DEFEND CHRISTIANITY IN EGYPT AND YOU WILL BE GAOLED

Christian author and apologist Dr Augustine Samaan was detained in early October. His only crime? Criticising Islam.

Samaan’s social media presence is unashamedly Christian. Much of his content contains a defence of Christianity and discussions about Christians who’ve left Islam. According to Samaan’s social media accounts, he is a well-schooled theologian.

While personal information about him is scarce, Samaan’s YouTube page states he is dedicated to preaching the reliability of the Gospel. He describes himself as an ecumenical clerical deacon (reader and teacher), who is enthusiastic about engaging in “defensive and offensive theology in both Arabic and English.”

On a more personal note, Samaan’s “theology channel” is also dedicated to his mother, who, Samaan said, “planted in him the love of Jesus Christ.” This was, he added, “despite all the internal and external wars and persecutions.” The self-titled channel has over 1 million views, hosts 7,400 videos, and enjoys over 106,000 subscribers.

Reasons for his dubious “defaming Islam” arrest could be directly related to content shared two weeks ago. In one video he describes as funny, he shared audio of “a Muslim teaching an attempt to raise doubts about the Bible.” The second video appears to be excerpts from a much longer StreamYard debate about Islam from last year. Samaan’s last post featured a short from that debate in which he calls Islam’s tolerance for child marriage criminal. Particularly, Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha. To recount, Aisha was six years old at the time, and Muhammad consummated that marriage when she was nine. In the debate excerpt (posted twice, once in English and Arabic), Samaan argued that Muhammad’s child bride contradicted Egyptian and International law. Under those laws, Samaan declared, Muhammad had committed a crime.

Christian oppression in Egypt continues to worsen. Kidnappings, false imprisonments, and forced disappearances are at least a weekly occurrence. The latest is 18-year-old Bola Adel Naguib. Naguib was forcibly disappeared (secretly arrested) the week before last on suspicion of preaching Christianity and insulting Islam. Egyptian intellectual, Magdy Tadros, told Bassam Sam, owner of the YouTube channel Free Thought, that Naguib’s disappearance was probably due to his contact with Said Mansour Rezk. Rezk was arrested as a terrorist in August for converting to Christianity and criticising Islam.

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION ESCALATING

Where do Christians face the most violence: PAKISTAN – Because of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, Christians are at constant risk of being falsely accused of blaspheming Islam, the Koran or Mohammed, and they receive harsh punishments when convicted. NIGERIA – Nearly all Christians in north-eastern Nigeria have lost family members or friends in attacks by Boko Haram or Fulani Islamic militants. Entire congregations have been displaced, and many pastors have been forced to leave the region. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – The church is under immense pressure in the eastern DRC. In areas controlled by the Allied Democratic Forces, Christian villages have been raided, churches destroyed and hundreds of believers brutally killed.

INDIA: At least two attacks on Christians are being reported every day in India this year, according to new figures released by a Christian advocacy group.

Christians constitute 2.3% of India’s population, based on the 2011 census. The UCF says the Christian minority has been facing growing hostility in recent years, particularly under laws and narratives advanced by Hindu nationalist groups. Twelve of India’s 28 states have laws that restrict religious conversions. Most of these are governed by the Hindu nationalist BJP, which Christian groups accuse of enabling Hindu nationalist attacks under the guise of anti-conversion enforcement.

A total of 313 incidents were recorded between January and May alone, based on calls to a toll-free helpline run by the New Delhi-based inter-denominational body United Christian Forum, according to the Union of Catholic Asian News

SYRIA: Multiple churches in Syria were attacked by terrorists; at least 20 dead, dozens wounded. A brutal terrorist attack took place on Sunday around 5 p.m. local time at Mar Elias Church in the Douweila neighbourhood of Damascus. The attacker began shooting at people and then blew himself up inside the church. As of 10 p.m. local time, at least 20 people are dead and at least 50 have been wounded, with the numbers still climbing.

Jesus told us what it will be like prior to His return to usher in His Millennial 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

CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO FACE PERSECUTION YET THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO GROW

According to the latest report, 380 million Christians — one in seven worldwide — face high levels of persecution and discrimination.

As the organization has done for over 20 years, Open Doors US ranked North Korea No. 1 on its World Watch List. “North Korea continues to be a place that is incredibly difficult for Christians,” Brown stated. “Reports of violence have continued to escalate within North Korea, and it is expansive throughout the State.” Christians in North Korea could face execution or imprisonment in a labour camp if their faith is discovered, Open Doors warns. Despite the targeted oppression, however, the latest World Watch List reported that around 400,000 believers in North Korea are continuing to bear witness to the love of Christ. 

A North Korean Christian, Jung Jik (name changed for security reasons), who escaped imprisonment twice, is praying to see his child again and share Jesus with him, showcasing the determination persecuted believers have to keep God’s Word alive amid surges in anti-Christian violence across the globe. As Jung attested in the report, a large underground Church still survives in North Korea. “There’s still a large underground church. Because you pray, many people are miraculously healed, and they experience God’s power. They come to faith.”

Brown said Christians like Jung, who refuse to forsake Christ, are a model for Christ-followers in Western countries with the right to religious freedom. Throughout Christianity’s history, Brown stressed that the Church has continued to thrive, even when persecution is extreme. 

“There are places where the Church is, by all accounts, the life is being squeezed from it,” Brown said, citing the North African country of Algeria, which ranked 19th on the 2025 World Watch List, as an example. Per the report, “all Protestant churches [in Algeria] have been forced to close, and the number of Christians awaiting trial and sentencing is at an all-time high.” 

Other countries that have forced the Church underground include Afghanistan, which ranked No. 10 on the list. Due to the Taliban enforcing strict interpretations of Islamic law, converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death. Christians also face punishment or fear being murdered at the hands of their family, clan or tribe if they renounce Islam. 

“There are places where the Church is being forced deeply underground, and any visible expression of that presence is very difficult to observe,” Brown said. “But there are places where, in the midst of persecution, the Church continues to operate, the Church continues to minister.”

The latest report also found increased violence scores in 15 sub-Saharan countries since the 2023 World Watch List. The 2025 report noted that the sub-Saharan Africa region is the most violent due to Islamic extremist groups taking advantage of government instability. 

“Persecution is rising in countries such as Burkina Faso (20), Mali (14) and Chad (49), which enters the top 50 for the first time,” the report found. 

Christians in Yemen (3), Sudan (5) and Myanmar (13) are easy targets for persecution as anarchy and internal conflict within these regions grows, according to Open Doors. 

Nigeria, which ranked seventh on the list, stands out from many of the sub-Saharan countries, as there wasn’t much room for conditions in the region to worsen from previous years.

Christians in northern Nigeria are targeted by Fulani militants, Boko Haram and other extremist groups who murder or abduct people of faith. Thousands of Nigerian Christians have been killed in recent years. According to a summary of the 2025 report’s trends, “the measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology.” 

Fortunately, we know from Biblical prophecy that Christian persecution escalates in the time before Jesus returns to restore righteousness and usher in His Millennial Kingdom. This Earth still has 1000 years before it is destroyed. The nation God raised up for His purposes, Israel, must fulfill its destiny, and it will with Jesus reigning the nations of the world with the raised, glorified Saints. They rule with a rod of iron, indicating that the curse has not been lifted. People are still being born and are dying. They still need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Satan and his minions are bound for most of the thousand years but are released at the end, and he still raises an army of people like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. This says a lot about people who are given free will to choose. Sadly, like Satan and one-third of the angels, many want to be god and choose to rebel against God and His commandments.

PROOF WE ARE IN THE PROPHESIED END TIMES

The pope’s decision to have a special pilgrimage for the LGBT community in the 2025 Jubilee Year, titled “Church: Home for All, LGBT+ Christians and Other Existential Frontiers” is evidence he has departed from Biblical faith and is leading the Catholic church into apostasy. What he is proposing will involve a prayer vigil for LGBT Catholics on September 5th at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. They will then pass through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s on September 6th.

Here we have the Church allowing the categories that are at odds with Catholic teaching on sexuality and the human body — to drive the 2025 Jubilee celebration. However well-intentioned the pastoral motivation may be, the impression is one of either ignorance or contempt not merely for traditional Catholicism in particular but for orthodox Christianity in general.

Before Jesus’ second coming, He prophesied that most of the institutional denominations would fall away and compromise with the world. They have departed from God’s ways on homosexuality, gay marriage, and transgender issues. We are truly in the Biblical prophesied end times and as the following Scripture reveals persecution/tribulation will only intensify for Christians.

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 24:9-14

God will purify His church prior to the rapture. We cannot say we were not warned.

WHO IS TO COMPLETE THE GREAT COMMISSION?

Jesus told eleven unremarkable people with no platform of any kind to go find other people in every nation. When they found these people, they were to teach them to be the same kind of disciples they were. He was telling His disciples (then and now) to influence culture, not from the top down, but from the bottom up. Jesus’ plan is to change the culture through you and me – not a professional class of priests, pastors, full-time ministers, or cultural elites.

Paraphrasing Scripture Jesus says to us: “I have all the power and authority in the universe. The master of the universe and beyond is your friend. I picked you to be on my team. Now since I am the master of the universe, I want you to report directly to me. I’m giving you an assignment that is of the utmost importance—to find others just like you in every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you“. Teach them my protocols.

“In the last days perilous times will come … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse…” (2 Timothy 3:1,13)

The Bible doesn’t say that things will get better in the last days, but “worse and worse.” That tells us that humanity will become more corrupt. Rotten will become putrid. The issue is deeper than what concerned most of us leading up to the US Presidential election—abortion. Christians are the big hindrance to same-sex marriage, the normalization of homosexuality, gender identity, euthanasia, assisted suicide, sex education, and many other issues.

This is why we mustn’t forget our agenda. Jesus said to preach the gospel to every creature. This is because the gospel is the power of God to salvation. It not only saves from wrath, but it can transform sin-loving sinners so that they love righteousness.

WHAT TRUMP’S WIN MEANS FOR CHRISTIANS

Ray Comfort of Living Waters (http://www.livingwaters.com) makes it clear to Christians that Trump’s win is not going to save anyone only preaching the Gospel, as Jesus commanded us to do, will save people from God’s judgement.

Trump is not going to turn back the clock and restore Judaeo-Christian values. Jesus and in fact even the O.T prophets particularly Daniel make it clear that Jews and Christians are going to experience intense persecution, tribulation, and great tribulation in the time up to Jesus second coming to Earth to defeat the Antichrist army in the battle of Armageddon and usher in His Millennial Kingdom.

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.Matthew 24:9-13

LAST DAYS CHURCHES LIKE THE EARLY CHURCHES DESCIBED IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

After spending over a year in jail in America on trumped-up charges, Torben Sondergaard is now transforming churches in Mexico. God used the time Torben spent in jail to transform him and to birth his book: 412 Days: Persecuted for Christ. It’s coming are you ready? Torben also transformed the lives of many prisoners.

From the depths of a small cell in B6N, Torben Sondergaard takes us on a riveting journey through his unimaginable challenges. As events unfold, he reveals the circumstances that led him to this small cell and the intense experiences that followed.

It is a unique book, penned with a security pen on paper within the walls of a small cell in a Florida prison. Accusations of weapons smuggling and human trafficking were thrown around, yet no formal charges were made. In these pages, Torben shares his real-life experiences as they occurred-from moments of deep despair to unexpected joy, recognizing God’s hand even in his darkest hour. From the cry of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” to the revival that transformed the entire pod where he was incarcerated, Torben reveals the divine revelations that sustained him and the truths God imparted to him, to prepare us all for what lies ahead.

This book is not just an extraordinary story; it is a prophetic message for all of us. It warns us of the Biblical prophesied end-times persecution to come. It speaks of God’s kingdom and provides the strength to stand firm when the storms hit.

As you embark on this journey, you will be drawn back to the raw and authentic Christianity of the early apostles, who, like Torben, wrote from jail to encourage the faithful to keep running the race, no matter the cost.

VICTORIA ELEVATING NEW ANTI-VILIFICATION LAWS TO A STATE RELIGION OPPOSED TO CHRISTIANITY

The Victorian State government (Australia) wants to expand its anti-vilification legislation to include a laundry list of additional attributes, including disability, gender identity, sexual characteristics, and sexual orientation. If such an expansion is passed, it will become illegal in Victoria to offend people who are disabled, trans, non-binary, or “sexually diverse”. Maximum prison sentences will be up to three to five years.

The legal thresholds for what constitutes vilification will be lowered. Currently, one must “incite hatred” to breach the law. Under the proposed changes, however, speech that is “likely to incite” will become a criminal offence. Under such a standard, almost all speech referring to those with protected attributes – regardless of intent or context – could be deemed criminal. This means journalists, writers, comedians, academics, artists and activists will all be open to prosecution.

This new orthodoxy operates on multiple levels. First, it holds that speech inflicts harm equivalent to physical violence, which means stringent controls must be placed on expression. Second, it establishes a hierarchy of moral authority based on perceived victimhood, where some voices are deemed more virtuous than others. Third, it promotes a series of dogmas about identity, privilege, and systemic oppression that brook no dissent. This means debate is off the table.

Melbourne’s beloved Midsumma Festival, which takes place from January 19 through February 9, 2020—during Australia’s summer—draws tens of thousands of participants from the Melbourne metro area, all over Australia, and, increasingly, throughout the world. The city’s Gay Business Association started the festival in 1988 to celebrate the Melbourne queer community’s arts and culture.

Like any religion, this belief system has its own heresies. Questioning the concept of gender fluidity, expressing concern about biological males in women’s sports, or suggesting that factors other than discrimination might contribute to disparities between groups – all these become dangerous utterances, potentially worthy of legal sanction.

Just as heretics once faced inquisitions for challenging church doctrine, today’s dissenters risk social ostracism, professional ruin, and potentially legal consequences for transgressing this new moral code. Victoria’s shift represents a fundamental reimagining of the role of government in a liberal democracy. Rather than serving as a neutral arbiter, protecting the rights of citizens who have equality before the law, the state is now becoming the enforcer of a particular worldview. It’s a vision where the government not only dictates what citizens can say, but what they must believe.

This will just intensify the persecution of Christians which fulfils one of the many Biblical prophesied end-times signs. It will also ensure Australia comes under the escalating judgement of God.

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.” Matthew 24:9-13

Taken from an article in The Australian by Claire Lehmann. She is the founding editor of Quillette online magazine.

IMPRISONED PRO-LIFER URGES AMERICANS TO VOTE AGAINST ‘JEZEBEL SPIRIT’

A pro-life activist reporting to prison for her engagement in an abortion clinic blockade is encouraging Americans to “elect leaders who will stand for justice” and “be the beaming light that you were called to be” as she vows to “preach that Gospel” during her incarceration. She says, ” You cannot let Kamala win”.

Bevelyn Beatty Williams was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for standing at the entrance of a New York City abortion clinic in November 2020, in what the United States Department of Justice characterized as a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, announced in an X post-Tuesday that she was reporting to prison Wednesday. 

Williams is now serving time in prison following an unsuccessful effort to overturn her conviction under the law, which subjects anyone who attempts to interfere with abortions services to federal charges.  

Williams pointed to Kamala Harris’ career as a prosecutor as evidence that she “gets joy” out of prosecuting her political opponents. She also cited her conviction as a project of “a feminist movement” and “a Jezebel spirit in a lot of these women in power,” referring to the President Joe Biden-appointed Judge Jennifer Rochon, who sentenced her. 

Williams told followers that, even though Rochon was “so harsh” at sentencing and treated her “so badly,” she “prayed for her” and was “still praying for her.” She reiterated her claim that the judge “represents every woman that just shouldn’t be in power” because she used “bias and emotion” in her judicial decision.  

“She was ruthless with me,” Williams asserted. Williams summarized Rochon’s message as, “I think you’re a danger to the streets” and a “danger to society.” She characterized her conviction as part of a broader effort by progressive politicians to put “people that they don’t like politically in prison.” 

END TIMES SIGNS: What is playing out here in the USA and in my previous post of a Pro-Life activist in the UK, are Biblical prophesied end times signs. Fortunately, God told us this would happen in the end times. In fact, tribulation will get worse when the Antichrist comes on the scene. Israel and Jerusalem are at the centre of Biblical end times prophecies and a major invasion of Israel is imminent.

GODLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS

Like many others in the O.T. and N.T., the following Scripture warns us about what will happen before Jesus returns to restore righteousness. We cannot say that God has not told us what is ahead

But understand that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.2 Timothy 3:1-17

The Bible lists several events that will lead to the great tribulation period. Humanity will increasingly adopt a negative attitude toward God’s laws and reject keeping them. This lawlessness will cause people to greatly lack mercy, forgiveness, and love..

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 24:9-14

It will be a trying, testing time but note the gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed throughout the whole world so God has His disciples doing the work they’re called to do right up to the time God raptures the Saints to heaven and pours out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (Revelation 8) and Bowl judgements (Revelation 16).