Joel Richardson: Responding To The Beheading Of 21 Christians In Libya

On an emotional level, yes, we want to see these killers and others like them punished immediately for what they have done. But the punishment that we often envision is a vengeance that is reserved for the hand of the Most High who “is sovereign over the kingdoms of men” (Daniel 4:17). If He raises an army to strike them, He will do so. In the meantime, however, as this Beast continues to sink its teeth into the Body of Christ, we must never lose sight of the fact that, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, there remains a world of Muslims in need of a Savior who are drowning in a sea of darkness. May our Lord continue to reveal Himself to them until He returns to personally destroy this evil, and may we pray that as many as possible come to know Him before that Day comes …

Matthew 24:22, 27, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened… For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering …”

1 Peter 3:9, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

• Flashback: Dreams And Visions Moving Muslims To Christ
• Flashback: Christian Prays For The Muslim Men Stoning Him
• Flashback: Former Islamic Terrorist From Lebanon Embraces Christ
• Flashback: Wife Killed, Husband Prays For Killers ‘To Know Jesus As Their Savior’
• Flashback: Imam Embraces Christ: ‘I Started Reading The Bible, And Upon Its Completion I Was Absolutely Convinced’ That Christianity Was True

By Joel Richardson, Joels Trumpet – “On February 15, 2015, the Islamic State in Libya released another gruesome video of 21 Coptic Christians being beheaded on the beach in Libya. A screen shot below captures the scene moments before the men were beheaded by the Muslim mujahideen. Having watched portions of the video, my emotions are profoundly stirred. I rarely weep. But as I watched this, I wept uncontrollably.

When I wrote Islamic Antichrist 11 years ago, I wrote rather extensively on this issue, hoping to awaken the global Church to what was, and is coming. I say that not as a prophet, but simply as one who believes the words of Scripture.

The video captures this brother below praying moments before his death. His final words were, ‘Ya Rab Yesua,’ or in English, ‘Yeah, Lord Jesus.’

What worries me is that from the West, we see these things, and we think not in terms of joining our brothers and sisters in becoming such martyr/witnesses for Jesus (Greek: martus), but more often we respond in fear or anger or in raging for revenge. This is somewhat understandable. But the early Church had a very defined theology of martyrdom. That martyrdom embodied the highest form of witness of God. For as God is presently having mercy in this age towards His enemies, (including we who were His enemies), Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, waiting to make His enemies His footstool. But that time is not yet. Though Jesus could call on twelve legions of angels in a moment, and consume the earth in fire with angels (as He will do), in this age, He has chosen to refrain. This refraining is out of mercy to His enemies, as He said before His execution, ‘Father forgive them.’ Though reviled, he didn’t revile in return. Though he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but continually entrusted His soul to Him who judges justly. So in His martyrdom, he showed the mercy of God. We also, those of us who have inherited the tremendous responsibility of the last days, are also called to imitate Jesus. The Lord is patient, not wanting any to perish, but for all to repent unto eternal life. Why then do we who have received mercy not seek to be witnesses of His mercy? Why are we so often first and foremost bent on revenge? I fear that many, in the name of ‘righteous justice,’ will fail to be the witnesses that He called us to be.

In Revelation 6:11 , we see a picture of the souls of the end time martyrs under the altar of God crying out, saying, ‘How long oh God, until you avenge our death and judge the earth?’ It is an apocalyptic picture of the Day of the Lord. They are crying out for, ‘When is it going to come, when is it going to be completed, oh Lord?’ And God tells them to, ‘wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.’ And so we have a view that one of the primary timing indicators for the Day of the Lord is the fullness of martyrs.

At the end of the age, God is going to bring to both culmination and fullness, the witness concerning His mercy to all the nations. And the martyrdom of the saints among all the nations is, and will be His primary method of displaying His mercy. This will come to a cataclysmic head under the rule of the Antichrist at the end of the age. The days are quickly approaching. Let us not merely pray, but also resolve, yeah even plan, to stand firm to the end, remaining faithful like our brothers here who have just gone on before us. To be clear, this is not to say that we do not support military action and a just response again these criminals. I am not a pacifist. But let us resist the fleshly carnal spirit of the age that yearns primarily for revenge. Let us make our highest priority the opportunity to testify, to be witnesses for Jesus.” Source – Joels Trumpet.