Examples of those attending these mass meetings include a list of attendees that I cannot list here. Sister Ikhlas and the fifty women who assist her (those who just lost their husbands) have also met with over 2,500 people in the fields to evangelize during these last few days. The leaders of these meetings encourage the believers, affirm the word of God, and continue to train them in missionary work. Please don’t forget us in your prayers. Several mosques in northern Iran are currently being renovated to serve as teaching spaces for students. The brothers have sold everything they own to support the teaching and prepare the classes in secret. Please pray for them. As always there is a continuing great need for teaching booklets and Bibles.
His Servant Forever,
Dr. Nibras
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I find it truly hard to fathom the commitment of these 51 women whose husbands had just been so brutally murdered. As I was told, all these women and their children had already been taught all the things they had learned during their intensive training classes. These women are now taking the place of their husbands in order for their ministry to continue. Dr. Nibras has described Judge Hamoush’s wife, Ikhlas, as another Mufida — who after all these years is still mightily serving the Lord. Amazing!
Thank you all for your prayers and support for the House of Blessing. I know, your relative number is small in light of the extent of HOB’s reach in the Middle East, but God continues to multiply what comes in. It is the Lord of the harvest that is bringing the increase both, in supply and also the harvest of souls. Praise God.
Incidentally, I have received a report from Omar which also refers to the 51 men who were lost. I will include that as the first report in the next Mideast Update.
Forever in His Service, Jake (aka Jack)