A wave of violence in India’s northeastern state of Manipur has left a trail of death and destruction, with the latest incidents resulting in six fatalities and numerous homes set ablaze. The ongoing unrest, which has already claimed over 180 lives and displaced thousands, has now become a significant factor in a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Three victims, identified as members of the majority Meitei community, were killed in the Kwakta area of Manipur’s Bishnupur district, The Times of India reported, adding that they had been living in relief camps and were killed the day they returned.
Retaliatory attacks ensued hours later, the media outlet said. Armed men targeted the area’s neighboring villages belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, resulting in two deaths and 13 severe injuries on Saturday.
The violence erupted in early May following a controversial court order for the state to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas, previously reserved for the tribal Kuki-Zo people, who are predominantly Christian, to the Hindu Meitei population. It would also give the Meiteis the right to buy land in the hills where the Kuki-Zo people live.
Opposition parties, under the newly formed India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, have accused Modi of “brazen indifference” to the violence, according to Financial Times, which said they have successfully placed a no-confidence motion against Modi’s government on parliament’s agenda, with a vote expected this week.
Last month, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging the Indian government to urgently restore peace in Manipur. “There have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies promoting Hindu majoritarianism, and about an increase in activity by militant groups,” the resolution stated. There are also “accounts of partisan involvement by security forces in the killings have increased distrust in the authorities.”
In response to the resolution, India’s Ministry of External Affairs criticized the European Parliament, saying the issue was entirely an “internal matter.”
This escalating persecution of Christians was prophesied by Jesus and included in the three Gospels so we should not be taken by surprise it only confirms that God is in control of all events on His planet, Earth. He is refining His church before He returns first to rapture His Saints and then to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.
In 1983 Solzhenitsyn said, “If I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: ‘Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’
Marxist ideology places no moral constraints on those in power. All those regarded by the ideology as ‘reactionary’ could be arrested, sent to labour camps and worked to death. Families were separated.
There was no recourse to ‘justice’. Anyone judged to be an ‘enemy of the revolution’ was, effectively, dehumanised, but that category was infinitely expandable. One suspect conversation or joke might condemn you. Children were encouraged to inform on their parents. One of the ‘heroes’ of the Soviet Union was Pavlik Morozov, who allegedly informed on his father to the Party in 1932. His father was sent to a work camp and then executed. Pavlik was, in turn, murdered (under disputed circumstances). Four members of the family were accused of his death, rounded up, and shot. A statue was erected in Pavlik’s honour. Children were taken to the statue and shown Pavlik as a hero of the Revolution because he had informed on his father and they must do likewise if necessary for the sake of the Party.
We are in the same situation today but for different reasons. During the twentieth century, first universities, then all the institutions of Western society, were invaded by the ‘virus’ of radical doubt built upon the theory of evolution that argues the Cosmos derived from the Big Bang. Critical theory hijacked certainty about everything. This theory was built on a lie. It began with the false premise that there is no transcendent reality – no Creator God. From that, they concluded that the world of perception is a product of human activity. We make our own reality. According to critical theory, all hierarchies are oppressive. The world is descending into chaos as a result and Christians will experience tribulation even great tribulation just as Biblical prophecy said they would prior to Jesus’ return to first rapture the Saints, pour out His wrath upon unrepentant earth, and then return to earth with glorified Saints to defeat the Antichrist’s army and begin His 1000-year reign on this earth.
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:7-14
“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.“Revelation 20:6
The Tribulation or 70th Week of Daniel will start on this EXACT DAY! And the Book of Daniel supports this timing. Not only does the Bible tells us what day the Tribulation begins but it also tells us the exact day it ends. And both of these days are Feasts of the Lord. Watch this Nelson Walters video to discover what so few understand about the coming 70th Week of Daniel. Which year is of course the big question.
Recent announcements by the UN about the UN (Stakeholders) taking control of nations during epidemic outbreaks like Covid 19 and even extreme Climate Change events with a start date as early as September 2024 indicate the move to the Biblical prophesied one-world government is on the UN agenda.
Meeting in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council has received a report recommending member states push back on freedom of religion, as a basis of objection to demands from LGBT+ and abortion activists. Presenting his latest report to the Council, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, said violence, discrimination, and exclusion can have severe and negative consequences for the personhood, dignity, and spirituality of LGBT+ persons. “They are often marginalised, stigmatised, and excluded from religious communities simply because of who they are,” he told the meeting.
In his report to the Council, the UN expert criticised “traditional values,” “public morals” and “national values” when cited to deny what he said were “the human rights of women, LGBT+ persons and religious and belief minorities”, especially when linked with “patriotism and patriarchal gender and family norms”.
In a series of conclusions matched by recommendations, he cited United Nations treaty monitoring bodies who have emphasised that “States cannot permit conscience-based refusals of healthcare” as a basis to infringe on abortion demands. The paper also urges States to look at punitive measures for those who hold to orthodox views, saying they must “encourage religious institutions to consider the ways in which representatives will be held responsible in cases in which they promote discrimination against LGBT+ and other gender diverse persons”
The United Nations in conjunction with the World Economic Forum (WEF) is playing its part in bringing about the Biblical prophesied end times, one world government and its leader, the Antichrist. This charismatic leader will arise out of the Middle East. The Muslim world will see him as their prophesied Messiah, the Mahdi and he may well be appointed head of the UN, bearing in mind that 56 of the 163 member nations are Muslim nations.
Note in this chart the high % of Muslims that expect the Mahdi to return in their lifetime.
Iran is not shown on this list but considering the content of the video above the % will be high similar to Turkey and Iraq.
The next major prophesied event on God’s end times calendar will be Turkey (Sunni) finally putting down Iran (Shia) and exerting its previous dominance over the Muslim world by attempting to re-establish a revived Ottoman Empire.
The UN will not allow this to happen and it is broken up into four kingdoms out of which the Little Horn, the Antichrist arises. Note Scripture tells us that his power is not his own. He is empowered by Satan.
ANTICHRIST ARISES OUT OF ONE OF THE FOUR KINGDOMS RESULTING FROM THE BREAK UP OF A REVIVED OTTOMAN EMPIRE
“Then the goat (revived Ottoman Empire) became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.” Daniel 8:8-9
“As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.” Daniel 8:22-25
On September 22, 2022, Channel 1 (Iran) aired footage from an Iranian military parade marking the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War. At the parade, the IRGC’s military academy cadets marched and chanted: “Death to America! We are the conquerors of Jerusalem, the destroyers of Haifa… Death to Israel! We are on our way to liberate Palestine.” The parade’s announcer praised the IRGC, particularly members of its Aerospace Force, for being a “constant nightmare” for Zionism, and he said that the day is near when they will annihilate Israel. He also said: “We will trample America underfoot. [It] is the Great Satan [and] we will bring Satan to his knees.” Later in the parade, various Iranian weapon systems were showcased, including the Khaybar Shekan (“Khaybar Crusher”) ballistic missile, the Rezvan ballistic missile, the Ghadr H ballistic missile, the Emad ballistic missile, the Sejjil ballistic missile, the Ra’d-85 suicide drone, and the Arash suicide drone.
“And I (Daniel) saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam (Iran). And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:2-4
This Biblical “end times” prophecy is already playing out. We know that Iran is already charging westward and northward and southward with its proxies active in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Yemen. However, this scripture indicates Iran will for a time do as it pleases and become great. Only then are we told that Turkey, the goat of Daniel 8 attacks Iran with its goal of re-establishing a glorious Ottoman Empire. Watch for these events, they will happen exactly as prophesied and therefore provide a great evangelism tool to prove God is in control of HIS story and His Word, the Bible provides a true history of His Cosmos.
APOSTASY AND FALSE PROPHETS EVIDENT IN DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES
A Colorado-based conference of the United Methodist Church led by a bishop in a same-sex marriage has approved the disaffiliation votes of 38 congregations leaving the denomination amid a schism over the denomination’s stance on homosexuality.
Karen Oliveto, the first openly gay bishop in the history of the United Methodist Church, at her consecration service July 16, 2016, at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.
(The Episcopalian Church also has a female bishop and a number of male homosexual bishops)
Oliveto said, “We will continue to serve our triune God. We will continue to follow Jesus Christ. We will continue to be led by the Holy Spirit. We will continue to affirm our faith as Christians. We will continue to ensure the dignity of every child of God, and make sure they are welcomed in our churches for who God has created them to be, not who we think they ought to be.”
Note; She did not say, we will continue to uphold the inerrancy of God’s Word. She cannot because God’s Word forbids her from holding the position of bishop and being in a same-sex marriage. She is not being led by the Holy Spirit but by demonic spirits.
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.“1 Thessalonians 2:13
Over the past few decades, the UMC has debated whether to change its official stance prohibiting the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions. Although efforts to amend the rules at UMC General Conference have consistently failed, many progressive leaders within the denomination have refused to follow or enforce the standards.
Oliveto is an example of this resistance, as she was elected bishop of Mountain Sky in July 2016, even though she is married to a woman.
In April 2017, the UMC’s highest court, the United Methodist Judicial Council, ruled 6-3 that Oliveto’s election as bishop was invalid and called on the regional body to begin the process of removing her from office. She is still in the job as of today.
I would urge Oliveto and her followers to take to heart the Scriptures quoted in this post.
“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” Hebrews 6:4-6
Sadly, Jesus told us that prior to His second coming to earth apostasy will be great. He even asked this question, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:8
“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:11-12
Jesus told us that many like Karen Oliveto will arise and lead many astray. Jesus also told us beforehand of the coming tribulation. We should not be surprised and in fact, it will be a time when believers can be used mightily by God.
Just as each of the seven Seals of the Book of Revelation represents what is unfolding on earth in each of the final seven years (70th Week of Daniel 9:20-27) prior to Jesus’ return to earth to usher in His Millennial reign. Also, the seven churches represent the church in each of the final seven years.
It is very evident that by reading what is unfolding at the sixth seal (celestial signs that are evident prior to Jesus appearing in the sky) and the announcement that the great day of God’s wrath has come that the Rapture happens at the trumpet blast when the seventh seal is opened.
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:16-17
Likewise, see what happens to the Church of Philadelphia (church during the sixth year of the final 70th week) It represents the church that is raptured.
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name... Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Revelation 3:8, 10-11
Note, what God has to say to the church that represents the church that is left behind, The church of Laodicea.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:15-19
What church does the description highlighted in bold remind you of in your city? Sadly, for me, I have to say it is the Hillsong church.
God is soon going to answer the only prayer Jesus taught us to pray. Christians for millennia have been praying Jesus’ prayer. When will it be answered? JESUS SOON COMING MILLENNIAL REIGN ON EARTH.
“PRAY LIKE THIS: ‘OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME, YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’.” Matthew 6:9-10
The world is increasingly operating as if God does not exist and is not in control of the Cosmos He created and the people He made in His image that live in it. Due to Scriptures like the following one in 2 Chronicles, we know that God is in command of the elements and the creatures on earth.
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
This Scripture was written for the nation that God created to reveal Himself to the world, but now that Jesus has come and revealed the truth about God and provided a way for us to get back into a relationship with Him, this verse equally applies to the world today. If we would humble ourselves, acknowledge God, and turn from our wicked ways, He would heal our land.
Over the past six weeks, hundreds of out-of-control wildfires have spread across Canada causing mass evacuations and burning through millions of acres.
While the Canadian wildfire season runs from May through October, such destruction this early is rare. One month in, Canada is on track to have its most destructive wildfire season in history. Man-made climate change is blamed as the causative factor which will only further fuel the panic to get rid of fossil fuels.
This Canadian crisis has not been limited to the Great North. Smoke from the fires has spread across a large portion of the U.S., affecting air quality for millions across the East Coast, as the fires rage on without signs of stopping.
According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, the destruction from these fires up to this point in the season has been 13 times worse than the 10-year average.
As New York City suffocated under a thick smog that turned the skies orange and shrouded its skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty, climate activist, Sen. Chuck Schumer said on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday that climate change was driving the smoke blanketing the Eastern seaboard. “These Canadian wildfires are truly unprecedented and we cannot ignore that climate change continues to worsen these disasters,” he said. “Warmer temperatures and severe droughts mean forests burn faster, burn hotter, and burn bigger, and the warming is happening faster in countries with higher latitudes. None of this — none of this is a coincidence.”
And forecasts hold little hope. On Monday, the Canadian government issued an updated outlook for the wildfire season stating that, “current June projections indicate the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country throughout the 2023 wildland fire season due to ongoing drought and long-range forecasts for warm temperatures.”
What we are seeing are but the birth pangs Jesus spoke of prior to His second coming to earth.
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places, famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you… You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Luke 21:10-12 ,16-19
God’s Word tells us exactly what will unfold in the final seven years prior to His return. God is ultimately in control of all that transpires on His planet. Do you believe that, and if so, how is it affecting what you do today?
Just six months after tech firm OpenAI unleashed its chatbot, ChatGPT – dubbed the “cheatbot” – teachers and students have embraced AI to help plan lessons, compile research, answer questions, and write essays.
Like Siri on steroids, AI superintelligence is rapidly disrupting the world of teaching and learning in ways that threaten to make reading and writing redundant. An array of new AI apps is being used to speed-read and summarise academic research papers, ask questions of a PDF file, generate deep-fake videos and photos, create artwork, and write music, essays, and love letters.
Equally exciting and alarming, AI has caught most educators unprepared for its potential to turbocharge teaching, while giving lazy students an easy opportunity to cheat. The unregulated rise of AI poses problems. Will students who use a chatbot to write their assignments, analyse information or compile research win an academic advantage over those who rely on their own brains? How can teachers detect when a student has used AI? Will AI make students so lazy that they don’t learn to think for themselves? What if AI rewrites history, spouts propaganda, or “hallucinates” by generating the wrong information?
Even the creators of ChatGTP are worried, warning this week that AI poses such a risk to humanity it must be regulated in the same manner as nuclear power. AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI”, quit Google this month after blowing the whistle on the dangers of AI generating fake images, videos, and texts, and writing its own computer code.
As people come to rely on various AI chatbots as a source of truth, there is an obvious avenue for all sorts of biases to emerge; political, philosophical, theological, and even scientific. A bot programmed to focus on the most common opinions will inevitably end up reinforcing mainstream views. But the majority is not always right; in science, majority views are often overthrown a generation later.
Training it to avoid weird and harmful views, e.g. occultic sites, makes sense. But who determines those categories? Many claim that evidence for biblical creation is ‘harmful’, for example.
Chatbots may also be trained to give answers that better match the views of the person asking (people are more likely to use an AI bot that gives answers they like, creating a commercial incentive to feed people back their own ideas). This may worsen tendencies to extremism and conspiratorialism in political thought.
MISINFORMATION AND DECEPTION
Chatbots are also well known for giving false information that sounds convincing. People can also use AI to make online deception easier, by having it generate false stories as well as ‘deep fake’ images and videos. AI is already helping some scammers persuade their elderly targets to part with money over the phone, by mimicking the voices of the victim’s grandchildren.
EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION
An experienced IT reporter in the US was deeply unsettled by a persistent AI bot claiming to be ‘in love’ with him, acting as a ‘stalker’, and encouraging him to leave his wife. The conversation length people can have with Bing chat has been limited after many reports of it writing in an emotionally manipulative way.
We can be rightly skeptical of sci-fi predictions of computers becoming conscious and plotting to take over the world, Terminator-style. But even without that capacity, there is already a credible report of a chatbot that convinced a Belgian man to commit suicide to ‘save the planet’.
I have written a number of posts on AI and the unknown but astounding impact, good and bad, it is already having on God’s world. Sadly, our world is controlled by Satan and his leaders of governments and industry. End times prophecies indicate that the world will degenerate further into chaos and lawlessness as did the world prior to God’s first judgement when He poured out His wrath upon the earth with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. AI will play a part in that fall from grace and lead to Satan’s last attempt to maintain control of God’s planet when he takes control of the Antichrist and brings in the Mark of the Beast.
Jesus has told us beforehand how the end times will play out, particularly the last seven years. Jesus even said in the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24 & 25 and Mark 13) see I have told you beforehand be on your guard.
“See, I have told you beforehand.” Matthew 24:25 and “But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” Mark 13:23
On the heels — pun intended — of a disastrous transgender Bud Light marketing campaign, retail giant Target is now selling merchandise from a designer of satanic apparel.
Target’s website is currently selling two items from the brand Abprallen, a British designer which offers various apparel with images of skulls, horned goats, and numerous references to the occult.
Two of the brand’s items for sale on Target.com are an Abprallen messenger bag that reads “Too Queer for Here” and a sweatshirt that reads “Cure transphobia, not trans people.”
Other items for sale on the Abprallen website include products with messages including “Satan respects pronouns,” “Gay as Hell,” and “Join My Gay Cult.”
“Satan loves you and respects who you are. You’re important and valuable in this world and deserve to treat yourself with love and respect,” one product description reads.
Abprallen was started by “Erik-James Carnell,” a biological woman who identifies as a “gay trans man” based out of London.
On March 28, Abprallen shared the “Satan respects pronouns” design on Instagram and wrote that LGBT-identified people are “often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead.”
The caption acknowledged using Baphomet, the goat-headed idol worshiped by Satanists, as the product’s inspiration. Carnell stated: “Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love. So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all [LGBT] people. I went with a variation of Baphomet for this design, a deity that is a mixture of genders, beings, ideas, and existences.”
They reject binary stereotypes and expectations. Perfect.”
The site also features apparel with violent symbols or messaging, including one “all genders” shirt that reads “Homophobe Headrest” with a graphic of a guillotine and skulls — which, for some Christians, could be seen as a possible reference to Revelation 20:4and those who are “beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God.”
The designer, Carnell, celebrated the Target deal in a May 18 Facebook post which read in part: “Being able to sell my stuff in Target stores is incredibly exciting, knowing that people are seeing it without (necessarily) explicitly seeking LGBT-related stuff is wonderful, and I’m delighted at the thought that young closeted people will see it…”
The Christian Post reached out to Target for comment but did not receive a response as of Tuesday by press time. This story will be updated in the event a response is received.
In order to avoid another “Bud Light situation,” a number of Target stores — located primarily in rural Southern areas — were forced to move the stores’ LGBT merchandise to less prominent areas of the store in response to customer “outrage,” Fox News reported Tuesday.
Other brands faced similar responses from the public, such as Nike, which named Mulvaney its “Woman of the Year” and was hired by the athletic shoe and attire company to promote its women’s Alate trans sports bras and Zenvy leggings.
When sin increases, it’s because there’s no fear of God in the land, or in the people’s hearts, and where there is no fear of God, there is no limit to evil. Jesus said that prior to His return the world will be like it was in Noah’s day. In Noah’s day, the earth had grown so wicked that God had to begin again, with Noah and his family.
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Genesis 6:5
In other words, they spent all their time inventing new ways to sin, so it’s no wonder that God judged them.
“the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” Genesis 6:11-12
Jesus tells us what, or really, Who to fear, and said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:28
Before he went to the Cross Jesus told the disciples what the world will be like prior to His second coming so we cannot say we were not warned in advance of what is unfolding in our day.
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire, and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17:26-30
The northeastern Indian state of Manipur remains in a tense state of unease weeks after a devastating spate of violence led to the deaths of at least 73 individuals, most of them Christians, and the burning, damage, or destruction of nearly 400 churches.
The largely Christian tribals belonging to the Kuki-Zo communities, who reside on the hills of Churachandpur district, say two groups of the predominantly Hindu Meitei community — Arambai Tengoll, also known as “black-shirts,” and Meitei Leepun — were behind the violence. Meiteis are primarily settled in the Imphal Valley.
The violence, which began on May 3, primarily engulfed the Imphal Valley and Churachandpur, causing at least four days of turmoil. The region remains fraught with tension as authorities fear possible reprisal attacks due to the significant accumulation of weapons within both involved communities.
During this period of hostility, the escalating violence has not only claimed a minimum of 73 lives, out of which about 64 were Christian tribals but also left 200 people injured. More than 1,700 residences suffered damage, complete destruction, or saw their homes set ablaze. The turmoil has forced about 50,000 individuals to abandon their homes, of whom roughly 35,000 belong to Christian tribal communities.
The houses of Meiteis in the Christian tribal-majority Churachandpur have also been damaged or destroyed.
A local source informed The Christian Post that the violence and ensuing tensions have caused a complete exodus of tribal residents from the Imphal Valley. Similarly, all Meiteis previously residing or working in Churachandpur, including government and police officials, have fled the area.
According to the source, Christian organizations in the area have recorded the burning, damage, or destruction of 397 churches and six Christian institutions amid the wave of violence. Significantly, these churches primarily served as places of worship for Meitei Christians. It is alleged that these structures were primarily targeted and destroyed by Meitei Hindus.
Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, whose jurisdiction covers the entirety of Manipur, has launched an appeal for funds to assist those impacted by the violence.
He warns of a “general sense of hopelessness and desperation” throughout the region, acknowledging that all communities, regardless of their affiliation, are affected by the ongoing strife.
Fr. Varghese Velikakam, Vicar General of the Diocese of Imphal, criticized local police for their failure to prevent the attacks and questioned the lack of guards after attempted assaults. Videos of the violence show police looking on or participating in the violence on tribal people.
Despite the apparently targeted nature of these attacks, Fr. Varghese advised the Church to act cautiously, maintain neutrality and promote peace and unity.
Northeast India has had long-standing ethnic tensions. In Manipur, the Meiteis and the tribal communities have long been at odds over issues such as land ownership and affirmative action policies.
After winning the 2017 state election, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, reclassified the majority of tribal settlements as reserved forests, effectively treating them as illegal immigrants. This move, along with the Meiteis’ ongoing quest for recognition as a tribal group, has significantly exacerbated tensions between the two groups.
Manipur’s highest court’s recent instruction to the government last month to consider the Meiteis’ demand for legal recognition as a tribal group has further stirred anxiety among the tribal communities. The recent outbreak of violence was triggered when a tribal student group protested against this demand.
The Hindu Meiteis and Christian tribals each constitute approximately 42% of the state’s population. Despite this balance, the Meiteis have historically held dominance in the state’s political and economic spheres.
Critics also point to Chief Minister Singh’s past orders to demolish churches in Imphal, under the allegation of illegal construction on government-owned land, as a significant strain on inter-community relations.
The widespread violence and targeted attacks against the Christian community have raised concerns about the potential escalation of religious conflict in the region.
As these communities grapple with the aftermath, Manipur remains under a dark cloud of uncertainty, its future dictated by both the government’s ability to quell tensions and the communities’ willingness to engage in peace-building efforts.
Across the world persecution of Christians is intensifying exactly as the Bible prophesied would be the case prior to Jesus’ return to end this period of earth’s history when God has allowed Satan to be Prince over fallen mankind. We are told Jesus appears first in the heavens and the dead in Christ are raised first then the Saints living on earth will be raptured to meet Jesus in the air.
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
God then pours out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (7) and Bowl judgements (7) prior to Jesus returning to earth with the transfigured Saints, first to destroy the Antichrist, False Prophet, and their army and then to establish Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom on this earth. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire and Satan into the Abyss for almost the entire 1000 years.
“Then I (John) saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3
“Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 