Numerical Expositions: Genesis 3:4

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

-- Gen. 3:4 (KJV)

The #1 trick in the devil's bag that he uses time and time again is that he attempts to persuade people that disobedience of God's commands does not lead to death.  However, this concept is totally false.  For example, a godly command is to not kill another person.  Nevertheless, 437,000 people are dead because they were murdered in 2012.  Disobeying God's commands does lead to death.

In Chapter 2, God commanded man to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or the result would be death.  The serpent told the woman that she would not die if she ate from the tree.  The serpent made a totally opposite statement from what was commanded by God.  That is the clear telltale sign that will let you know whether you are hearing from God or not.  Anything that contradicts a command from God did not originate from Him.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 3,4,7.  (3) To stay in the Spirit, do not listen to the serpent.  (4) Stay in God's Word in order to avoid death.  (7) Be perfected by God in order to avoid death.

ISIS kidnaps more people in Syria

Islamic State militants have captured dozens of Christian families after seizing a strategically located town in the central Syrian province of Homs, according to a monitor  from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday.  The monitor said at least 230 people were kidnapped or detained, including dozens of Christians, some of whom were taken from the Dar Alyan monastery in Qaryatain, the town captured overnight after intense fighting with the Syrian army. Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Observatory, said the Christians were "either kidnapped from checkpoints or raids or from churches."  Among those seized were 45 women and 19 children, including 11 families, some of whom were on a list of persons suspected by the militant group of "collaborating with the regime."  The families of hundreds of Christian and Muslim residents of Qaryatain have lost contact with them since the militants captured the area, according to Abdulrahman.  He fears that ISIS may also target other Christian population centers in Hawwarin and Sadad. Towns like Qaryatain are key to ISIS because they are along the Damascus-Homs Highway, a route used to ferry supplies and fighters.  The hardline militant group has been gaining ground in the desert areas east and south of Homs after it took over the ancient Roman city of Palmyra last May.  The Syrian army has launched a large-scale counteroffensive to recapture the city, which lies in a region where some of Syria's largest gas fields are located, but so far has made no significance advances.  An army statement said its forces had targeted "terrorist outposts" in the area and killed scores of militants but did not confirm the capture of the town by the militants. An Assyrian Christian group said these abductions were the latest in a string of events that targeted their community, one of the oldest Christian populations in the Middle East.  Two priests, Father Yacoub Murad and Monk Petros, who ran two monasteries in the area, went missing last May from the town of Qaryatain, according to the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights, a Christian lobby group.  The group said at least 1,400 families had fled the town to safer areas or took shelter in the government-controlled city of Homs. Islamic State has killed members of religious minorities and Sunni Muslims who do not swear allegiance to its self-declared "caliphate". They also consider Christians as infidels.  Last February, the hardline jihadists abducted at least 250 Assyrian Christians, many of whom were children and women, during raids on villages in northeastern Syria. That mass abduction coincided with an offensive in the same region by Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes.  The fate of many of these civilians is unclear, as is that of a number of other priests who have gone missing and are believed to be held by the militants, according to Christian groups. Isaac Six, ICC's Advocacy Director, said, "ICC unequivocally condemns this most recent abduction of Christians in Syria. Coming on top of the kidnapping of 250 Christians last February and Father Yacoub and Monk Petros in May, this latest incident should be a clarion call for the international community to take action. No one, even in time of war, should fear being kidnapped, held for ransom and possibly executed simply for their religious beliefs. We grieve for the families of those who have been abducted even as we call on the United States and other allies to step up efforts to protect Christians and other religious minorities from the barbaric actions of the Islamic State." For interviews, contact Isaac Six, Advocacy Director:  Advocacy@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.

Sudanese pastors acquitted

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Sudanese Pastors Yat Michael and Peter Yen were acquitted by a court in Khartoum today after serving more than seven months in prison on multiple charges, including espionage and waging war against the State. If convicted, the pastors faced possible flogging, life imprisonment or the death penalty.  Pastors Michael and Peter were initially detained by Sudan's notorious National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) without charge in late 2014 and early 2015 for several months. Their case gradually garnered widespread international attention and prompted calls for their release by international advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International and ICC. According to sources present at the sentencing hearing in Khartoum today, presiding judge Ahmed Ghaboush convicted Pastors Michael and Peter of "organizing terrorist organizations" and "breaching the peace," but said, "the sentence they served in prison is enough, release them immediately." A source close to the pastors who spoke with them following the hearing said, "Both pastors are incredibly grateful for all of the hard work and prayers. They could feel the prayers and knew that God was with them." In the most recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Sudan was designated a "country of particular concern" for engaging in "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom or belief." The report goes on to say that the government of Sudan, led by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, "prosecutes persons accused of apostasy, imposes a restrictive interpretation of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and applies corresponding punishments on Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and harasses the country's Christian community" In a July 15 interview with the pastors' defense attorney, Mohaned Mustafa, he said that the arrest of Pastors Michael and Peter was motivated by their pastoral work. "They are missionaries. This is not a crime in Sudan, but this is not acceptable to the government,"Mustafa told ICC. Last year, Sudan also received widespread international condemnation afterconvicting pregnant Christin mother Meriam Ibrahim of apostasy and sentencing her to death. Meriam was later freed and fled with her family to the United States.  Isaac Six, ICC's Advocacy Director, said, "We could not be happier to hear this morning of the release of Pastors Michael and Peter. Their acquittal demonstrates just how critical international attention and support is in undoing the injustices perpetrated by the al-Bashir regime against its own people. The international community must take this opportunity and resolve to stand against the Sudanese regime until serious, long running changes to its treatment of religious minorities are made. Meriam Ibrahim, Michael, and Peter are the faces of only a few of the Christians in Sudan who face terror and prosecution on a daily basis because of their beliefs. Addressing the fundamental issues that undergird this religious persecution is key less we find ourselves here again next year, once more staving off at the last minute another flogging or death penalty.  For interviews, contact Isaac Six, Advocacy Director:  Advocacy@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.