MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

The secular media is reporting on current events that were foretold in the Bible. This is not a coincidence …

1 Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you … but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”

Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days … they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect …”

Colossians 3:12-13, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another …”

Acts 14:22b, “… we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

By David Curry, FOX News – “Boko Haram continues its march toward making Nigeria an Islamic state. A few weeks ago, as the world focused on the terror attacks in Paris, the group continued its murderous rampage across the northern part of the country. Last weekend it killed dozens in Maiduguri. These are just the latest atrocities from Boko Haram, which has kidnapped hundreds of schoolchildren, murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children and driven hundreds of thousands more from their homes.

Unfortunately, all indicators point to the likelihood that the worst is yet to come.

Last month, Open Doors released its 2015 World Watch List, an annual survey of the most dangerous and difficult places in the world to be a Christian. This year’s report uncovered some startling and worrisome trends. In every region of the world — Africa, Asia and even in the Americas — persecution of Christians is growing. There was not one country on the 2015 list that decreased its acts of violence and persecution from the previous year. The escalation of violence over the past year was so great that the threshold used to create the list had to be increased. With nearly twice the number of Christians persecuted over the previous year, it’s clear why Christians should be very concerned.

What may not be as clear is why everyone else should care.

What all Americans must understand is this: Ending the persecution of Christians is not just morally right; it is in our national interest. When we promote and defend freedom of religious expression throughout the world we are making the world safer for oppressed peoples, we are promoting a value that keeps extremism of any kind in check.

After 13 years of creating the World Watch List in its modern form, Open Doors has observed that the persecution of Christians is a lead harbinger for discord in the wider society. If history teaches us anything, it is to pay attention to the signs that warn of geopolitical upheaval; in particular, the restriction of religious minority groups.  When religious minorities are first marginalized within a society, then targeted for attacks without notice from the free societies around the world, a purge is the next logical step in the mind of extremists.

For example, more than a decade ago, Christians in Iraq worshipped in relative peace. Even under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, they faced no greater threat to their freedom than the general population of Iraq. But now Iraq ranks third on the World Watch List as one of the most brutal places for expression of the Christian faith.

In 2003, Open Doors began to take notice of a sharp increase in acts of violence against Christians and their places of worship in …” Read more.

Revelation 17:5-6a, “And on her forehead a name [was] written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus …”

Flashback: David Alton On Islamic Persecution: The West Is Sleep-Walking Into A Tragedy With Implications Beyond The Middle East – “THE WEST is sleep-walking into a tragedy with implications beyond the Middle East unless it exposes the ideology behind radical Islamist thinking, writes Lord Alton. Reports of religiously-motivated atrocities against Christians appear almost daily but the West, including some Christian leaders, seems to be in a state of denial. Persecution in Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sudan, Iran, Egypt and many other countries is relevant to us and by denying it, the nature and intensity of the suffering is minimised.” Read more.

Flashback: ‘Time Is Running Out’: US Congressman Asks Why Churches In The West Are Silent On Worldwide Christian Persecution – “Congressman Frank Wolf, who has been a champion of human rights, is hard pressed to understand why U.S. churches are silent when it comes to advocating for persecuted Christians. The Republican Virginia rep. specifically called out big-name pastors such as Rick Warren and John Piper for their non-activity, especially at a time when Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and Egypt are at greater risk for persecution.” Read more.

Flashback: ‘Terrifying’: 150 Million Christians Suffering At Hands Of Muslims Have Reached ‘Biblical Proportions’ – “‘The number of persecuted Christians in the world is 150 million.’ There are many other figures, terrifying and dramatic, in the pages of the ‘Blackbook of the plight of Christians in the world’, a unique initiative of French scholars and coordinated by journalist Samuel Lieven. Snapshots of a global and amorphous war. In particular, there is a disconcerting statistic: ’80 percent of the acts of religious persecution in the world are directed against Christians.’ How many victims? The Center for the Study of Global Christianity brings the average of one hundred thousand Christians killed each year for their faith throughout the last decade. An average of five Christians every minute.” Read more.

Flashback: Terrorism Expert: The Middle East Is Experiencing ‘A Christian Version Of The Holocaust And Nothing Less’ – “International media remain apathetic to Christian persecution in the Middle East. Speaking on ‘Breitbart News Saturday’ Dr. Sebastian Gorka addressed the subject after being asked by the host, Alex Marlow, why the press is not interested in the story. Before Gorka gave his answer he called the situation ‘a Christian version of the Holocaust and nothing less.’ Gorka then went on to say that the West has done much to stand up for Muslims in the past two decades. ‘Whether it was to save the Muslims in Bosnia or the Albanians, Kosovars, and Muslims in Serbia, it is now time for a humanitarian operation to save the remaining Christians in Iraq,’ he said.” Read more.