Yochana Darling shares the vision of a Mediterranean safe house for God’s persecuted people.

But its believers have found true freedom

Bearing in mind the brutality meted out against protesters as Hong Kong slips inexorably towards China’s orbit of control, we are reminded by author Kai Strittmatter of the tendency for totalitarian regimes to rewrite history.

“In China, remembering events the Chinese Communist Party chooses to erase from history is a subversive act and thus forbidden and punished,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.¹

For example, reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre of 30 years ago has been gradually eradicated and many under-30s have no idea that it ever took place. “The state’s troops murdered the protesters; the state’s writers murder the truth.”

Erasing the Past

Sound familiar? Yes, such erasure of the past is proceeding apace all over the globe – even in our country, but especially in the Middle East, where Islamist terror groups are hell-bent on turning truth upside-down in order to justify their murderous behaviour.

They even go to the extent of denying that the Holocaust ever took place, and refuting ancient Jewish links to the Holy Land despite the weight of evidence, backed by libraries of documents and multiple acres of archaeological digs.

True, the land was indeed held by the Muslim Turks for 400 years until Britain’s General Allenby effectively won it back for God’s ancient people. But even Jordanian academic Rami Dabbas, in saying that Arabs have everything to gain from ‘normalisation’ with Israel, acknowledges: “The Arabs are the original occupiers, and have no right to deny the return of the Jewish nation.”²

“It is time to solve this conflict, and that begins with us, the Arabs, accepting the Jewish people’s true historical connection to this land. We have everything to gain from so doing.”

Totalitarian regimes are hell-bent on turning truth upside-down in order to justify their murderous behaviour.

Socially Harmonised Subjects

Kai Strittmatter, meanwhile, in his essay, goes on to mention China’s “socially harmonised and politically compliant subjects” whose every move is being increasingly watched by ‘Big Brother’ on an apocalyptic scale, with a staggering 600 million CCTV cameras.

That’s almost one for every two people in a vast country now exporting its surveillance and artificial intelligence technology all over the world in an apparent attempt to expand its global influence.

But before we congratulate ourselves for not succumbing to this extreme form of socialism, consider how a largely compliant British society has been so quickly and easily mesmerised into a politically-correct harmonisation of ideas, ethics and morality – the ‘normality’ of same-sex ‘marriage’ and even the encouragement of transgenderism in primary schools, that effectively amounts to state child abuse.

And who among us dares to question this diabolical form of social engineering, otherwise known as ‘cultural Marxism’? We have been trained like dogs to ‘sit’ and ‘walk’ at the command of our progressive masters. Even pulling at the leash is forbidden, and we are condemned as unloving bigots if we should so much as suggest that there is another, better way.

We Christians are too easily cowed into a corner, opting for reflective navel-gazing or gathering in our holy huddles while the world outside recklessly careers towards the cliff. But there is another side to China, for the same reason that there is another side to England.

Out of the Ashes

With the World Cup cricket tournament currently being hosted here, Hatikvah Films have been promoting CTA’s docudrama Out of the Ashes – the hugely inspiring story of how one of England’s greatest cricketers heard the call of God to China.

Twice achieving the ‘double’ of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a county cricket season (in just 20 and 25 matches respectively), CT Studd was a leading member of the England team that first brought the Ashes3 back from Australia in 1883.

But his missionary endeavours reached much wider fields. As part of the so-called Cambridge Seven, Studd endured years of extreme hardship and deprivation to bring the Gospel to the Chinese people. After giving away his vast fortune to Christian causes, he also went on to serve God in India and Africa, where he founded the World Evangelisation Crusade in 1913.

But it was the China Inland Mission, founded by Barnsley-born Hudson Taylor, that first stirred his heart. And it is believed that, due largely to their efforts, there are more Christians in China today than there are people in Britain. In fact, estimates reach as high as 100 million, but it is difficult to quantify, partly due to the severe persecution that has forced many believers to practise ‘under the radar’ while others have paid with their lives.

We Christians are too easily cowed into a corner.

These brave souls may have been ‘chained’ by Communism (or even slain by the Dragon symbolic of China), but they have been truly set free by Jesus, who said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31f).

That’s the potential power of the Gospel, and we praise God for men like Taylor and Studd who gave their lives so sacrificially for the Chinese people.

Teeming Millions

So when you think or hear of China again, picture the teeming millions of believers being persecuted for their faith. Pray that they will stand, as this cricketing hero of old stood the test in a fiery trial.

Studd left the comfort zone of fame, fortune and familiarity for foreign fields, for he was convinced that “if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

Reflecting further on this, he said: “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” And in a poem he penned, he posed the ultimate challenge: “Only one life, ’twil soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

References

1 Daily Mail, 15 June 2019. Kai Strittmatter is author of We Have Been Harmonised: Life in China’s surveillance state, Old Street Publishing, £9.99.

2 Israel Today, May 2019.

3 Literally, an urn with the burnt-out remains of a bail, used to keep the wickets in place. The contest came to be known as the Ashes in response to England’s loss to Australia at the Oval in 1882, when a satirical obituary declared that English cricket had died and “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.

No-one holds a candle to our Lord Jesus, who brought light and life to all who believe

As we approach the traditional season of Christmas, we (in the Northern Hemisphere) are all too aware of the gathering gloom of midwinter, and are anxious to help dispel the darkness with a multiple array of bright lights.

The Prophet Isaiah addressed this dilemma when he proclaimed that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isa 9:2) – although he was thinking more of man’s spiritual condition than their general environment.

Written around 600 years before Christ, this is one of his many references to the coming Messiah, and points (in the preceding verse) to the very region where he would engage in most of his earthly ministry – “Galilee of the nations [or Gentiles]”.

In the midst of the oppression of Roman occupation, a Jewish virgin would give birth to a son, who would be ascribed a series of majestic titles including ‘Prince of Peace’.

Feast of Dedication

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles to celebrate Hanukkah, the feast of Dedication.

I well remember sharing the excitement of the occasion with Jerusalem residents five years ago, as joyful groups celebrated in restaurants festooned with brightly coloured lights and menorahs.

Though not among the prescribed seven feasts dating back to the time of Moses, Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival Jesus himself attended and is celebrated close to Christmas (appropriately, though not intentionally) to mark God’s miraculous intervention during the reign of the ruthless Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes. He desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig there and blasphemously proclaimed himself God.

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles

Judah Maccabee led a brave and successful revolt against the tyrant in 164 BC and re-established temple worship (Hanukkah means ‘Dedication’) with the aid of the menorah (seven-branched candlestick) which burned miraculously for eight days despite having only enough oil for a day. The Greeks had polluted the rest.

In my opinion, the feast also foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it falls around the same time as Christmas (even though it is more likely that Jesus was born in the autumn) when much of the world is lit up with elaborate decorations to commemorate his birth some 2,000 years ago.

Messianic Jews (who do believe Jesus is their Messiah) celebrate both feasts and it is interesting to note that the sight of a menorah as part of the festive decorations is increasingly common.

The Only Hope for Peace

And yet, at a time when billions of people celebrate the coming of light into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, a dark evil casts a shadow over the place of his birth as sabre-rattling surrounding nations threaten the very existence of Israel.

Paradoxically, the spectre of Armageddon continues to loom each year just when the world focuses on the coming of the ‘Prince of Peace’.

Armageddon is not some sci-fi invention of a film-maker’s overactive imagination. It’s a reality; for there will come a time, very possibly in the near future, when the nations of the earth will clash in a catastrophic battle on the plains of Megiddo in northern Israel – the Bible makes this clear. But then the Messiah will return in power and great glory to put an end to war and usher in a thousand-year reign of absolute peace.

As my wife and I were reminded a few years ago in a Christmas card from the Jews for Jesus organisation, the baby born at Bethlehem is the only hope for peace in the Middle East.

Explaining the feast of Hanukkah, a Jews for Jesus spokeswoman said: “That is why each year we kindle our lamps, one light for each of the eight nights,” adding: “The Hanukkah Menorah has nine branches and we light each of the branches with the ninth candle, the shammas or servant candle. The light of the menorah reminds us of our Messiah Jesus, the Servant King, of whom the Apostle John said: ‘The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.’

“We can’t help but see the connection between the light of Hanukkah and the light that pierced the darkness when Yeshua [Jesus] was born. During this Hanukkah and Christmas season, let us remember that the light of the world has come among us to bring hope and life to all who believe.”

In my opinion, Hanukkah foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”.

Shining in the Darkness

But as Jesus was misunderstood, so are his followers. As John also wrote: “The light [of Christ] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood [or overcome] it.” (John 1:5).

Conflict over Jesus’ claims was also apparent during the Hanukkah feast he attended. John writes: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe…’” (John 10:22-25).

Millions of Christians today testify to being among those who once walked in darkness, but have since seen “a great light”. Their testimony is the same as the slave ship captain turned hymn-writer John Newton, who so beautifully reflected the truths of the Gospel with the words: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

Paul Luckraft interviews a Christian activist daring to expose the hidden deeds of darkness.

Wilfred Wong is an international human rights activist, campaigner and fundraiser for persecuted Christians and also on children’s issues. His life is currently divided between these two strands, but how did this begin and where has God led him along these paths?

Wilfred was born and brought up in Singapore. He did not have a Christian upbringing but was sent to a Christian school where, aged 8, he gave his life to the Lord. He came to the UK in 1986 to study law and qualified as a barrister, practising for a short time. Before long the Lord led him into two specialist areas - persecuted Christians and the welfare of children – and this became a full-time ministry. His background in law would prove helpful but there would be no time for him to continue working as a barrister.

Early Campaign Work

From 1989 Wilfred undertook voluntary work campaigning on behalf of Christian prisoners in the USSR, as well as on behalf of persecuted Christians in some Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt. But the big change came in 1993 when he felt called to leave his legal career and become a full-time activist. Although this was tough at first, God clearly led him, opening doors and overcoming obstacles.

For the next 16 years, Wilfred was a Parliamentary lobbyist with an office in the House of Commons. In this role, obtained through the Jubilee Campaign, he was responsible for arranging meetings and helping MPs speak out on these important topics.

In 1993, Wilfred felt called to leave his legal career and become a full-time activist. Although this was tough at first, God clearly led him, opening doors and overcoming obstacles.

At this time, Wilfred began writing articles for Prophecy Today, including a regular column and feature articles. He was also part of the Editorial Board of the magazine as it then was.

Later, in 2010, Wilfred took a part-time role setting up the UK branch of Stephen’s Children, an Egypt-based Christian ministry. Starting this from scratch and becoming the UK Director was a tough job, but brought its own rewards. The charity is now going strong.

Exposing the Depths of Evil

One of Wilfred’s main concerns is for persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq, an issue which has been slowly gaining attention in recent times. But the intense persecution of Iraq’s Christians had been going on long before ISIS became mainstream news in the West.

The other major part of Wilfred’s calling has been his involvement in investigating and uncovering SRA (Satanist Ritual Abuse). This began in 1993 when he was approached by an MP on the matter. It would occupy Wilfred’s attention for the next 25 years. Being a Parliamentary lobbyist put him in the right place at the right time to take up this challenging issue, but it has clearly also been part of God’s call on his life to expose an extremely dark, covert aspect of our society’s ungodliness.

It is sad and appalling to record that SRA is far more prevalent than is ever reported, and that it is growing in the UK. Thus, it seems, Wilfred has his work cut out, both in terms of raising awareness about this awful matter and in reporting successful UK prosecutions of Satanist Ritual Abusers. To this end he established CASRA (Coalition Against Satanist Ritual Abuse) in February 2014, whose website was launched earlier this year (http://casra.org.uk/).

It is sad and appalling to record that SRA is far more prevalent than is ever reported, and that it is growing in the UK.

Since the revelations concerning Jimmy Savile became public knowledge there has been an increasing acceptance that SRA does exist and needs to be countered. Some of the UK media have reported on Savile’s involvement in Satanism and SRA. The Metropolitan Police Service has publicly acknowledged on its website the existence of satanist abuse (see here).

At the Forefront of the Battle

Evidence is becoming more widely available of the scope and depths of depravity involved in SRA, and there is a growing openness amongst institutions and the public to consider what can be done on the matter to prevent further suffering.

Wilfred is at the forefront of this battle and needs our prayers. He is also available to give talks at local churches or other meetings on this subject. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information or to join the campaign against SRA.

Why is the British Government Attacking Christian Leaders?

Readers of The Times last Saturday were presented with an astonishing attack upon Evangelical Christian leaders which was said to have been issued by the British Foreign Office. Their criticism was directed at a small group of Christian leaders who have made several visits to Syria during the past nearly 8 years of conflict. The group that includes well-known Evangelical leaders such as George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Nazir Ali, former Bishop of Rochester and Baroness Caroline Cox, have had meetings with President Assad in Damascus.

According to the report quoted by The Times the British Foreign Office says that their visits are undermining British Government policy which is aimed at overthrowing Assad. It is notable that the BBC never refers to the ‘Government of Syria’ or to ‘President Assad’: it is always ‘the Assad regime’. This is part and parcel of the British Foreign Office policy of trying to airbrush Assad out of the picture.

Is this a Humanitarian Policy or a Political Ploy?

But is this policy really based on humanitarian principles or is it simply a political ploy because we don’t like Assad being supported by Russia and Iran and we want to cosy up to Saudi Arabia who are fighting a proxy war with Iran in the Yemen and they hate Assad’s tolerant form of Islam?

Few Westerners UnderstandSyrians fleeing violence in their country crossed into Turkey, in Reyhanli, Hatay / See Photo Credits

There are few Westerners who really understand either the politics or the cultural complications of the Middle East with their many different branches of Islam and different social structures stemming from their different interpretations of their religion. It is nevertheless extraordinary that the British Foreign Office have mounted such an attack upon a highly respected group of Bible believing evangelical Christians.

Why issue such a statement just now, when the last visit of the group was back in April and the previous one was November 2017? Is the Foreign Office afraid that the war in Syria will be won by the Syrian Government forces by the end of this year and that Assad will still be in power? But surely that would make diplomatic talks even more important!

Significance of The Visits

The significance of the visits of this little group of evangelicals lies in their great concern for the small Christian minority that still exists in Syria. They certainly would not be supportive of Assad’s brutal policies that have brought tragedy to Syria, cost hundreds of thousands of lives, destroyed countless cities and caused millions of refugees. Assad undoubtedly is a monster; but the fact is that he is still the leader in Syria and someone has to talk to him about the future of Christians in his country.

Assad’s brutal policies that have brought tragedy to Syria

The interest of the Evangelical Christian leaders is that traditionally the Assad Government has been very tolerant towards Christians and has allowed them complete freedom to practice their faith in Syria without let or hindrance. This is in total contrast to Saudi Arabia where there is no tolerance of other religions and Christians are even banned from taking a Bible to the country: to establish a church would be utterly unthinkable! So why does the British Government unquestionably support Saudi Arabia, even despite the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi? Is it purely because we want their oil and we make vast sums of money by selling them bombers and weapons to kill and maim civilians in Yemen?

Who Will be in Power?

When peace is restored to Syria and elections are held, Assad, if he is still in power, will depend upon the support of Christians who traditionally form 10% of the population. I have not seen accounts of the discussions between the British evangelicals and Assad, but they will certainly not have avoided talking about the pursuit of the war and the inhumane use of barrel bombs and shelling of civilians. Their objective is to try to change the culture of Assad, not to get involved in political conspiracies to change the Syrian Government. In any case, a different leader, following a different form of Islam, might be less tolerant to Christians. This might be a case of the devil you know may be better than the one you do not know.

Christians in Syria would have been wiped out or reduced to slavery

The British evangelicals know that if the Islamic State fighters had won the Civil War and overthrown Assad’s Government, all the Christians in Syria would have been wiped out or reduced to slavery. The only hope for the future of Christianity in Syria is through negotiations with whatever Government that emerges after the civil war. This is the policy that the British Government should be pursuing.

British Foreign Office Bias

The British Foreign Office has never been supportive of the Christian gospel. 200 years ago, the East India Company, supported by the Foreign Office, bitterly opposed the sending of missionaries to India. It was the Clapham Group of Evangelical Christians led by William Wilberforce who forced a change of policy. And it was the anti-Semitic Foreign Office policy that undermined the Balfour Declaration during the British Mandate in Palestine which exacerbated the division between Arabs and Jews and led to the tragic situation that exists today.

When will the British stop interfering in foreign affairs in countries where they do not understand the culture? But Britain is not the only nation to do this. Most Western nations try to impose their type of democracy upon the rest of the world. Hence the tragic situations we see all over Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Why evangelical Christians support Israel

As whipped-up Palestinian rioters cry out for Jewish blood in their days of rage against ‘occupation’ of their land, we should be praying that these dear people, for whom Christ died, would instead call on the blood of Jesus for their redemption.

This is their only hope – and ours too for that matter. As Israel is tempted to quake in fear of the vicious international hatred being vented against them, may they too cry out for help from Elohim who sent his beloved Son to die as a sacrificial Lamb to atone for the sins of all who put their trust in him. The doorposts daubed in lamb’s blood back in Egypt later became a wooden cross where God himself took the punishment we deserved.

In this battle over war and peace, the hordes of hell are being unleashed against the Anointed One and his people. But the Prince of Peace – not the diplomats or politicians – has the solution.

Christian Support is Vital

As believers the world over celebrate Pentecost (Shavuot) on Sunday, I think it is highly significant that a Jerusalem Post writer has credited evangelical Christians (or Christian Zionists as they are also known among Jews) for the current political breakthrough which has seen President Trump move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the ‘city of the Great King’.

“It is evangelical Christians who are standing with Israel today in ways that Nehemiah could never have dreamed about,” wrote Tuly Weisz on 12 May.¹

In this spiritual battle, the Prince of Peace – not the diplomats or politicians – has the solution.

We’re talking about their influence on the President as well as their love for the Jewish people who gave us Jesus and the Bible including almost the entire New Testament.

Weisz had asked Christian participants of a Jerusalem conference why the embassy move was so important to them. “The answer they gave is that it is foretold in the Bible,” she wrote, citing Old Testament examples of Cyrus and Nehemiah. Meanwhile Israel’s Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett said the move represented a new era in which the international community’s relationship was based on reality and fact, not fantasy and fiction.²

Gentiles and the Gospel

It’s worth noting that those 3,000 who joined the first disciples on the Day of Pentecost in response to Peter’s sermon were Jews and proselytes from all over the known world (Acts 2:5).

An indication of the significant role Gentiles would play in spreading the good news of Israel’s God came with the healing of the centurion’s servant at the start of Jesus’ ministry. The Roman officer had humbly sought the Saviour’s help, only requiring him to “say the word” as he felt unworthy to receive him into his home.

And so the Gospel – to the Jew first (the leper who preceded this incident in Matthew 8) – was now also offered to the Gentile. We hear much about amazing grace, but Jesus was amazed by this man’s faith. The only other time he is recorded as having been amazed was by the lack of faith in his home town (Mark 6:6).

Faithful Gentiles have made an extraordinary mark on the world.

I wonder too if our Lord was also prophesying of a day when faithful Gentiles would make an extraordinary mark on the world.

The beach near Capernaum, where the Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Picture by Charles Gardner.In Yorkshire alone in recent centuries (I am biased because I live there) I can immediately think of three men who changed the world through their faith in Jesus – William Wilberforce from Hull, a co-founder of the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people who successfully campaigned for the abolition of slavery, Barnsley’s Hudson Taylor, to whom millions of Chinese Christians owe their salvation, and Bradford plumber Smith Wigglesworth, who raised 14 people from the dead as he helped to pioneer the modern-day Pentecostal movement which had such a profound impact on 20^th Century Christianity.

The Power of Prayer

In honouring the Jewish people in both word and deed, we are simply building on the foundation laid by the Apostles. But we mustn’t forget the importance of prayer – after all, a ten-day prayer meeting had preceded that great initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

In terms of the recognition – and restoration – of Israel, the importance of prayer from men like Rees Howells and his Bible College students at Swansea in Wales cannot be underestimated. They had prayed many long hours at the time of the UN vote in 1947 before victory was secured.

In South Africa, although the government stubbornly refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to defend itself, many Christians are on their knees praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Farmer friends from where I grew up have just emailed me, saying: “We are extremely excited with the USA’s ambassadorial move to Jerusalem and continue to pray for this beautiful capital as well as for the region. What a privilege to witness what the prophets were only able to see in visions.”

In honouring the Jewish people in both word and deed, we mustn’t forget the importance of prayer.

Those nations who oppose Jewish aspirations are in for a big shock. For they will come to nothing, as Isaiah predicted long ago (Isa 60:12). Even the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign received a bloody nose with victory for Israel’s entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest despite their efforts.

Eyes on Jerusalem

It is significant of course that the United States should take the lead in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, just as they had done back in 1948 when President Harry Truman was the first to recognise the new-born state. Apparently he took just eleven minutes to do so, but “later regretted that he waited so long”, according to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.³

In fact, there will come a time – perhaps in the not-too-distant future – when Jerusalem will become the capital of the world (see Zechariah 14:9, 16).

Israel will soon be blessed with a Royal visit from Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne. But at the Second Coming of Jesus, which is surely also not far off judging by the signs (see Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21), they will welcome the King of Kings and Lord and Lords (Rev 19:16).

Come, Lord Jesus!

References

1 Time to start crediting the Christians. Jerusalem Post, 12 May 2018.

2 Jerusalem News Network, 16 May 2018, quoting the Washington Post.

3 JNN, 14 May 2018, quoting Arutz-7.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Key to the Middle East’ by Derek Prince (Derek Prince Ministries, 2013).

“If one part of the Body suffers, the whole suffers with it” (1 Cor 12:26).

In Britain, the Christmas period invariably brings with it a seasonal focus on cold weather and keeping warm by the fireside. Stoves and hearths suddenly become wonderfully inviting, comforting places – we even sing songs about them.

As you spend time near your own fireside over the next couple of weeks, remember our brothers and sisters around the world who are standing in the fire, suffering because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m convinced their songs are a lot more meaningful to God.

Eye on the Middle East

According to persecution watchdog and charity Open Doors, approximately 1 in 12 Christians worldwide is suffering from ‘high’, ‘very high’ or ‘extreme’ persecution.¹

Its annual ‘World Watch List’ charts the 50 most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian. This year, nine of the top 10 countries are in the Middle East and North Africa (20 out of the top 25). Holding the top spot for the 15^th year in a row is Communist dictatorship North Korea. But for the most part, around the rest of the world, pressure on Christians is coming from Islamic fundamentalist communities and regimes.²

Figure 1: Open Doors’ ‘World Watch List’ of the 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted. See Photo Credits.Zooming in on the Middle East, we are greeted by an ominous, uninterrupted corridor of red (‘extreme’ persecution), stretching from Pakistan in the east to Syria in the west (see Figure 1). These are five of the worst countries in the world for Christians, united by Islam as a shared source of oppression.

The grim realities for Christians in these countries are rarely exposed or understood by the Western media, so why not make a point this Christmas of finding out a bit more? Read on for a taste of the situation in each one – and for some relevant resources.

Pakistan

World Watch Ranking: 4

Pakistan, the only modern state to be created in the name of Islam,³ has some 4 million Christians among its 198 million population – barely 2%. Its increasingly hard-line Islamic culture means Christians are frequently subject to attacks by ordinary Pakistanis and members of groups such as the Taliban and ISIS.

In 2013 a suicide bombing of a church in Peshawar left 100 dead, and only last year another targeting Christians celebrating Easter in a Lahore park killed over 75, mainly women and children. These are particularly vulnerable - according to Open Doors, around 700 Christian women and girls are abducted each year in Pakistan, and usually raped, then forced to convert and marry Muslim men.

Christians also often fall foul of the state and its notorious blasphemy laws, which carry the death sentence. Known churches are registered and monitored by the Government. But the brunt of persecution is born not by pre-existing Christian groups, but by Christian converts from Islam.

Remember: 17-year-old Sharoon Masih, a Christian teenager who was beaten to death by his classmates in August after drinking from the same glass as a Muslim.

For the most part, around the world, pressure on Christians is coming from Islamic fundamentalist communities and regimes.

Afghanistan

World Watch Ranking 3

In Afghanistan, where tribal society is intrinsically Islamic, conversion is illegal. There are no churches and the Government claims there are no Christians. Converts are seen as betraying their clan and are subjected to destitution, occult practices, being sent to a mental hospital, torture or execution if they are found out. Baptism is punishable by death.

As in Pakistan, believers face the dual threat of violence from their immediate communities and attacks from groups such as ISIS and the Taliban, which ruled the country completely during the late 1990s. Christians must go it alone - even meeting in small groups is too dangerous, and use of the internet is closely monitored – or flee the country.

It is impossible to know how many followers of Jesus there are, for they are all in hiding. There is one Jew in the whole country – who has his own Wikipedia page for the privilege! Even with all this, however, in 2015 Operation World named Afghanistan as having the second-fastest growing church in the world.

Remember: The three Afghan Christians (at least) who have been attacked and/or killed this year in German refugee centres.

Iran

World Watch Ranking 8

Armenians and Assyrians in Islamic republic Iran are allowed to be Christians, but they are treated like second-class citizens and remain a tiny minority (<1% of the population). Muslim converts to Christianity, by far a larger group, run the risk of the death penalty. Missionary activity in Farsi (Iran’s first language) is illegal, Christians are frequently imprisoned or subject to abuse, and house churches are often raided by the secret police.

Despite this, the number of Muslim-background believers is growing, with many reporting having dreams or visions of Jesus. Operation World has named the Iranian church as the fastest-growing in the world, and Open Doors notes that “more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together”.

Remember: Yousef, Mohammadreza, Yasser and Saheb, four Iranian Christians who were landed with 10-year prison sentences in the summer for promoting ‘Zionist Christianity’. They appealed the sentence this week in court. At the time of arrest, they were also sentenced to 80 lashes for consuming alcohol, having been found taking communion.

Despite – or because of - intense persecution, the church in Iran and Afghanistan are the fastest-growing in the world.

Iraq

World Watch Ranking 7

In the early 2000s, Iraq was home to 1.5 million Christians – one of the world’s oldest Christian communities - now just 230,000 remain, with hundreds of thousands fleeing ISIS and the more general rise of Islamic fundamentalism since the US-led invasion in 2003. Many are fearing the total disappearance of this group.

Evangelism is illegal, and in ISIS-held areas churches have either been demolished or seized, public meetings have been banned and Christians have been subjected to violent punishments. Many have fled to Iraqi Kurdistan, which has been subjected to attacks from the Iraqi Government and Iranian-backed forces after trying to declare independence earlier this year.

As with other countries in the region, Muslim-background believers face the most severe persecution, ranging from social ostracism to execution. And yet, their number is growing apace, especially in the embattled Kurdish regions.

Remember: Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan, some testimonies from whom we will be featuring next week.

Syria

World Watch Ranking 6

Christians make up a larger minority in Syria, some 4% of the population – but this used to be about 10%. The civil war has forced about one million believers to flee in amongst the other refugees, and life for those remaining behind is very difficult.

Though officially Syrian Christians have much more freedom than other believers in the region, the Assad regime is no real friend. They are also being targeted by ISIS and other radical groups for bombings, abductions, abuse and murder.

Remember: The 116 Christian civilians slaughtered in a mass execution by ISIS in the desert town of Al-Qaryatain in October.

Light in the Darkness

Next week we hope to publish some testimonies from the believing community in Kurdistan. Amongst the stories you will read, one comment is particularly telling: “The weakness of Christianity is the strength of Islam”.

What does the unbelieving world see when it looks at Christians in the West? Compromise? Self-indulgence? A weak, watered-down faith with no effect whatsoever on the culture around it?

But while we see little fruit in our own nation, God is growing his Church – under the radar and away from the attention of the global media.

While we see little fruit in our own nation, God is growing his Church – under the radar and away from the attention of the global media.

Just as he has always used the humble things to shame the wise, the weak things of this world to shame the strong, the things that are not to nullify the things that are - so he is growing his Church through underground networks in the Middle East, through the single believers that choose to stay behind in warzones just so they can reach others with the Gospel, and through dreams and visions that reach Muslims who are otherwise beyond the reach of any Christian.

Resources and Encouragement

It is a sobering subject at Christmas time, but we would like to invite you all to join with us over the festive period in committing to pray for our brothers and sisters. There are also plenty of resources below for you to grow in your own understanding and raise the profile of the persecuted Church in this country – and please do add more by commenting below.

• Open Doors: Learn more about the persecuted Church, get prayer resources and write to persecuted Christians through Open Doors, which is also launching a 7-year campaign to get Christians around the world involved in bringing hope back to the Middle East. If you and/or your church could get involved, click here.
  
• Barnabas Fund: Hope and aid for the persecuted Church, and plenty of resources for believers in the West.
  
• Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW): A Christian charity that defends religious freedoms around the world. They provide plenty of information, resources and opportunities to take action.
  
• Operation World: Resources for praying for the nations.
  
• The British Pakistani Christian Association: A network for Pakistani believers that also aims to raise awareness about their plight in the UK. The BPCA is very close to the ground in Pakistan and provides insightful reports on the situation there for Christians.
  
• Elam is a charity that exists to establish and strengthen the Iranian Church.
  
• You might also be interested in our round-up of resources on Islam.

Notes

1 Statistics and information, unless otherwise stated, taken from Open Doors' 2017 report.

2 Islam may be the primary threat to Christian freedoms worldwide, but it is not the only threatening religion. Hindu nationalism is consistently a problem for churches in India, and hard-line Buddhist nationalism is making a come-back in south-east Asia. Let’s not also forget secular humanism in Europe and North America.

3 Pakistan was created as an independent home for Indian Muslims in 1947.

But much of the West is silent as believers are brutally tortured.

Simon Pease reviews ‘MidEast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Anti-Christ’ by Joel Richardson (2012).

Joel Richardson's thought-provoking MidEast Beast challenges the widely-held belief that the final empire of biblical prophecy is a European-revived Roman Empire. Instead, he makes the case for a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire, a view which is increasingly being taken seriously by students of prophecy.

MidEast Beast is one book in a series by the author looking at biblical prophecy from a Middle East perspective and follows on directly from Islamic Anti-Christ, which studies the close parallels between Islam's eagerly-awaited messianic leader and the biblical Anti-Christ. His later work dealing with Jesus and Israel, When a Jew Rules the World, has already been reviewed by Prophecy Today.

Taking Prophecy Literally

The book opens with recommendations on interpreting biblical prophecy, such as starting with easier, literal prophecies, rather than diving straight into Revelation and highly symbolic material. Richardson takes biblical prophetic references to places such as Egypt and Persia (Iran) literally, rather than spiritualising them to refer in general to the enemies of God.

Applying this principle, the author demonstrates from several of the prophets how God will bring vengeance on Israel's enemies in the Middle East on the ‘Day of the Lord’, highlighting specific nations, all of which are Islamic. He challenges the view that the Anti-Christ will rule over the entire world, exploring the biblical use of hyperbole and drawing attention to passages which describe the Anti-Christ kingdom at war with opposing nations.

Referring to Daniel's vision of a fourth kingdom crushing the others which preceded it, Richardson presents an argument for this kingdom being the Islamic Ottoman Empire, rather than the Roman Empire (as is often assumed). He uses maps to illustrate strikingly how the Islamic caliphate, unlike Rome, conquered all the areas previously occupied by the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek empires.

Joel Richardson makes the case for the final empire of biblical prophecy being a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire.

He argues that the related ‘legs of iron’ in Nebuchadnezzar's dream represent the Sunni and Shiite parts of the Ottoman Empire. He also presents historical evidence that the "people of the prince who is to come" (Dan 9:26), prophesied by Daniel and who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, were legions recruited by Rome from the local populations of regions which today are mostly in Syria and are all Islamic.

Richardson also investigates the seven-headed beast of Revelation, pointing out that the argument for Rome being both the sixth beast which ‘is’ and the seventh which replaces it, is contradictory. Islam overtook Rome in the Middle East, conquering its capital Constantinople (now Istanbul), with the Ottoman Empire receiving a "fatal head wound" nearly 100 years ago. The author makes a compelling argument for its future reappearance as the eighth beast, which is intriguing in the light of recent developments in Turkey.

Direct, Analytical, Logical

Although Richardson writes primarily for the biblically-literate believer with an interest in ‘end times’ prophecy, his compelling argument for the veracity of Scripture has caused me to recommend MidEast Beast to believer and non-believer alike.

His style is direct, analytical and logical, whilst being highly readable and devoid of theological jargon. Not surprisingly, his views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics, including citing the opinions of prominent believers from earlier generations who also understood biblical prophecy as referring to Islam.

As a result of the author’s meticulous research, some readers may find MidEast Beast overly long at nearly 270 pages, but this is probably necessitated by the controversy he has generated.

Richardson’s views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics.

Thoroughly Recommended

This book is more than just theological argument – it is a call to action, challenging Christians to recognise that Islam will continue to grow powerfully. Richardson argues passionately that this knowledge should impact believers' attitudes towards the evangelisation of Muslims, our preparation for increasing persecution and our commitment to stand with the Jewish people.

I thoroughly recommend MidEast Beast, not only because it challenges us to consider carefully what the Bible actually teaches (rather than simply accepting recycled opinions at face value), but also because of the implications if his interpretation of Scripture proves to be correct.

Mid-East Beast (published by Joel Richardson) is available from Amazon in hardcover, Kindle and audio forms.