(Image via Wikipedia)

An Assemblies of God church in Ahwaz, Iran was raided by authorities during Christmas services and everyone was arrested, detained, threatened, and interrogated including the children.

Most were eventually released except the senior Pastor Farhad and his family, plus several other leaders. This is a good time to remember them in your prayers.

The strange part is that this is one of the 70 ‘official’ churches in Iran that are supposed to be allowed to worship out in the open. Nevertheless an example was made of them on Christmas.

Perhaps the authorities were frustrated in their efforts to find some of the hundreds of house churches on Christmas and they took it out on a legal church instead.            *Top

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           (Ayatollah Khamenei via Wikipedia)

Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, now Algeria and more. What is behind the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa?

The Western media continues to tell us that these folks are all seeking greater freedom but that is a very deceptive and naive view. In reality all of these nations have been in transition for some time with Muslim radical Islamists gaining ground and changing the entire picture of the Middle East.

Western intellectuals continue to talk about Islam as a ‘religion of peace’ that needs to be encouraged to go through some kind of moderate revival or ‘Reformation’ like Christianity went through. So many naively talk about this possibility and totally ignore the fact that Islam is in the midst of a revival all right -a fundamentalist radical revival that is affecting (actually infecting) nearly all Muslims around the world, even those in Western countries including America.

<<Read the whole article on my ANSWERS For The Faith main page>>

Now for what is really behind it all—principalities and powers. There is an unseen battle going on right now in the Heavenlies.  However, the effects of the spiritual battle can be seen also in the natural.

I had an open vision on 9/11/01 during which the Lord told me that the Prince of Islam had exceeded his authority in the attack and that 100 million Muslims were going to be converted to Christ as a ‘first fruits’ and part of a world-wide Christian harvest and revival.

A couple of years later a Muslim leader in Africa was sounding an alarm that according to his figures at the time over 6 million Muslims a year were converting to Christianity in Africa. Since then the persecution of Christians has become rather severe in Muslim areas of Northern Africa.

We have also documented on this blog on a number of occasions that a secret hidden revival was going on in Muslim countries where people were being converted to Christ through dreams, visions, and healings. It has been  substantially a hidden ‘house church’ movement particularly in Iran where as far as we can tell as many as 500,000 Muslims have come to Christ. 

In the mean time the enemy has come back with a vengeance and persecution of the traditional churches in Muslim countries have been on the increase. For example, over 500,000 Iraqi Christians have fled the country since the fall of the Saddam regime. American forces have ironically gone out of their way not to be seen as protectors of the Christian community and it has become open season on the traditional Christians in that country.

In Israel, Palestinian Christians are persecuted by both the Muslims and the Jews. The Palestinian Christian community continues to decrease as they leave the country though there has been some reports of Palestinian Muslims secretly coming to Christ. The same can be said of Lebanon where a generation ago the Christian community was strong but after the last civil war between Christian and Muslim militias the Islamists particularly Hezbollah now have the upper hand and Christians have lost control over their own communities in the Southern part of the country.

Turning to Egypt, the Coptic Christians who have been part of that country since the first century and have lived in peace with the Muslims in the same communities for over a thousand years are now being increasingly subjected to persecution and violence. This from the ‘freedom loving’ folks that our press is writing about.  According to a recent poll 84 percent of the Egyptians favor the death penalty for any Muslim who becomes a Christian. Obviously a spiritual battle is raging in that country.

Now for a major example of demonic activity in the natural. Iran’s supreme leader Grand Ayatollah Khamenei is telling his leaders that the hidden ‘12th Imam’ is now appearing to him continually and giving him marching orders. Just this week Iran’s President Ahmadinejad told European leaders and later a major Iranian crowd of supporters that the hidden ‘12th Imam’ was behind all of the current chaos in the Middle East and that it was the beginning of the rise of Islam into one dominant Islamist World power under the leadership of the promised Muslim Mahdi –the Shiite ‘12th Imam’:

  "The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of Imam in managing it."

Wow. Obviously it is time for all of us to pray for the Middle East and for Christian revival and harvest to continue especially in Muslim lands. This is particularly a good time for all Christian intercessors to rise up and be heard and come against the plans of the enemy.            *Top

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                    (Image via Wikipedia)

Since Christmas, Iranian authorities have arrested at least 70 Christian leaders including at least 2 pastors who are all facing a possible indictment for apostasy which carries a death sentence.

Converts from Islam are being targeted in particular. Iranian religious authorities are getting concerned about the numbers of Muslims leaving Islam secretly to become Christians.

Response: In spite of all the persecution by the Iranian hard-line Islamist regime the number of Christians continues to grow exponentially. We have blogged about what is currently happening in Iran before. An actual revival is secretly taking place there with nearly half a million Muslims converting Christianity just in the last 5 years or so. Most have come to Jesus through dreams, visions, healings, and visitations by angels and Jesus. 

This is why the regime is probably responding with arrests and persecution hoping to slow down the growth of the underground Christian movement in the country. According to official records there are suppose to be around 450,000-500,000 Christians in Iran. However, with the current revival there are far more than anyone really knows or can even determine.

It is a good time to remember all of our Iranian Christian brothers and sisters in our prayers. I am praying that Christian revival and growth continues in that country unabated in spite of all of the persecution.            *Top 

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church –sponsored by Open Doors. Please pray for Christians under persecution around the world.

Remember Iraqi Christians in particular and others in the Middle East. Also pray for the Christian community in China and Pakistan where they are supposed to have a little freedom but really don’t.

Remember also to pray for the hidden revivals going on in Iran and North Korea. Christian converts in those countries are under a sentence of death when discovered.

When Ramadan begins tomorrow (Wednesday August 11) many Christians will be praying for Muslims to find Christ.

It is becoming more and more common in the last several years to hear about Muslims seeing visions and dreams of Jesus and converting to Christianity during the 30 days of Ramadan.

Also it is a great time to remember Christians living under persecution in Muslim dominated countries. During Ramadan the Christians are subjected to even more pressure and persecution than at any other time during the year.

In fact Open Doors Ministries has developed the

30-day Ramadan Prayer Calendar.

Each day is specific to a country on the organization’s World Watch List—a ranking of 50 countries where the persecution of Christians is most severe.

Also, millions of Christians from around the world will be supporting a prayer campaign initially launched by YWAM:

30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

Check out these sites and participate. You may not be able to go to the Middle East as a missionary but your prayers can get there and make a real difference.

(Dr. Tiller’s church by Getty Images via Daylife)

Over the weekend in Wichita, Kansas, late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller was murdered while attending church. A terrible tragedy on so many different levels. Terrible first for the family of Dr. Tiller, that it would happen in a church is obviously beyond the pale.

Immediately the media went into full attack mode against the pro-life movement. Yet every organization and every church leader which is in the pro-life movement condemns the murder and stands for the sanctity of life. Not one Christian group will be celebrating over this (except maybe the nutso “Westboro Baptist Church” family), exactly the opposite—this is the worst possible thing to happen for the movement.

Notice that the word “terrorism” is all of a sudden in the government dictionary again—this time being applied to the pro-life movement—just like the Homeland Security recent bulletin suggests–the threat is no longer from radical Muslims, the real “terrorist” threat in this country comes from the ‘right’. The left wing bloggers are going ecstatic!

For years to come this murder will be cited as an hypocritical ‘terrorist’ action of the whole pro-life movement and its conservative Christian supporters.

A suspect has been arrested in Kansas City and already every effort is being made to tie him to some pro-life organization or church. One blog already found that the suspect posted a “creepy comment at the Operation Rescue website in 2007” about Dr. Tiller. So there you have it after one day the suspect is already being linked to Operation Rescue. Forget the fact that Operation Rescue organization officially condemns the murder.

The end result of this will be a collective demonization of pro-lifers and conservative Christians in particular—and an attempt to paint us all as hypocritical extremist haters that need to be better monitored and regulated by the government.

*UPDATE: It is already happening, National Organization for Women has released a statement which includes the following:

"Bringing the killers to justice is not enough – the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security must root out and prosecute as domestic terrorists and violent racketeers the criminal enterprise that has organized and funded criminal acts for decades. We call on the new attorney general, Eric Holder, and head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to treat these murders in the same way they would treat politically-motivated domestic terrorism of any other kind and put the full resources of their two departments behind that effort."

Who is “the criminal enterprise” they are referring to?—Pro-lifers like you and me. Also, Attorney General Eric Holder has already taken action, directing U.S. Marshals to protect "appropriate people and facilities around the nation," (ie: Abortion clinics and Doctors) according to a statement, in order to "help prevent any related acts of violence from occurring."

Wow, complete hysteria! Unbelievable.           *Top       (Cross-Posted @ Answers For The Faith)

"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised."

Carrie Prejean did get ‘first runner up’ but quite a few folks believe that her support for traditional marriage may well have cost her the Miss USA crown. Her statement caused a media feeding frenzy that included all of the AM TV shows and was the topic of the day on many radio programs across America, particularly on the liberal coasts.

While under fire on the "Today Show" yesterday morning, Prejean defended her answer:

"I knew at that moment after I answered the question, I knew, I was not going to win because of my answer, because I had spoken from my heart, from my beliefs and for my God. I wouldn’t have answered it differently. The way I answered may have been offensive. With that question specifically, it’s not about being politically correct. For me it was being biblically correct."

Response: The persecution of conservative traditional Christian perspectives is already a reality in the main stream media. It is really shocking how the press has been rather one-sided and biased towards the homosexual agenda.

Since the passage of Proposition 8- ‘The traditional Marriage’ amendment in California, the media has been particularly active in putting down Christians and pastors who support traditional marriage. 20 year ago and even maybe 10, the statements of Miss Prejean would have been considered normal—then again that question would have never even been asked!

We now live in times when that which is ‘Biblically correct’ is considered evil and controversial and that which use to be hidden and immoral is now called good. Nevertheless, ‘for such a time as this’ we are called to stand up for the truth.           *Top   (Cross-Posted on ANSWERS For the Faith)

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(Video length- 4:45) I found this video on Michelle Malkin’s blog.

It shows the San Francisco police department  protecting and escorting a group of Christians out of the Castro District in San Francisco, CA. It’s only 4 minutes and 45 seconds long but it seems to last forever–actually viewing it for a minute is probably more than enough to get the idea.

The event happened last Friday night in the Castro District, a predominantly gay community in the city of San Francisco, California.

A group of Christian young people had been conducting a street ministry every Friday night for quite some time in the Castro district–talking to people about Jesus and how the Lord loves them and can change lives. Also, they would usually sing worship songs and pray over the community.

Last Friday night was different. <Read the whole article>            *Top

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

In some ways I am beginning to feel like I’m at ground zero in the culture wars.

We are still living with the aftermath of the election with thousands of gay activists taking to the streets last weekend protesting the passage of Prop. 8 that supported traditional marriage and ended same-sex marriage in California.

I wonder what this weekend will bring–many activist websites are calling for greater and more radical responses today and Sunday.

Last Sunday, nearly 300 ( some news reports say 1,000–no way!) or so were gathered two blocks from my house in front Rick Warren‘s SaddleBack Church, shouting obscenities to all who passed by but especially at those who dared to enter for worship. The news folks were there of coarse.

There was also a few down in Laguna Niguel near where I go to church.

Speaking about the media–all seem to be sympathetic to the poor victimized gays and rather one-sided against Catholics, Mormons, and Evangelicals–with an attitude that we’re all bigots and getting what we deserve.

Catholic Churches have been vandalized, even some black churches in So.Cal., but the greatest attacks seem to be against Mormon churches, temples, and business folk. 

Although the support for Prop. 8 was 70/30 in black areas and that really swung the election, the activists have decided to key in on the Mormons instead. Mormon Church leaders specifically asked their members give support to the Prop. 8 cause.

The activists are publishing ‘McCarthy-type’ blacklists on the web of key contributors especially business owners, and have started to picket some of the stores and restaurants owned by Prop. 8 supporters.

It should be interesting to see what comes our way in the next couple of days.            *Top 

A summary of some of the worst: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/274878646.html 

Reactions across the country: picketing at Mormon temples everywhere including NY City, An Evangelical Church attacked in Michigan, JC Smith also blogged on it and talked to the pastor.

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