Volume 5 Issue 50

Danger in reporting before human beings

When Jesus sent his twelve disciples with the authority to cast out demons, they could not do it. (Lk.9:40). Then He appointed another seventy and they did it, came back and joyously reported. Jesus forbade them from doing so because He sensitized the danger in the joyous reporting (which is called testimony sharing in today’s Churches).   

“Yet do not rejoice in this, that the evil spirits are subject to you, rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven”. Luk 10:20 

There is a custom in the Churches to make the believers share the testimonies as soon as they accept Jesus Christ.  Certain believers have made  testimony sharing  their lifelong ministry. As they travel from stage to stage, go on getting captive audiences, there will be a tendency  to add on to the real incidents  in order to make the listeners enthusiastic!

Rather Jesus asked His disciples to rejoice over the reward they are going to get in heaven! Yes! A believer’s eyes should be fixed on the reward they get in heaven!

Some of the activities listed out in Bible which will guarantee our reward in heaven:

Secret prayers, secret almsgiving and secret fast Mat 6:4,6,18)

Loving enemies, doing good, and lending, hoping for nothing in return Luk6:35

Planting and  watering in the Kingdom of heaven 1Cor 3:8 

Building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, and if the work remains 1Cor 3:14 

Preaching gospel willingly 1Cor 9:17 

Whatever one does in serving Jesus Christ Col 3:24 

Confidence  Heb 10:35 

Esteeming the reproach of Christ Heb 11:26   

Let us hope for the reward in heaven instead of receiving applause on earth!

Hanukkah and The End Times

'those who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits...' Dan 11:32

While this verse has been a source of encouragement to countless Christians down through the ages, few have considered its original context.

This beautiful promise comes immediately after Daniel's description of an anti-Christ like figure from the 'kingdom of the north' who puts an end to sacrifices in the Temple and erects the 'abomination of desolation'.

While I believe these verses ultimately are talking about the End Times, in this article we will see how it specifically applied to the Jewish heroes of Hanukkah and how it might apply to us today.

In AD 175BC, 400 years after Daniel wrote down his prophecies, Antiochus Ephiphanes became ruler over the dominant and powerful Seleucid Empire based in Syria to the north of Israel.

At this time, Hellenism was a powerful force in society, seducing many Israelites to the Greek materialistic, pleasure seeking and idol worshipping culture. Jason - a Hellenised and corrupt Levitical priest - entered into a treaty with Antiochus, which enabled Jason to become High Priest in Jerusalem.

In exchange Jason helped erect an idol in Jerusalem and built a gymnasium in town - a place that openly promoted homosexual activity. Jason's actions split Israel - outraging those who remained faithful to the Torah, while many Hellenised Jews rallied to Jason's side.

Three years down the track, Antiochus - who called himself 'Epiphanes' or the "god man made flesh" - suffered a humiliating loss in battle against his arch-rivals in Egypt.  Returning from this stinging defeat, he heard of insurrection and trouble brewing in Israel and launched an enraged attack on the city of Jerusalem.

When the dust had settled 80'000 Jews had been butchered. Antiochus proceeded to defile the Holy of Holies in the Temple - sacrificing a pig on the altar of God and pouring swine broth over the holy parchments.

As foretold in Daniel 11:31, Antiochus then put an end to the daily sacrifices in the temple and erected an idol of Zeus in the Temple - bearing his own image on its face. The Jews at the time called it the 'abomination of desolation' - drawing on the imagery of Daniel 11:31.

Truly it became an 'abomination of desolation', for as soon as the idol was erected, intense house-to-house persecution broke out across the entire land of Israel. Houses were searched meticulously, and those found keeping God's laws were mercilessly tortured and killed.

Daniel 11:33 predicted that many of the faithful would fall by the sword and the book of Maccabees tells many such stories. One such story is that of the elderly scribe Eleazer. Eleazer's captors desired to treat him kindly due to his advanced age and implored him to only pretend to go along with their demands.

Eleazer however refused to compromise and went willingly to a torturous death, setting an example that was to be followed by many - young and old, men, women and children in the days to come. These precious Jewish heroes who paid such a high price for their faith could well be those that the writer of Hebrews refers to when he talks of those who 'were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection' (Heb 11:35).

Antiochus' plan to Hellenise Israel seemed to be slowly but surely working. Much was at stake, for if Antiochus' diabolical plan had succeeded, then there would have been no nation of Israel, no books of the Law, no temple and no one keeping or knowing God's commandments by the time Jesus was born 150 years later.

But in these dark days of suffering, as Daniel had predicted, a small minority who knew their God were raised up to 'carry out great exploits'.

Under the command Judah Maccabee, the rebels gradually gained strength. Although they were hopelessly outnumbered and facing undoubtedly the greatest super-power of their day, Judah was undaunted through firm faith in God.

Antiochus sent wave after wave to crush the rebellion - yet time and again Judah emerged victorious. Finally, Antiochus sent 47'000 men to squash Judah's rag-tag army of around 3000 men once and for all.

Hearing of the impending onslaught, Judah and his men first spent a day in fasting and repentance, where Judah reminded his men of the great victories of Israel in the Bible. The next day the Maccabees launched a surprise attack of their own on the main enemy camp - against all odds delivering another crushing blow to their enemies. After 3 years of battles and stunning military wins, the brave Maccabees finally retook Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated it to the God of Israel.

As the Jewish people today commemorate this great victory with the feast of Hanukkah, they say to each other that 'a great miracle happened here'. Truly this was a great miracle, and one which ultimately prepared the way of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem some 150 years later.

Hanukkah and the End Times

The reign of Antiochus bears many parallels to the End Times and carries powerful lessons for the final end time generation. Firstly, the story of Hanukkah is an annual reminder to the Jewish people of the danger of compromising their values and entering into a treaty with a foreign ruler for peace.

Secondly, to us as Christians, the story of Hanukkah carries a powerful message of standing firm in the face of persecution. As it is becoming increasingly unpopular to stand for Biblical values, may we too count the cost, and be faithful to our Lord no matter what lies ahead.

On the other hand, let us also take courage from the Maccabees who stood against such insurmountable odds and were victorious.

We too might feel like a tiny minority in our society, but truly those who know their God in these days, 'shall be strong and carry out great exploits...'. Let us not give up on our nation or our world, but keep praying and sharing the Gospel - believing that a 'great miracle' can happen here in our midst as well

- By PNW Staff

Hindu Extremists Beat Pastors, Stop Gospel Event in Chhattisgarh State, India

Berating and slapping two pastors into signing an apology letter before police, Hindu extremists stopped a planned three-day gospel meeting in Chhattisgarh state, India minutes before it was to begin, sources said. Hindu nationalists beat pastor Vijay Jogi and pastor Santosh Rao minutes before the start of the first meeting, where about 1,000 people had gathered at the Railway Grounds in Charoda, Durg District on Nov. 16, pastor Amos James told Morning Star News. “Pastor Vijay Jogi and Pastor Santosh Rao were receiving the people at the entrance,” Pastor James said. “Suddenly a mob of 70 Hindu Dharm Sena and Bajrang Dal activists gheraoed [encircled] the entrance, and Pastor Jogi and Pastor Rao were beaten and summoned to the police station.”

As in the previous 20 years, church leaders had obtained prior permission from both the railway and the railway police to conduct the event, a campaign that in past years has seen many people turn to Christ, he said. The Hindu extremists claimed organizers also needed permission from the sub-judicial magistrate. “In the pamphlets we distributed earlier inviting people to attend the meeting, I quoted Luke chapter 7 and verses 22 and 23,” Pastor Jogi said. “The Hindu activists began arguing with us, ‘You are promoting blind beliefs. How can lame walk? How can deaf hear? How can you raise the dead? When your God can do all this, why are you people going to the doctors then?’ “They told me it is very wrong that I have written these lines. I said, ‘I did not write these words. It’s a verse taken from the Holy Bible and applies to the entire humankind.”’

Pastor Jogi tried telling them that in those verses Jesus Christ was telling John the Baptist the things people had seen and heard, and they told him, “We are offended by these lines,” he said. “For which I immediately responded with apologies,” he said, telling them, “If because I quoted these lines in the pamphlet, it is offending you at personal level, I apologize to you brothers. We are very sorry!” Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, the hostile tone of his National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 15th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the countries where Christians experience the most persecution.

Occult Groups in Nigeria Kill, Kidnap Christians

Besides Islamic extremist Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen, occult groups are also terrorizing Christians in Nigeria. Pastor Victor Kanayo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) was killed in a town in Lagos state on Nov. 26 by an occult group known as Badoo, a week after suspected Badoo members killed Iyabo Alaba and her two children, 4 and 8, at Celestial Church of Christ in Lagos city, according to local reports. Originating last year with a sole killer who called himself Badoo before authorities apprehended him, the Badoo group carries out serial, ritual killings rooted in the founder’s methods.

Pastor Kanayo was killed in Offin, Igbogbo, a suburb of Ikorodu town in Lagos state, and his wife, Gloria, and their 10-month-old child, Goodness, were seriously wounded, sources said; both were being treated at Ikorodu General Hospital. On Nov. 20 in Lagos city, Alaba and her two children, 4-year-old David Alaba and 8-year-old Rachael Alaba, were reportedly killed at their church premises in the city’s Temu village at about 2 a.m. Three-quarters of the occult attacks in Ikorodu target a church member or pastor or their relatives, he said. 

“They either occurred on the church premises or a building housing a church,” he said. “We must protect the women and children.” The Pentecostal pastor said that in 24 years of ministry he has received various death threats from occult groups. His ministry has included evangelism campaigns and medical outreaches. “There are times people confess to belonging to the Ogboni Fraternity, and they bring their materials and books for burning,” he said. “I have done this many times in different parts of the country.” Another RCCG pastor was killed in Ondo state, in southwest Nigeria, on Nov. 24 when armed men ambushed him and his son at Ore town, Odigbo Local Government Area, according to area police.

Hindu Extremists Beat Pastor Unconscious in Southern India Following Conversions Among Banjaras

A pastor led a southern village’s first five families to faith in Christ, masked men on motorbikes intercepted him on his way home from worship and tried to kill him. Pastor Banothu Sevya, 26, was in a coma for 48 hours after the drunken Hindu extremists beat him in Govindapuram, on the outskirts of Jamandlapalli village in Telangana state, last month. They had threatened him twice before, he said. Pastor Sevya first preached Christ in Jangi Thanda, a village in Govindapuram, at the request of a relative. When five families came to Christ, he had been as astonished as anyone.

“I too belong to the same Banjara tribal community, and it is not possible by human strength to separate them from idolatry – they have a number of gods enshrined in rocks, trees, water and the like,” he said. “The five families left everything behind and have been walking in the Light since they invited Jesus Christ into their hearts. It is a miracle.” On the evening of Oct. 5, more than 60 villagers had gathered at his relative’s house to study the Bible and worship in a service that lasted until 9 p.m., he said. As he rode home on a motorcycle, he noticed the masked men following him. “They attempted to murder him,” she said. “Doctors in Mahabubabad and Warangal districts told me he would die, and my father and father-in-law arranged for 100,000 rupees [US$1,545] and shifted him to a private hospital in Hyderabad.” Doctors told her he had blood clots in the cerebral area, brain coordination problems, injury to his eye and a damaged eardrum, she said. The pastor said he was alive only by the grace of God. “I forgive the youth who attacked, and I am praying for them,” he said.