Based on what God has revealed to me in several dreams, I believe the same kind of persecution now happening to Christians in Iran is soon coming to the United States, as shown in the following testimony of Iranian citizen, Dabrina Tamaraz.
“Our family was being followed all the time by Iranian authorities. They even broke into our house. We had spies within the church and at times soldiers standing in front of it. I was detained so many times I’ve lost track of the number,” said Dabrina Tamraz in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English.
For 40 years her father, Pastor Victor Tamraz, preached in spite of the persecution. He was frequently arrested and interrogated by Iranian authorities on Sundays just before his scheduled church service. The Tamraz family’s church, the Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Tehran, was shut down in 2009 for offering services in the national language of Farsi –prohibited for churches in Iran.
Now Tamraz’s father is banned from the pulpit. He was arrested in 2014, kept in solitary confinement for 65 days, and sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment for “conducting evangelism” and “illegal house church activities,” acts which the Iranian regime considers threats to national security. Tamraz’s mother was arrested for allegedly training church leaders and pastors to act as spies and is appealing a five-year prison sentence. Her brother was arrested for joining a house church and sentenced to a four-month term. (Source: english.alarabiya.net)
On a brighter note, I believe the Church is now transitioning into a new season which will be far more glorious than anything we’ve seen before, a time of great harvest, as confirmed by many prophetic words posted here on Z3 News. However, I have an odd combination of joyful expectation and solemn sadness due to seeing the best of times and the worst of times coming at the same time. This is a new place I have never experienced before because God has revealed such great blessings ahead, He stretches my ability to believe, but at the same time He has revealed such terrible persecution coming, it has been weighing on me very heavily lately, not so much about what happens to me, but what I find almost unbearable are thoughts of any harm coming upon my family.
Maybe it’s a small sample of what the Lord Jesus experienced during His earthly ministry with so much joy from so many miracles and much fruit while all along knowing the great suffering set before Him. Yet, He endured it all because He was able to see beyond it to the other side, the great joy of His eternal inheritance, and thank God He did.
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV)
Our time here is so brief. Blink your eyes a few times and it will all be over. I pray we can all follow the example Jesus set by keeping our eyes set on our great eternal inheritance which God has promised to those who walk uprightly before Him, so we finish our race with endurance.
Thanks to Expat Gal for sharing this news story.
Author: James Bailey
James Bailey is a blogger, business owner, husband and father of two grown children. In 1982, he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2012, he founded Z3news.com to broadcast the message of salvation by reporting end time news before it happens.
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Yes, it is a time to gird up our loins and set our faces like flint towards what God has for us to do; not giving in to distractions, fears, or petty arguments. We must keep our hearts tender before him and not allow our love to grow cold. May God give us abundant grace to run this last lap before us with endurance, tenacity and hope for what he has in store for us.
I feel the same as you James and have for years
I am reminded of the words of a song by Steve Green:
May all who come behind us find us faithful
may the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footsteps that we leave lead them to believe
and the lives we live inspire them to obey
may all who come behind us find us faithful.
I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb – Ray Boltz – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com › watch
Lyrics
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
I have heard how Christians long ago
Were brought before a tyrant’s throne
They were told that he would spare their lives
If they would renounce the name of Christ
But one by one they chose to die
The Son of God they would not deny
Like a great angelic choir sings
I can almost hear their voices ring
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
Now the years have come, and the years have gone
But the cause of Jesus still goes on
Now our time has come to count the cost
To reject this world, to embrace the cross
And one by one let us live our lives
For the one who died to give us life
Till the trumpet sounds on the final day
Let us proudly stand and boldly say
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
To the Lamb of God who bore my pain
Who took my place, who wore my shame
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength, with all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Ray Boltz
I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Artist: Ray Boltz
Album: The Concert of a Lifetime
Released: 1995
I read that article earlier. This part was highlighted to me:
“He was arrested in 2014, kept in solitary confinement for 65 days, and sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment for “conducting evangelism” and “illegal house church activities,” acts which the Iranian regime considers threats to national security.”
-“consider threats to national security” “arrested” “kept” “sentenced” for doing the things Jesus told us to do.
There is a youtube movie I shared at church called “Sheep Among Wolves Volume II”. A documentary that tells about what is going on in Iran, among fellow believers in Christ and the church growth in the underground setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SAPOLKF59U
I relate completely to your feelings James about the coming persecution. It always has struck me how it will feel to live in such a dichotomy of times. One where negative things are happening to believers while positive things are happening in the overall “body” of the Church as The Great Harvest occurs.
Separately, I have seen several Words lately that the Great Famine coupled with a terrible winter is coming which will bring out the underbelly of human nature with people trying to survive. Some believers that have seen this coming tragedy have seen unimaginable things like a mom desperately selling her 10 year daughter to an older man for food and security for herself, cannibalism, etc. 😢. Yet during this time, there will also be an opportunity for believers to witness to non-believers & allow an opportunity for these desperate & hopeless people that did not see what was coming to meet God whom previously they may have had no interest in having a relationship with Him. The entire situation seems very surreal…..
It’s coming and sooner than people realise. Things and events are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.
The hour is late and the bridegroom approaches…
Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj was told by the LORD to prepare his people for martyrdom.
Revelation 13:10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
Lyn Leahz has new message for the body of Christ who face suffering, fear, doubt, and anxiety in this “season.” Continue to praise the LORD and hold on to the joy of the LORD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNd8E_RPxoY