Three attacks in 30 days by Hindus in India

Mahabubnagar District is known to be one of the toughest districts for Christians to live in. Attacks on Christians by Hindu radicals continues to increase in the Mahabubnagar District of Telangana state with the latest being the third in just a 30 day period.  The latest shocking incident once again exposed the brutality of the Sangh Parivar and shook the Christian community in the district to its core. The attack took place on April 8, 2015 at approximately 9:30 p.m. when more than 100 people, believed to be the members of right wing Hindu hardline groups, including the RSS, ABVP, VHP and Bajrangdal, ransacked a Christian gathering at Pebber town, amid police protection.  The incident took place when an Independent Church, Kristu Prema Krupa Mandiram, organized three days of revival meetings in an open area from April 6-8, 2015. More than 300 Christians gathered from nearby villages for the meetings. On the final day during the final session, a mob of Hindu radicals stormed into the meeting with wooden clubs, iron rods, and knives. The attackers, with their well thought-out plans, first destroyed the lights and then broke the PA (public address) system while shouting loud anti-Christian slogans.  More than half a dozen Christians sustained severe injuries, as the attackers carried out the violence, hitting Christians indiscriminately, smashing toes and hitting them on their heads. An eyewitness told ICC that people ran to the bushes nearby to save themselves from the hands of the attackers, but they still did not leave them alone. Pastor Sudhakar, in charge of the 'Prayer Power Church' in the same town, was at the meeting on that day and almost died. As he ran to the nearby bushes in the dark, the attackers chased him and caught hold of him, and beat him cruelly until he passed out. Pastor Sudhakar has been targeted by Hindu radicals previously as he leads a growing church. The attackers left him in the bushes, thinking that he was dead. Later, a group of Christians took him to the hospital for treatment.  An elderly man selling Bibles and other literature at a book table was also attacked during the incident and was also severely injured. Mr. Pratap, one of the organizers of the meeting told ICC,"It is very difficult to know everything that happened to Christians in the attack because, first, it was dark and, second, the Christians fled to different directions to save their lives from the hands of attackers and they might have gotten the treatment on their own and do not want to be identified fearing further assaults."  A First Information Report has been filed under sections 147, 148, 324, 427, 295, 506, R/W 149 of the Indian Penal Code. Mr. Pratap, who is also a Christian rights activist, claimed that, "We will not compromise on the issue, until the perpetrators are brought under the law of the land. We are firm on this decision, as we might become more vulnerable in the hands of radical Hindu extremists."  Though a case has been booked on the attackers, no arrests were made until a Christian delegation met the state's Home Minister. Through the pressure from the Christian community, eight people were arrested a few days later, but were released immediately on bail.  Christian leaders from the Mahabubnagar District are planning to have a peaceful demonstration tomorrow, May 2, in Hyderabad, the state capital. At this rally these leaders will express their distress over the increased anti-Christian attacks in the district over the last couple of months. They will also express solidarity with other victims of Christian persecution and will appeal for government protection of religious minorities in the district.  In another incident in the same district on Easter Sunday this year, Hindu radicals deliberately placed a saffron flag, a significant Hindu nationalist symbol, inside a church compound. Later, radicals dragged Pastor Christopher to the police station, while manhandling him and his assistant pastor, harassing them for raising objections for placing the saffron flags in the church premises. Recently, placing saffron flags within church premises has become a pattern of the Hindu hardline groups in order to disturb the peace and create divides among communities.  Pastor Christopher was forced to sign on the compromise letter that restricted the freedom of the minorities. Pastor Christopher said, "I had no other option left, as I was threatened by the authorities and by Hindu radicals to sign."  There is growing sense of fear among the religious minorities in India, particularly among the Christians of Mahabubnagar District. There is no other option aside from turning to the authorities, but if the authorities are not concerned, where should the Christians turn? Thankfully, the Bible says that we can bring all circumstances and requests to God in prayer. Please join us in praying for the Christians of this community.   For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Rescue efforts in Nigeria

The Nigerian military has rescued nearly 300 girls and women who were captives of Islamic terror group Boko Haram (BH), but one military official said that they are not the missing schoolgirls from Chibok. "The troops rescued 200 abducted girls (not Chibok girls) and 93 women," Colonel Sani Usmansaid. Soldiers stumbled upon the group of females during a raid against one of the last strongholds of BH in the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, northern Nigeria. The operation took place just 60 miles away from Chibok, where on April 14, 2014, BH fighters kidnapped 276 mostly Christian teenaged school girls and subsequently threatened to sell them into sexual slavery as brides to BH militants. Though dozens of the girls from Chibok have since escaped the clutches of BH, 219 still remain captive. Hope continues to fade with each day that passes and each town that is liberated without the Chibok girls turning up. Many worry that they have either been killed already or sold into slavery and, as a result, won't be rescued. BH has reportedly kidnapped more than 2,000 women over the last 18 months. Over the last several years, the group has terrorized northern Nigeria, ransacking towns and targeting Christians in their quest to establish an Islamic state in Africa. Their barbarism is extreme, forcing Christians at gunpoint to convert to Islam or die, while also carrying out suicide attacks, burning churches, stealing sons, daughters, wives, sisters and brothers, often subjecting them to sexual violence. While military forces seemingly close in on BH leader Abubakar Shekau, more dead bodies are being uncovered, leaving the world to wonder if the Chibok girls are among those numbers. On April 28, reports suggested that nearly 400 decomposing bodies were discovered in the town of Damasak. "They were all thrown in the river, and now the river has dried up," said a local government official. "We were mobilized by the state authorities to bury them and we did it accordingly. The bodies include those of women and children as well as agile men," one Damasak resident added. Nigerian forces liberated Damasak one month earlier where a pile of approximately 100 corpses was found under a bridge with their throats slit. The bodies have yet to be identified, but initially, officials feared that the Chibok girls might be included among those dead. The past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for the parents of the Chibok girls, heartbroken by the news. Within a week of the kidnapping in 2014, the Nigerian military said the majority of the girls had been rescued, which proved to be untrue. Today, every report of dead bodies found or girls liberated builds stress upon hope dashed that they will ever be reunited with their daughters. International Christian Concern's (ICC) Regional Manager of Africa Troy Augustine says, "Today, ICC celebrates the rescue of these women and girls from Sambisa Forest. At the same time, we urge everyone to continue to pray for all of those who remain missing in the hands of BH insurgents. The kinds of persecution and torture that these victims must be facing on a daily basis is unimaginable. But as long as they are still alive, hope remains for the Chibok girls and countless others BH has abducted to also one day again taste freedom." For interviews, contact Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org  # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Martyred by ISIS

On April 19, the world witnessed the brutal execution of approximately 30 Ethiopian and Eritean Christians, killed by ISIS militants in Libya. The war-torn country has become a stronghold for the jihadist group, and they have declared a war on local Christians. One could question, "Why would these men risk entering such a dangerous area?" This is the story of three of those men, and what led to them being martyred as Christians in Libya. Life in impoverished Ethiopia is grueling. While the economy has grown more than ten percent per year over the past decade, the average income in Ethiopia is still less than two dollars per day. Facing this kind of financial strain, Eyasu Yekuneamlak, Balcha Belete, and Eliyas Teshane and their families are left to scrape by through any possible means - even if the best option available is to literally risk their necks by traveling to Europe or the Middle East, crossing through the terrorist-infested Libyan desert. These men made that difficult decision to leave their homes to pursue better chances to provide for their families. They died claiming the Name of Christ to the end. Best Friends Martyred Together Eyasu Yekuneamlak and Balcha Belete were best friends growing up in the impoverished Cherkos neighborhood of Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa. At age 31, Yekuneamlak was responsible for caring and providing for his weak and destitute mother. As the youngest in the family, he was tasked with covering his mother's expenses, a tradition most Ethiopians hold. Since his mother was unable to work for herself, Yekuneamlak drove a taxi and served as the main breadwinner for the family. But, driving the taxi proved insufficient for his family, so the financial stress forced him out of Ethiopia to seek better employment abroad. He first worked in Qatar, where he regularly sent money back to Ethiopia to support his ailing mother, younger brother, and sisters. However, when he disagreed with his Muslim bosses, Yekuneamlak was imprisoned and deported back to Ethiopia. He was left to search for other work in Europe where he might not face that kind of mistreatment. The best way to get there was going through Libya and from there, crossing the Mediterranean Sea on a boat. Yekuneamlak never got that far. Yekuneamlak's best friend, 35-year-old Balcha Belete, worked for the Ethiopian Electric service provider. However, his older brother says that Belete was dissatisfied with the working conditions and sought to make more money to support his family. "Their only dream was to get out of poverty," Yekuneamlak's brother Siyume said. Therefore, the two men left their families in Cherkos, determined to seek greener pastures. They traversed through Sudan before crossing into Libya where ISIS kidnapped them. Both men died refusing to deny Christ. They were both shot execution style in the head from point-blank range somewhere in the Libyan desert. He Died Supporting an Ailing Father Eliyas Teshane, 27, had just graduated college and hoped to make money to care for his father, Ato, who is suffering from mental illness. The best way Teshane knew how was to travel to Europe and put his college education to good use, reaching the earning potential his new degree offered him to support his sister and dad. Unfortunately, Teshane never made it, as he was captured and slaughtered for his faith. Eliyas Teshane, 27, had just graduated college and hoped to make money to care for his father, Ato, who is suffering from mental illness. The best way Teshane knew how was to travel to Europe and put his college education to good use, reaching the earning potential his new degree offered him to support his sister and dad. Unfortunately, Teshane never made it, as he was captured and slaughtered for his faith. "At first, we taught our kids to follow the Word of God, hoping to be blessed in our life and trying to abstain from any bad people. In the end, they died and we will die in the name of Lord. So, our eyes look to God," Ato Teshane said. International Christian Concern (ICC) is working to provide relief assistance to Teshane who needs continual medical care. The Teshane family is just one of the 30 affected by the barbarous acts of ISIS. ICC urges all who are concerned to please pray and consider giving to assist the families of the ISIS video victims. The men who died without denying Jesus showed themselves faithful to the end, modeling what the Bible teaches that a godly life looks like: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV) For interviews, contact Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Teenager burned alive in Pakistan

"Being Christian [means] being persecuted daily in this country," Asif Masih said to ICC in a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. "This is no longer a country for human being[s] or for liv[ing] a dignified life. There is no protection and no rule of law". On April 09, 2015, Noman Masih, 14, was burned alive by a group of unidentified Muslim youth in Lahore because of his religious identity as a Christian. The teenager was admitted to Mayo Hospital in Lahore shortly after the attack.  Asif Masih, Noman's uncle, told ICC that Noman was an orphan and his mother remarried about two years ago, leaving him with his parental relatives. Due to a financial crisis, Noman's family was unable to educate him; therefore, he was being trained in as a tailor at a local vocational training center. While speaking with ICC from his hospital bed, Noman shared his story: "I have neither enemies, nor a dispute with anybody in the area I live. My tailor master asked me to go to the nearest market for some work and, on my way, [a] few men stopped me, asking my name and religion. I gave them my name and identified my religion as Christian. It was Friday prayer's time and not many people [were] on the road." "Suddenly they started beating and abusing me. I tried to rescue myself, however, [I] couldn't. One of them threw kerosene oil and [the] other set me on fire. With the help of the locals around I managed to stop the fire, however, [I became] unconscious," he added. Asif Masih was very upset over the prevailing persecutions against Christians in Pakistan. "I don't see [a] bright and secure future of Christian[s] in this country," he stated. The uncle condemned the incident and requested that media avoid publishing "generated and unauthentic" stories, which result in psychological stress for the Masih family. A policeman in civilian dress was delegated for Noman's safety in the hospital. While speaking with ICC, Ataurehman Saman, a human rights defender and publications coordinator at the National Commission for Justice and Peace, commented, "This incident speaks volumes about the lofty claims and statements of the officials regarding [the] protection of minorities in Pakistan. The occurrence reflects the prevailing hatred for religious minorities that has been allowed to flourish in the society by design, through media, [hateful] sermons and textbooks." "One can witness more horrible incidents against Christians in [the] future if [the] government is not inclined to show its will to take affirmative, positive, productive and concrete steps to tailor the torn fabric of our society," Saman added. According to the medical reports, 60% of Noman's upper body was burned during the attack. Unfortunately, due to the severity and extensive nature of his burns, Noman passed away a few days after he was admitted to the hospital. Please join ICC in prayer for the family of a boy whose life was taken too early on account of his religious identity. For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Genocide in Armenia: 100 year anniversary

Today marks 100 years since what is generally recognized as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. On April 24, 1915, approximately 250 Armenian intellectuals and leaders in Istanbul were arrested and subsequently executed. At the same time, in the eastern city of Van, fighting was breaking out between the Turkish Governor and the Armenian population that would lead to the deaths of some 55,000 Armenians over the coming months. Today in Turkey, and in hundreds of events around the world, many will stop to remember these events and the millions of lives that were taken. It was not just the Armenians who were massacred in Medz Yeghern (The Great Crime), but also Greek Orthodox and the Assyrian and Syriac Christian communities in what is known as Shato d'Sayfo (Year of the Sword). Over the span of about three years, nearly 3 million Christians from the lands of the Ottoman Empire were killed (500,000 Greek, 750,000 Assyrian, and 1.5 million Armenians). While the historical record regarding the fact of these killings is well documented, there remains a debate about whether it was a campaign to systematically exterminate an entire community. The government of the modern-day Republic of Turkey, the successors of the Ottoman Empire, maintains its rejection that a genocide took place, while acknowledging the lives of Ottoman Armenians and other minorities that were lost. In the past two years, there has been progress made by the Turkish government in acknowledging the incidents and expressing statements of sorrow and respect towards the Armenian community. Perhaps even more encouraging have been the efforts taken by Turkish and Kurdish religious leaders to express repentance and pursue reconciliation with Armenians. Remembrance and Rejection In a message sent by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Religious Ceremony held on April 24 by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, he said, "Let me reiterate that we are cognizant of the sorrowful events experienced in the past by the Armenian community and that I sincerely share your pain." In a similar statement, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "It is with these feelings and thoughts that we once more commemorate with deep respect the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during the relocation in 1915 and we share in the grief of their children and grandchildren." While both statements express genuine sympathy for the lives that were lost, they maintain the rejection of a genocide of the Christian minorities in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Acceptance of that term remains loaded politically and, despite heavy pressure to label the acts a genocide, it is something that President Barack Obama avoided in his statement that strongly condemned the atrocities that were committed. "Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were deported, massacred and marched to their deaths," Obama's statement said. "Their culture and heritage in their ancient homeland were erased. Amid horrific violence that saw suffering on all sides, one and a half million Armenians perished." The statement goes on to acknowledge the value of admitting to painful and dark periods of the past. "Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past," he continued. This is slowly happening within Turkey and a number of Turkish and Kurdish religious leaders have been at the forefront of pursuing reconciliation in a way that has been both painful and liberating. Steps of Reconciliation On April 11, 2015 more than 20 Turkish citizens - from both Turkish and Kurdish ethnic backgrounds - gathered with Armenian leaders around the eternal flame of the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia. "We entreat you, if you can forgive us and our ancestors who committed this crime. Forgive and pray for revival in Turkey and for the Turkish people," a Turkish pastor said to the gathering at the memorial. "You wrote history here in Yerevan today," one Armenian pastor declared, according to a World Watch Monitor  report. It was the first time, he thought, that prayers in Turkish and Armenian had ever been voiced together before the somber memorial. The meeting in Yerevan came just one month after more than 100 Turkish, Kurdish, and Armenian pastors met in Istanbul for a reconciliation meeting. "The event was amazing and something that has never happened before," one of the Armenian pastors said. "It is something that both our nations need. Their request to forgive and our forgiveness will bring revival in Turkey. It is very difficult to write down my deep feelings connected to our visit but I can surely say that it will have big influence in the future of the two nations." Another Armenian pastor who spoke very openly about the continuing legacy shared, "No matter how much we love, pray and follow the commandments of God, anyway, there is a black part, a sorrow in each Armenian`s heart and these feelings are transmitted from generation to generation. That is the reality of the Genocide, and the fact that Turkey still denies the existence of this historical fact." But, he continued, "When I think about our visit to Turkey, firstly, I remember a Turkish boy, who said the following sentence with his broken English, 'I am sorry that my grandfathers have killed your grandfathers, excuse me.' These words were coming out from a sincere heart, and had a great influence on me and made me think about many things. It was effective to see pastors, who wept with repentance and regret. Armenians need to hear these things, and these words will comfort and heal their hearts and lead to prayer. In every family, parents now will not teach hatred to their children, instead this: they will love and pray for the Turkish nation. As an Armenian, it was very important for me to see Turks remorseful. I proudly told people that I have met Christian Turks who asked for forgiveness, and asked them to pray for them and their nation." The power of these meetings is both painful to reconcile with what took place in the past but it is also stirring a move in the church among both Armenians and Turks. Christians in Turkey now make up just a fraction of 1 percent of the country, down from 20 percent in 1906. There are an estimated 5,000 Turkish or Kurdish Christians from a Muslim background and an additional 100,000 of various Orthodox or other denominations. "It has been a long time since I and the church have been this excited.  God used this[reconciliation meeting] to renew me and personally I really needed to be a part of this," a Turkish pastor said following the meetings. "My hope is that the reconciliation that has begun here will spread to the general public of the Turkish and Armenian peoples." A Kurdish-background pastor shared his particularly moving testimony as, in many cases, the Kurds were the ones who physically carried out many of the massacres. "Woe, to what have we done! The Ottoman Empire reached its pinnacle in 1915 and even before then with the forced exile of the Armenians and their massacre.  Millions of people were forced from their ancient lands.  They were forced from their homes, villages and cities to slaughter, to death and to exile.  I join in the deep feelings with you all in this great deep tragedy and pain of this 100th year remembrance.  To my Armenian brothers, sisters and neighbors that are live in Turkey like the remaining grapes on a vintage vine. Please forgive me." Though not universally embraced, and still a deeply painful chapter in the history of both peoples, this reconciling effort is demonstrating the role that faith can play in bringing reconciliation to those who appear to be enemies. "Never Again" or Happening Today?   While today marks 100 years since the horrific killing of millions of Christians on the basis of their religious and ethnic identity, be that Armenian, Greek, or Assyrian, it should prompt the world to stop and consider a reality that is happening today. Across Syria and Iraq, the very places where many of these deaths took place 100 years ago, Christians are once again being slaughtered because of their religious and ethnic identity. This time it is not at the hands of the Ottoman Empire ruled over by the last Caliph of Islam, it is at the hands of a self-declared "Islamic State" and their supposed renewed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Islamic jihadists from ISIS are slaughtering Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities by the thousands, and it is happening in our time. As today marks 100 years since the start of one genocide, calls made by world leaders, whether Turkish, European, or American, of "never again" will ring hollow if they continue to allow a modern day genocide to once again happen to these very same people in the very same lands.  For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Numerical Expositions: 2:14

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel:  that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria.  And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

-- Gen. 2:14 (KJV)

The final two rivers that flowed out of the Garden of Eden were called the Hiddekel and the Euphrates in this verse.  If you are a history buff, then you would know that the Hiddekel River is now known as the Tigris River.  The Euphrates River still has the same name it possessed thousands of years ago.  Both rivers flow through modern-day Iraq.

If you have been following this series, then you will see that I have displayed that all four rivers listed in Gen. 2:11-14 are actual rivers.  Therefore, the Garden of Eden must have existed because if there was no garden, then those four rivers would have never been upon this earth.  When you study the Bible using logic instead of with skepticism, then you will be able to extract truth.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 2,5,7,1,4.  (2) The name Hiddekel means "sharp voice or sound."  To be delivered, speak with sharpness and speak with clarity.  (5) To stay in God's presence, remain aware of which way that you are going.  (7) The name Euphrates means "fruitfulness."  Be perfected by God in order to be productive.  (1) Stay in the anointing in order to be productive.  (4) Stay in God's Word in order to be productive.

Coptic Christians executed by ISIS

Militant Islamic terror group ISIS released a new video Sunday, April 19, reportedly showing the gruesome murder of 30 Ethiopian Christian men in Libya. The footage alternates between two scenes: one in northern Libya on a Mediterranean beach where 15 men were beheaded, and one in the desert in southern Libya where another 15 men were shot in the head, execution-style. The identities of the victims have yet to be confirmed. The men were believed to have been traveling through Libya en route to Europe. Tens of thousands of African migrants have been leaving Africa via the Mediterranean Sea for Italy and other European destinations. The narrator of the video entitled "Until There Came to Them Clear Evidence" said, "All praise be to Allah, the Lord and cherisher of the world and may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Mohammed. To the nation of the cross, we are back again on the sands, where the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, have stepped on before, telling you: Muslim blood that was shed under the hands of your religion is not cheap." The video bears striking similarity to one ISIS released in mid-February depicting the beheading of 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and one non-Egyptian on a Libyan beach. Experts suspect the narrator of the recent video may be the same person who spoke on the execution video in February. The Ethiopian government has called for three days of mourning to remember and honor the victims which will begin Tuesday. Flags in the country will fly at half-staff. Qes Solomon from Ethiopian Orthodox Church told International Christian Concern (ICC), "My sorrow is beyond depression." The White House has also condemned the murders. "We express our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Ethiopian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens," National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said in a statement. She continued, "That these terrorists killed these men solely because of their faith lays bare the terrorists' vicious, senseless brutality." Ethiopian Information Minister Redwan Hussein has alsocalled the killings "a crime against humanity." The video further threatens Christians in the region to pay tribute to ISIS as prescribed by the Koran, or face death. "You pay with willing submission, feeling yourselves subdued. Our battle is a battle between faith and blasphemy, between truth and falsehood, until there is no more polytheism -- and obedience becomes Allah's in its entirety," the narrator says. ISIS considers Christianity to be a polytheistic religion because of the belief that God exists as one in three persons as the Trinity. The Ethiopian community is saddened by the tragedy, but remains thankful that the men in the video died bearing the Name of Christ. "We are proud of our brothers. They are poor, but they gave their lives for Jesus," Helen Tamene told ICC. Tamene had formerly been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for her faith and now attends Bell of Freedom Church in Addis Ababa. "They will be honored for all time by Ethiopians," she added. Christians all over the Middle East and Africa that live in regions where Islamic extremist groups operate continually face this kind of threat of persecution when these organizations try to impose Islamic Sharia law. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a training ground and safe haven for Islamic extremists groups. The country lacks a stable central government and Islamic extremists have capitalized on the political turmoil in the country and have now once again highlighted this in a brutal film showing the execution of Christians. ICC's regional manager for Africa, Troy Augustine, says, "ICC condemns the deplorable murder of these Ethiopian Christians by ISIS. The world should be awakened to the reality that Islamic extremist groups will stop at nothing to advance their brutal terrorist agenda, and that Christians continue to be at the center of their target. As such, ISIS represents a severe and expanding threat to the safety and security of Christians in the Middle East and North Africa." For interviews, contact Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org  # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 2:13

And the name of the second river is Gihon:  the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

-- Gen. 2:13 (KJV)

The first river Pison was listed in 2:11 and was proven to have ran through the middle of Saudi Arabia.  This second river that is called Gihon in this verse ran through the whole land of Ethiopia.  If you look at a map of modern-day Africa, then you will see that the Nile River encompasses the entire land of Ethiopia.  The first two rivers that came out of Eden have been proven to be true.  However, there are two more rivers that have to be proven in order to ensure that there really was a Garden of Eden.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 2,4,6,1,3.  (2) The name Gihon means "bursting forth."  Walk in God's kingdom so that you will experience a breakthrough in your life.  (4) Stay in God's Word to be encompassed by Him.  (6) Expose evil in order to be encompassed by God.  (1) Stay in the anointing in order to be encompassed by God.  (3) Stay in the Spirit in order to be encompassed by Him.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 2:12

And the gold of that land is good:  there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

-- Gen. 2:12 (KJV)

There's an old cliche out there that is totally wrong.  The saying is, "Money is the root of all evil."  However, the statement is misquoted because the initial part of the text from I Timothy 6:10 was butchered.  The first part of the tenth verse reads, "For the love of money is the root of all evil:"

Genesis 2:12 states that gold and precious jewels are good.  Money is good.  Loving money is the problem.  Do not fall into the trap of materialism.  The amount of money that you possess does not determine how much evil pumps through your heart.  There are plenty of people that are broke that are very wicked people.  Also, there are some rich people that have good hearts.  A decision must be made to choose to be good instead of being evil no matter what your monetary status is at this present time.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 2,3,5,1.  (2) To be delivered, realize that having money is OK.  (3) To stay in the Spirit, know where you need to go so that you can generate wealth.  (5) To stay in God's presence, know where you need to go so that you can generate wealth.  (1) To stay in the anointing, know where you need to go so that you can generate wealth.

One year anniversary of Chibok girls' abduction by Boko Haram

Today is the anniversary of Boko Haram (BH) kidnapping 276 young girls from Chibok in northern Nigeria. On the night of April 14, 2014, Islamist militants from BH stormed the Chibok Government Secondary School and kidnapped scores of mostly Christian teenage girls. Subsequently, BH released a statement saying that they would sell the girls off as slaves into a lifetime of forced marriage and sexual servitude. We urge all of those concerned to remember and pray for the 219 that remain in captivity. BH is an extremist Islamic group that is notorious for killing Christians who refuse to deny their faith. They have waged years of terror in northern Nigeria, abducting young girls, coercing conversions at gunpoint, attacking minorities, and raping women, with the expressed mission to establish an Islamic state in Africa. The Chibok incident quickly drew global attention and went viral on social media. By early May 2014, "Bring Back Our Girls," was tweeted more than 480,000 times, according to the Daily Mail. Even First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on television calling for the girls' release. "In these girls, Barack and I see our own daughters ...we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now," she said. Parents of the missing girls have lived in misery for the past year as they continue to search for answers. Chibok community leader Dr. Pogu Bitrus reported in July 2014, only 100 days after the kidnapping, that, "(As far as I know, at least) three parents have died from related heart attacks resulting from the shock they have sustained from which they never recovered. Then four others were killed in subsequent Boko Haram attacks in the area making a total of number of at least seven. Others are in very serious need of medical and psychological help." By February 2015, the number of parents who have died reportedly rose to 13. Since the raid, dozens of girls have escaped, but the whereabouts and condition of the missing hundreds remain a mystery. Survivors have reported remarkably consistent testimonies of being beaten into denying their Christian faith, facing threats to be sold into marriage to single Boko Haram fighters, and having limbs broken if they were caught trying to escape. One year later, the challenge of finding all of the girls and returning them safely home is enormous and hope is beginning to fade. Many may have already been forced to marry their captors. Furthermore, military incursions into BH strongholds to liberate villages have left insurgents scattered and retreating from towns they once held. No signs of the girls have turned up. In late March, BH escapee Mbutu Papka reported that the girls were being held in a BH compound in Gwoza, Borno State. "In the camp at Gwoza, there were clear demarcations between where people were kept. The Chibok girls, other captives, and Boko Haram members and their family members all had their separate areas... The security in the area where the girls are kept is visibly different and much tighter," she said. Many wonder if the girls are even alive. During the Nigerian military's siege of Bama in Borno State, sources said that BH fighters murdered their wives. "They killed their wives so that the women would not get remarried to unbelievers if their husbands die in the fierce battles with Nigerian soldiers," one witness said. In addition, insurgents reportedly used women as human shields, and massacred dozens of people in Bama whose bodies have yet to be identified. Still, no one has been able to positively identify any bodies as any of the missing Chibok girls. If they are still alive, they will certainly continue to face physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. For Christian girls, the threat of abuse is significantly heightened because of their faith. International Christian Concern's Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa said, "One cannot imagine the unspeakable horrors that these young girls from Chibok have had to endure at the hands of Boko Haram. The stories of survivors tell a grim, but real, tale of torture and perseverance. Marking the anniversary of such an atrocity is the sad reality of persecution in Africa. Please pray for the survival and quick release of these girls who have had to go through unimaginable brutality." For interviews, contact Troy Augustine, Regional Manager for Africa:   RM-Africa@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 2:11

The name of the first is Pison:  that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

-- Gen. 2:11 (KJV)

To prove that there was a Garden of Eden, we must first prove that the four rivers that flowed out of the Garden actually existed.  The first river is listed in this verse.  The name of the river is called the Pison River.  The verse states that the river went through the entire land of Havilah.  Gold in the land gives us a hint of where the land of Havilah was in the ancient times.

We must delve into archaeological evidence to prove that there was a Pison River and a land mass that was called Havilah.  Plus, we have to prove that the land of Havilah was enriched with gold.

First, let us start with the land of Havilah.  Havilah was one of the sons of Cush, the founder of Ethiopia.  However, some of Cush's sons, like Sheba, Dedan, and Havilah, migrated to modern-day Saudi Arabia.  Thus, the land of Havilah was in Saudi Arabia.

However, there is only one section of Saudi Arabia that is known to have gold.  That section is located in the Hijaz mountains in the western region of Saudi Arabia.  It was also called "Madh adh Dhahab" or the "Cradle of Gold."

Through that region ran a river that dried up about 3,000 years ago.  This river is called the Kuwait River by archaeologists, but this river aligns with what was written in this verse about the Pison River.  The river extended from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf.  We have three more rivers to look at in order to prove that there was a Garden of Eden.  Those will be discussed in verses 13 and 14 of this chapter.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 2,4,1.  (2) The name Pison means "overflowing."  Walk in God's kingdom in order to experience an overflow within your life.  (4) Stay in God's Word so that your flow will be able to encompass those around you.  (1) To stay in the anointing, keep track of your monetary affairs.