Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog - The U.S. & West should support Kurdish independence. Here’s why.

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

The U.S. & West should support Kurdish independence. Here’s why. [Analysis of Kurdish referendum, to be held on Sept. 25] by joelcrosenberg On Monday, September 25th, the Kurdish people of northern Iraq will vote on a highly controversial referendum on whether to secede from the Republic of Iraq and create their own independent state. It is expected to pass overwhelmingly. But then what? Marsoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, laid out the case in a June 28th op-ed in the Washington Post, "The time has come for Iraqi Kurdistan to make its choice on independence." Most world governments, however, oppose the referendum. They see the move by the Sunni Muslims of the Kurdistan province as ill-timed and needlessly complicating an already highly volatile geopolitical situation in the Middle East. Especially adamant against the move are the Shia leaders in Baghdad and Tehran, as well as the Turkish government, which hates the Kurds with a vengeance. Unfortunately, the Trump administration also opposes the referendum, or at least its timing. This is a mistake. The Kurds deserve their freedom now. The Kurds were promised a state of their own after World War I by the Western allies who had defeated the Ottoman Empire -- but those promises were never kept. Since then, the Kurds have suffered genocide under Saddam Hussein and numerous atrocities by other regional despots. Along the way, the Kurds have proven themselves staunch and faithful allies of the U.S. and the West. They helped us fight and defeat Saddam Hussein in the 2003 war. [see a detailed account in Bob Woodward's book, Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account of the Decision to Invade Iraq] They have helped the West effectively fight the Islamic State in Iraq. They have helped the West effectively fight the Islamic State in Syria. They have welcomed thousands of Iraqi Christians, Yazidis and other minorities when they were fleeing from ISIS genocide. They have built a growing economy and a stable, functioning, pluralistic and imperfect but reasonably democratic society. They were promised a real partnership in a democratic, pluralistic Iraqi government, but those promises failed to materialize, as well. What's more, they have close and long-standing commercial and intelligence tiesto and warm relations with the State of Israel -- indeed, Israel is the only government that has openly support Kurdish independence -- and can be an ally in Middle East peace-making. I have had the honor of visiting the Kurdish province in northern Iraq four times. Over the years, I have met with Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani (who was the Kurdish representative in D.C. at the time), a range of other Kurdish government officials, and Christian pastors and ministry leaders in Kurdistan. I have been moved by their history, have fallen in love with their people -- especially the children -- and have been praying for the people and leaders ever since. In 1988, Saddam Hussein launched massive military attacks against the Kurdish people "that killed at least 50,000 civilians and destroyed thousands of villages," reported the New York Times. Throughout the 1980s, it has been alleged that that as many as 180,000 Kurds were killed by Saddam's forces. On March 16th, 1988, Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against the Kurds, barbarically killing some 5,000 Kurdish men, women and children with poison gas. [For this, Saddam Hussein was ultimately charged with genocide against the Kurds, after U.S. forces liberated Iraq in 2003 and captured the Iraqi tyrant. Saddam was ultimately convicted and hanged for these crimes, among others.] When the U.S. led an international coalition to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991, President George H.W. Bush called on the Iraqi people to rise up and overthrow the Butcher of Baghdad. "There's another way for the bloodshed to stop, and this is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside," said President Bush (41). The Kurds responded to the call, but when Saddam launched a counter attack the Bush administration refused to help the Kurds. "In a written statement issued from their headquarters in northern Iraq, Kurdish rebel leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani appealed to Bush to use American military force to prevent the Iraqi army from employing its tanks, artillery and aircraft to put down the rebellion," reported the Los Angeles Times. "You personally called upon the Iraqi people to rise up against Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorship," the Kurds said. "They have now risen and are confronting the might of Saddam's tyranny." The referendum the Kurds have drafted is not perfect. Indeed, in some ways it is overreaching. And yes, it will complicate diplomatic matters in the region. Rather than oppose it, however, the U.S. and Western powers should be working with the Kurds and regional leaders to negotiate a peaceful and reasonable conclusion, one that gives the Kurds their independence but ensures they are cooperating partners in the region's security and economy. The Kurds have been patient for the better part of a century, while the world continues to cut them loose. Enough is enough. It is time to support their bid for self-determination. If not now, then when? The column expresses my own personal opinions. It does not reflect the views of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-political organization, and takes no position on legislative or political issues in the U.S. or other countries. (Top photos: Meeting with Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil.) See also excellent column by Eli Lake, "Iraq's Kurds Have Earned Their Right to Independence -- The U.S. should offer full-throated support, not a quibble over timing." ———————— September 30 — I’ll be speaking in Denver on Sept. 30 on the latest threats from Radical Islam, Russia & North Korea. Please register today. October 6 & 7 — I’ll be speaking at the 2017 Epicenter Conference in Orange County, California. The focus of the conference is, “What does the Future Hold for Israel and Her Neighbors?” Please register today. October 12 — I’ll be speaking in chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Please click here for more information. October 10 through 14 — I’ll be speaking at Dallas Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (in chapels, classes, and public events in local churches) in joint-conferences on “The Gospel and the Middle East.” Please click here for more information and to register. ——————— >> To pre-order a copy of The Kremlin Conspiracy (which releases March 6th), please click here. Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? This is the non-profit organization that my wife, Lynn, and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, to care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, care for Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks so much! Click here to read the 2016 Joshua Fund Donor Report — and watch the short videos, as well Subscribe (free) to the RSS feed (click here) and receive every new posting on this blog directly via email.  joelcrosenberg | September 24, 2017 at 10:31 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-8pp

12 Reasons Syria May Fulfill God's Isaiah 19 Promise for Israel - JONI KOSKI/REVIVE ISRAEL CHARISMA NEWS

Maalola, Syria (Public Domain Pictures)

12 Reasons Syria May Fulfill God's Isaiah 19 Promise for Israel

 9/18/2017 JONI KOSKI/REVIVE ISRAEL  CHARISMA NEWS

Many people today consider the Middle East hopeless darkness! However, Isaiah 19:23-25 speaks of a physical highway, connecting Egypt to Israel to Assyria—three nations worshiping together, a 'blessing,' dispelling the darkness.

In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel shall be the third group with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of Hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."

For Israel, God will raise up Egypt and Assyria as a buffer between us and less friendly neighbors.

What Egypt and Israel are is clear! 'Assyria' sounds like modern-day Syria, and so it is easy to conclude the two are the same. However, Syria was only established in the 20th century, with its capital, Damascus, inside greater biblical Israel (Gen. 15:18), whose northern border was the Euphrates River.

Assyria was an aggressive ancient empire from Isaiah's time. The map below shows its larger extent in green and the area in purple its core. So who lives in that area today?

Compare with this map, showing the habitation of the ethnic Kurdish people, located in present day North Iraq (5 million), Northwest Iran (8 million), Eastern Turkey (18 million) and North Syria (2 million).

There is clearly a correlation between the geography of ancient Assyria and today's 30 million-plus Kurds, the world's largest ethnic group without a recognized state. So are there any more indicators which might suggest that the Kurds are the reawakened "worshipping" "Assyrians"?

1. Physically, the Kurds today are notably diverse. The ancient Assyrians relocated huge populations in the territories they conquered, so that their empire could be easily subdued, thus creating a highly mixed up gene pool, which is not ethnically Arab.
2. The earliest proselytization of Kurds to Christianity in Kurdish lands is attributed to the Apostle Andrew in the first century A.D.
3. In the year A.D. 338, a Kurdish ruler, Tirdad, converted to Christianity.
4. Saddam Hussein accused the Kurds (Sunni Muslims) of being non-Muslims and persecuted them to the extent of genocide.
5. There is a huge move amongst Kurds to form an independent state. Northern Iraq has its own Kurdish regional government. On Sept. 25, 2017, they plan a referendum towards total independence from Iraq—"Kexit." This move is strongly and jointly opposed by Turkey and Iran.
6. Prominent politicians in Eastern Turkey have also bravely called for a Kurdish independence referendum.
7. The Kurds of Northern Iraq have absorbed approaching 1 million Christians from southern Iraq, following increasing persecution and more recently due to ISIS—although persecution remain even there.
8. The Kurds do not usually display anti-Semitism and even trade with Israel, especially selling oil. Also, Israel has provided the Kurds with military training, support and humanitarian assistance.
9. Messianic Jewish believers from Israel have visited Kurdish believers and have been told that the Kurds hold no hostility towards Israel.
10. The Kurdish-speaking Church of Christ (The Kurdzman Church of Christ) was established in Arbil in 2000, and has branches in Silêmanî and Duhok.
11. In recent years, some hundreds of Kurds from Muslim background have converted to Christianity.
12. The prophet Jonah witnessed the conversion of the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, located in the area of present day Mosul. Could this be a foreshadowing of something greater in these last days?

Kurdish historic origins are ambiguous, their territory overlapping that of the ancient Medes and also incorporating that of present-day Assyrian Christians. However, their current geography, unity and aspirations are clear.

God describes the reawakened end-time Assyria as "the work of my hands" in Isaiah 19:25. A different term is used for Egypt, "my people" and for Israel, "my inheritance." "The work of my hands" indicates something created, requiring design, endeavor and a process of formation.

Personally, I count myself privileged to have a number of Kurdish friends and await expectantly what God will do among them. 

This article originally appeared at tribe.reviveisrael.org.

Readers are Leaders! Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, Ministry Today and SpiritLed Woman all for $24. YES - Sign me up!

3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Click here to draw closer to God!

Turkey Has Declared War On Syria – Does This Mean That World War 3 Is About To Erupt In The Middle East? - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Turkey Has Declared War On Syria – Does This Mean That World War 3 Is About To Erupt In The Middle East? Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG  Nov. 30, 2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has just announced that the only reason Turkish military forces have entered northern Syria is to “end the rule of the tyrant al-Assad”.  By publicly proclaiming that Turkey intends to use military force to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Erdogan has essentially declared war on the Syrian government.   Of course this puts a member of NATO in direct military conflict with Russia, since Russia is working very hard to prop up the Assad regime.  If all-out war breaks out between Turkey and Russia, could that be the spark that causes World War 3 to erupt in the Middle East?  And once Turkey and Russia start fighting, would the United States and the rest of NATO be dragged into the conflict? The big mainstream news networks in the western world are almost completely ignoring what Erdogan said on Tuesday, but without a doubt this is major news.  The following comes from a Turkish news source… The Turkish military launched its operations in Syria to end the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Nov. 29. “In my estimation, nearly 1 million people have died in Syria. These deaths are still continuing without exception for children, women and men. Where is the United Nations? What is it doing? Is it in Iraq? No. We preached patience but could not endure in the end and had to enter Syria together with the Free Syrian Army [FSA],” Erdoğan said at the first Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform Symposium in Istanbul. Turkish military forces initially invaded northern Syria on August 24th, and at the time we were all told that the purpose of the invasion was to “fight ISIS”, but now Erdogan is telling us something completely different. Breitbart is one of the few U.S. news outlets that is reporting on this story, and I want you to read the following quotes from Erdogan that come from a Breitbart article that was posted on Tuesday very, very carefully… “Why did we enter? We do not have an eye on Syrian soil. The issue is to provide lands to their real owners. That is to say we are there for the establishment of justice. We entered there to end the rule of the tyrant al-Assad who terrorizes with state terror,” Erdogan continued, insisting his forces were not in Syria for “any other reason.” The Daily Sabah notes that Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Syria during two telephone calls last week. Since Russia launched a massive military operation to secure Bashar Assad in power, Putin would presumably have been interested in anything Erdogan had to say about toppling the regime in Damascus, and probably would not have kept quiet about it. If the Turkish military is only in Syria to end the Assad regime, then presumably they will stay there until the job is done. And this puts Turkey into a direct military conflict with Russia, Iran and Hezbollah since all three of them are already fighting very hard to help the Assad regime. Of course there is another reason why Turkey is in northern Syria, and that is to fight the Kurds.  In fact, the Kurds and Turkey are both rushing to capture a little city northeast of Aleppo called al-Bab which is currently controlled by the Islamic State… Their immediate challenge is securing al-Bab, an Islamic State-held city northeast of Aleppo which Kurdish-led fighters are racing to take, and which lies close to the front lines of Assad’s allies. Turkish-backed forces have made rapid gains since August, but largely through less heavily populated areas. Urban warfare around al-Bab is already taking a heavier toll. Five Turkish soldiers have been killed in the past week alone, three of them in a suspected Syrian government air strike. “Right now the question is whether Russia will allow Turkey to seize al-Bab,” said the Muntasir Billah Brigade official. But most people in the western world don’t know that Turkish soldiers are already dying in Syria. Here in the United States, tens of millions of Americans are hailing a new era of “peace and prosperity” now that Donald Trump has won the election, but the truth is that one false move in Syria could easily raise tensions between the United States and Russia to the highest level that we have seen since the Cuban missile crisis back in the 1960s. If Erdogan would have just stayed out of Syria we wouldn’t be in such a precarious situation.  Unfortunately, the president of Turkey is a narcissistic lunatic, and he dreams of a day when the old Ottoman Empire will once again be restored. But his delusions of greatness threaten to make the Middle East even more unstable than it already has been.  In addition to his remarks above, on Tuesday Erdogan also called on all Muslims globally “to embrace the Palestinian cause and protect Jerusalem”… Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Muslims to defend the Palestinian cause, striking a tough stance on Israel despite improved ties between the two nations. The president of majority Muslim Turkey said Tuesday that “it is the common duty of all Muslims to embrace the Palestinian cause and protect Jerusalem” and that safeguarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque should not be left to children armed with nothing but stones. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the hilltop compound is sacred to Muslims and Jews. Most people in the western world pay very little attention to Erdogan, but the truth is that he is a madman that is often referred to as “Turkey’s version of Adolf Hitler”.  He is extremely ambitious, extremely nationalistic, and he is a warmonger.  That is a very dangerous combination, and I believe that it is only a matter of time before he starts a major war in the Middle East. Somebody needs to get this guy under control, but unfortunately the Obama administration has been very hesitant to confront Erdogan about his outrageous behavior. When Erdogan openly stated that the Turkish military is in Syria to overthrow the Assad regime on Tuesday, that was like lighting a match in a room that has already been doused with propane. He needs to immediately retract those comments, because his unique brand of lunacy has now brought us dangerously close to the start of World War 3.

World War 3 Coming Soon? Tanks Roll Across The Border As Turkish Invasion Of Syria Begins - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

World War 3 Coming Soon? Tanks Roll Across The Border As Turkish Invasion Of Syria Begins Posted: 25 Aug 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG The invasion of Syria that so many people have been warning about is now happening. On Wednesday, Turkish tanks rolled across the Syrian border, and they were accompanied by radical Islamic Syrian rebels that want to ultimately overthrow the Assad regime.  This invasion was conducted under the code name “Euphrates Shield”, and it was supported by airstrikes from A-10s and F-16s that are part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against ISIS targets in the region.   The mainstream media in the United States has been very quiet about this escalation of the conflict in Syria, but things are much different in the rest of the world.  For example, a major Israeli news source announced the attack this way: “Turkey invades Syria“.  And without a doubt, that is precisely what is taking place.  The Syrian government denounced this move by Turkey as a “blatant breach to its sovereignty”, and the Russians are deeply alarmed.  The farther Turkish forces push into northern Syria, the more likely they will be to encounter Syrian or Russian forces, and one bad move could result in the outbreak of World War 3 in the Middle East. The fact that the U.S. media is treating this invasion of Syria as if it is of little importance is deeply disturbing.  These days, the big news channels are obsessed with feeding us propaganda about how “healthy” Hillary Clinton is, or about how “racist” Donald Trump is, and they spend exceedingly little time on the things that really matter all over the globe. Fortunately, it is not the same way around much of the rest of the planet.  Here is an excerpt from a British news source about the Turkish attack… It is hard to anticipate whether Turkey’s unprecedented military incursion into Syria this week will change the dynamics of the multiple wars that have ravaged the region and put civilians through hell. If things already seemed complicated in the Middle East, they may have just become even more so. What started on Wednesday ranks as the largest Turkish military operation inside Syrian territory since the civil war began five years ago. A dozen tanks, reportedly followed by a bus transporting Syrian rebels, rolled into northern Syria to drive Islamic State forces from the town of Jarablus, one of their last footholds on the Turkish-Syrian border. Today Turkey sent more tanks in and told the YPG Kurdish armed group it had one week to retreat from the border areas. We are being told that the primary purpose of this Turkish invasion is “to fight ISIS”, but that is just for western consumption.  The truth is that Turkey has actually been supporting ISIS and other terror groups in Syria for a very long time.  In fact, it has been heavily documented that ISIS sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of stolen oil through Turkey until the Russians put a stop to it. No, the real motivation for this assault is to stop the advance of Kurdish forces.  Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu recently promised that Turkey would “do what is necessary” to keep Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates River, and even President Erdogan is admitting that the Kurds are primary targets in this operation… “(Wednesday’s operation) started in the north of Syria against terror groups which constantly threaten our country, like (ISIS) and the PYD,” Erdogan said, referring to a Syrian Kurdish opposition political party. And U.S. officials know exactly what Erdogan is doing.  Just check out what one of them told CNN… Another senior US official told CNN’s Barbara Starr the US assessment is that Turkey’s cross-border action is largely about trying to stop Kurdish action. “The Turks never cared about Jarablus until the Kurds wanted to get there,” the official said. So now the Turks have declared open season on the Kurds in northern Syria, and the Syrian Kurds are treating this move as “a declaration of war”… Spokesman for the YPG Kurdish militia, Redur Xelil, called Turkey’s move “blatant aggression in Syrian internal affairs.” Aldar Xelil, another influential Kurdish politician, accused Turkey of initiating an occupation of Syria, saying the operation amounted to “a declaration of war” on the autonomous administration set up by Kurdish groups in northern Syria in 2011. According to the Turkish government, Operation Euphrates Shield will “create a safe zone” that will be 90 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide that stretches roughly from the town of Jarablus to the town of Marea. That is a massive amount of territory, and this basically shows that the Turks plan to set up shop there permanently. President Erdogan and his supporters have always dreamed of recreating the old Ottoman Empire, and they already have military forces occupying portions of northern Iraq.  This move into northern Syria is yet another bold move in the direction of their ultimate goal. But will the Russians just stand by and allow the Turks to do whatever they want? So far the Russians are not saying much, but Vladimir Putin has ordered snap military drills… Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills as German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused him of breaking international law in Ukraine and said NATO will defend member states against attack. Combat readiness exercises are taking place “to defend the interests of the Russian Federation amid increasing threats to its security,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday in a statement on the ministry’s website. Troops in Russia’s southern, central and western military districts, naval deployments in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, and airborne forces are involved, he said. The Russians don’t want to fight Turkish forces in Syria, but as they have shown in Crimea, in Ukraine and elsewhere, they are definitely not afraid to take military action when their interests require it. And if Russia and Turkey do start fighting, that would threaten to drag the rest of NATO (including the United States) into the conflict. Turkey has been chomping at the bit to start grabbing chunks of territory in northern Syria for quite some time now, but this invasion is going to turn out to be a tragic mistake. President Erdogan has definitely overplayed his hand this time, and let us just hope that it doesn’t result in World War 3 erupting in the Middle East.

WHEN ISLAM DOESN'T FULFILL THE NEED A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS - Shira Sorko-Ram Maoz Israel

WHEN ISLAM DOESN'T FULFILL THE NEED
A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS

Monthly Report: August 2016
Tammuz - Av 5776
Open in PDF

 EMAIL THIS    PRINT THIS

Mohammed prepares to be baptized in water after giving his life to Jesus, the Son of God.
A new Kurdish believer, he found the way, the truth and the life as a Syrian refugee in Turkey.
A great number of Kurds are coming to faith in Europe.

---

As told to Shira Sorko-Ram

Hussein grew up in Afrin, Syria, a city of 900,000 Kurds, with another 360 Kurdish villages surrounding Afrin. The region is located near the ancient city of Aleppo. 

You’ve probably seen pictures of the hellish destruction of Aleppo, which actually lays claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the world.

Hussein was raised in a very devout Muslim family that obeyed the strict rules of Sharia which his father had taught him along with his four brothers. For many years, he thought that the God of Islam is the one true God.

Their lives were simple. Hussein married, had children, and he and his brother Mohammed made their livelihood by leading a band of musicians and themselves playing the traditional drums for Kurdish weddings.

Mohammed's wife Jehan follows her husband in his newfound faith in Jesus.

The family rejoices as all three children receive Jesus and are baptized.

They also had a shoe-shine kiosk. Hussein’s oldest son went to school, and the small girls looked forward to when they, too, would start their education. To the Kurdish people, education is essential. But most importantly, they always had enough to eat, thanking Allah with all their hearts.

But, as the war in Syria crept towards this Kurdish region, a number of villages were overtaken by ISIS, which hates the Kurds. Turmoil and disorder interrupted their lives. No jobs, no money, no security.

As the country broke up into different fighting factions and the Syrian air force bombed whenever and wherever, they saw their country disintegrating with hundreds of thousands dying and injured. One day Hussein and his wife and children boarded a bus and fled toward the Turkish border. That was four years ago—when the border was still open. He and his family eventually made their way to Istanbul.

After arriving in this huge city of 14,000,000 people, he found himself and his family in a desperate situation. In Turkey he learned there wasn’t even any possibility of sending his children to school! (For four years now, his children are without school.) He found a job as a night watchman, and with that they eat.

In his misery he began to think the unthinkable. Why were Muslims always fighting each other? Could it possibly be that something is wrong with his religion? Could it mean that Islam is not the true religion?

He began watching the well-known Egyptian Christian, Father Zakaria Botros, who for years has had a regular television program from America where he skillfully and with great anointing, exposes Islam for what it is.

But as Hussein began to question his faith, he simply could not come to the conclusion that the religion he had followed all his life, the faith of his father and grandfathers and ancestors, could be wrong.

Then one day he watched on TV as ISIS executed the 21 Egyptian Christian Copts in Libya. Hussein became furious.

He began to shout at Allah saying, “Why did you allow these innocent people to be murdered? If you allowed this to happen, does this mean that you are a God of Murder? Are you the true God?”

At 43 years of age, Hussein was deeply confused and bewildered as he mulled over this terrible act of terror perpetrated by Muslims on those Egyptian Christians.

Three days later, in March 2015, while he was asleep, Jesus appeared to him in a dream and said, “Hussein! I am the True God that you have been searching for!” Hussein got out of bed and said to Jesus, “I believe in you as my Lord and my God.”

Hussein told his family of his encounter with Jesus. He encouraged his four children to follow Jesus and leave the religion of Islam. It took only one month, and all four of his children gave their lives to the God of the Bible.

In June 2015, Yusef (pen name) an Israeli Arab evangelist (with whom Maoz partners) travelled from Israel with a team to Istanbul for meetings to evangelize Muslims and mentor new Muslim Background Believers (MBBs). He baptized one of Hussein’s children, Assad (meaning lion). What an emotional event that was when Hussein boldly declared to him, “Son, just as I led you to become a follower of Jesus, my wish and will for you, is that in the future when you marry, you will do the same with your family.”

Amina, Hussein’s wife, has not yet received Jesus as Lord. Let’s pray for Amina to have a revelation of the true God and His only begotten Son, her true Savior Jesus!

REACHING OUT TO MOHAMMED

Shortly after his encounter with Jesus, Hussein began to share his faith with his older brother Mohammed, who was also a devout Muslim and had practiced Islam since childhood. Even Mohammed’s dream of making a pilgrimage (Haj) to Mecca while he still lived in Syria had finally been realized when he was able to take his two wives and children with him.

Now, as a helpless refugee in Istanbul, Mohammed, 55, also became skeptical of Islam as he watched the horrific bombings of ISIS in Istanbul. He began to listen and learn about the Christian faith from Hussein, and, as he compared it to Islam, he knew that Jesus was the True Way. Sadly, his Arab wife, Samira, from a very fanatical Islamic family, could not accept what was happening to her husband, and abandoned him and their children and went back to Syria to her parents.

His Kurdish wife, Jehan, is now taking care of the children, but, of course, they are very heavy-hearted to have lost their mother. Nevertheless, Jehan not only remained with Mohammed but she and the three children said they were ready to follow the true God and His Son Jesus.

Arriving from Israel, Yusef prepared to baptize all five of them. But first he shared the basics of the Gospel again just to make sure they understood completely what they were about to do. He pointedly asked Mohammed and his family, “Now, are you sure you want to leave Islam and follow Jesus regardless of the 

consequences?” Mohammed said, “Yes, and all my family wants to follow Jesus, too.”

As they prayed together that day with their eyes closed, Mohammed cried out that he saw a great light and angels surrounding him, and when he opened his eyes, he was crying.

Through his tears he said, “I feel sorry for all the years of my life I wasted being a Muslim. I have Jesus now and I have great joy! I regret all the years I have lived my life with that name Mohammed! I have decided to change my name!” Then he looked at his family and said, “From now on, my name will be Saeed (for security reasons, this is not the real name he chose) because my hope is in Jesus.”

On July 10, 2016 Saeed, his wife and three children gave their testimony before the church of former Muslims, and then all five were baptized in water.

It is no accident that when 21 Christians were martyred, and their last words heard on the ISIS video were “Oh Lord Jesus!” the heavens were opened for Yeshua to appear to Muslims who are genuinely seeking the truth. Through the blood of Martyrs His growing church of MBBs (Muslim Background Believers) is expanding in the camps and hovels of displaced persons throughout Europe.

Jesus
Part of 13 family members who just received Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

WW3: Fighters From Turkey Are Pouring Into Syria And Attacking Targets Despite The Ceasefire - Michael Snyder The Economic Collapse Blog

WW3: Fighters From Turkey Are Pouring Into Syria And Attacking Targets Despite The Ceasefire Posted: 29 Feb 2016 Michael Snyder  The Economic Collapse Blog The ceasefire in Syria is a joke.  Turkish military units continue to mass along the border, and militants are pouring across the border to attack targets in northern Syria.  The Prime Minister of Turkey is now openly admitting that his government is supporting the militants that are trying to overthrow the Syrian government, and the Turkish government has also made it abundantly clear that they have no plans to stop shelling the Kurds on the other side of the border.  So despite the “ceasefire”, the truth is that the threat of World War 3 breaking out in the Middle East is greater than ever. At times it is difficult to see the dividing line between the Turkish military and the radical jihadists that are hopping back and forth across the border with the full support of the Turkish government.  Over the weekend, militants from Turkey that crossed over into northern Syria were supported by artillery fire from the Turkish military as they attacked a key Kurdish town… In the Raqqa province, a group of some 100 fighters crossed into Syria from Turkey. The group later joined forces with other militants and attacked the Kurdish town of Tell Abyad. The 250-strong group was supported by artillery fire from the Turkish territory, a fact that Russia said the US should explain. The Kurdish YPG militia fended off the attack, the report said. This is an act of war, and yet the Obama administration does not seem to mind. If Turkey will not even honor the ceasefire, what hope is there that anything will be able to stop them from acting so aggressively? At this point, the Turks are not even pretending anymore.  Just the other day, Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu openly admitted that his nation is backing the militants that are trying to overthrow the Assad regime… “How would they be able to defend themselves if there was no Turkish support of the Syrian people? … If there’s today a real moderate Syrian opposition, it’s because of the Turkish support. If today the [Assad] regime isn’t able to control all the territories [it’s] because of Turkish and some other countries’ support,” he told Al-Jazeera earlier this week. Obviously this ceasefire is not going to work.  Turkey has not even pressed pause in their relentless campaign against the Assad regime and the Kurds. The Turkish government has become absolutely obsessed with their neighbor to the south, and that is a very dangerous thing for the rest of the planet.  The only way that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and their allies are going to be able to win the war now is to conduct a massive ground invasion of Syria.  Such a move would lead to direct conflict with Iran, Hezbollah and the Russians, and since Turkey is a member of the NATO alliance, that could threaten to drag the U.S. and western Europe into the war as well.  The following comes from the International Business Times… The wider consequences of any disagreement between Ankara and Moscow could lead to a standoff between Russia and NATO. Jen Stoltenberg, secretary general of the Brussels-based organization, said in late 2015 that it would be prepared to defend the member state of Turkey if it were attacked by Russia. “NATO will defend you, NATO is on the ground, NATO is ready,” Stoltenberg said in the aftermath of repeated breaches of Turkish airspace by Russian jets and just one month before Ankara shot down a Russian jet in November. The 28-country alliance is bound by Article 5 of its treaty to collectively defend its members. “Collective defense means that an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies,” the article states. Saudi Arabia does not appear ready to back down either. The Saudis continue to reiterate their position that either Assad must go peacefully or he will be removed by force… Saudi Arabia is prepared to send troops to Syria if President Bashar Assad doesn’t resign and leave his war-torn nation peacefully. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir warned Sunday that his country will take military action if Syria violates the terms of a ceasefire agreement. “I believe that abiding by the truce would be an important indicator of the seriousness to reach a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis that would include setting up a transitional council and the transfer of power from Bashar to this council,” he said during a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Kristian Jensen in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Al-Jubeir warned that Saudi Arabia has prepared a “Plan B.” If “the coalition decided to send ground troops into Syria, Saudi Arabia is ready to contribute,” he said. The goal since 2011 has been to get rid of Assad so that Syria could become a full-fledged Sunni nation with a Sunni government. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and their allies have poured enormous amounts of money and resources into this conflict, and they don’t appear to be willing to walk away now that the tide of the war has turned.  In fact, how the Saudis have been behaving lately has been causing a tremendous amount of anxiety in the Middle East… Saudi Arabia’s recent actions have caused a great deal of anxiety within its region. On February 4, a military spokesman suggested that Saudi Arabia was ready to send troops ground troops to fight ISIS in Syria. A week later Saudi Arabia announced that it will send combat aircraft and soldiers to Turkey to participate in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. Three days later the Saudis launched “Northern Thunder,” described as the “largest military exercise in the history of the Middle East.” Participants from 20 countries sent troops to the maneuvers run over three weeks in Hafar al Batin in northern Saudi Arabia, not far from the Iraqi and Kuwaiti border. According to a Saudi media outlet, some 350,000 troops were expected to participate in the maneuvers. So if Saudi Arabia, Turkey and their allies are preparing for war, then what is the purpose of the ceasefire? Well, first of all the goal was to stop the bleeding.  The Sunni militants were losing ground steadily, and this pause will enable them to regroup and get resupplied. Secondly, this pause in the action gives “the coalition” time to move forces into position for a potential ground invasion of Syria. But more than anything else, this ceasefire seems to be a trap.  It appears to be inevitable that the U.S. and other western powers will accuse Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and the Syrian government of breaking the ceasefire, thus providing “legal justification” for “the coalition” to militarily intervene. Watch developments in Syria very closely.  Many had hoped that this ceasefire would bring the five year civil war to an end, but the truth is that it could just be setting the stage for something far, far bigger.