As reports of ISIS’ activity have increased, the stories have become more and more discouraging. But despite the atrocities being perpetrated by these terrorists, God is still sovereign over all:
Isaiah 51:8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
Below are two stories showing that some good can come from the horror.
Many have read about the 21 supposedly Egyptian Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIS in late February. However, the story of one of those men has not been widely publicised.
Of the twenty-one Christians that were beheaded, only twenty of these men were Egyptian and already Christians.
Many, seeing the pictures, would have been puzzled by the presence of a black man amongst them. This man, a citizen of Chad, was not a Christian but he had been taken for one by the terrorists.
As he watched the Coptic Christians being martyred for their faith, he was convicted of his own lack of faith. When the terrorist reached him and demanded that he reject Jesus Christ, the man said: “Their God is my God.”
He was then executed like his Christian brothers. We do not know how this story emerged, but Patheos News reports, “the joy in this story is that 21 martyrs to Christ entered heaven that day.”
This man was kidnapped along with twenty other Christians, and could easily have denied Christ. But the faith of the twenty other men convinced him he was lost without Christ, just as the thief in Luke 23 was convicted of his sin at Jesus’ crucifixion:
Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
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[…] This Chadian man, middle, converted to Christianity after seeing the faith of the other men. Of the twenty-one Egyptian Christians that were beheaded, only twenty of these men were already Christians. One man, a Chadian Citizen, was not a Christian but he had been taken for one by the terrorists. As he watched the Coptic Christians be martyred for their faith, he was convicted of his own lack of faith. When the terrorist reached him and demanded that he reject Jesus Christ, the man said: “Their God is my God.” He was then beheaded like his Christian brothers. As Patheos News reports, “the joy in this story is that 21 martyrs to Christ entered heaven that day. They are praying for us now.” CONTINUE READING >>> Christianity in the Face of ISIS […]
There is something very unworldly about all this, or at least it is remote from London and New York. When you quote “the joy in this story is that 21 martyrs to Christ entered heaven that day.” , it is so similar to the joy in Islamic circles when their young warriors enter Paradise.
What a mess they all leave behind them ! Of course, I’m not blaming the Christians, but there is a lot to be said for all the villages to be left intact, with the people running their mundane worldly economies like they used to, and for western recruits to take some exams and get a job, rather than going romantically adventuring.
Totally agree, with one caveat.
Being martyred for the name of Christ is very different from blowing up a queue at a bus station in the name of Allah.
The Bible says:
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Those who stand up for Christ to the point of death are upheld as an example in scripture:
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
There are more Christians being martyred for their faith today than at any previous time. Words like the above and words like that spoken by our Lord to the thief on the cross have been a great encouragement to them.
I totally agree with what amounts to the first of your two caveats.
When I wrote that I did not blame the Christians, and that the villages should be left intact, this would imply that the queues should not be blown up and that such violent activity was different from being martyred through no fault of your own (as it were).
You seem to have introduced a second caveat, or a second point, anyway. “Words like the above and words like that spoken by our Lord to the thief on the cross have been a great encouragement to them.”. I suppose I agree with that too, even if the words may not be true, or may be not much consolation to some of the victims. “By the blood of the Lamb” is a remote phrase for most people today, and people DO love their lives, which is not an unreasonable attitude. It could be a bit like the standard First Aid words : “You’ll be alright, you’ll be fine”. If they say that to everybody to comfort them, some of us realise that it isn’t necessarily true every time.