The Hour is Coming

"Christians in Somalia have to go underground and they don't give away their identities because once al-Shabaab knows someone is a Christian, that is a death sentence for that person. . .”

These are foreign words to those of us living under the protection of the U.S. Constitution. But would such a protection for freedom of worship always be around? From Worldnetdaily.com, here is the rest of the story.

Pastor shot, killed on way home from worship [Excerpts]

Two masked members of the al-Shabaab Muslim militia shot and killed a pastor in Somalia as he drove home from a worship service, according to reports.

Mogadishu pastor Ali Hussein Weheliye was killed in the attack in October, but reports of the incident didn't come out until this week.

Experts at the missions think-tank the Joshua Project estimate Somalia is 99 percent Muslim. International Christian Concern's Jonathan Racho agrees with that statistic and says the overwhelming numbers make it difficult to be a Christian in Somalia.

"A vast majority of Somalis are Muslims, but there are hundreds of Christians in Somalia. This pastor was the pastor of an underground church," Racho said.

"Christians in Somalia have to go underground and they don't give away their identities because once al-Shabaab knows someone is a Christian, that is a death sentence for that person," he said.

Racho makes the death sentence claim because al-Shabaab is a jihadist militia with close ties to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorist group.

Intelligence sources say most al-Shabaab fighters receive training at al-Qaida or Taliban training camps in Pakistan before being sent to Somalia for the declared anti-Christian jihad in that eastern African nation.

Racho said these facts are evidence Weheliye's murder is not an isolated incident.

"Al-Shabaab has gone on a campaign of killing Christians. One of its official policies is to eradicate Christians from Somalia," Racho said.

"This year alone, Pastor Ali is the fifteenth Christian to be killed in Somalia. The killing has been going on for the past several years. The church in Somalia is going through a difficult time. If this trend continues many more Christians will be killed and many will be forced to leave Somalia," Racho explained.

Scores of Muslims believe that killing Christians is doing the will of God (Allah). Jesus predicted this in John 16, by saying, “They will make you outcast of the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you think he is offering service to God” (v. 2).

Specifically, Jesus is referring to Jews. The Jewish race will be so hated in the end times that Satan will in some way instill within the minds of those in the world that the Godly thing to do is to kill a Jew. But we can also make this an application to all born-again Christians.

You see, Christians are hated for their convictions. It’s Christians who stand in the way of abortion rights, gay rights, gambling, and their continual insistence that a true definition of a family consist of a man and woman, married and having children. Christians are also the fuel behind the conservative movement. Christians are pro-military, pro-guns, and pro-life. Christians believe in capital punishment, the reality of sin, guilt and condemnation. Christians believe that big government is a big problem, and that capitalism is to always be preferred to than socialism. Christians are for some a big pain-in-the-neck.

Therefore, there is coming an hour when society wishes to push forward with its agenda and those who stand in their way – Christians – will be arrested and killed. And the rallying cry for such a thing to occur is for the clerics of that time to inform people that if they do so, they are doing a great service to God.

Religion has always been a way for evil people to kill others. And it will continue to be the fuel that sparks the fire of future intense persecution of both Christians and Jews.

Here in the U.S. under the Constitution, we enjoy our religious freedom. But don’t think for a moment that the Constitution is somehow impervious to the schemes of evil men. If one day, Christians will be killed because they stand in the way of world progress, then not even the U.S. Constitution will survive without changes, revisions and attacks.

What we see occurring in Somalia, can one day occur right within the boarders of the U.S. It may happen in our life time or in our children’s life time, but Jesus did forewarn us that the “hour is coming.” Thank God Jesus used the word “hour” and not “day.”

Pray for your spiritual family in Somalia.