Volume 7 Issue 29

10 Christians Are Dying Every Day for Their Faith in Nigeria

Life has become increasingly difficult for Christians in Nigeria, as persecution continues to rise and an average of ten Christians are dying for their faith every day. 91 million Christians live in Africa’s most populous nation, but many of them face consistent harassment and violence from Muslim extremists.

David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, recently spoke about the struggles facing Nigerian Christians on the Pure Flix Podcast. He explained that “There are these Islamic terrorist groups with safe haven in the north and the government has done little to nothing to root them out. That makes the north of Nigeria one of the most dangerous places for Christians.”

Curry pointed to a May 18^thincident in which Islamic extremists attacked a church’s choir practice and are still holding 17 members captive. He said, We don’t know who is alive and who is not. The women are either forced into marriage to jihadists – under Sharia law there is often nothing they can do to get those individuals back – they are ransomed to raise money for terrorist activity or they are killed.”

In an area known as Nigeria’s Middle Belt, Christian farmers face attacks from militant Fulani herders and from Boko Haram. According to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, more than 500 Christians have died at the hands of Fulani herders since 2016. Boko Haram, while weakened in many places, still remains active in Nigeria and has increased its attacks on Christians there this year.

Some Nigerian Christians have reached out to the United States for help. According to Fox News, a delegation of Nigerian activists traveled to Washington in June with the support of Save the Persecuted Christians and the International Committee on Nigeria. 

Rebecca Sharibu was among those who traveled to Washington. Her daughter Leah was kidnapped from her school by Boko Haram militants more than a year and a half ago. Many of her schoolmates were set free, but Sharibu claims her daughter is still in captivity because she “would not relinquish her Christian faith.” She said, “Leah is a beautiful child. She loves the Lord and I am so proud of her for not giving in. But she has spent her 15^thand 16^thbirthdays in captivity and we need her home.”

Leah appeared in a video released by the militants last August. She was draped in traditional Islamic garb and begged for the Nigerian government to meet Boko Haram’s demands. Those who made the video said Leah would be killed if the government did not acquiesce to their demands. Leah has not been heard from since.

David Curry said that Christians in Nigeria have remained firm in their faith even though they face overwhelming obstacles. He explained that “Their life is stripped down to the basics and they decide what is the most important. And it comes down to their spiritual life and that peace you get from Scripture and wisdom to help you live every day, even in these really hard circumstances… You can find that these folks that are held captive for a long time and you see their faith walk grow despite [the fact that] they have been stripped of every comfort.”

Egyptian Committee Legalizes 127 Churches That Were Previously Outlawed

An Egyptian committee has approved the legalization of 127 churches in the country.

According to CBN News, the churches previously were operating illegally. 

Legal churches must obtain state approval in a process that had been criticized for being too restrictive and slow. In response, thousands of churches set up without permits.

“Egypt has a long history of regulating the building of churches, but many churches were not able to complete this process,” said a release from the International Christian Concern. “Instead, they were built illegally.”

The churches must only be used for religious activities, according to a media release.

But in 2016, the Egyptian government passed a new law that aimed to speed up the legalization process. International Christian Concern says that more than 1,000 churches have been granted permits since the law change.

Under the new law, a cabinet committee of the prime minister and the ministers of justice, housing and antiquities, review church requests for approval.  

In late 2018 after more than 100 churches were approved, the president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt said the process would continue to improve.

“I am pleased,” said Andrea Zaki. “The process has been slow in the beginning, but I think going forward it will be better.”

According to Open Doors USA, Christians in Egypt are still facing daily persecution from the Islamic population, but this is a step in the right direction. Open Doors USA said the Islamic religion "fuels discrimination and creates an environment causing the state to be reluctant to respect and enforce the fundamental rights of Christians.”

The Islamic State group, according to World Watch Monitor, killed more than 100 Coptic Christians in 2017. Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of the population.

Egypt is 16^thon the World Watch List for persecution of Christians.

Global Earthquakes 3 Times above Normal - Dozens More Hit the Ring of Fire                               

Within the last 48 hours we have seen large earthquakes going off like firecrackers all along the Ring of Fire.  As you will see below, a magnitude 6.1 quake just hit Japan, a magnitude 6.6 quake just hit Australia and a magnitude 7.3 earthquake just hit Indonesia.  

And of course all of this comes just about a week after southern California was hit by the two largest earthquakes that it has experienced in more than two decades.  So is all of this shaking unusual?  

Just a few moments ago, I pulled up the most recent data from Earthquake Track, and what I discovered is more than just a little bit alarming.  Looking at the entire globe, we have averaged 193 earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 or greater per day so far in 2019.  That is very high, but it pales in comparison to what we have witnessed over the last week.  Within the last seven days, our planet has experienced an average of more than 677 earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 or greater per day.  That means that the number of global earthquakes right now is more than 3 times above normal.

And the number of very large earthquakes is at a frighteningly high level as well.  According to the USGS, there have been 121 earthquakes of at least magnitude 4.5 around the world within the last seven days, and that includes the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that just hit Japan.

Incredibly, that quake in Japan brought the number of global earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater that we have seen so far this year up to a grand total of 84.  The following comes from the Big Wobble...

Last nights quake brings the total of major quakes (mag 6+) to 84, incredibly all but 7 of them striking the Pacific Ring Of Fire. The last 38 major quakes this year, going back to the 3rd of May have occurred along the Pacific Ring Of Fire. But on Sunday we had to add two more to that total.

The first actually tied the record for the largest earthquake that western Australia has ever seen...The equal-largest earthquake recorded in Australia has hit off the Kimberley coast, shaking items off shelves and stunning local residents who had never felt a tremor before.

The 6.6 magnitude undersea quake struck at 3.39pm AEST on Sunday between Port Hedland and Broome, GeoScience Australia reported. The second was even larger.  When a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Indonesia on Sunday, it sparked tsunami fears and made headlines all over the globe...

A terrifying 7.3-magnitude earthquake has sparked panic after it rocked the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia today. Scared residents were seen fleeing through the streets and heading for high ground, though no tsunami warning was issued after the land-based quake struck. None of this is "normal".  As I keep warning my readers, we have entered a time of tremendous global instability, and the U.S. is certainly not going to be exempt.

In fact, we just witnessed a magnitude 4.0 earthquake in Montana.  The following comes from Ricky Scaparo...

According to reports from the USGS, A 4.0 earthquake has rattled Manhattan, Montana. This earthquake follows the string of quakes that have rattled the globe over the past few weeks producing powerful earthquakes in Southern California and rattling Seattle, Washington. We will give you more information as we receive it.

The magnitude 4.6 earthquake in Seattle that he mentioned definitely got a lot of attention when it struck very early on Friday morning.  According to a USGS geophysicist, that quake was "widely felt throughout the Seattle area"...

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook Seattle and the Puget Sound region just before 3 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

"It's been widely felt throughout the Seattle area," said Paul Caruso, a USGS geophysicist.

I know that California is receiving most of the attention right now, but we definitely need to keep a close eye on the Northwest, because they are definitely overdue for a "Big One" of their own and there are several volcanoes in the region that could literally go off at any time. Meanwhile, the shaking in southern California simply will not stop.  According to Cal Tech, there have been 10,303 earthquakes of all magnitudes in California and Nevada within the last seven days.

In case you are wondering, that is not "normal" either. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that we witnessed back on July 5th did not cause an enormous amount of damage because it happened in a very remote location.

But we should definitely not take that quake lightly, because it was extremely powerful.  According to the Los Angeles Times, it actually "packed the energy of 45 nuclear bombs"... When the magnitude 7.1 earthquake ruptured the earth in the Mojave Desert, it packed the energy of 45 nuclear bombs of the type that fell on Hiroshima. Can you imagine if such a quake had happened in downtown Los Angeles?

And if a magnitude 9.0 earthquake were to hit southern California someday, it would be 707 times more powerful than the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that we just witnessed. Hopefully such a quake is still a long way off, but we have witnessed renewed shaking in the region within the last 24 hours.  The following comes from the Express...

California has since experienced a number of aftershocks with a seismic swarm hitting southern California in the past 24 hours. Over the course of the last 24 hours, there have been 762 earthquakes in California, 29 earthquakes were over a magnitude of 2.5. Unfortunately, this is not just a localized phenomenon. As I showed at the beginning of this article, the number of global earthquakes is three times above normal right now.

Our entire planet is being greatly shaken, and many believe that what we have witnessed so far is just the beginning.