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.
Dr Jereth Kok Guilty of Professional Misconduct for Social Media Posts, Tribunal Rules, Kurt Mahlburg, 28 July 2025 NEWS
A landmark free speech case has found that Dr Jereth Kok’s Christian and conservative views disqualify him from medical practice, even though his social media posts weren’t directed at patients and most were shared with limited visibility.
In a 186-page ruling handed down last Tuesday, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found that Dr Kok’s deeply held religious views, expressed on social media between 2008 and 2022, were sufficient grounds to indefinitely suspend him from the medical profession.
Dr Kok — who had no prior history of patient complaints or professional misconduct before his suspension — now faces a separate sanctions hearing in early 2026 that could result in the full cancellation of his medical license.
In Medical Board of Australia v Dr Jereth Kok, VCAT assessed 85 social media posts made by Dr Kok on topics ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage, sex change surgery for children, COVID-19 mandates and “conversion therapy” bans.
The Tribunal concluded that two-thirds of the posts “denigrated, demeaned and slurred” members of protected identity groups and other medical practitioners, and also contributed to vaccine hesitancy.
Other posts cited in Dr Kok’s suspension took aim at so-called “gender-affirming care” — a protocol that can result in chemical and surgical castration, and that remains the subject of growing controversy and regulatory pushback around the world.
The Tribunal ruled that, by sharing Deeming’s article, Dr Kok “failed to behave professionally and courteously to other medical practitioners, as it referred to medical practitioners involved in the treatment of gender dysphoria as ‘mad scientists’ and engaging in transgender ideology”.
Attention Victorian parents. One part of the diabolical ‘conversion or suppression’ bill that has received comparatively less attention: parents who try to STOP their child being sent away for bodily disfigurement will be charged with domestic violence. Yes, you read that right. Standing in the way of permanent bodily injury = violence. Sign this open letter to the Premier.
VCAT ruled that this post “failed to respect gender diversity” and was “denigrating, demeaning, disrespectful and derogatory to LGBTQI+ persons as it indicates that treatment for gender dysphoria is bodily disfigurement”.
Another post cited in the suspension of Dr Kok’s medical registration was an article he authored at Eternity News, formerly Australia’s flagship evangelical news website, titled “A Medical Perspective on Transgender”.
In ruling against Dr Kok, the Tribunal rejected his argument during cross-examination that gender dysphoria is a pathological or delusional belief analogous to other mistaken self-perceptions like anorexia nervosa. It also dismissed his claim that transgender identities are often shaped more by cultural trends and personal choice than irresistible feelings.
Jesus told us that in the last days persecution of Christians will increase because we hold to God’s values. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found that Dr Kok’s deeply held religious views, expressed on social media between 2008 and 2022, were sufficient grounds to indefinitely suspend him from the medical profession.
“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
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced last week that, starting May 1, 2025, foreign missionaries will be prohibited from sharing their faith, preaching, and establishing religious organisations.
As reported by International Christian Concern, “Chinese state media claimed that the newly revised rules promote national security — a common justification for CCP persecution of religion — and help to protect ‘normal religious activities,’ referring to activities run under strict government oversight as part of state-run religious institutions.”
The restrictions apply to all religions and prohibit “non-Chinese citizens residing in the country from establishing religious organizations, preaching without authorization, founding religious schools, producing or selling religious books, accepting religious donations, or recruiting Chinese citizens as religious followers.” They further stipulate that any foreign clergy entering China may only preach if invited to by a state-run religious organization, and that all content must not “interfere with China’s religious affairs” and must be pre-approved.
This latest crackdown on independent religious groups is part of a larger pattern of religious persecution under Xi’s regime. China’s state-run media outlet the Global Times recently boasted, “China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024. They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”
Xi’s campaign against religious freedom largely began in 2016 when he declared that he wanted to “Sinicize” all religion in China. This effort has led to the CCP officially recognising only a handful of religions and triggered the rise of state-run institutions like the protestant Three Self Church and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. In response, the underground “house church” movement of believers who wish to worship free from government oversight has grown significantly — but so has the government crackdown on the movement. Church raids by police have become commonplace.
This is just another of the end times signs. The Bible tells us that China (kings from the East) will be involved in the last great battle of Armageddon when Jesus returns to rescue and restore Israel.
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:12-14
Caucasus Heritage Watch has released images that reveal the recent demolition of St. John the Baptist Church, a 19th century structure in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Susa area, and the razing of a village known in Armenian as Karintak. The church and village, both with significant Armenian heritage, were under Azerbaijani control after Baku captured Susa from ethnic Armenian forces in November 2020.
The Armenian-built church in Susa, dating back to the 19th century, was taken over by Azerbaijan. It was wrapped in scaffolding for most of the time it was under Azerbaijani control, suggesting ongoing construction or restoration. But satellite images from Caucasus Heritage Watch show that the church was demolished during the winter of 2023-24, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Located just 2 kilometers (roughly 1.2 miles) south of the demolished church, the Karintak village, known as Dasalti in Azeri, was also razed to the ground. Satellite images released this month show that the entire village was destroyed. A large mosque is now under construction on the site, where the church was previously visible to the right of the new construction.
“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.“Matthew 24:9-12
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the construction site of the new mosque in the razed village, indicating the ongoing transformation in the area, according to RFE/RL. In contrast, Azerbaijani Parliament Member Jala Ahmadova had in July 2021 posted images of a prayer session inside the St. John the Baptist Church on Twitter to demonstrate an “atmosphere of ethnic and religious tolerance.” However, satellite images suggest a different narrative with the church’s demolition and the village’s razing.
Husik Ghulyan, a lead researcher at Caucasus Heritage Watch, who published the satellite images of Karintak, told RFE/RL that the goal of Azerbaijan was to completely demolish the settlement to rebuild a new village for Azerbaijani internally displaced people or other resettlers. Ghulyan also noted that the village’s church was a legally protected heritage site, which is probably why it was left intact during the mosque’s construction.
Lori Khatchadourian, an associate professor at Cornell University and the co-founder of Caucasus Heritage Watch, pointed to a broader pattern of destruction within Azerbaijan’s retaken territory since 2020.
The group has documented the destruction of 10 heritage sites and is beginning a new survey of hundreds of heritage locations.
Khatchadourian suggested that the virtually complete erasure of Armenian heritage in the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan could be a harbinger of what might lie ahead in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ali Mozaffari, an Iranian academic of Azerbaijani descent, said this cultural destruction might extend beyond a conflict between Baku and Yerevan. Turkey is spearheading a push to create a unified and connected Turkic World, extending from Turkey to China, where Turkic languages and cultures are prevalent, Mozaffari said, explaining that heritage plays a crucial role in justifying this geostrategic vision.
Turkey’s push to reestablish its former Ottoman Empire is prophesied in Daniel’s vision of the ram and goat in Daniel 8. The prophecy reveals that Turkey (Sunni Muslim) will first establish its dominance by defeating Iran (Shia Muslim) and I believe we will see this play out on the world stage soon.
Like mothers all around the world, Grace Godwin was cooking Christmas Eve dinner when life took a terrifying turn. Standing in her Nigerian kitchen, Grace’s husband ran into the room and shouted at her to take the children and run. Go to the bush, he ordered after an alarm spread that gunmen were in a nearby town. Everyone in the central Plateau knows what happens to Christians. In the time that it took her to gather her three little ones, they started to hear the unmistakable sound: rifle shots.
With preparations for a festive night scattered everywhere, Grace and her family fled.
All across the region, villages that should have been celebrating the holiday were surrounded by armed men, tortured, and burned. The attacks lasted for hours, killing as many as 160 and wounding hundreds of others. Markus Amorudu told reporters that his family was sleeping in Mushu when the sound of shots rang out. “We were scared,” he admitted, “because we weren’t expecting an attack.” “People hid,” he explained, “but the assailants captured many of us. Some were killed, others wounded.”
Magit Macham, who left the safety of the state capital to spend Christmas with his family, was talking to his brother outside the house when everyone heard gunshots. Within minutes, Magit was dragging his brother, who’d been hit in the leg, to the bush, where they hid for the night. “Those that could run ran,” he said. But “a good number of those that couldn’t run were caught and killed with machetes.”
With eerie echoes of Hamas, terrorists slashed their way through as many as 20 villages, setting fire to everything in their path. The attack lasted for hours, survivors remembered. “We returned at six the next morning” — Christmas Day — “and found that houses had been burnt and people killed,” Grace lamented. “There are still people missing.” Even now, she said quietly, “There is no one in Mayanga. Women and children have all fled.”
The Fulani herdsman, along with the Muslim terrorist group Boko Haram, have been carrying out a bloody vendetta against Nigerian Christians for years. During this massacre, as in most, they took particular pleasure in targeting church leaders. “Some pastors were killed, and another pastor and his wife and five children were killed during these attacks,” Dawzino Mallau told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News by text. “These terrorists who attacked these Christian communities were in the hundreds, and they carried out the attacks as the hapless Christians were preparing for Christmas programs lined up by their pastors.”
When they couldn’t take lives, they destroyed homes — reducing “hundreds of houses” to ash. Worse, locals said it took “more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their call for help.” Women, children, and the elderly were systematically slaughtered while the government sat on its hands, a revelation Family Research Council’s Arielle Del Turco found “deeply disturbing.”
“At best, this points to a grave and costly incompetence,” she told The Washington Stand. “At worst, it reveals that Nigerian authorities do not want to stop these attacks against vulnerable Christians and may be complicit in them. Either way, the Nigerian government must urgently institute changes to save innocent lives.”
Now, instead of celebrating Christ’s birth, Nigerians are burying their dead.
“This is unacceptable,” Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang insisted. “Enough is enough. These stupid, senseless, and unprovoked acts must stop,” he said before demanding more security measures. “… As I am talking to you, in Mangu local [district] alone, we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of [the deaths in] Barkin Ladi. It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us here in Plateau.”
Living in fear has become a way of life for the country’s Christians, who’ve endure these waves of cold-blooded killings with shocking frequency since 2009. Now, even the simple act of going to church or gathering for Christmas can be a death sentence.
“More innocent Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than anywhere else in the world,” Del Turco told TWS. According to Open Doors’ 2023 report, 5,014 were brutally murdered in 2022 alone. “This is a shameful distinction that the Nigerian government must immediately address,” she urged.
With the nightmarish attacks of October 7 still fresh in everyone’s minds, this barbarism — some 3,500 miles from Israel — is another sad reminder of the persecution God’s people face in most corners of the world. But it’s also a powerful witness to Christians in the West, who’ve only experienced a taste of the hostility our brothers and sisters endure around the world. While we take our most basic freedoms for granted, believers from Afghanistan to China have no peace — not even on Christmas.
They’ve seen the deadly explosions rock their churches, they’ve cried at the funerals of loved ones gunned down during worship. They’ve lost their homes, buried their children, and looked martyrdom in the eye. And still, they are not deterred. Risking everything for Christ is a way of life. Fortunately, Jesus told us that Christians would face intense persecution in the last days before His return so are prepared to endure it for the eternal life that God has promised on the new Earth (Revelation 21 – The New Heaven and the New Earth).
“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
But that doesn’t make the losses less painful. In Nigeria, where the situation for Christians is growing more treacherous by the day, we grieve for the hundreds of families whose Christmases will never be the same.
In the meantime, Del Turco reminds the church, that we are not helpless. “We can pray for the comfort and peace for those who are mourning,” she offered, “that justice will be done in this situation, and the hearts of Nigerian leaders will be moved to stop the slaughter of Christians.” And thank God for the freedom to do so.
The title is very relevant in a time like this when many Christians are lamenting and asking questions about why God allows them to go through pain, persecution, and suffering after they have given their lives to Christ.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. He writes; “Many of us in Nigeria are finding it difficult to comprehend why God is not protecting Christians from terrorists. Did God really promise to always protect us from attacks? Throughout the entire New Testament, Jesus made clear assertions that Christians should be ready to endure persecutions and attacks (John 15:20, John 10:28, Revelation 2:9-10).
The confusion is that the messages that we are hearing in churches contradict the words of Christ and the reality on the ground. I have heard pastors preach that Christians are not born again to suffer again and that anyone who remains poor or sick after becoming a Christian is a disgrace to Christianity. This is the rhetoric that prompts Christians to feel that God is reneging on His promises. Is it not obvious that God allows trials, troubles, and pain so that we can be partakers of the suffering of Christ in order to be qualified to reign with Him? (2 Timothy 2:12).
A look at the foundation of Christianity will help us to understand why God is not protecting us from persecutions and trials that are faith-based. Christianity was borne on the cross where the blood of Christ was shed for the remission of the sins. The cross is the centerpiece of Christianity and anyone who becomes a Christian is automatically grafted into the cross-journey. Jesus was emphatic about this: “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” Matthew 10:38
Paul wrote the following Scripture bound in prison knowing death was imminent.
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:8-12
God is not the author of confusion. He cannot call us to partake in His suffering and arise to protect us against the same thing that He has called us into. Our inability to understand the plans and purposes of God is the root cause of our disappointments. We expect things that are simply not promised in His Word. There is no doubt that there are biblical promises of divine protection, but whether they are for persecuted Christians is what we really need to critically look at. Claiming all scriptural promises in the Old Testament and neglecting all that Christ has told us misses the broader picture. Jesus told us to be prepared because persecution is inevitable.
“Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” John 15:20
Instead of asking “Why, God?” We should count it all joy that Christ has found us worthy to be partakers of His experiences.
Jesus encouraged us to brace up and endure the suffering and pains associated with the cross. Important for us who are living in the last days prior to Jesus’ return, He gave us a great deal of information about the tribulation, even the great tribulation that believers will endure during the last seven years.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” Matthew 24:21-22
George Bernard, the author of the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” understood the mystery of the cross and was convinced that he would one day exchange the Cross with a crown. Jesus assured us of the safety of our salvation (John 10:28-29). He promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He also promised to finish the good work he has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). He promised to guard us against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3). But never did He promise to protect us from persecution and trials.
Let us pray that God will wake us up from our complacency and give us the grace to stand firm and endure the hazards of Christianity with the understanding that He who called us is able to fulfill His promise of everlasting life.
In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Now, more than 1,700 years later, Armenian Christians are facing a religious and cultural genocide — for the second time in a century.
This is just another of the Biblical prophesied end times signs that are unfolding in our day.
A recent report issued by the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague urgently warned that neighboring Azerbaijan’s blockade of the only road connecting Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh region is preventing desperately needed food, medical supplies and other essentials from reaching the 120,000 people, mostly Christians, who live there.
“Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon,” the report states. “Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.” The report goes on to say that there is a “reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed against Armenians.”
This group of Christians is not months or years, but mere weeks away from extermination. The situation could not be more urgent, and both U.S. and international government officials must pressure Azerbaijan to end the blockade immediately so these much-needed supplies can reach Nagorno-Karabakh. This genocide must not be allowed to happen in plain view on our collective watch.
Like all ethnic conflicts, the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh area is complicated. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan claimed the region, sparking a land dispute that led to the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1994. Armenia gained primary control of the territory in the end, but tensions flared again in 2020 when Azerbaijan launched a war of choice to retake land. Russia brokered a peace deal, with Azerbaijan gaining control of large areas of the region. Armenia is now connected to Nagorno-Karabakh via a small strip of land called the Lachin corridor. But Azerbaijan is blocking access to this strip, seeking a final solution.
A line of 19 trucks and 360 tons of food has been parked for two weeks waiting for permission to cross the Lachin corridor. Natural gas has been cut off since March and other energy supplies remain spotty at best. Families have been separated and surgeries canceled.
Genocide has been defined as the killing of people not for what they have done but because of who they are. What we are witnessing in this region is more than a mere land dispute. Muslim-majority Azerbaijan’s aggression against Christian-majority Armenia is distinctly religious in nature, and the ongoing blockade is only the most recent example of Azerbaijan attempting to erase Armenia’s cultural and religious heritage. Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s backing, is really slowly strangling Nagorno-Karabakh. They’re working to make it unlivable so that the region’s Armenian-Christian population is forced to leave, that’s what’s happening on the ground.
Dr. David Curry is President and CEO of Global Christian Relief (GCR), America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide.
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
How to Build a Faith That Will Withstand Any Persecution
I will close this book with a few words of hopeful wisdom to help you in case you are terrified of the future and wonder if you will be able to withstand the difficult days ahead. I do not claim in any way that I have a monopoly on how to build a solid Christian life, or some special secret to achieve rapid maturity, an oxymoron in itself. It would be impossible for you to have the same huge host of people build into your life that have built into mine. I’m very sorry for those of you who have had few, if any, people pour into your life by spending time with you, praying with and for you, and guiding your growth as a Christian. I have been hugely blessed in this regard. Because of that godly input over many years and forty-plus years of walking with the Lord, I have a few ideas on how to build an unshakeable faith. People often ask me if I have doubted my faith while serving the Lord abroad in overwhelmingly Muslim communities. My answer is always “No. Being the only Christian for miles around actually builds my faith stronger.” That is because I continually see the vivid contrast between the reality of Christianity and the Holy Spirit within us, and the deadness of religion, even one that calls for extremely high commitment. As I’ve said many times before in print and in person, ONLY the Holy Spirit can change a life, no one else. That’s the primary, on-the-ground difference between Christianity and every other faith out there. The longer you are among those other faiths, even as you find elements worthy of admiration in them, you will understand that none of them actually change the heart.
So let’s take a brief look at a few steps you can consider to build a faith that will remain true and strong, even if Islamists order you to forsake it. 1. Get Into a Small Group(s). There is absolutely no need to build a strong faith through your own effort, gutting out daily Bible reading, going to church whenever you can, and trying to pray for longer and longer amounts of time each day. The modern, Western thought that we can walk with Jesus but not follow any “organized religion” is wrongheaded. This type of Lone Ranger Christianity is nowhere to be found in God’s Word. It is a Western, individualistic interpretation of a faith that grew out of small groups, as we see all over the Book of Acts. I am saying clearly that you cannot grow the type of faith you will need in the End Times by watching sermons on television or online and staying in your own home with no regular contact with other Christians. The Church will never stand strong if it’s built on survivalists who move as far away from others as they can and practice an isolationist Christianity. You should not want to dive into body life simply because it is commanded. You should do it because it is enjoyable and a necessary part of your growth. We all need that sharpening from one another, as Proverbs 27:17 says, As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
The author of the book Arab Spring Christian Winter – Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World, Ralph Stice has spent many years living, working, and ministering in Muslim countries. His time in Turkey (seat of the former Ottoman Empire) has led him to the same conclusion as Joel Richardson author of The Mid East Beast – The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist.
In December 2022, Family Research Council (FRC) released an extensive publication documenting a sharp rise in acts of hostility against churches in the United States. Analyzing publicly available data from the past five years, FRC found a total of 420 documented acts of hostility that occurred between January 2018 and September 2022.
The types of acts identified include vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more. There also appeared to be an increase in frequency over the course of the reporting period. FRC’s report identified 137 acts of hostility against churches between January and September 2022. By comparison, there were 96 incidents in all 12 months of 2021. FRC also identified 54 incidents against churches in 2020, 83 in 2019, and 50 in 2018. Since the launch of that report, FRC has continued to track acts of hostility against churches. The fourth quarter of 2022 saw an additional 54 incidents, for a total of 191 in 2022. That number is nearly double the previous year’s total of 96. In the first quarter of 2023, 69 incidents have already occurred. If this rate continues, 2023 will have the highest number of incidents of the six years FRC has tracked, continuing the upward trend. Most of the 2023 incidents occurred in January (43); 14 occurred in February, and 12 occurred in March 2023.
Criminal acts of vandalism and destruction of church property are symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion—in this case, churches and Christianity. Some people appear increasingly comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality. The anger and division that increasingly characterize American society are endangering churches and eroding religious freedom. When congregants feel targeted by members of their communities or church buildings bear the brunt of outrage over political events, the very ability to live out one’s faith safely is under attack. Violent or destructive incidents that interfere with an individual’s lawful free exercise of religion at their house of worship present a significant nationwide challenge.
The above report is to be expected as we fast approach the Biblical prophesied time before Jesus returns to restore righteousness to the world. Lawlessness, deception, many abandoning the faith, apostasy, Antichrist, and the Mark of the Beast are all prophesied to take place before His return. Christians need to prepare for these coming events and be faithful to proclaim the GOOD NEWS, the “gospel of the kingdom” until Jesus returns to rapture faithful believers and pour out His wrath upon an unbelieving world.
“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 24:12-14
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” Matthew 24:21-22
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him … For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God … The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1,3-4,9-12
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 