Imagine standing at the foot of Mount Sinai and there were thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain and the sound of the trumpet fills the air. In fact, the trumpet was so loud that that you tremble. You come out of the camp to meet with God at the foot of Mount Sinai which is completely in smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke is ascending like the smoke of a furnace and the mountain quakes. The trumpet blast becomes louder and louder.
How would you feel? What would be going through your mind? Would you be terrified to see the Lord come down upon the top of the mountain? Would you want to break through and gaze at the Lord at the risk of your life or would you stay as far away as possible, watching the manifestation from a safe distance? This was the predicament of the Israelites when they camped before Mount Sinai.
Three months after the people left the land of Egypt, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai. The Lord told Moses to tell them to consecrate themselves for two days, then on the third day, He would go down on Mount Sinai in their sight. They were warned not to go up to the mountain or touch its base or they will be put to death. Boundaries were set around them which they could not step over. When they hear the trumpet sound long, they were to go to near the mountain. God explained to Moses why He was doing this. “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak to you, and believe you forever.” The people could not break through the barrier set for them to gaze at the Lord. Only Moses was allowed to speak to God face to face.
The people were terrified when they saw the thunder and lightning, heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the mountain smoking. They stood afar off, trembling. They said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
Moses reassured them, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” The people continued to stand afar off while he drew near to where God was.
I don’t know how I would have reacted if I were there but I am thankful that today, we can go near God without fear. Thanks to Jesus’ atoning work on the cross, we can boldly approach the throne of grace. Jesus made it possible for us to enjoy a loving relationship the same God who descended on the mountain in the wilderness.
God wants us to seek Him. He promised, “You will seek Me and findMe when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Do we seek Him or do we stand afar, afraid to get too close? Do we ask others to talk to Him on our behalf instead of talking to Him ourselves?
Today, I encourage you not to just stand at the foot of the mountain. Climb it. God has removed the boundaries that would keep you from Him because of His Son. Don’t let fear or sin or anything keep you from climbing up that mountain to meet your Lord.
Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out (Ezekiel 34:11).
Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:21, 22).
They meet in secret at night. They don’t meet in the same place too often. They don’t tell their families about these meetings. They draw the curtains to keep the world out. They speak in whispers. Every day they meet, it is a gamble. At any moment, they could be discovered. The risk is great. They live in fear of being arrested, tortured or killed. Is it worth it? To the members of the underground churches, it is. They risk everything for their belief.
Life for Christians is terrible in places like North Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Egypt, Iraq and Syria. It is ironic that it was to Egypt that Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus to escape Herod’s murderous rampage yet today, Christians are under great pressure. Secret believers like In Syria, Christians had to flee their homes.
Those of us who are living in the West, we can worship openly in church buildings. We don’t have to speak in whispers. We can sing and pray out loud. We enjoy religious liberty. Some of us may face opposition from our families. Jesus warned us of this. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and a ‘man’s enemies will be those of his own household’” (Matthew 10:34-36).
Just recently, I read a story of a father who forbad his daughter from going to church. Her family was from an Orthodox background so they had a problem with her wanting to attend a Protestant church. She resorted to sneaking off and going to church. There are other stories of men and women persecuted, beaten, ostracized and even murdered by family members because of their faith.
It’s hard to believe that Christians persecute other Christians. However, this is prevalent in Ethiopia. Christians from the Orthodox churches who leave to find more vibrant churches are pressured to return. In the days prior to the Reformation, many believers were forced to hide. Such groups were the Waldensians who were forced underground because they were declared heretics by the Roman Catholic Church. They rejected the teachings of the church and what they believed to be the idolatry of the church and considered the Papacy as the Antichrist of Rome.
Many were driven from their homes and into the mountains when in January 1655, the Duke of Savoy commanded them to attend Mass or sell their lands and go to the upper valleys of their homeland. It was in the middle of winter. The Duke didn’t expect them to choose to leave their homes and lands in the lower valleys. Yet, they did and it was written that the old men, women and the sick “waded through the icy waters, climbed the frozen peaks and at length reached the homes for their impoverished brethren of the Upper Valleys where they were warmly received” Sadly, the horrors of persecution were about to be unleashed.
When the Duke realized that his efforts to get the people to conform to Catholicism, he tried another approach. Under the guise of false reports of uprisings, he sent the troops to the people. It was a ruse to gain them easy access. Then, on April 24, 1655 at 4am when the people would have been sleeping, the troops were given the command to go and massacre them. They didn’t just slaughter the people but they looted, raped, tortured and murdered. Peter Liegé reported the following:
Little children were torn from the arms of their mothers, clasped by their tiny feet, and their heads dashed against the rocks; or were held between two soldiers and their quivering limbs torn up by main force. Their mangled bodies were then thrown on the highways or fields, to be devoured by beasts. The sick and the aged were burned alive in their dwellings. Some had their hands and arms and legs lopped off, and fire applied to the severed parts to staunch the bleeding and prolong their suffering. Some were flayed alive, some were roasted alive, some disemboweled; or tied to trees in their own orchards, and their hearts cut out. Some were horribly mutilated, and of others the brains were boiled and eaten by these cannibals. Some were fastened down into the furrows of their own fields, and ploughed into the soil as men plough manure into it. Others were buried alive. Fathers were marched to death with the heads of their sons suspended round their necks. Parents were compelled to look on while their children were first outraged [raped], then massacred, before being themselves permitted to die (Wikipedia).
Print illustrating the 1655 massacre in La Torre, from Samuel Moreland’s “History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont” published in London in 1658.
The Piedmont massacre happened during Easter. In fact, it became known as the Piedmont Easter and it was estimated that about 1,700 Waldensians were slaughtered. Its brutality aroused the indignation of the European nations and sanctuary was offered to the remaining Waldensians.
Today, many Christians face the same kind of brutality for their faith. Women have been attacked, beaten or murdered because they converted to Christianity. Girls have been brutally raped for their faith or their parents’ faith. According to a report in the New York Times: “Christians in areas of Egypt that are largely dominated by Muslim militants continue to suffer from violence and humiliation. These believers are under constant threat of their houses and other properties being burned down, or possibly being mugged while walking along the streets. Even church buildings are not spared as they are desecrated and marred with hate graffiti written on the walls.” Christians are living in fear. Some of them are secret believers like Femi* and Alim*
November 6 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I encourage you to watch the moving video, Pray With Them from Open Doors and try to imagine what it would be like to live in a country where you have to go underground in order to worship or face prison, persecution, torture or death.
Keep the fires of faith burning. Do not let anyone or anything extinguish them. Hold fast until our blessed Lord Jesus Christ comes and you receive your crown.
FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.
When I read the article in The Daily Mail on Female genital mutilation, I was incensed. I couldn’t believe the reasons behind this barbaric practice.
In some cultures, it is seen as a right of passage into womanhood and a condition of marriage.
Some believe that the genitals will be unclean if the female does not have the procedure.
There is also a common belief that women need to have FGM to have babies.
Religous reasons
Egypt has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world and even thought the practice was criminalized in 2008, it still remains widespread. Up to 92 percent of married women have undergone FGM and most females have the procedure between the ages of nine and 12. Some have it done earlier than nine years old. Can you imagine a five year old girl having part or all of her external genitalia removed? There are no anaesthetics and antiseptic treatments used and FGM is performed with knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass or razor blades. This can lead to severe bleeding and infections which can last a woman her entire lifetime. And it is estimated that 3 million girls are subjected to this barbarism every year in the UK, parts of Africa, Middle East and Asia. And believe it or not, the procedure is usually done by a woman with no medical background.
Girls are going to grow up believing that their genitals are unclean and only a cruel cut can make them clean and fit for marriage. What about the infections that they get or what about those who die from the procedure like the 13 year old Sohair el-Batea? The doctor responsible for her death was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to more than two years in jail. This was a victory for women but more needs to be done. FGM is still being practiced.
According to Egyptian Streets, statistics showed that 30% of married women believe that FGM should be banned but more than half were in favor of the procedure for religious reasons. It’s hard to accept that women would be in favor of such a practice. It is even harder to accept that they would force their daughters, granddaughters, nieces to go through what they themselves had gone through. As a mother, I could never subject my daughter to this. As a woman, I could never bring myself to do this horrible thing to another female.
And which religion would condone this? God created the human body and He put everything in its place for a reason. No one has the right to tamper with nature. How could anyone use religion as an excuse to mutilate young girls and in some cases, babies? And as far as FGM being necessary in order to have babies, that is ludicrious. The reality is that FGM can cause infertility and increase the risk of complications in childbirth.
FGM, known as the “cruel cut” needs to be banned the regions of Africa and countries where it is still common. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that more than three million girls in Africa are at risk. Something needs to be done to stop girls and babies from is done in ignorance and in the name of tradition. Girls should not see the parts of their bodies that is unique to their gender as unclean. No where in the Bible is female circumcision practiced. God never intended for girls and women to be circumcised. It is a man-made procedure and it needs to be outlawed.
I encourage you to watch the video of Leyla Hussein, the founder of Daughters of Eve as she talks to her mother about FGM. You can visit Leyla’s website to find out more information about FGM and see what you can do to stop this cruel and inhumane practice.
I received the following email from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada and was very upset and greatly saddened. Just today my family and I were watching as Christians reenacted Jesus making His way to Golgotha, flanked by Roman soldiers as a large crowd watched. In certain countries this could not take place. I thank God that we live in a country where we freely practice our religion without fear of being persecuted or killed like this young Christian woman who was brutally attacked and killed simply because she was a Christian. Read her story and pray for her family and fiance.
Reflect on what Jesus did on the cross. He died for everyone, including the people who persecute and murder His followers. Don’t let anger or bitterness toward Mary’s killers consume you. Pray for them too. I don’t know what went through Mary’s mind in those last horrible moments of her life, but we know that one day she will be receiving her crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).
EGYPT: Christian Woman Brutally Attacked and Killed
Source: VOM USA
Mary Sameh George
Mary Sameh George, a 25-year-old Christian who lived with her parents and sister in Cairo, was brutally attacked and killed on March 28th by pro-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators.
Mary was on her way to deliver groceries and other necessities to a poor family in the Ein Shams area, as she did every Friday, when she was stopped by a group of protesters. When they spotted Mary’s gold cross necklace, they dragged her out of the car and repeatedly stabbed her before finally choking her to death.
The family of this young Christian woman was understandably devastated when they learned of the murder. In fact, her fiancé’s mother was so grief-stricken that she died shortly after learning of Mary’s death.
Bring Mary’s family, fiancé and other loved ones to our Lord in prayer, asking Him to grant them His peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Pray also that they will find hope in Christ’s resurrection and sure promise that they will be reunited in heaven. Until then, may they look to Jesus for the strength and grace to forgive those who ended Mary’s life so tragically. Intercede on behalf of those guilty of this crime, as well as all those in Egypt who oppose the Gospel…that they may come to experience the saving power of Jesus Christ.
For more information on Egypt’s persecuted church, please visit our website.
