Important Takeaways:
- Syria: Muslims kidnapping, possibly torturing, Christians
- After forces from the al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group conquered Damascus and overthrew Syria’s Assad regime in December 2024, they urged the residents of the Valley of the Christians to surrender any weapons they kept for self-defense, telling them that civilians would not be harmed. Since the jihadists’ takeover of Syria, however, around 500,000 Christians in the country have been faced with increased persecution and abductions
- On February 16, more Christians… were abducted from another village in the area. Their kidnappers, according to sources on the ground, are torturing them.
- “HTS’s successive renamings and ‘rebrandings’ appear to echo al-Qaeda’s own strategy in Syria of establishing branches and presenting them as locally-grown organizations arising in response to Syrians’ needs…” — US Commission on International Religious Freedom, November 2022.
- Al-Sharaa recently started dressing in a suit and tie, and is now presenting himself to the West as a “moderate.” He has spoken of plans to form an inclusive transitional government representing diverse communities that will build institutions and run the country until it can hold free and fair elections. In schoolbooks, however, his government has been replacing the word “law” with “sharia,” and has been using Islamic teaching to recruit the country’s new army.
- “Under HTS-control in Idlib, Christian clergy are not allowed to walk outside in any clothing that makes them recognizable as priests or pastors. Crosses have been removed from church buildings.” — Open Doors, December 2024.
- “Islam does not tolerate other cultures.” — “Christina,” a Greek Christian in Syria, to Gatestone, January 2025.
- “The new Syria should not be established without parties that represent the minority groups in the country, such as Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites. The official recognition and acceptance of the jihadists by Western governments is like placing swords on the necks of Christians in particular and everyone who disagrees with them in general.” – “Christina,” a Greek Christian in Syria, to Gatestone, January 2025.
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Important Takeaways:
- During Advent, many Christians sing the beloved hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
- CBN News combined the music of this hymn, played by renowned violinist Maurice Sklar, with an explanation of the background and meaning of the song …
- “The hymn was originally taken from a series of sayings that we call antiphons,” she explained. “An antiphon is a saying or an acclimation that is made before the reading of a psalm or a canticle. And each one is based on the titles of the Messiah found in the Old Testament.”
- ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel ‘ – Emmanuel, of course, is the title given to the Messiah in Isaiah, chapter 7, where Isaiah prophesies that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and will call His name Emmanuel. The Gospel of Matthew applies this very scripture to Jesus at His birth,” Pfann explained.
- “Another one of the titles applied to the Messiah that is adapted into the song is the Rod of Jesse. ‘O Come thou Rod of Jesse, come,’ she said.
- The Rod of Jesse, Pfann noted, is referenced in chapter 11 of Isaiah.
- “The Rod of Jesse refers, of course, to the kingship, to the ruling,” she said. “Jesse was the father of David. And so when we sing of the Rod of Jesse we’re singing of the descendant of David, the Messiah, Jesus.”
- “One of the verses of ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ calls for the Dayspring from on high to arise. ‘O Come thou Dayspring, come and share our hearts,'” she said.
- “The Dayspring refers to Malachi, chapter 4, where we read that the Son of Righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings,” Pfann explained.
- “This verse does not refer so much to the kingship of the Messiah but it refers to His tenderness, to His personal-ness, to His compassion to those who are weary, for those who suffer and toil – crying out that the Dayspring, the Son of Righteousness will come with healing not only for our bodies but for our hearts, our souls, and our spirits,” she said.
- “Another one is the Key of David,” she said. “Come Thou Key of David, come and open up the way to our Heavenly home. The Key of David comes from Isaiah 22.”
- “It speaks of that opening, that passage, that freedom of access that is echoed in the Book of Revelation when Jesus gives the Key of David, which opens doors that no man can shut,”
- “Another very beautiful theme that is touched on in the hymn is when they refer to the Messiah as the Lord of Might,” Pfann continued.
- “The Lord of Might of course comes from Isaiah when it speaks in Isaiah, chapter 11 that upon Him will rest the Spirit of counsel and wisdom and might and understanding,” she said.
- “But the hymn reflects on the Lord of Might as being the One who gives the Word of the Lord – on Sinai’s height gave the law. And of course, the Word of the Lord is not simply the law but it’s really Jesus Himself. Jesus is the Word of God,” she explained.
- “The song ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ is evoking that longing and expectation that we have,” Pfann said. “We celebrate that Jesus has already come. But we know that something is not yet complete.”
- “So, it’s a very beautiful song because it has an echo of the past but a tremendous anticipation of that glorious coming when the Rod of Jesse, the Key of David, the One Who is Almighty, God with Us, will establish His Kingdom on earth,” she continued.
- “I like to think of Emmanuel, God with me today, God perfectly present,” she said. “God who brings His salvation at this moment, God who became Jesus, who showed His love for us in laying down His life, who calls me by name, who calls each of us by name, who loves us as a Father, who loves us as a Shepherd, who loves us as a king.”
- “Today He cries out for the salvation of each human being,” she said. “Today is the day of salvation. We don’t have to wait until tomorrow. We can celebrate Emmanuel, God with us, today.”
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Important Takeaways:
Mario Murillo:
- Kamala Harris just told Christians they should not vote for her.
- Her exact words were, “You are in the wrong rally.” How does that equate to, “If you are Christian, you should not vote for me”? Here is the explanation. It happened at her Wisconsin rally.
- While speaking, she declared the glory of abortion. The crowd, which had been subdued till then, began cheering wildly in favor of killing babies. When the cheers died down, a man in the crowd shouted, “Jesus is Lord!”
- Harris taunted the man by saying, “You are in the wrong rally.”
- The man had said nothing against abortion. The man wore nothing MAGA. The only thing Harris knew was that he was a Christian. The crowd cheered again, apparently thrilled to know that Christians are not welcome in their party.
- But there is something more significant. As I said, the man wore nothing that showed he was a Trump supporter. This makes what she said even more blatant. She is telling us that Christians belong in the Trump campaign, but not in the Democratic campaign.
- Her insult of Christians began the day before. Harris had offended Catholics by skipping the Al Smith dinner, the one dinner political candidates running for president must never miss.
- This was not a harmless snub. It speaks to something much deeper. Rachel Murray is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, (you know, “woke”). In her article “Silence is Complicity,” she said, “Not showing up means that even if you aren’t actively taking the side of an aggressor, you are implicitly doing that.”
- Kamala’s insults are strategic. She is an aggressor against the body of Christ. Her tactics are straight out of the handbook “Rules for Radicals” by the late communist Saul Alinsky.
- I think God in His mercy let her blurt this out. Now you know Christians aren’t welcome in her world. And therefore, Christians won’t be welcome in her plans for America. I believe God did it for the Christians who are on the fence. Or—God forbid—are going to vote for her.
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Important Takeaways:
- Effective July 2025, teacher licensing rules passed last year in Minnesota under Democrat Gov. Tim Walz will ban practicing Christians, Jews, and Muslims from teaching in public schools.
- …Minnesota agencies controlled by Walz appointees will require teacher license applicants to affirm transgenderism and race Marxism. Without a teaching license, individuals cannot work in Minnesota public schools, nor in the private schools that require such licenses.
- The latest version of the regulations requires teachers to “affirm” students’ “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to receive a Minnesota teaching license:
- The teacher fosters an environment that ensures student identities such as race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/emotional ability, socioeconomic class, and religious beliefs are historically and socially contextualized, affirmed, and incorporated into a learning environment where students are empowered to learn and contribute as their whole selves (emphasis added).
- Last spring, administrative law judges finally approved these pending changes The Federalist reported one month before they were finalized. Universities are also affected: starting in 2025, they must either train their teaching students to fulfill these anti-Christian requirements or be banned from offering state licensing — and thus the ticket to the vast majority of teaching jobs — to their students.
- Since 2020 in Minnesota, teachers renewing their licenses, which is usually required every five to seven years, must demonstrate “cultural competency” similar to the requirements imposed in 2025 on new teaching licensees. Teachers renewing their licensing must “Show[] evidence of self-reflection and discussion of” topics that include “Gender Identity, Including Transgender Students” and “Sexual Orientation.” They must also show they understand “bias” in themselves and their students related to race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other cultural Marxist categories.
- Doug Seaton, founder and president of the nonprofit Upper Midwest Law Center, located in Minneapolis, said…
- Minnesota’s teacher requirements therefore force Christians, Muslims, Jews, and adherents to other religions to violate their faith and endanger their hopes of eternal life in order to work in government-run schools.
- Forcing people to testify to beliefs they don’t hold, often called compelled speech, is clearly unconstitutional, he said: “They’re essentially requiring people to affirm these ideas that they don’t really believe, in many cases, as a condition of being a public-school teacher or being part of a program to be a licensed public-school teacher. You can’t force that kind of speech; you can’t require adherence to ideas that aren’t believed.”
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Important Takeaways:
- The World’s Desire For Change Could Open The Door To The Most Terrible Villain In History
- We enjoy living “quiet and peaceable” lives in Christ. Yet we know that the earth is headed for dark times. Christians will miss the worst of it, but until the rapture, we will see bad stuff. Chaos and fear will fuel Antichrist’s rise to power. The bedlam preparing the world for those times of chaos and fear, seems to have already begun. People have a deep sense of dissatisfaction. And that spells trouble for political incumbents worldwide
- In the United Kingdom, conservatives are out and liberals in. In France, conservatives are rising and liberals diminishing. In fact, most of Europe has taken a turn to the right this year, including the EU itself. People everywhere are expressing frustration with their present leadership — whichever direction it leans. Dissatisfaction with incumbents is now a global phenomenon.
- In just the last few days there have been increasing calls for the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In Iran, where choices are greatly limited, people just elected the most reformist candidate available to them. The world over, people want change
- Then there is the United States. Here, the incumbent president faces a growing rebellion among leaders of his own party. Some have openly questioned his competence to run for reelection.
- In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu faces unprecedented levels of criticism across the political spectrum. Either he’s prosecuting the war with too much vigor or not enough. Every peace plan is a political minefield, but so is every plan to continue the war.
- The book of Daniel says that the seven years of tribulation will begin when Israel confirms a treaty with Antichrist.
- I believe the present wave of global desperation will grow to a point of global anguish. And that anguish will call forth the most terrible villain of human history.
- But remember. If you are a follower of Jesus, you’re not looking for Antichrist. You’re looking for the real Christ. Before the brief time of Antichrist’s reign, Jesus will snatch His people away from this world at the rapture. So, keep looking up!
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Important Takeaways:
- Muslim Slaughter of, and Violence against, Christians
- Nigeria: Some May headlines from the ongoing Muslim genocide of Christians in the African nation:
- May 1: “Fulani Herdsmen Kill 12 Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria”
- May 6: “Herdsmen Kill 28 Christians in Benue State, Nigeria”
- May 7: “Six Christians Killed, Eight Wounded in Kaduna State, Nigeria”
- May 10: “Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Attack Catholic School in Nigeria”
- May 14: “Christians, Others Increasingly Targeted in Plateau State, Nigeria: Amnesty International reports 1,336 people killed in three months”
- A raging Muslim mob attacked and savagely beat a 74-year-old Christian man, on what turned out to be a false accusation of “blasphemy”. Nine days later, on June 3, Nazir Masih Gill died from his many injuries, including a smashed skull. — Morning Star News, June 3, 2024, Pakistan.
- The Muslim employer of Saima Bibi, a 24-year-old Christian woman, dragged her outside and shoved her toward an electric chaff cutter—which sliced off one of her ears, cut off most of her scalp, and injured an eye. Her husband, Shahzad, who worked on the same farm and was present, said that one of their employers, Muhammad Mustafa, was angry that they were taking a break and ordered them to cut fodder for the cattle. — Morning Star News, May 15, 2024, Pakistan.
- Shahid Masih, a 35-year-old Christian dairy worker, was falsely accused of theft and subjected to “merciless torture” at the hands of Muhammad Ijaz. It included forcing him to ingest acid, from which he died in the hospital 11 days later…. Last reported, authorities are refusing to prosecute Muhammad Ijaz and his murderous accomplices. — britishasianchristians.org, May 15, 2024, Pakistan.
- Many other attacks on churches in France persisted throughout the month of May, including arson attacks, general desecrations, desecrations of cemeteries, defecations in churches and urination in their baptismal fonts, and bomb threats. — France.
- “Imagine the uproar if it was Christians throwing rocks at a mosque? MPs and the media would be all over it screaming ‘Islamophobia!'” — Tommy Robinson, British activist, x.com, May 1, 2024, England.
- The Church of the Holy Trinity was vandalized with Islamic graffiti, which included “Allah Akbar,” “Remove this church from here,” “Only Muslims are here,” “We don’t want churches, we want mosques,” and “Islam is the only true religion!” — orthodoxtimes.com, May 15, 2024, Kosovo.
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Important Takeaways:
- ISIS calls for ‘lone wolves’ to carry out Ramadan massacre of Christians and Jews across Europe, US and Israel
- A top ISIS spokesman has called on ‘lone wolves’ worldwide to slaughter Christians and Jews en-masse in a chilling new declaration of terror.
- In a 41-minute-long recording to mark the 10-year anniversary of ISIS declaration of a caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari declared Ramadan as the ‘month of jihad’ and urged extremists to launch attacks in the United States, Europe and Israel.
- He went on to urge Muslims to leave their homes and migrate to join up with jihadists and strengthen their ranks.
- Al-Ansari’s deplorable message comes after he launched a campaign in January entitled ‘Kill Them Wherever You Find Them’, in which he called for renewed focus on terror attacks and reminded Muslims that the Israel-Palestine conflict is a war on Jews, not just Israel.
- ‘It is a religious ideological war that will continue until we kill their antichrist under the banner of the Prophet of Allah… tighten the plans and diversify operations: Blow them up with explosives, burn them with incendiary bombs, shoot them with bullets, slaughter their necks with knives, and run them over with buses,’ he said.
- In the days after his announcement on January 4, ISIS affiliates claimed a flurry of fresh terror attacks, including the bombing of Kerman in Iran which killed over 100 people.
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Important Takeaways:
- As World Marks Easter, ISIS Urges Global Attacks on Christians, Jews in Honor of Ramadan
- As the Christian world celebrates Easter, the Islamic State (ISIS) is calling upon Muslims to attack Christians and Jews globally during the closing weeks of Ramadan, specifically targeting Western and democratic nations, including America, Israel, and European states, as part of its ongoing jihad campaign.
- The directive was issued via Telegram by Islamic State spokesperson Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, who also praised the recent deadly attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall music venue that saw at least 143 people killed by terrorists from ISIS-K (the Afghanistan affiliate of ISIS) who fired on some of the estimated 6,000 attendees of a rock concert.
- Following the attack, the Islamic State faction circulated a selfie taken by the gunmen, lauding the “bloody attack” against a “large crowd of Christians.”
- Urging the group’s supporters to attack “crusaders” everywhere, the terror group’s spokesman told them, “We ask God that you make it to Palestine so you could fight the Jews face to face in an endless religious war.”
- Furthermore, he called for increased attacks by ISIS members in Mozambique and the Philippines.
- The disclosure comes as French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced last week that the terror threat system had been raised to its highest level. It had previously been raised to its highest level in October after a teacher was stabbed to death by a Chechnyan migrant amid calls from the Palestinian terror group Hamas for a global “day of jihad” in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
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Important Takeaways:
- Tucker Carlson has accused President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting a pro-life father for praying and singing outside of an abortion clinic, warning that the administration “fears” that type of activity.
- Paul Vaughn, the Tennessee father of 11 children, was arrested by the FBI in October 2022 and charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act
- Vaughn said that the FBI came to his home, “guns pointed at the door, banging on the house, yelling and screaming, ‘Open up! FBI.’”
- “Seeing that the easiest path to de-escalation was me in handcuffs, I stepped outside and put an end to the ranting and the banging and the yelling.”
- “The question is,” Tucker Carlson asked, “what exactly did he do? Was he a terrorist, a serial killer? Was he trying to invade the country? No. Paul Vaughn, had dared to pray and sing hymns in the hallway of an abortion clinic.
- “In other words, he did what the Biden administration really fears,” Carlson continued. “He prayed. And for doing that, he faces 11 years in prison.”
- Vaughn said that he believes the Biden DOJ’s intent with its “heavy-handed raid” was to “strike fear into Christians in the nation.”
- “It really is a moment for the church,” Carlson reflected. “If you’re an American Christian leader and you’re standing by without saying anything as a man faces 11 years in prison for saying prayers, I think it’s time to assess yourself.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Actor Kirk Cameron Urges Christians Not To ‘Turn The Other Cheek’ When It Comes To Tolerating ‘Tyranny’
- While appearing on the “Timcast IRL” podcast with Tim Pool last week, Cameron discussed his fight against “religious viewpoint discrimination” in public libraries across the country. During their conversation, Pool suggested that Christians may be partly to blame for America’s decline because they have become too tolerant and accepting.
- “Christians in this country are good people who keep saying OK to these people, being tolerant, allowing them to live the way they want to live,” Pool said. “But what happens is they push more into the institutions, they introduce dangerous, bad ideas, they start targeting kids, and now we’re here where we are today.”
- Cameron was quick to agree, saying that the biblical commands to “turn the other cheek” and “love your neighbor” were never meant to apply to tolerating tyranny.
- “I see so many who are just tolerating evil and that’s not loving your neighbor,” lamented Cameron, 53. “At the end of the day, the two great Commandments of Christianity are to love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.”
- “If you ‘tolerate’ the kinds of things that bring misery to your neighbors and ultimately strip them of their liberties, you’re not loving them,” he added.
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