Christian Podcast Central
From Daniel Massieh, founder of Open the Gates Ministries:
As an Egyptian, when I saw the story of ISIS terrorists beheading Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya, my heart broke, but the first thing that I thought about was when Jesus said in John 10:10:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
We know that this is an act of a Satanic movement, and I believe that God will use what happened there to wake up the whole world about Islam, and what is taught in Islam. For the last 1,400 years, the world has not understood that Islam is a Satanic teaching. It commands Muslims to kill and destroy Christians and Jews. I believe this is the time for the whole world to wake up and realize that this movement is from Satan and we need the Church to come together and pray against this evil movement. And, like I said, God will use this terrible season to wake up the Church as He did in Acts 9 when the Great Persecution happened against the early Church. God actually used this terrible series of events to spread His Gospel throughout the world as Christians fled their persecutors.
Even as ISIS has been attacking Christians and Jews throughout the Middle East, the Gospel has been spreading across Egypt, Syria and their neighbors. Millions upon millions of Muslims are coming to Jesus, because their eyes have been opened and they see that Islam is really a Satanic religion, not from God, and they are seeking the peace of God.
In every true Muslim’s heart, something inside is seeking God. They fear God. But, what has been going on is far away from the True God.
I believe that ISIS is targeting Jews and Christians, but right now they can’t attack them as directly and as often as they would like. Israel is very strong militarily, and God is protecting them. So, I don’t think they will attack Israel right now, but we see in Biblical prophesy that “The Beast” will attack Israel before Christ returns.
But the Quran teaches that Muslims should attack Jews and Christians (chapter 9, verse 29)
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”
This, and several other verses of the Quran say very clearly that they are to kill Christians and Jews if they don’t submit to Islam.
But this isn’t a message that we in America hear very often. We are told the Islam is a peaceful religion. But this is simply not true. For hundreds of years, the world has not known the truth about Islam, but God is revealing the truth today about the teaching of the Quran.
Now, the average Muslim is a peaceful person, but the teaching of the Quran is not peaceful. When a Muslim starts studying the Quran, and following the Quran, they will turn to ISIS. But most Muslims don’t read the Quran thoroughly. They are “nominal Muslims” – peaceful people. But when they start actually reading the Quran, studying the Quran, going to their Mosque, they will turn toward ISIS.
Contrast that to nominal Christians – when they begin to read and study the Bible, they become a more peaceful, loving, holy person. Because the Bible will change their life in that way. The Quran, however, will turn anybody toward evil.
This message needs to be made clear.
I think that our government and other leaders are trying to be politically correct and are afraid of stating this. But we need to stand up and speak the truth about Islam.
I experienced first hand how unmerciful Islam is. I grew up a Muslim in Egypt. But when I became a Christian, I came to my family and said, “Mom and Dad… Jesus changed my life! I have become a new person!”
And everyone attacked me. The whole family jumped on me and started hitting me. My own mother put her nail in my neck, trying to kill me.
Now, if Islam is a peaceful religion, why would they do this? If Muslims are as peaceful as we are told, why would they care if a Muslim converts to Christianity?
So, they beat me and kicked me out of the house. The authorities then arrested me and put me in prison for eight months. I was in solitary confinement with no bed, no blanket, only one meal a day. They didn’t even offer me a toilet. They gave me a coffee can with sharp edges to use as a toilet. I had to use my shoes to cover the sharp edges in order to use it. This is what happens in the Middle East when a Muslim converts to Christianity. Typically it’s either prison like what happened to me, or death.
This is why I am not surprised when I see the atrocities that ISIS is committing.
I know that Satan is angry. It makes him mad that many Muslims are coming to know Christ as their Savior.
It’s just like the story of Esther, when Haman was angry with the Jews and prepared a cross to crucify the Jews, but God turned it around and Haman ended up being impaled; and God saved the Jewish people.
Likewise, I believe that God will again save His people and turn around what is going on and He will bring millions and millions of Muslims to Christ.
For example, in the last five years in Egypt alone, 3,000,000 Muslims came to know the Lord. Churches there are full of Muslims seeking to know God today. That’s the good news that we have to share today – God is on the move, and using even the terrible things that are happening to turn people toward Him. In Iraq, there have been 1 million Muslims turning away from Islam and toward Jesus. Thousands of Algerians have accepted Christ recently. God has been revealing Himself through visions and dreams all across the Middle East. For instance, in a single night, 170,000 Muslims saw the same vision in Algeria. They all saw Jesus appear to them, tell them to seek Him and ask Christians for the truth. In Sudan, 1 million Muslims have converted to Christianity. Even in Syria, many thousands of Muslims are coming to know the Lord.
And God is waking up His Church, shaking the nations just like He said in Haggai 2:6-7
“In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
I believe this will include the Church in the United States. We need to wake up and pray and spread God’s good news! God’s desire is to bring Jesus Christ to all nations. I think that in recent history, the Church has failed at this. For too long, pastors have focused on “nominal Christians” and have not reached out to our Muslim neighbors. There are a reported 10 million Muslims right here in the U.S. And while the Islamic leaders are spreading the words of the Quran throughout our country, the Christian Church sleeps. I know that Satan has tried to put fear in our hearts through all that has been going on in the Middle East. But God tells us not to be afraid. He is on our side. And many Muslims are actually seeking the truth, so we need to be fearless and reach out to them.
Do not be afraid!
In America, no one will arrest you or kill you for sharing God’s truth. So, take advantage of the fact that you live here and there are people all around you wanting and needing God’s peace. We can make a global change, if we start here in the U.S.
I believe that if we don’t make a stand here and spread the Gospel to Muslims here in America, more terrorist attacks will happen domestically.
And, in regards to President Obama’s recent remarks comparing ISIS to the Crusaders of the 11th – 13th centuries, it’s absolute nonsense. The Crusaders who attacked Muslims were not following the bible, but today’s ISIS fighters do follow the Quran. Nowhere does the Bible say to kill those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, but the Quran does clearly say to kill the Christians and Jews of the world if they will not submit to Islam. When Barak Obama said:
“…remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,”
He either did not understand or was pretending to not understand the facts that the Crusaders did not fight in Christ’s Name, and the Quran actually does tell its followers to kill (which he should know since he claims to know the Quran’s teachings very well).
Today is the day of Good News, but we remain silent. If we remain silent, then punishment will take over us, just like we read in 2 Kings 7:9 –
Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us.
The truth is that persecution is nothing new for the Church. We read about it at the Church’s very beginning in Acts 9. We just need to pray. Pray for the families of the persecuted. Pray that God will use even these terrible circumstances for His own glory.
I, personally, am confident that God has appointed Egypt’s president to clean this area. I am not disappointed nor sad. I know there is pain, but God is still in control and even those brothers and sisters who are killed for their faith are now dancing in heaven with Jesus!
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