Monday, February 26, 2018

Endtime criminalization of Christian proselytization – a global affair


 “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan 's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith…”  -  Rev 2:13 

Christians have traditionally faced intense challenge with evangelism in places like North Korea, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc. The sobering news is that more nations are joining in the endtime gang-up against sharing of the Gospel.
A new penal code in Bolivia now proscribes evangelism and puts Christians in a perilous position in the country.  Evangelicals have therefore resorted to mass prayer and fasting, together with a peaceful march (on January 21st) to seek amendments to the code.
Similarly, in October last year, Nepal began enforcement of a law designed to restrict Christian worship and evangelism. The new Nepalese penal code with a penalty of 5 years of imprisonment, warns that "No one should involve in or encourage conversion of religion" and that "No one should convert a person from one religion to another religion or profess their own religion and belief with similar intention by using or not using any means of attraction and by disturbing religion or belief of any ethnic groups or community from that being practiced since ancient times." This is a direct confrontation against the Great Commission of the Lord in Mathew 28!
Apart from nation-wide persecutions, there are several local hotspots of persecution against Christian evangelism in otherwise peaceful nations.  For instance the Zanzibar region in Tanzania.  Also in India, though the central constitution allows free practice of religion, a string of states have passed strict anti-conversion laws.  The list includes the states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat. Please read more on this report at http://prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2010#GUd2RbjAjVeCoLSM.99
Nevertheless, amidst all these desperate moves by the devil, other countries are seeing the light and reviewing their stance (even if not formally) on the Gospel.  Renowned evangelist David Hathaway, speaking to ministers at the last Holy Ghost Congress at the Redemption Camp, described heart-warming confessions by erstwhile communist chieftains in Russia and Ukraine of effectiveness of the Christian gospel in producing lasting changes in communities, compared with communist doctrines.  The latest of such acknowledgement is the widely reported statement by Victor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister describing ‘Christianity as Europe’s Last Hope’. In his 20th annual State of the Nation’s address, Orban lamented the continued infiltration of Europe by radical Islamists and related spates of terrorists attacks.  See details here.

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