In place of sharing a short commentary of my own, which I usually do at the beginning of most Mideast Updates, I will defer to something Pastor Abdelrahem shared just a few days ago as an introduction to today’s update.
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I would like to share some thoughts that the Lord has just inspired in me. These thoughts will be a source of comfort to those experiencing persecution and hardship in the Middle East, as well as to those facing the difficulties we all encounter in these oppressive countries.
The trials, problems, troubles, and disasters that God allows to affect our lives are meant to draw us closer to his plans for us; more precisely, to draw us closer to him. He is always seeking a deeper impact, a transformation, growth, and outcome that goes beyond simply resolving the immediate problem or overcoming a particular hardship. He does not waste these times of suffering on our part. Until the trial fulfills its purpose of transforming us, its benefit remains in the hands of His mercy and compassion. There is a reward at the end of every trial. This is obviously when relief arrives, but also, if the trial has served its purpose, a lasting change in the way we live. Ultimately, if it is to make a real difference in what truly matters, it will draw us closer to Him, increase our dependence on Him, strengthen our trust in Him, and deepen our certainty of His love. Focusing on what is happening will cause us to kneel and beg Him for relief. He hears those prayers and has an answer prepared for them. But focusing on what He is doing through the trial will take us to His side, to the throne of His grace, and draw us closer to His purpose for us, making us more and more like Him, drawing us into His presence, teaching us to pray according to his will, changing our perspective, growing our trust, and binding us more closely to him.
Any problem we face that doesn’t cause or require us to “die” a little to find relief is a wasted effort. Do we focus on the enormity of the problem, or do we focus on the greatness of our God?
We must turn to the Lord alone in everything, for He is our Savior. Many, my brother, Jack, have turned to the Lord Jesus and found salvation, love, and peace of mind and heart when they embraced the words of the Gospel through educational booklets. It is a great honor and a great reward for them to know the truth and the true Lord of this universe. My brother Jack, I ask you to pray for us so that we may continue to guide souls and protect our widowed sisters from the hands of the enemies of the Lord.
The Apostle James said these words: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-5
Abdelrahem, and the brothers with me
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This message is from Dr. Nibras and a number of the brothers. It was received on July 11, 2026.
Peace be with you, brother Jack. We have conducted extensive research with elders and religious leaders who have expressed interest in how biblical prophecies relate to current events, particularly how they impact the work of the HOB missionaries.
The world is currently witnessing a remarkable event: since 2017, when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, declared Jeusalem the ancient historical capital of Jewish people, it is now the capital of the modern State of Israel. While this declaration is significant, it is in fact a continuation of a series of momentous events prophesied by the Old Testament prophets thousands of years ago, which will unfold before the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Given the circumstances we live in today, it is no surprise that Jerusalem is at the center of conflict. The prophet Zechariah described what he saw coming at the end of times:
1The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” Zechariah 12:1-3
Despite the sincerity of President Trump’s words, the situation in the Middle East will not improve. The conflict over Jerusalem will continue to escalate. Talk of peace will persist, and peace plans will be put forward for consideration, but ultimately, only the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, will bring true peace — not only to Jerusalem and the Middle East, but to the entire world.
The conflict surrounding Jerusalem today, which will intensify in the coming days, extends to encompass the entire Middle East. Although the House of Blessing missionaries do not know the details of how the biblical prophecies around them will be fulfilled, they are fully aware that the time for God’s mercy is rapidly running out. With this understanding, they strive to bring the good news of God’s forgiveness, made possible by the blood of Jesus, to as many souls as possible. This is sometimes done through preaching.
Missionaries also find many opportunities to spread God’s love among people in practical ways. This always opens the door to telling them about the true Christ, who was crucified and rose from the dead two thousand years ago for the sins of the world. Missionaries work long hours each day praying for people. In doing so, they rely entirely on God to protect them from harm.
Working as “hunters of men” in hostile regions, such as the heart of the Islamic world, is very different from graduating from a seminary in the West. In the West, graduates eagerly look forward to any opportunity God opens for them to serve. These graduates in the Middle East, however, will enter the lion’s den directly, memorizing the Bible thoroughly if it is available to them, and going forth with unwavering faith. None of them receive a salary or support; all they have is what God provides, whether it be food, clothing, or even a Bible. Bibles are always scarce. And teaching booklets. Please pray for us, brother Jack.
I would like to draw your attention to a passage from the Bible, Psalm 2 that has been referred to previously, but it fits the situation perfectly today. It is a wonderful psalm, but today I will only apply the first three verses to our current topic.
1Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? 2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast their cords from us.”
Today, we are living in the perilous times that the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about. The god of this world knows that his time is drawing to a close, and that those who choose to rebel against their Creator will find themselves under the control of a diabolical being who harbors a hatred for humanity that none of us can imagine. This diabolical hatred is directed especially at the Jewish people. The Jewish descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are God’s chosen people. They were chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. Christ will save them from the all-out attack launched by Satan with the combined armies of the world in the valley of Megiddo. Satan intends to annihilate the Jewish race and erase all trace of them. Isn’t this what Adolf Hitler tried to do? Isn’t this what Ali Khamenei, and now his son, the Supreme Leader of Iran, have threatened? Isn’t this also the slogan of the radical Islamic groups spread throughout the world, especially those close to Israel, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Shiites of Iran, and the Shiites of Yemen? They all say that every memory of the Jewish people will be wiped from this world. But God is in conflict with them! The prophet Ezekiel gives us a description of God’s response to the threat facing Israel from Russia and its Islamic allies in our time. This is what was revealed to Ezekiel to write:
18And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. 19For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken… Ezekiel 38:18-19
The satanic endeavor to drive God’s chosen people from the land He gave them, and indeed from the face of the earth altogether, will not end until Jesus returns and the world is restored. Until then, the events Jesus warned us about at the end of the age will continue and the pangs of the tribulation will intensify. We, as a church, cannot change the course of the world, but we can fulfill the mission God has called us to in this life, and we can do it to the fullest. We all long to hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! Welcome to the joy of your Master!”
Please remember HOB in your daily prayers. We worship a God who answers prayers. Your brothers and sisters in the faith, servants of the Lord,
Dr. Bandis, Dr. Nibras, Ma’touq, and Aylout Eban, Mortada, Shahbandar, and Omar
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On July 15, 2026 the report below was received from Dr. Nibras
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack. I just want to explain something important to those who love the Lord: to what extent does God intervene in human affairs? Some understand God as an all-powerful being who created the heavens and the earth, but abandoned the earth and its inhabitants long ago to their fate. But the Bible tells us otherwise. History continued to unfold as the prophets of the Old Testament foretold thousands of years ago. God’s intervention is not limited to human affairs in general, but extends to His personal relationships with them. Here is what King David, the author many of the Psalms, wrote:
1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. 4You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. 5Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes! 6Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.
16I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget your word. 17Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep your word. 18Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119: 1-6; 16-18
The preceding passage, and many others, tell us of God’s profound knowledge of his followers. He is never surprised by anything that happens to us in life, whether good or bad. He also promises that everything will unfold according to his will, even if we often do not like the path we are taking. King Solomon wrote a proverb that points to God’s absolute control over our personal lives: “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Now here is an interesting story that just unfolded in the last few days. A group of four sheikhs, along with their assistants, came across a Bible study session being held by the House of Blessing for a large number of new believers. The session was being taught by four HOB teachers: Sheikh Lutfi and Sheikh Azazmeh from Mosul, Iraq, and Abu Haikal and Abu Al-Maati from Kirkuk, Iraq, with the help of their assistants. After listening to the Bible study for some time, the four men asked permission to attend for an additional day or two. This was a miracle in itself, given the stature of these Muslim teachers. But after the four men had spent two days listening to the teachings, they came to the teachers asking them to pray with them so that they might meet Jesus Christ and have their sins forgiven. That was another miracle!
These four sheikhs were baptized and then continued attending the classes, determined to complete the entire course. Shortly before finishing, these new believers decided to return temporarily to their original mosques to bear witness to the men whom they had themselves been teaching for many years. However, they did not inform the HOB teachers of their plans.
These four men — Sheikh Saddam, Sheikh Dhafer, Sheikh Hazza, and Sheikh Abed — collectively had more than 30,000 men attending their mosques weekly in the Samarra region and the Hilla area between Karbala and Najaf (just south of Baghdad, Iraq. Hillah is the capitol of the Babylon governate). These men were warmly welcomed when they gave their testimonies, recounting their stories in full, including how they found Jesus Christ to be the true Messiah and how they are now learning everything they can from the Bible as quickly as possible. They also apologized for teaching them falsehoods, as they had not known the truth until then. The men in the mosques did not object to any of this.
However, news of the men’s testimony spread, and tragedy struck when they left to return to their classes. A student from the HOB School of Ministry witnessed the moment they were abducted by several members of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, forced into a car, and taken to an unknown location. I met with Zalatimo, Jafaar, Bahrain, Sheikh Kharbatli, and Dadah and we have prayed earnestly for these abducted men.
When the gunmen abducted the men, they took them to an unknown location and held them in a cave. There, the gunmen began torturing them horribly to force them to renounce their newfound faith in Jesus Christ. Remember, these men had only been believers for about a week before their abduction. They were beaten, starved, and subjected to physical torture, including having their fingernails pulled out, being burned multiple times, and being repeatedly sexually assaulted. Time and again, the men told their captors that no matter what they did to them, they would never renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the true Messiah. They were brought to the brink of death many times during those two days.
Finally, their captors flew into a rage and decided to kill them in the most gruesome way possible. They brought venomous snakes and released them on our Christian brothers, who were bound with ropes and had no means to defend themselves. As the snakes slithered toward them, all they could do was raise their hands in prayer to the One who was about to receive their souls. At that moment, the snakes suddenly turned and attacked the twenty militants in the cave, killing more than half of them before they could escape. The snakes then vanished. There was a barrier that prevented the snakes from approaching the sheikhs, and a brilliant, radiant light shone through.
The two fighters who were still alive and had not escaped ran towards the sheikhs, trembling with fear. They set them free and begged forgiveness for what they had done to them. Then they fled, fearing that the snakes would return and kill them too!
These four new brothers were finally free, but they couldn’t go anywhere on their own. God then arranged for them to receive help from several special men (saved Muslim sheikhs) who were directed through prayer as to where to find them. They gave them aid and prayed them through the worst of their ordeal.
The prayer now is that the two ISIS militants, who will never forget what they witnessed, will find their way to Christ Jesus as their Savior. God has kept them alive for a reason. Forgiveness is available even to them. The power of Jesus’ blood is sufficient to forgive their sins.
Brother Jack, please continue to pray for us and for our brothers and sisters in Syria. I am on my way to them and will update you with their news. However, I received a call from Pastor Abdelrahem asking me to follow up with Al-Hanini on the latest news regarding our brothers in Iraq.
His servant, Dr. Nibras
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As you can see, the House of Blessing missionaries have their hands full. It is especially busy for the leaders. Dr. Nibras has been traveling long distances in order to help treat the injured HOB missionaries in the different locations. It is also easy to see that the enemy of our souls is going all out to stamp out the Christian testimony. He will fail, but HOB needs our earnest prayer support and finances to continue printing Bibles and teaching booklets. I am aware that this is being said at the end of every Mideast Update, but that is because it is true. The number of souls being reached speaks for itself.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I received an interesting thought from a friend who was reading the latest update. She said that some years ago, she was helping with an offering plate at a women’s retreat. After the plate was filled and she turned to hand it to the one in charge, the Lord spoke a word to her. He told her that the money, as soon as it leaves the givers’ fingers, was His. He said He would blow on it and His breath would take it to the place of need and that it would multiply over and over. It was full of life from His directed breath.
Isn’t that an amazing promise? That promise has nothing to do with the size of an offering. It has to do with the obedience of the giver. God is the One who provides the increase… again and again and again. Praise God!
The appears the last grains of sand in God’s Great Timer are dropping. The Church Age is drawing to a quick close. ‘Watch and Pray’ as Jesus said. We’re going home SOON!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)