Most of us have read the Old Testament story of how God provided manna from heaven for the Israelites as they traveled through the desert wilderness on their way from Egypt to Canaan. We have read how God provided food for Elijah in the desert by way of the ravens. We are familiar with the New Testament accounts of Jesus multiplying a small boy’s lunch to feed 5,000 men plus the women and children. Then there was the account of Him doing the same, this time with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish when about 4,000 were fed. In this update, I have an account to share that is a bit different. It is, in fact, rather unique.
In my previous update, I shared the story of what happened with the brothers who, after a stunning miracle of healing before over 500 attendees in a mosque, were tied up, severely beaten, and then dragged off to a mountain cave not far from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison just west of Baghdad. After another obvious healing of a jihadist who had been struck with leprosy after he had killed a newly-saved much loved sheik and his family, he and all of his subordinate militant leaders plus at least an additional 50 extremists accepted Jesus as their Savior. This led to all seven of the HOB brothers being released, though the militants had originally intended to crucify all seven of them. Their unexpected release has laid the groundwork for the first of today’s incredible stories.
I received an email from Omar telling of how he, Shahbandar, Murtada, and the other kidnapped brothers were invited to a mosque in Alexandria, Iraq, which is just a little way south of Baghdad. He was invited to speak to the people gathered there. Al-Hanini also met them there because he had been in contact with Omar and knew everything that had happened. The brothers also had the militant leader with them who had been healed of leprosy and then led to the Lord Jesus.
There were at least 650 people gathered in the mosque as the brothers spoke to the people. Included in their testimonies was the story of the man who had been healed of leprosy. They introduced him before the crowd but the people did not believe that the healing was real because they had not seen him in his afflicted condition. Omar and the brothers shared the Gospel with the people anyway and then prayed for them.
About that time, three of the sheikhs from the mosque, Sheikh Azzar, Sheikh Matour, and Sheikh Al-Fakhouri challenged Omar, hoping to prove them to be frauds and make fools out of them. The sheikhs carried out a large blanket with about 80 loaves of moldy green bread in it. The sheikhs challenged Omar to do something miraculous with the bread. As Omar thought about it and prayed silently, he asked the men to bring a sheet or cloth. He said it didn’t matter what color the cloth was. Once they brought the sheet, he laid it over the moldy bread and began to pray. Omar asked the Lord to bless this bread as He did more than once in the Galilee. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and within ten minutes steam began coming through the cloth as well as the aroma of baking bread. When they lifted the cloth, all the loaves appeared as freshly baked bread. The aroma went clear through the mosque. There was no one there that could deny what had just happened! So, they took the freshly baked “heavenly” bread and distributed it among all 650 people in the mosque to eat. The end result was that all three of the sheikhs who challenged Omar committed their lives to Jesus, as did the majority of the people who saw the miracle and then partook of the freshly baked loaves. I don’t know about you as you read this story, but I’d like to have been there myself! It’s easy enough to read a story like this but can you imagine being put into a crucible like that first?
You are the God who does wonders; You have declared your strength among the peoples. Psalm 77:14
The second report I received was from Sheikh Hael. He, Ershad, Saftawi, Dr. Nibras and a few others were on their way to see Abdelrahem by bus. While they were traveling, they fell asleep. Suddenly they heard one of the men near them begin to shout. He was saying something like, “It’s close, it’s so close! The end is coming! The end is so near, so near! Wake up people! The end is near, soon, soon!”
It took a minute but Hael finally realized that the man was having some kind of a vision. He and the brothers went to talk with him and maybe pray for him. They found that the man was totally blind. He had been employed by the former regime and had been blinded by an explosion. The man literally could not see a thing. Hael noticed that there was a Bible near one of his hands and Hael asked the blind man if he had touched the book. When they took the Bible and put it into his hands, he opened it and began feeling it with his fingers. Twice he ran his fingers over the pages and said nothing. But on the third time, he started reading the script under his fingers. But, how could he? He was blind! The man then explained what was happening. He said that as he ran his fingers over the letters, the letters stood out from the page and he was able to decipher them!
Others on the bus told the brothers they should leave the man alone because he was just an especially blessed poor man, but Hael and the brothers laid hands on him and prayed for him to be healed of his blindness. As they prayed, his eyes opened a little bit at a time. As they continued praying, his eyes were completely healed and he exclaimed, “I can see!!” Praise God!
Hael had this to say about what happened:
“My brother Jack, we do not know this man at all, but for him and others to ride with us by chance, this is an appointment from the Lord to heal and for people to believe in Jesus and for him to see the light again. All of this is the Lord’s plan, not ours. We are given the opportunity to gain a fresh vision of God. We lose our sight, we gain a vision of God we would never have chosen on our own, and we learn to walk by faith in that vision and not by our own senses, capacities, or experience. We have to lose our sight to gain a vision.”
Hael
***************
The third report I received this week was from Abdelrahem. He reported that he and many of the brothers had arrived in Raqqa. While there, he baptized many who had not been baptized yet, either because there was not readily available water, or they just had no opportunity yet. People came from great distances to hear Abdelrahem preach and then watched the baptism. There were approximately 780 in attendance. The crowd included many teachers, students, leaders, and women.
During this great preaching, prayer, and worship service, many of the sheikhs sang the Word of God by memory. They also wept over their past, regretting the time that had been lost while they were under a religious deception. They were, however, grateful for the Lord’s forgiveness. They felt very blessed now to know Jesus and the power of His Word. Tears were also shed and people prayed for forgiveness and repented of their shortcomings. They asked for strength to spread the Gospel as far and wide as possible. This is something everyone wholeheartedly agreed upon.
One of the things that Abdelrahem emphasised is the nearness of the Lord’s return for His own. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the crowd. As this was happening, 12 white doves and one cardinal flew into the building and went up into the rafters of the mosque. They did not leave until the entire service was over. It seems rather significant in light of the fact that Abdelrahem had come to Raqqa with twelve of the sheikhs who had become leaders in the work of the ministry of the House of Blessing. Their names are Hidmi, Fishawi, Bazlamit, Hael, Ershad, Bakwati, Saftawi, Haj Shuman, Whadan, Tubje, Bukhari, and Habruman. In reference to the presence of the doves, Abdelrahem taught the people with these words::
“Jesus tells His followers to exercise whatever wise shrewdness they can to avoid conflict and danger without losing the dove-like innocence that will allow them to continue to proclaim the truth without fear. It will be a hard balance to keep, but it will be necessary for the mission to be successful.”
After this, there was a great meal prepared. Al-Saftawi described the event in his own words (with very minimal editing on my part for clarity):
“Hello our brother Jack, I am Al-Saftawi and all the brothers, sheikhs, and our great teacher, Abdelrahem — who is a father to us, a man like none other — a man who lives up to the calling upon his life. The Lord gave him this position because, whatever he has in his hand, is not considered his own, but the Lord’s.
We are now blessing the food. Vegetables, soup, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and parsley. We are feeding over 800 people, all because of the blessing of the Lord. Please pray for us that we can continue to gain the favor of the people we try to bless with the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who will guide them into His light and all Truth.”
Saftawi
**************
Saftawi then included a list of what they used for the preparations:
Three 5-kilo bags of potatoes, 10 kilos of zucchinis, 10 kilos carrots, 6-7 kilos of bread which was divided up and passed around to the whole crowd. (Note: A kilo is about 2.2 pounds.) Saftawi said that they continue to pour the soup into people’s bowls but the level of soup in the pots does not decrease! The people come in long lines and as people come through, the Lord blesses it and increases what is available. We have never had a meal like this and in our lives, we have never seen such a blessing from the Lord. Jesus’ goodness to the people will not be forgotten. The food was described as very tasty.. People are surprised at the generosity and love they find in knowing Jesus!
In closing this update, I will share an observation Abdelrahem shared with me about the hearts of people:
Know that hearts are of three types, steadfast in good and evil, and fluctuating between them:
-
- The first heart: A heart nourished by piety, purified by spiritual discipline, and cleansed of wicked morals. Thus, thoughts of goodness flow from the treasures of the unseen, and the Angel provides it with guidance and power of the Gospel.
-
- The second heart: A heart betrayed, charged with desires, infiltrated by evils, and polluted by reprehensible morals. The power of Satan grows stronger within it due to its vast space, while the power of faith weakens. The heart fills with the smoke of desires, devoid of light, and becomes like an eye filled with smoke, unable to see, and neither admonition or exhortation is effective.
-
- The third heart: A heart in which the thought of desires begins, leading it to evil. Then, the thought of faith follows, calling it to good and doing good through the Gospel, the Book of Truth.
Abdelrahem also sent a closing thought that I will share with all of you:
Hello Brother Jack:
“Today we prayed together and it was a pleasant session. We wished you were with us to participate in preaching, guidance and prayer for the people. However, we are sad for those who passed away, relatives of Hael and Ershad, but they are with the Lord. There is no sadness for them and no fear after today. They are but secured because they knew the path of truth and the right path that we walk on with the light of the Gospel. The path will soon end because Christ is coming. We have almost reached the end of the path, brother Jack. Pray for us to remain steadfast on the truth and for it to continue.”
Abdelrahem
**************
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Many of you received messages or emails for special prayers a few days ago. This was just before the trip Abdelrahem took with the twelve special men listed above and of course many hundreds of others from long distances. God answered your prayers in more than one way, as you can see by the special baptismal service in Raqqa and all that happened that day. Praise God! Please keep the needs of the ministry in your heart and if the Lord lays it on your heart to help with the cost of printing Bibles and teaching booklets, please inquire at one of the email addresses below. God Bless You All.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)
So awesome! Praise God!