From Eliyahu

Most people do not enjoy receiving hostility from others, especially if they have done nothing to deserve it. Yet, if you are perceived by the world as believing in the God of the Bible, there is growing hostility toward you right now for no other reason than your faith. This is true whether you are perceived to be a Jew or a Christian. In some countries your very life is in jeopardy because of your religious association. Egypt is an example of a country with a large minority of Christians, that has become hazardous to them, according to this recent report:

Christians in Egypt are facing unprecedented levels of persecution, with attacks on churches and the kidnap of girls by Islamist extremists intent on forcing them to marry Muslims, a report says. Egypt, home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East, is of particular worry. Officially about 10% of the 95 million population are Christian, although many believe the figure is significantly higher ... 128 Christians were killed in Egypt for their faith and more than 200 were driven out of their homes in 2017. It attributed the rise in persecution to “the overspill of Islamic terrorists driven out of Iraq and Syria” ... two church bombings killed 49 people, and another 29 were killed when extremists attacked people travelling to a monastery in May. More than 15 girls in Minya governorate were kidnapped in 2017 to be forced to marry Muslims and convert to Islam, Open Doors said ... In Egypt, as in many other Middle Eastern countries, your religion is stated on your identity card. This makes discrimination and persecution easy – you are overlooked for jobs, planning permits are hard to obtain and you are a target when you go to church. [Source: http s://www. theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/10/christians-egypt-unprecedented-persecution-report]

In other places, the threat may not have reached the ultimate level of hostility yet, but the mechanism is already in full swing that could elevate the hostility to that level. In some countries, like China for example, you are allowed to be a "Christian" so long as you belong to a state-controlled church. Churches not approved may be torn down by the state, and non-approved believers are persecuted. Here is a recent report:

Chinese authorities in the north of the country have demolished [another] church, raising fears the ruling atheist Communist party could be engaging in a campaign against Christianity ... The Golden Lampstand, an evangelical church in the city of Linfen, Shanxi province was demolished with explosives on Tuesday. A large team of People’s Armed Police and local officials detonated dynamite inside the building before using cranes and bulldozers to tear the building down, according to witnesses. [Another church] in the neighbouring province of Shaanxi was also reportedly demolished last month, 20 years after it originally opened.

Churches have to be officially sanctioned and pastors must adhere to a host of strict rules imposed by the government. The Golden Lampstand was an unregistered independent church opened by an evangelist couple who served a congregation of over 50,000 people. The church has a history of tension with the communist authorities, dating back to when it was constructed in 2009. According to China Aid, a Texas-based Christian human rights organisation, congregation members were beaten ... which resulted in church leaders receiving lengthy prison sentences on charges such as assembling a crowd to disrupt traffic and illegally occupying agricultural land. [Source: http s://www.express.co.uk/news/world/903435/China-christianity-church-destroyed-Golden-Lampstand-Linfen-Shanxi-Bob-Fu]

Even countries historically friendly toward the Bible, such as countries in Europe, Canada, Australia, and even the USA, as well as the United Nations, all of which claim to uphold "human rights", have done precious little to help the millions of persecuted Christians around the world. In fact, an informed argument can be made that the globalist agenda is ultimately the force allowing or even perpetuating the persecution. Indeed, violent Islam is promoted by the UN and UN countries, while Bible-believers are increasingly being vilified. Even in Western countries, Bible-believers are often publicly mocked in the popular press, and are frequently ridiculed, attacked, and marginalized, and the hate against believers is building exponentially each day. A poll conducted in 2016 shows that American Christians are feeling this growing hostility: 

How far will this persecution of believers go? Y'shua answered this question in Matthew 24, where He outlined the signs of the last generation, at the end of the age. We are seeing those signs, which He calls "birth-pangs" all around us right now. After listing those signs He says:

Realize, the world reached unprecedented levels of persecution for modern believers in 2015.

Report: 2015 Saw ‘Most Violent’ Persecution of Christians in Modern History - The brutal, worldwide persecution of Christians during the past year makes 2015 “the most violent and sustained attack on Christian faith in modern history,” according to a watchdog organization that has been monitoring Christian persecution for decades. [Breitbart, 20 Jan 2016]

2015 was a Shmita year of prophetic significance. In the summer of that year I heard the prophetic voice of the Lord telling me that the 5th Seal of Revelation 6 had been broken. That is the seal that unlocks unprecedented persecution of believers in the earth.

I reported that at the time, and that prophetic message is in our Tsiyon DVD Set entitled "War on the Saints." I would add that the 5th Seal of Revelation and the unprecedented persecution foretold by Messiah both speak of the same end-time persecution. 

The shocking persecution of 2015 was truly alarming to believers around the world. However, since then the persecution has continued to escalate to a truly unprecedented level, as this recent article points out:

Christian Persecution and Genocide Is Worse Now Than “Any Time in History,” Report Says - The persecution and genocide of Christians across the world is worse today “than at any time in history,” and Western governments are failing to stop it. [Newsweek, 1/4/18]

Imagine that! Globally speaking, persecution is already worse than any time in history. That includes all persecutions by the Roman empire, the Inquisition, or the European persecution that drove Puritans across the Atlantic to found the Plymouth Plantation - and it continues to get worse year by year! Surely, the Matthew 24:8-9 prophecy of Y'shua is now under way! The 5th Seal was opened, bringing us closer to the final end-time events than ever before.

Every believer will be forced to deal with this reality sooner or later. Many are not prepared to deal with it, and will not handle it well when it comes upon them. Here is what Messiah said about that:

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Would you like to be included in our online Passover event? Send us a short video greeting! It doesn't have to be fancy. Just a short cell phone video message will do. It just needs to identify you, tell us where you are from, and include your greeting to all of the remnant who will be watching! Really, say whatever you are moved to say! We want to encourage everyone with your message, and other remnant messages from around the world!

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One in 12 Christians around the world is persecuted: 3,000 were killed last year and six women were raped every DAY, shocking report finds

• The report by Open Doors USA says 215 million Christians live with persecution

• It also identified 50 nations where following the religion can be most dangerous

• North Korea topped the list, with Afghanistan not far behind 

Reprint: Dailymail.com, 11 January 2018