MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Revelation 6:9-11, “… I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”

By Chris Mitchell, CBN News – “JERUSALEM, Israel — From the West Coast of Africa to the deserts of Sinai, Bedouin tribes are conducting a human trafficking trade on a massive scale.

It’s no secret. The trade reaps millions of dollars and deals with human misery. It could be stopped but so far no one has dared.

‘By that time I had lost sense (sensation) in both my hands,’ an Eritrean torture victim told CBN News. ‘It was a result of the accumulated torture but mainly because (both) of my wrists were tied up so tightly, (and I was) hanged up from the ceiling for three days, the blood was cut off from my hands and the flesh started to literally drip from my hands.’ …

This man is just one victim of this widespread modern-day slavery, kidnapping, and torture trade in the Sinai desert. There are many pictures and videos of this horrible practice on the Internet.

For this story, this Christian man from the African country of Eritrea is going by ‘Philip,’ but that’s not his real name. CBN News covered his identity for his protection.

‘In some cases, we were tortured simply because we were Christians,’ he told us, his chest trembling slightly as he spoke.

‘Sinai was always a place for human smuggling, but since around two years ago — even a bit more — it started also to be a place of human torture,’ Shahar Shoham, director of Physicians for Human Rights, told CBN News.

Shorham has documented more than 1,300 cases of torture in the Sinai. Those survivors, like Philip, made it to Israel. But most of the cases of torture are not documented.

‘They torture them in horrible methods, like hanging upside down from the ceiling, like using electric shocks, like burning them on their bodies,’ Shorham said...

This story begins in Eritrea, where many like Philip fled from its brutal dictatorship. He traveled to a United Nations refugee camp in Sudan. There he was kidnapped by a Bedouin tribe.

They transferred him — along with many others — through Sudan, Egypt, and all the way to the Sinai desert and their torture camps.

What happens next in these camps is diabolical.” Read more.

Unsealed: A Closer Look At Revelation 6 And ‘The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse’ – “John describes the rider of the Black Horse in Revelation 6:5 as having ‘scales’ or ‘balances’ in his hands, employing the Greek word ‘zygos‘ which is also used metaphorically to refer to any sort of ‘burden’ or ‘bondage’ as well as the imposition of ‘troublesome laws’ … conduct must be based upon a strict set of Islamic laws, called the Sharia, and anyone failing to follow ‘Allah’s’ burdensome edicts must suffer draconian punishments, non-Musims included… The fruit of Islam and its laws have produced and will continue to produce the type of conditions that precipitate and perpetuate all sort of pestilences, all manner of plagues, any number of conflicts and hardships both inside and outside the Islamic world… It is my view that we are already within the 5th Seal … After a relative lull, Islamic persecution has literally exploded once again in the aftermath of 9/11 and the rise of the Arab Spring. The Prophet Daniel writes that this final Beast would be ‘dreadful and terrifying’ and would ‘speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One’ …” Read more.

Flashback: Saudi Arabia: Prominent Religious Leader Calls For Slavery To Be Legalized Once Again Because ‘Slavery Is A Part Of Islam’ – “Slavery is explicitly permitted in the Koran.  Recently Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan, a prominent Saudi religious leader called for slavery to be re-legalized throughout the kingdom.  According to the Sheik, a member of the Senior Council of Clerics:  ‘Slavery is a part of Islam.  Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long there is Islam.’ In thought and deed this way of thinking is common throughout the Islamic world.  Abu Ishaq al-Huwanini, an Egyptian Cleric proudly proclaims he wishes to apply the ancient Shar’i code of enslaving populations which refuse to pay the jizia (poll tax) or converting to Islam when defeated at the hands of a Muslim nation.” Read more.

Thank goodness the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters are “moderates”, otherwise they would have opted for bigger bullets …

By Mohamed Rashed, Egypt Independent – “Masked gunmen opened fire at Mar Mina Church in Port Said’s al-Manakh early Tuesday and managed to get away, according to state-run news agency MENA. No casualties were reported.

Army and police squads arrived at the scene of the attack and efforts are being undertaken to identify the perpetrators.

This is the third such attack in 24 hours. Yesterday, unknown attackers assaulted Port Said’s western seaport and the province’s traffic police department.

A priest was killed Saturday in Masaeed in North Sinai.

The attacks come days after Egypt’s army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsy, yielding to mass protests demanding early elections. Morsy’s Islamist supporters have protested the army’s decision.

Several Jiahdist leaders have been quoted in media reports as saying they vow to fight to defend Morsy’s legitimacy.” Source – Egypt Independent.

Islamist Groups: Egypt’s Crackdown Vindicates Use Of Violence – “The Egyptian army’s escalating crackdown on supporters of the country’s ousted Muslim Brotherhood government is being seized on by many radical Islamists as proof that violence, not democracy, is the only solution to the region’s problems… ‘When will the Muslim Brotherhood wake up from their deep slumber and realize the futility of their efforts at instituting change?’ asked the Somali militant group al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, in a comment posted on Twitter after Morsi’s overthrow last week. ‘Change comes by the bullet alone; NOT the ballot,’ the group said in another tweet.” Read more.

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News – “Mobs of Muslims enraged over the forceful removal of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohamed Morsi from office have retaliated against Christians across Egypt, according to Morning Star News.

The attacks came as part of nation-wide protests that culminated Friday in what Morsi supporters called a ‘Day of Rage’.

And it was: hours after the Egyptian military announced that it had expelled Morsi and his cabinet from office, reports of attacks against Christians and their properties by Brotherhood supporters began to surface.

The first attack came Wednesday in the village of Delgia where dozens of Morsi supporters attacked Al Eslah Church, looting the building and attacking local Coptic-owned homes; the mob then moved on to St. George Catholic church in Delgia, pelting it with rocks and setting its rectory on fire, according to Morning Star.

Later that same day, Egyptian troops prevented Muslim mobs from attacking both the Church of the Holy Virgin in Marsa Matrouh and the Coptic cathedral in Qena, so the mobs looted local Christian-owned homes and businesses instead.

On Friday, The Egypt Independent reported that after a Muslim was killed in a fight with a Copt in Naga Hassan, west of Luxor, Muslims began looting and burning dozens of Christian-owned homes and businesses, later attacking the Church of the Virgin Mary in downtown Luxor.

Samia Sidhom, managing editor of the Weekly Watani, said attacks by Morsi suppporters came as no surprise.

‘Everyone was expecting they would take their revenge.’

Sidhom said people wanted Morsi out because he was more interested in consolidating the power of his Freedom and Justice Party, a political proxy of the Muslim Brotherhood, than putting Egypt on the path to prosperity.

‘Their priority was not the Egyptian people, but establishing an Islamic caliphate …'” Read more.

Flashback: Turkish PM Greeted by Cheering Crowds in Cairo, Banners Proclaiming ‘Egypt And Turkey Will Together Become An Islamic Caliphate’ – “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued to make threats against Israel on his arrival in Cairo last night, resulting in a rapturous reception by the crowds. He was surrounded by Egyptian supporters after disembarking from his plane at the airport. Using a prepared amplifier system, Erdoğan spoke to the crowd in Arabic, saying, ‘Salaam aleikum, Egypt and Turkey are one. Peace to the Egyptian people.’ … The welcoming crowd included many members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which supports Hamas. Supporters along the road into Cairo carried Erdoğan’s picture and shouted, ‘Egypt and Turkey will together become an Islamic Caliphate’” Read more.

Warning: The video following the excerpt may be disturbing to some. Shortly after a pro-Morsi demonstrator can be seen carrying the black flag of Al-Qaeda, two opponents are thrown from a building and beaten, presumably, to death. This is the “moderate” Brotherhood that Barack Obama supports, not to mention Al-Qaeda that is “currently planning reprisal operations by which to attack the army and the Morsi-opposition” all throughout Egypt …

The Guardian – “A Christian priest has been shot dead in the northern Sinai in what could be the first sectarian killing since the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, as funerals took place for at least 36 people killed between Friday and Saturday in demonstrations and rioting.

Mina Aboud Sharween was attacked in the early afternoon on Saturday while walking in the Masaeed area in El Arish, which is close to the Gaza Strip.

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood criticised Pope Tawadros, spiritual leader of Egypt’s 8 million Copts, for giving his blessing to the removal of the president and attending the announcement by the head of the army, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, suspending the constitution.

The army-appointed interim president, Adly Mansour, met Sisi as senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Morsi, remained in military detention.

Morsi’s supporters have vowed to remain on the streets until he is reinstated. His opponents, meanwhile, have called for more mass rallies to defend what they call the ‘gains of June 30’, a reference to the start of massive protests to call for the removal of the president.

In Cairo, only a fraction of the city’s normally heavy traffic was on the streets on Saturday amid worries that violence could flare again.

Mansour also met on Saturday with leaders of Tamarod (Rebel), the youth movement that organised the mass anti-Morsi demonstrations.

Egyptian cities were left strewn with rocks, glass and bullet casings on Saturday morning after almost 24 hours of violence which left more than 1,100 injured.

Clashes had erupted on Friday night between supporters and opponents of Morsi in central Cairo and other cities across Egypt, as fears of an expected backlash against his removal materialised.” Read more.

Obama’s Egypt Decision: Side With Ousted Muslim Brotherhood-Dominated Islamist Government – “After 6+ hours from the moment the Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces announced to his nation that the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government of President Mohamed Morsi had been ousted, the Administration of Barack Obama responded with the heavy usage of diplomatic-speak to essentially state he’s quite unhappy with the military coup as well as issuing a carefully crafted threat to cancel future U.S. foreign aid to the North African nation …” Read more.

Al-Qaeda Vows To Rescue Muslim Brotherhood In Egypt – “Now that the Muslim Brotherhood – the CIA’s ‘color revolution’ proxy in Egypt – has been deposed, another CIA asset, al-Qaeda, has vowed to come to the rescue. According to Arab-language website Veto Gate, ‘al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Muhammad Zawahiri, is currently planning reprisal operations by which to attack the army and the Morsi-opposition all around the Republic [of Egypt].'” Read more.

With less than a week before the start of the Muslim “holy” month of Ramadan, the ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi is a bitter pill to swallow for Egypt’s Islamists. When the daily fast begins, the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters will not only hunger for food, however. They’ll be hungry for revenge as well …

Muslim Brotherhood Motto: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

Qur’an Sura 18:26b, “… [Allah] maketh none to share in his government.”

By Raymond Ibrahim – “True to their vows, pro-Morsi Muslims are attacking Egypt’s Christians for participating in the anti-Morsi protests.  The St. George Coptic Christian Church in a village in al-Minya, Egypt, has just been set on fire by ‘pro-Morsi’ forces.  Copts are reported to be in a state of ‘fear and panic.’

Days earlier, a letter was circulated in al-Minya, which has a very large Coptic population, calling on Copts not to join the protests, otherwise their ‘businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches’ might ‘catch fire.’

Thus this church attack is part of the price Egypt’s Christians had to pay to protest Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.  Time will only tell what other attacks Egypt’s harried Copts will pay down the line for participating in the ousting of an Islamist president.” Source – Raymond Ibrahim.

Expert: Egypt Now Faces Chaos, ‘Series Of Rebellions’ After Morsi Ouster – “Is Egypt about to descend into chaos? A researcher at Ariel University says this is a likely development, if the government of Mohammed Morsi is toppled. Dr. Bosmat Yefet Avshalom, a senior researcher at the Center for Middle East research at Ariel University, predicts that the situation in Egypt will become inherently unstable, if the huge protests against Morsi’s regime succeed in toppling him… the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood will not lead to calm but to a series of rebellions.” Read more.

Flashback: Destruction: Muslim Mobs Attacking Christian-Owned Businesses And Pharmacies In Northern Egypt – “Coptic-owned businesses and pharmacies in Menbal village, Minya in northern Egypt were attacked by a mob, resulting in extensive damage and several injuries. ‘The thugs attacked my shop, assaulting it with stones. Some of the contents were damaged … they destroyed a number of Coptic-owned shops and pharmacies,’ Michael Sobhi, a witness from the village, told Mideast Christian News.” Read more.

Flashback: Egypt: Pastor Beaten and One Christian Murdered After Muslims Attack Christian Village, Loot and Torch Homes – “Muslims attacked Christians in the village of Nazlet Faragallah, in the southern Egyptian Minya province, on Sunday evening. The attack continued until the early hours of Monday morning, August 8. One Copt was murdered and homes were looted and torched when Muslims from Nazlet Faragallah together with Muslims from four neighboring villages started their violence at approximately 8 PM, after breaking their Ramadan fast.” Read more.

Just one of the many reasons why Turkey was added to the list of worst religious freedom offenders in the world …

By Michael Curtis, American Thinker – “Violence against Christians has become all too frequent in recent years, with attacks on them in a wide variety of countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.  Repression and intolerance have been displayed against the Christian community in Nigeria; against the Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt ; by bombing in a chapel in Sulu, Philippines; by bomb arracks against Assyrian Christians in Iraq; by discrimination against them in the Islamic Republic of Iraq; by prosecution under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan and elsewhere.

It was the interruption and disruption by force of the celebration of Christian Mass in the villages of Rizokarpaso and Ayia Triada in northern Cyprus that led the European Parliament in a resolution on January 19, 2011 to comment on the situation of Christians in the context of freedom of religion.  Since the ‘Arab Spring,’ thousands of Christians have fled the countries of the Middle East except Israel.  Christian communities have existed for two thousand years in the Middle East, though they are now declining as a result of low birth rates and emigration caused by discrimination and persecution in most of the Arab and Muslim countries in the area.  The case of northern Cyprus is a recent example of that discrimination and intolerance towards a Christian community.

The disruption of the Christian liturgy in the two villages was, as admitted by the World Council of Churches at the time, a flagrant violation of fundamental freedoms and human rights, the freedom of religion and belief, as guaranteed in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other international declarations, including the 1981 United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination based on Religion and Belief.

The area of Cyprus had been ruled administratively as a protectorate by Britain from 1878 until August 1960, when it become an independent country.  An international treaty guaranteed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cyprus.  But political crises and violence between the Greek and Turkish communities continued.  As a result, the U.N. Security Council set up in March 1964 the U.N. Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP), originally to prevent further fighting between the two communities.  In the absence of a political solution of the Cyprus problem, the force, now consisting of 925 uniformed personnel, and 140 international and local staff, has remained in existence to supervise ceasefire lines, maintain a buffer zone between the two sides, and undertake humanitarian activities.

Despite the presence of UNFICYP in 1974, the Turkish army invaded the island, ostensibly to restore ‘constitutional order,’ after the Greek military had attempted a coup to unite Cyprus with Greece.  Though there was a de facto ceasefire in August 1974, the Turkish aggression remained.  The Turks never withdrew and occupied about a third of the island.  In November 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established under the leadership of Rauf Denktash, who remained president until 2005.  It had a population of 180,000, of whom about 100,000 came as colonialists from Anatolia, the Turkish mainland.  The U.N. condemned the Republic as ‘legally invalid’ and called on states not to recognize it.  None has done so except Turkey.  The town of Nicosia is still divided, with a ‘Green Line,’ into two parts, each being the capital of one of the two regimes.  It is the only divided capital in the world.

With the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the 200,000 Greek Christian Cypriots in the north escaped or were Read more…