Watching Turkey (Day 2) - Joel Richardson on the Jim Bakker Show

Watch here: Watching Turkey (Day 2) - Joel Richardson on the Jim Bakker Show

Joel Richardson
Jim Bakker Show 2016 | Show# 3049 | Aired on August 4, 2016


Jim Bakker Show © 2016 • Morningside Studios

Joel C. Rosenberg Blog: Is There Any Good News In The Mideast? Yes, despite intense persecution of the Church, we’re also seeing a great harvest of Muslims turning to Christ.

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Is There Any Good News In The Mideast? Yes, despite intense persecution of the Church, we’re also seeing a great harvest of Muslims turning to Christ. Here’s the latest. by joelcrosenberg Recently, Lynn and I had the opportunity to have dinner in Jerusalem with our good friends, Tom and JoAnn Doyle. Among other things we talked about two important trend lines in the world of Gospel ministry to Muslims -- persecution and harvest. Below is an article on this subject that I asked Tom to write specifically for this blog. It's very informative and encouraging. I hope you'll not only read it but share it with others. By way of context, Tom was a senior pastor in New Mexico and Colorado for more than two decades. Then, in the summer of 2001, the Lord called he and JoAnn to serve the persecuted Church in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Little did they know the horrific events of 9/11 were coming. Nor could they have possibly imagined that the greatest era of church growth in the Muslim world in fourteen centuries was about to accelerate even faster, deeper and wider. In recent years, Tom has written some excellent books on what God is doing among Muslims. Among them are Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It's Not Safe to Believe and DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?  I commend them both to you. ------------------------- Is There Any Good News In The Middle East? Yes, despite intense persecution, we’re also seeing a great harvest of Muslims turning to Christ. Here’s the latest. By Tom Doyle When you think of Christianity in the Middle East, the first word that probably comes to mind is persecution.  But another word should come to mind – harvest.  The year 2015 was certainly a year of persecution for followers of Jesus Christ in the Muslim world. But one of the reasons for this is the large number of Muslims who have left the religion of Islam and now embrace Jesus as their Savior. That said, persecution is not stopping the spread of the gospel. To the contrary, the killing of Christians is accelerating the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church. In fact, over the centuries, oppressors have never recognized that the persecution of Christians is always a failed initiative. It doesn’t destroy the church; it makes the church grow. Welcome to the New Middle East. Muslims all over the region are coming to faith in Christ. What’s more, they’re willing to suffer persecution for the Lord Jesus Christ in part because they see a great harvest of other Muslims and want to be faithful in proclaiming the good news of salvation in a world of such darkness. Here are some of the things my wife and team and I have been seeing as we travel in and out of the region: In November 2015, I took a team to a country in the Middle East and witnessed something phenomenal: 25 former Muslims baptized as new believers in Jesus. The city where we were has a steadily growing underground church – indeed, they’ve seen 90 Muslims receive Jesus recently. And that’s just in one city. One was a woman who is married to a Muslim Imam (religious cleric). When she embraced Jesus, her irate husband found out and threw her out of the house and kept their three children. He vowed that if she were baptized he would kill her. But there she was, one of the 25 lining up to be baptized, and when she came out of the water there was overwhelming relief and joy on her face. By the world's standards, she has lost everything, but she was not willing to deny Jesus and her love for Him. In Syria, Farid – a pastor and national Christian leader – says: “We’ve never seen Muslims come to Jesus like this. The ongoing civil war in our country has soured many to religion since this is essentially a religious war. Jesus brings something that religion can never deliver. He brings hope and reconciliation.” Farid says that the Syrian underground church is growing rapidly and in some home groups Alawites and Muslims worship together. “In the streets of Syria, they are killing one another, but when they find Jesus and reconcile with the Father, only then can they reconcile to one another. Jesus is the only hope for Syria. We have seen more than 1,000 Muslims come to faith in Christ in Syria in the last few years. This brings us great joy in Syria.” A pastor in Jordan named, Amir, says: “The amazing occurrence of dreams about Jesus seems to be even growing. Of the hundreds of Muslims that we are working with, the majority of them claim to have had one or more Jesus dreams. Jesus tells them in the dream how He loves them. What a message Jesus has in this sea of hatred all around us.” In February of 2015, ISIS killed 21 Christians on the beach in Libya and released the horrific footage of their beheading. The video showed 20 Egyptian men and one man from Chad walking onto the beach in orange jumpsuits and an ISIS terrorist with their covered, in all black, leading each prisoner. The picture summarized the year of persecution for the church. In fact, it became a defining moment for the persecuted church in the region, much like the image of the lone Chinese dissident standing in front of a column of oncoming tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989. In October of 2015, I took a small team to Egypt to meet the wives of those brave martyrs. Before we left, I happened to mention on a national radio program in the States what we were going to do. I said that we were going to Egypt to encourage these dear widows and bring letters that our e3 Partners team had written. We were so surprised but encouraged when listeners began to write letters to the martyrs for us to take with us. Over 2,000 from around the world poured in within two days. A kindergarten class from a Christian school even drew pictures and sent them in since they were too young to write. Emails came in from countries around the world. What a blessing these messages of solidarity were to these faithful Christian women. During the research I did for my book, Killing Christians, I came to believe thatpersecuted believers have become the face of genuine Christianity around the world. As Evangelicals, we may not agree with every element of theology of the Coptic Church that these men came from. But in meeting their families and hearing their stories, there is no question in my mind that these men truly loved the Lord Jesus with their whole hearts, and I was moved that they were more than willing to die for Him. We visited their widows in their simple poverty-stricken villages. They told us how their husbands had been held captive and tortured for 45 days but they never gave in to the free ticket out that was promised to them if all they would do is convert to Islam. One widow shared this: “How is it that we were given this privilege and honor to have someone in our family die for Jesus? We are just humble village people in an insignificant village in Egypt. But yet Jesus selected my husband for the most important thing we could ever do in life-to die for Jesus!” So why is it that Muslims are now coming to faith in Christ in significant numbers? One of the reasons is that Islamic terrorists are killing violently for their faith, while followers of Jesus are dying peacefully for their faith. Muslims are watching the violence and it has soured them towards their religion. It has also opened them up to the possibility that there may be something to this Jesus after all. They see hate in Radical Islam and love among the Jesus followers, even as they are taken to be executed. What a contrast. Yes, Christians are being persecuted openly in the Middle East. But they are standing strong, and this has served to spread the gospel even more rapidly. In a world of bad news, that is very good news. Let us thank God for this – and let us be faithful in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters, that the Lord would give them strength and courage and boldness to keep living for Christ and keep preaching the Gospel, come what may. Despite the persecution, killing, and terrorism in the Middle East, this is one of the Church’s finest hours. -------- Tom Doyle is the Vice President of e3 Partners, focusing on evangelism and equipping the Church around the world, including in Muslim countries. You can get real-time prayer requests from your brothers and sisters on the frontlines and in harms way at the face book page called 8thirty8. In Tom’s recent book, Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where it is Not Safe to Believe, you can also read true stories of persecuted believers in the Middle East that will inspire you to live wholeheartedly for Christ. joelcrosenberg | May 21, 2016 at 2:45 pm | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-4X0

Rise of the Mahdi: The Antichrist Poised to Enter World Stage? - Paul Strand CBN News

Rise of the Mahdi: The Antichrist Poised to Enter World Stage?

03-02-2016

CBN News Paul Strand

ATLANTA -- Some of the most violent Muslims are trying to bring their messiah into the world, popular Pastor Michael Youssef details in a new book.

But in the pages of The End Times & the Secret of the Mahdi, Youssef suggests the shocking surprise is that this figure will turn out to be the evil Antichrist described in the Bible.

Over the centuries, people have guessed incorrectly again and again that the Antichrist -- that ultra-violent world dictator -- was soon to appear.

Unprecedented Time in History

But Youssef, head of the global outreach ministry Leading the Way and founder of Atlanta's Church of the Apostles, believes only now are conditions set for the coming of that evil one.

His book details how what's going on in the world right now is leading straight toward those events prophesied in the Book of Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible.

"I came to the conclusion that we are coming into the period of time like we have never seen before in history," Youssef told CBN News in an exclusive interview.

Hailing from Cairo himself, Youssef said he deeply loves the Islamic people, but believes Islam is hurtling the world toward the dark days of the Antichrist, as the promotional video for his new book shows.

In it Youssef says of the Antichrist, "He will lull the world into believing in him, even worshipping him as their messiah. But he will end up abusing humanity like it's never been tormented before."

Watch the promotional video below.

The Mahdi Is the Antichrist

This biblical scholar's been researching Islam's beliefs in their end times' messiah alongside the Bible's revelations about the Antichrist. What he writes about is described exactly by his new book's subtitle: "Unlocking the Mystery of Revelation and the Antichrist."

His conclusion is stated in that same promotional video for the book: "Christians know him as the Antichrist. Sunni Muslims know him as the Muslim Christ. Shiite Muslims know him as the Mahdi."

Youssef quotes Muslim scholars in his book on what Islam preaches about their messiah.

"When their messiah comes, he's going to cover the whole world," Youssef said. "He's going to rule the world. And he's going to declare himself to be a Muslim. And he's going to turn on the Christians and the Jews."

"And we know, of course, the Bible said the Antichrist is going to come and he's going to turn on the Christians and the Jews," he noted.

Youssef laid out for CBN News other parallels he sees between the Mahdi and the Antichrist.

"He will call himself  'the man of peace.' That he's going to come at a time of chaos and confusion and people longing for somebody to guide them and lead them and bring them peace because they will be worn out," Youssef shared.

Both the Bible and Islam talk about this figure's seven-year global reign from Jerusalem and say this figure of peace will turn hyper-violent.

"He's going to begin to persecute people. He's going to demand their worship," Youssef said. "Same thing on the other side -- that he's going to kill everybody who does not worship him."

Ushering in the Mahdi

Youssef says some Shiites have actually been trying to bring about the prophesied time of the Mahdi, to make it happen themselves.

"He will appear when the world is in chaos and he will bring peace," Youssef explained. "So [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, basically wanted to stir up trouble and get the nuclear weapons so they could attack Israel and create an atmosphere of chaos, so to force their Mahdi -- or the 12th caliphate -- to show up."

And some of the most violent Sunnis are also trying to set off the end times.

"Particularly those who the Middle East people call Daish or ISIS or IS," the pastor stated. "They also have that concept that when chaos and bloodshed reign supreme -- and that's why they're shedding so much blood -- that their messiah will come."

So if Pastor Youssef's belief is correct that this Muslim messiah will be the Antichrist, it's the first time in history believers of a major religion have been actively working to bring him into the world and welcome him.

No Fear for Those in Christ

But Youssef insists Christians should not fear.

"The Lord said, 'When you see these signs, lift up your head, for the day of your redemption is drawing nigh.' And so, far from being afraid and worried and concerned, we should be rejoicing," Youssef said.

Many believe the Bible warns that the world will be deceived by Antichrist's global false religion, which at first will tolerate and bring all religions together.

In his book, Youssef writes about the already popular 'coexist' bumper sticker with the Islamic crescent forming its "C," the Jewish Star of David for "X," the witchcraft or pagan pentacle dotting the "I," the Taoist yin and yang symbol for "S" and the cross of Christ as the "T."

Churches Welcoming 'Chrislam'

Youssef also told CBN News about another way major religions are merging.

"There is something that is rampant among mainline denominations called Chrislam," Youssef stated.  

"And there are churches in Canada and the United States where they read from the Koran as well as the Bible. There are churches that have the Koran in the pews," he said.

But, he added, there's a way to be immune from false religion.

"If a person is a genuine believer in Jesus Christ, he will not be deceived," Youssef insisted. "The Holy Spirit is going to give us discernment that we will be able to tell the difference."

Christ Is the Only Way

And though they may be cursed as intolerant, Youssef preaches it's time for Christians to insist Christ is the only way, not just one more option.

"We don't hate anyone. We love everyone," he said. "But there's only one name under heaven by which men and women can be saved. And His name is Jesus."

What Youssef emphasizes when he broadcasts around the world from Leading the Way or preaches anywhere he goes is that Christians need not fear all those scary events in the Book of Revelation.

But, he said, they do have to go through that horrifying time of the Antichrist before they can get to the victorious return of Jesus Christ.

Watch here: CBN News

Uncovered Ancient Fresco Shows 'Jesus Rising to the Sky' - CBN News

Uncovered Ancient Fresco Shows 

'Jesus Rising to the Sky'

02-12-2016

CBN News

Turkish archaeologists have found a 5th century underground church with artwork showing scenes of Jesus rising into the sky.

"This place is even bigger than the other historical churches in Cappadocia. It was built underground and has original frescoes that have survived to this day," mayor of Nevsehir, Hasan Unver, told Hurriyet Daily News.

Click here to see the frescoes.

"There are exciting depictions like fish falling from the hand of Jesus Christ, him rising up into the sky, and the bad souls being killed. When the church is completely revealed, Cappadocia could become an even bigger pilgrimage center of Orthodoxy," Unver said.

The church was discovered as archeaologists are excavating the world's largest known underground city. The city was found in December 2014 and consists of about 3.5 miles of tunnels, churches, and escape galleries dating back around 5,000 years.

The newly discovered church is estimated to have been built in the 5th century A.D.

"We have stopped work in order to protect the wall paintings and the church. When the weather gets warmer in the spring, we will wait for humidity to evaporate and then we will start removing the earth," archaeologist Ali Aydin was quoted as saying.

Aydin said they hope to discover even more original paintings as the earth is removed.

Five other churches have previously been discovered in the same underground city. It is believed that early Christians used the city to hide during the persecution of Christians after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

9 Signs of the Modern-Day Remnant Church - JOSEPH MATTERA CHARISMA NEWS

There is always a true remnant left during times of apostasy and persecution. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

9 Signs of the Modern-Day Remnant Church

1/21/2016 JOSEPH MATTERA  charisma news

As the persecution of the Bible-believing church becomes more intense, there will be a greater manifestation of what I am referring to in this article as the "remnant church." By remnant church, I am referring to the surviving vestige of the body of Christ that remains true to biblical principles in spite of cultural opposition.

There is always a true remnant left during times of apostasy and persecution. Elijah the prophet found out that God always preserved a remnant, by His grace, that held true to the faith (1 Kin. 19 and Rom. 11:2-5). By remnant church, I am not merely referring to so-called "cultural warrior" churches who seem to always be battling for a cause (which can be part of it, although the gospel is always much bigger than one social cause).

I am also not referring to so-called Christian churches that do idiotic things (like burning the Quran) or exhibit intentionally hostile (and un-Christlike) behavior by so-called churches (such as the Westboro Baptist Church). (I cringe even calling this group of hate-mongers a church.) I am, however, referring to those of plain and simple faith and obedience to the Word of God, which is practiced by humble, people-loving, community-serving, compassionate churches that do not compromise the Word of God.

The following are characteristics of the modern-day remnant church:

1. They will become more entrenched in the Word of God the more the world opposes them.

The more resistance they face, the more the remnant church will become resolute in their faith (sort of like the way the muscles in our body get harder with resistance training). Instead of compromising the message of the Word, they may change their method of presenting the gospel but will never even consider watering down biblical ethics, values and the message of the cross of Jesus Christ.

2. They will become the vilified in society.

The remnant church used to be merely unpopular in the past but has now gotten to the point where they are hated. It is very apparent that Christian values are constantly mocked, such as by popular voices like Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow and the like. This can give you an idea on how popular it is to hate biblical Christianity.

3. They will preach countercultural biblical messages.

The remnant pastors will continue to preach the gospel of Christ, which always has vast implications related to human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, the definition of marriage and family and such; albeit, they should apply the gospel to cultural issues in a wiser, more winsome way. The remnant church will remain faithful in preaching the gospel in spite of the possible backlash they can receive from church attendees and or the public.

4. They will produce the most committed Christians and make disciples.

It is a known fact that liberal, progressive, compromising churches are shrinking, while conservative evangelical churches are the ones growing in numbers. Also, when a church is on the tip of the spear in regards to biblical truth, it is able to produce disciples because it takes great sacrifice to believe in Jesus in the midst of hostile environments. Consider the Christians still living in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Northern Nigeria, Sudan and similar persecutory regions. Compromising churches produce wimpy believers and the remnant church produces committed disciples.

5. They will experience a greater presence and power of God than other churches.

The first-century church was a hated minority, yet the great power and presence of God that accompanied its ministry (Acts 3-5)! I have found the more difficult it is to confess the truth of the gospel, the more God shows off His glory! Where sin abounds, grace does more abound (Rom. 5:20).

6. They will become more visible and distinct as the culture becomes more decadent.

I believe that in any entity, secular or religious, about 25 percent of its members are the most committed to its vision and mission. They are the ones willing to endure the most pain for the cause. That means that most of the people in any entity detach when the going gets tough. From this we can expect that the harder it becomes for the church to practice biblical Christianity, the more evident it will become who the remnant church is.

7. They will be more excluded and separated from mainstream secular evangelical churches and denominations.

The more uncool it becomes to be a biblical church, the more the so-called cool (or, as I call them, compromising) churches will distance themselves from the remnant church. Presently, it is still not as easy for the average person to discern between remnant and compromising churches. (Most folks still lump us all together.)

However, as the heat gets turned up more and more, compromising pastors and churches will choose to accommodate culture and compromise Scripture, thus making a clearer distinction between the remnant and mainstream church. Not only that, these (compromising) pastors and churches will continue to do their best to distance themselves in public from remnant pastors and churches. (This is what happened in Nazi Germany when the nationalistic churches separated from the confessing churches to avoid persecution and death.)

8. The remnant church will change the world.

Sometimes God allows difficult circumstances to weed out the uncommitted followers from the committed followers. (Read the story of Gideon's army of 300 in Judges 7.) As it was during the days of Elijah, the early church period and the time of the Confessing Remnant Church in Nazi Germany, only the remnant has what it takes to change the world! Only the remnant church has the conviction, the sacrifice, the devotion, the endurance, the message and the power to change the world. The compromising church will enjoy their temporary popularity in the present time, but those who are wise and turn many people unto righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:3).

9. The remnant church will endure while the compromising church will fade away.

In Malachi 3:16-18 God promises that He has written a book of remembrance for those who speak of Him and fear His Name. The reward for them (the remnant) is that He will spare them as a man spares his son. The implications of this are vast. While the spiritual children of the compromising church will probably become agnostic, the children of the remnant will carry the torch of Christ to the next generation, which will increase in strength and do greater works (John 14:12). The remnant church goes from strength to strength and faith to faith (Rom. 1:17). Meanwhile, the compromising church goes from strength to weakness and from faith to apostasy and eventually into oblivion.

May God help us all remain faithful to the end and participate in the remnant church. 

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He leads several organizations, including The United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called "The Pulse." To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go tojosephmattera.org.

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We Must Wake Up the World! ✡ "See My Affliction From My Enemies" - ISRAEL365

Have mercy on me, O Lord, see my affliction from my enemies, You Who raise me up from the gates of death. PSALMS (9:14) יד חָנְנֵנִי יְ-הֹוָה רְאֵה עָנְיִי מִשּׂנְאָי מְרוֹמְמִי מִשַּׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת תהילים ט:טז yad kha-n'-nay-nee a-do-nai r'-ay an-yee mi-sin-ai m'-ro-m'-mee mi-sha-a-ray ma-vet

Today's Israel Inspiration The Psalmist's words are a modern day plea for the world to wake up and “see the affliction” of Christians and other minorities who are being persecuted, driven and wiped out, and their places of worship destroyed. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, once said “We must take sides. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Yet the world remains quiet in the face of ISIS’ declared campaign to eradicate Christianity. “Faithkeepers” is an upcoming documentary film about the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. Support an urgent crowdfunding campaign to distribute the film and educate America about the plight of persecuted Christians in the Middle East and mobilize people to action. Inspire the world to stop the genocide of Christians. Help to complete production and global launch of "Faithkeepers" & get the DVD » Sneak Preview of "Faithkeepers" the Film Faithkeepers – the movie and the movement –  enlighten and inspire all people of faith to stand-up and take action. Watch the promo » Go Behind the Scenes of Groundbreaking Documentary & "Sound the Alarm" The Clarion Project, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006, is working to wake up the sleeping masses with a new, groundbreaking film about radical Islam called “Faithkeepers – Sound the Alarm on Christian Genocide”. Read more » Multi Leather Cords Necklace This beautiful silverplated ring necklace with turquoise accents, combines crystals and Hebrew blessings for happiness, health, love, and good luck! Get 5% off storewide with coupon code "GOODBYE2015" » Israel Photo Trivia Can you guess where Ilan Rosen took this incredible photo in Israel? (Hint: it's a geological landform considered unique to Israel's desert.) Send me an email or post your answer on Facebook! Guess on Facebook » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Victor Koros of Brooklyn, New York. Todah rabah! Sponsor a day and receive a free devotional book » “Thank You for Your Emails, I Just Love Them!” It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365! Stay in Touch » Hi, my name is Kathryn. I am from Minnesota. Thank you for your emails, I just love them! God Bless you! I am enjoying Israel365 from my job desk in Harrisburg, PA. It is really a blessing to know what is happening in my beautiful Jerusalem and be able to pray for everyone out there. Blessings to all in Israel!.-Luz Rivera Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide - By JNS BIN

For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide

Displaced Christians in cramped living conditions in Erbil, the largest city in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)

For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide

By JNS December 11, 2015  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

By Shalle’ McDonald

While Christians in Iraq and Syria face the threat of extinction at the hands of the Islamic State terror group, the U.S. State Department remains silent on the prospect of publicly designating the atrocities against Christians and other Mideast religious minorities as “genocide.”

According to a recent investigative piece by journalist Michael Isikoff for Yahoo! News, the State Department is in the midst of internal discussions to officially recognize the Yazidi people as genocide victims. But a lingering question remains: Will other religious minorities be included in the Obama administration’s designation?

“Scholars and experts are in consensus regarding the term ‘genocide’ being applied to both Christians and Yazidis alike…We need to ensure that all groups being persecuted by Islamic extremism are being treated equally under Article 2 of the United Nations’ Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” Mark Arabo, an American spokesman for the Middle East’s Chaldean Catholic community and a human rights activist, told JNS.org.

In particular, human rights activists argue that Christians and other religious minorities should definitely be included in a genocide designation due to the ongoing systematic murder, rape, enslavement, forced conversion, and displacement of their communities in Iraq and Syria.

Villages that have had Christian presence for centuries have virtually become ghost towns as a majority of Mideast Christians have been forced to flee, convert, or be murdered. Even Christian families who chose the option of paying the jizya—an Islamic tax on non-Muslims—had to hand their wives over to the Islamic State terrorists.

Charles Hayes, an expert on religious freedom and vice president of the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC, told JNS.org that the designation of genocide for Christians is “long overdue.”

“If the State Department issues a genocide designation for Yazidis, that would be a step forward—but it is not enough. Invoking genocide is a serious action and should only be done when conditions are most dire. That’s where we are now in Iraq and Syria. It is time to call what is happening to Yazidis, Christians, and others what it is: genocide,” Hayes said.

David Brog, a board member of Christians United for Israel, called the persecution of Mideast Christians “the great human rights tragedy of our time.”

“This [Obama] administration has a disturbing record of downplaying and even ignoring this tragedy. This is just one more sign that the administration is deaf to the cries of our Christian brethren,” Brog told JNS.org.

The State Department’s reluctance to label Islamic State atrocities against Mideast Christians as genocide is evident by the department’s own statements.

A State Department source told JNS.org—without specifically mentioning Christians—that alongside the atrocities against the Yazidi people, Islamic State has victimized a “wide range” of communities in Iraq and Syria, but that the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad regime is the actor most responsible for the mass murders of civilians in the region.

Obama administration officials told Yahoo! News that Islamic State attacks against Christians and other Middle East religious minorities may not warrant the genocide label because Islamic State may not have the intention to actually eradicate those minority populations. Asked specifically whether Christians and other religious minorities will be included in the genocide designation, a State Department official said, “At this time we ourselves have not made a formal finding of genocide. We are not going to comment on internal discussions.”

An Obama administration official further told JNS.org, “Our policy and objective is to degrade and defeat ISIL (Islamic State) and hold perpetrators accountable. The protection of members of groups under attack and the provision of humanitarian assistance to members of displaced groups are vitally important and will continue to be a key priority for the U.S. government. To that end, we will continue to support the victims of these atrocities, work with responsible governments and other international partners to hold those responsible for these crimes fully accountable, and strive to prevent the commission of such atrocities in the future.”

Yet Ambassador Anne Patterson, assistant secretary of the State Department’s Near East Bureau, hinted at a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last month that a genocide designation might be in the works. Asked by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) whether Islamic State’s atrocities are considered genocide, Patterson said she could not say yes or no, but that she believes “there will be some announcements on that very shortly.”

Earlier this year, Fortenberry introduced a bipartisan resolution denouncing the genocide against Christians as well as other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

“The international community must confront the scandalous silence about their plight. Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities have every right to remain in their ancestral homelands,” the resolution stated.

Pressure on the Obama administration to publicly use the genocide label is mounting, coming from various spheres of influence. Scholars, religious leaders, and NGOs represented by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable recently sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to “formally declare the systematic destruction of these ancient communities a genocide.”

This past March, the U.N. human rights office strongly suggested that Islamic State may be committing genocide. Yet Adama Dieng, the U.N.’s special advisor on the prevention of genocide, conveyed that it is not a simple move to make the designation.

“Only a judicial body with an appropriate mandate can make a legal determination,” Dieng said in a statement.

Dieng warned that “the international community cannot afford to wait until such a determination is made. We must take action to protect populations earlier, before situations deteriorate to the point where the window of opportunity closes and the options for action are fewer and more costly.”

Brett McGurk, America’s special presidential envoy to the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL, recently told reporters, “We’re going to destroy this terrorist organization, and in two ways: We’re going to suffocate the core, which is in Iraq and Syria; and we’re going to suffocate the global networks.”

The 65-member coalition’s plan is “taking back major ground and territory, of finding out about the financial networks, the economic structures, how they’re actually financing themselves, and then trying to root that out,” said McGurk.

Yet apart from America’s military goals for dealing with Islamic State, the Obama administration’s humanitarian efforts to prevent genocide remain a mystery. Last year, Obama stated in reference to the Yazidis that “the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye. We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide.”

Arabo—who lobbies on behalf of Chaldeans from the Middle East, particularly from Iraq, who are seeking asylum in the U.S.—believes that indeed, genocide is exactly what is being committed against Christians in the Middle East.

“We need to be upfront and honest when dealing with the culture of intolerance and persecution against religious minorities like Christians. We cannot turn a blind eye to the reality of death and genocide occurring against the Middle East Christian minorities,” Arabo told JNS.org.

Without the genocide designation, added Arabo, “We would be facing the end of Christianity in the Middle East. There is little hope, there is little chance, and there are no longer any viable options. The cradle with which Christianity was born will forever be altered by the evil that is ISIS.”

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