Kidnapping brings unwanted attention to Afghan Christians

UPDATE: Today, August 28, 2007, The Associated Press (in the Charlotte Observer) reports:

Taliban agree to free S. Korean hostages
AMIR SHAH
Associated Press Writer

GHAZNI, Afghanistan --
The Taliban agreed Tuesday to free 19 South Korean church volunteers held hostage since July after the government in Seoul pledged to end all missionary work and keep a promise to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

The South Korean government has agreed to cease all missionary work. However, these church volunteers were not missionaries, they were doing aid work. (S. Korea had already said they were withdrawing their troops by the end of the year.)

Of course, this capitulation makes it a certainty that the Taliban will kidnap more hostages. If a strategy works....

UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that at least one of the hostages has been brutally murdered:

Korean hostage killed by Taliban

By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 25, 4:19 PM ET

Afghan police discovered the bullet-riddled body of a South Korean hostage Wednesday as the Taliban released eight other captives who were taken to a U.S. military base, officials said.

Because of a recent spike in kidnappings — including an attempt against a Danish citizen Wednesday — police announced foreigners were no longer allowed to leave the Afghan capital without their permission.

The male South Korean victim was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, the region where 23 South Koreans were kidnapped last week, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer.

A police official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn't walk and was therefore shot.

More....

This hostage, reported to be a male pastor, is now a martyr for Christ. Shed no tears for him. Remember, Jesus will reward him for this with a crown following the rapture, but pray for his family.


Original Posting: The following article is from The Independent, a British newspaper (thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing this article to my attention):

Kidnapping brings unwanted attention to Afghan Christians
By Chris Sands in Mazar-e-Sharif
Published: 24 July 2007

The kidnapping of South Korean church volunteers by the Taliban has sparked vigils in Seoul, and shone the spotlight on Afghanistan's small, underground Christian community.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, home to one of Islam's most revered shrines, Ahmedi, 33, says he would be killed instantly if his faith were exposed. In this staunchly traditional society, conversion from Islam remains reviled by many Afghans - and by government officials.

"If the war had not happened, if the Americans and foreigners had not come to Afghanistan, we would not have this freedom and we would not have this office," says Ahmedi, who was fearful of giving his full name.

The "office" is a community centre set up by a Christian charity, and Ahmedi is one of 100 or so Christians living in the northern city.

Rumours abound here that many aid organisations are used as a cover by foreigners to indoctrinate people into Christianity. And in Ahmedi's case, there is an element of truth - he converted from Shia Islam three years ago after meeting an American evangelical. Now his wife and four children are also Christian, and he is the priest of a local church. He has even helped convert other Afghans.

The 23 South Koreans were kidnapped last week at gunpoint from a bus in Ghazni province, and belong to the Saemmul Church in Bundang, which says they are working as volunteer nurses and English teachers.

However, boasts from some evangelical church leaders in South Korea about unofficially sending missionaries to Afghanistan has muddied the water between Christian volunteers doing humanitarian work, and those whose primary mission is to seek converts overseas.

In Mazer-e-Sharif, a recent convert called Abdullah recalled how his family reacted when he revealed his change of faith. "When I received Jesus, I went to my house and I didn't say prayers any more like other Muslims," he said. "One night my father asked me to get up and pray, but I told him I can't. He asked me why, and I told him I was a Christian. He started to fight with me."

Abdullah's parents have come to accept his religion, but his oldest brother continues to ostracise him, and most other people do not even know he has converted. "If I go out and say I am a Christian they will curse me, hit me and kill me," he said, matter of factly.

Last year Abdul Rahman, a Christian convert, was arrested by police and threatened with the death penalty until the Italian government offered him asylum. His case is cited by many Afghans as evidence that President Hamid Karzai is a puppet of foreign powers.

Mazar-e-Sharif is home to the shrine of Hazrat Ali, a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohamed. According to Ahmedi, there are also two large churches and a number of smaller ones in the city, all hidden inside houses and offices.

Meanwhile, a group of foreign missionaries continues to work in the area and in other northern provinces. Taliban militants say the South Korea church volunteers are in good health, but they have threatened to kill them unless Seoul withdraws its troops from Afghanistan and the Afghan government releases Taliban prisoners. Yesterday the deadline for their lives was again extended.

Despite the dangers they face, Afghan Christians refuse to give in to the fear that they will be found out. "If I am afraid I will never receive Jesus," said Abdullah.

Where is the outrage over this kidnapping and threatened execution of these 23 South Korean missionaries in the mainstream media? Even Fox News is barely covering this story.

It is encouraging, though, that the Gospel can win converts to Jesus even in the face of severe persecution. Pray for these missionaries, and all of the brave souls preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Islamic lands.

The Samson Option

Hal Lindsey and I share the same concerns about the Middle East. He obviously has access to much better intelligence sources than I, and articulates his concerns very well. Here is his latest, from The Hal Lindsey Report:

The Samson Option

Last week, WorldNetDaily reported a stunning admission from a Syrian official. He said that Syria had "learned from the Hezbollah experience last summer and we can have hundreds of missiles hitting Tel Aviv that will overwhelm Israel's anti-missile batteries."

He claimed Syria has "proof" Israel is also readying for a war. "We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its image of losing to Hezbollah."

The WorldNetDaily report also says that Damascus believes newly-installed Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a former prime minister, "wants to prove he is a military expert." This information is perfectly in line with the official statements made by both Bashar Assad and Mushen Bilal to several major Arab newspapers.

Furthermore, London's Daily Telegraph reported June 25 that Tehran was establishing a missile defense shield for Syria. Iran is also preparing to ship sophisticated military hardware, including "dozens of medium-range Shahab-3 and Russian-made Scud-C missiles, together with Scud-B missiles."

Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles that have a range of about 250 miles. This puts virtually all of Israel's population centers within range. Analysts say the planned Iranian arms shipment to Syria may be coordinated with the delivery of advanced Russian fighter jets.

Syria is also known to be producing non-conventional warheads, including those containing VX gas for delivery via the new longer range and more accurate Scuds. All Israel's cities are within range of these missiles. Most of them can be reached in less than three minutes. Syria is gambling that Israel's performance in the Hezbollah war of June 2006 means that it has seen all Israel has to offer.

Apparently, Bashar Assad now believes Israel can be beaten. Assad is miscalculating. In the event Syria launches a gas attack on Israel, it's a virtual certainty that Damascus would be instantly obliterated by Israeli nuclear weapons.

The thought of being gassed evokes a visceral response among Israel's Holocaust survivors and their descendants that Damascus wildly underestimates. Israel has more than 400 nuclear weapons in hidden silos in various places within its borders, as well as at least two submarines in the Mediterranean that are launch capable. And you can be certain that in the event of a massive WMD attack by the Syrians, Israel will respond in kind.

There are two particular codes used by Israeli Defense Forces when planning worst-case scenario responses. One is called the "Masada Option." Masada was an ancient fortress taken by the Romans following a three-year siege. Just before they were overrun, the defending Jews committed suicide rather than be captured.

The other code term, "The Samson Option," refers to Samson, who said just before he pulled down the house of the Philistines on himself – and them – "Let me die with the Philistines." Judges 16:30 records it this way: "Then Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life."

That's pretty clear imagery. Israel will not just meekly fade away into destruction. And it certainly won't die alone, even if it has to destroy itself in the process of nuking the Middle East.

I once encountered Ariel Sharon in the Knesset in the late 1970s. I asked him if Israel still had a Masada Option. He boldly announced, "No longer 'Masada Option' – now 'Samson Option.'"

Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir almost used that "Option" in the first days of the Yom Kippur War, when it appeared they were going to be overrun. Dayan gave the code for its use when he told Prime Minister Meir, "Arm the doomsday weapons, the Third Temple is about to fall."

War with Syria threatens to bring all nations of the Middle East into direct conflict with Israel – even the supposedly moderate state of Jordan. Jordan has never recovered from the defeats it suffered at the hands of the Israelis, particularly in 1967, in which it lost both the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

All of these events may well be setting up a prophecy that I have pondered for over 40 years. Isaiah predicts a catastrophic end to Damascus that I do not believe is part of the final war of Armageddon. It appears to be a regional conflict that will occur shortly before the anti-Christ is unveiled.

Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. It has never been destroyed despite being besieged and captured many times in history. Its existence reaches back to the dawn of history.

Yet Isaiah predicts in a series of oracles concerning ‘the last days’ that Damascus will suddenly be obliterated and cease being a city forever. Over 2700 years ago, Isaiah foresaw this terrible event, “An oracle concerning Damascus: ‘See, DAMASCUS will no longer be a CITY but will become a heap of ruins.’” (Isa. 17:1 NIV)

Isaiah makes two statements about the destruction Damascus that indicates an instantaneous event. First, Isaiah says, “The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus …” (17:3) This refers to Damascus, which is in part of land allotted to Ephraim. The Hebrew word “disappear” used in this context means a sudden, total annihilation.

Isaiah’s second description of Damascus’ destruction predicts, “In he evening, sudden terror! Before morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us (Israel), the lot of those who plunder us.” The great city of Damascus will “disappear” in a night. And it is the Israelites who will do this.

Another important part of this prophecy is that it will occur at a time when some calamity hits Israel, “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.” (Isa. 4) This indicates some kind of terrible, physical attack.

Here is where I believe all of this could be headed. Israel is going to be hit with WMDs from Syria that will kill a great number of Israelis. Israel will immediately implement the “Samson Option” against Damascus – totally obliterating it. This will cause the Muslim nations to back off out of fear of also being hit. It will also throw the world into a state of such fear that it will set them up for the anti-Christ’s arrival with a superhuman plan for peace and freedom from war. With his satanic powers, he will convince the world that the only hope is a one-world government under his leadership.

According to my sources, there are fully armed Israeli aircraft sitting on the runway of Jezreel Valley IDF base with pilots in the cockpits on 24 hour alert. Normally, these aircraft are stored under ground. These planes can be over Damascus in 180 seconds from take off.

Syria is playing a very dangerous game, and is being urged on by Iran. If just one-missile hits Israel with the deadly VX gas, the ‘Samson Option’ will be instantly implemented.

Never in history have any of these events occurred. More than that, at no time in recorded history were any of these things even possible. But Israel can now fulfill these prophecies with the nuclear weapons it possess.

Never before have all the causative factors of this event been present at the same moment in history.

But today, they are the only logical conclusion if current events continue along their current path. It's a terrifying scenario, but to those who trust that these signs point to the imminent return of Christ for His Church, it is, nonetheless, an exciting time to be alive.

I emphasize his last sentence.

Old Testament figure named on 2600-year-old tablet

This is one more instance of the Bible being proven historically accurate:

Old Testament figure named on 2600-year-old tablet

By Dalya Alberge in London

July 12, 2007 01:00am
Article from: The Australian

THE British Museum yesterday hailed a discovery within a clay tablet in its collection as a breakthrough for biblical archeology - proof of the accuracy of the Old Testament.

The cuneiform inscription in a tablet dating from 595BC has been deciphered for the first time - revealing a reference to an official at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that proves the historical existence of a figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah.

It is rare evidence in a non-biblical source of a real person, other than kings, featured in the Bible.

The tablet names a Babylonian officer called Nebo-Sarsekim who, according to Jeremiah 39 was present in 587BC when Nebuchadnezzar "marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it".

The cuneiform inscription records how Nebo-Sarsekim lavished a gift of gold on the Temple of Esangila in the fabled city of Babylon, where, at least in folk tradition, Nebuchadnezzar is credited with building the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

British Museum staff are excited by the discovery.

Irving Finkel, assistant keeper in the Department of the Middle East, said: "A mundane commercial transaction takes its place as a primary witness to one of the turning points in Old Testament history.

"This is a tablet that deserves to be famous."
....

Read the rest of the article here.