We often find it interesting that a group of people can hear the same truth spoken, in identical fashion, but half will accept the truth and believe, while the other half will reject it? We wonder if it could be because of a difference in personalities and background, and maybe that is part of the reason.
When it comes to the mysteries of the kingdom of God, all people must hear. But, those mysteries will not be understood solely through human intellect. I suppose that explains why so many of our greatest geniuses, for all their intellectual prowess, could not discern the things of God which cannot be known by human logic or scientific discovery. It has to come through revelation, and that is only given to seeing eyes and hearing ears. People who are inclined to learn of God will learn; but people who are inclined to explain Him away will remain utterly mystified and in the dark.
What a privilege it is to have access to the One who is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. The mysteries of the universe are given to the humble of heart who choose to seek Him out. The ones who desire to meet God on HIS terms, not on their own, will have divine mysteries opened up to them. What a privilege; what a treasure! I heard it described like this: “We are no more entitled to glimpse divine mysteries than a vagrant is to sit in the Oval Office and discuss policy.” Yet we’ve been given a glimpse anyway! We have been given the privilege of seeking Him out, getting to know Him, love Him, and worship Him.
On to the House of Blessing…
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This report below came from Dr. Nebras on May 9, 2026.
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack, and upon all the beloved of Jesus. I just wanted to reassure you that I arrived this morning in eastern Iran and I am personally overseeing the situation of the brothers. The situation is very, very bad. Their hearts could stop at any moment; they are in a coma. We pray to our Lord to touch their hearts so that they may be healed. We ask only for your prayers. This passage came to mind, which describes our situation:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
As I write today, I have gathered the details of this event from several phone calls I received last night from the House of Blessing in northern Iran. My call came from a location near the border with Azerbaijan and brought me both sad and good news that I wish to share with you who have developed an interest in, and even love for, the members of the House of Blessing.
As I mentioned, this month is special for Muslims all over the world. During this month, followers of the Prophet Muhammad fast every Monday and Thursday and perform the obligatory prayers. Many also go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. While Jesus has not yet removed His faithful followers from the earth, He has appeared to Muslims all around the world, either in dreams or in visions. As a result, the world has witnessed a great conversion of Muslims who have finally found the secret of eternal life: Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was God incarnate.
The heartbreaking news is that we have heard of those who were brutally murdered. At least 72 HOB volunteer missionaries, trained by Pastor Abdelrahem over the past two months, have been killed. This comes after the deaths of others in the previous week and before that. However, the number of those who have converted to Christ and decided to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ seems countless. Those who have found Christ are spread throughout the Middle East, numbering over a million, thanks to this clandestine ministry alone. The true number of converts in the Middle East is much higher, as there are many other ministries that carry out the same mission as the House of Blessing; spreading the love of Jesus among Muslims.
A report from the Middle East last night stated that the House of Blessing reached at least 1,177 families (in one region alone) who converted to Christianity in the first few days of May 2026. It is worth noting that families in the Shia Muslim world often have large numbers of children; it is common for a single family to have 7 to 11 children! Extended families are very large. Most of these families reached in the past few days are located in areas controlled by the Islamic State, (ISIS) or “Daesh” as they now call themselves. As I write this report, I received another call from northern Iran informing me that they have reached another 370 family groups since yesterday’s contact. It is truly astonishing how quickly they are reaping the rewards. This alone is enough to tell us something!
Along with the good news, there was other tragic news. In Iran (in an area within ISIS territory) three of the HOB leaders, Jaafar, Zalatimo, and Dari, were forced in front of all of their students, stripped, raped repeatedly, viciously assaulted and beaten with electric rods. They were left with severe injuries internally and externally. Eight of their assistant teachers were taken by 60 ISIS jihadists and repeatedly raped, and tortured. After exhausting them to the point of death, the men were killed. This reminds me of the days of Lot when all the men of Sodom demanded that the two angels be handed over to them so they could rape them. It is difficult for me to comprehend such events! The missionaries were completely innocent, and they endured the torture of this gang until they died. But now they are in the presence of Jesus, their Creator. There will be no more pain, sorrow, or persecution! They are enjoying perfect peace.
Besides the report of the eight men’s murder, Abdelrahem shared other things the missionaries are running into that are very difficult to stomach. There are also numerous reports of fathers and brothers raping their daughters (sisters). There are also reports of many heads of households who are now killing their family members when they can no longer meet all their material needs. This is beyond the comprehension of many of us; it is beyond our endurance. Satan has revealed his true face, displaying his utter desperation because he knows his time is running out! We must reach as many as possible in these final moments of this age! Note the words written by Timothy:
1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3:1-5
The message of reconciling the lost has nothing to do with counting the number reached; it has to do with celebrating the fact that the lost have literally been saved from the fires of tribulation! A question that has been asked repeatedly must be asked again here: “What is the value of a soul?” For God, every soul was worth the death of the Son of God. This profound and all-encompassing love is difficult to grasp!
The urgent need now is for the power of the Holy Spirit to flow freely in each of these devoted volunteers. They are literally on the front lines, under fire daily. Those killed by a single bullet are the lucky ones. Those who are slowly tortured, then beheaded, crucified, stoned, or beaten to death do not have easy deaths. Yet, God’s grace is always sufficient for them. When human strength and endurance run out, God’s intervention is there. This is why those who face the most horrific and gruesome forms of death can do so with hearts full of hope and joy!
Please continue to pray and trust in the Lord of all creation.
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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I was able to get a few more details about the events above. The brothers, Omar, Aylout, Durgham, and Ma’touq were in severe condition from bullets shot through their chests. As reported before, they were immediately transferred to the care of surgeons that Dr. Nibras trusted and was able to call on. They were located in the region where the men were shot. They were taken to a secure location and surgery was immediately performed. The men were in comas and put on life-sustaining equipment. So, all of HOB prayed and waited, as did people around the world who have prayed for and supported the House of Blessing — many of them for a good many years.
Dr. Nibras decided that no matter how dangerous, he needed to take the long trip and personally oversee the care of the men, as well as many others who had been injured in this horrendous attack. While there, Dr. Nibras recognized three Muslim sheikhs who, along with 2,000 people with them, were on the way to the hajj in Mecca. He began to talk with them and after some discussion, convinced them to read a copy of the Bible he had with him. According to the report I received, the three men had to share the one Bible given to them, but they also had teaching booklets given to them about the Blood of Jesus, the Resurrection, and other subjects. They were so overcome by what they read, they practically fought each other for their turn reading the materials! These men were soon brought to the place where they most enthusiastically gave whatever was left of their lives and eternal destiny into the hands of the One who had died for them! When these sheikhs were told about the four men and why they were on life support, they immediately joined all those praying, asking the Lord to revive and heal the men! Although few others were allowed individual access to the injured men, the three sheikhs were allowed to go in. It just happened to be while they were in the room that the Lord woke the men up. From what I was told, it was a beautiful sight to see these Shiite sheiks, newly reborn, shouting, crying, and praising God as Dr. Nibras prayed: “O Jesus, let them recover as You did when You returned to life, and raise them from the dead as You raised Lazarus.”
Of the 2,000 people who had planned on going on the pilgrimage to Mecca with the sheikhs, a large number became believers because of the testimony of their sheikhs. Others, however, rejected the message and made quite the disturbance. But because of the obvious miracle that was happening, many of those who had earlier rejected the Gospel, recognized the deception they had been under their entire lives and made the choice to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord! Praise God!
One more unexpected development was that these three sheikhs, Abu Ziyad, Abu Abed, and Al-Takrouri, decided to give all the money that was going to be spent on the hajj and donate it to help fund the printing of more Bibles and teaching booklets. They donated about $20,000. What a series of miracles!
As for the brothers, they had a lot of stitches needing to be removed, but they are off the machines and functioning on their own.
As most readers already know, in that same attack, many were killed outright when the militants entered, firing their machine guns indiscriminately into the crowd where the teachers and students were gathered. There were of course also a great many injured, including Sister Ikhlas (Judge Hamous’ widow) and a number of other sisters who tried to protect her and were doused with acid and viciously beaten and stabbed. Ikhlas was stabbed and slashed more than 20 times and would have died on the spot if others had not intervened. Reports are that she has also been taken into a secure location, along with others who were injured. Their abuse has caused severe internal injuries. One of the amazing things is that, even though Sister Ikhlas cannot yet be moved, many of the women she was training will not leave her. They sleep in her room and bathe her with prayer. During hours that she is awake, she teaches them from the Scriptures.
Such details are hard to read but we who still live in relative freedom need to be aware of the price these brave folks pay to share the Gospel in very difficult areas. Knowing something of the injuries also helps us to have some idea of how to pray specifically.
Dr. Nibras also said that the three sheikhs who just became believers feel that the Lord is directing them to go to the hajj on their own–not as a pilgrimage, but rather to share the Good News of the Gospel. That takes courage, and they will need to confirm that it truly is the Holy Spirit directing them to do this because the danger will be unimaginable.
In conclusion, thank you all for your prayers and support. In spite of how hard the HOB leadership has been hit, they keep rearranging things and the work of the ministry continues. The printing press is also continuing to print hundreds of Bibles and many thousands of teaching booklets. This is all due to the Lord’s provision and your generosity. Thank You!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)