Proof The Bible Is True

As we ring in the New Year, check out the top Biblical archaeology discoveries that amazed us in 2016! From a spectacular Philistine cemetery to a rare Hasmonean coin hoard, the year was filled with incredible finds.   **The stories below are listed in no particular order**   Read More: Top 10 Biblical Archaeology Discoveries in 2016 – Biblical Archaeology Society

  An Open Door’s staff writer recently met with sister Hwa-Young* to talk about her ministry among North Korean, trafficked women who hide in China. For security, they met in a “safe church” hundreds of kilometers away from Hwa-Young’s mission field; extreme caution was taken. Following are excerpts from the interview.   “We get tea from the church kitchen and sit down in a basic, small meeting room with some plastic chairs and table. She warms her hands by covering the paper cup and smiles genuinely. She is happy to see me and has a lot to share.   “We’ve [More]

  The 2017 World Watch List is here, shedding light on the persecution of Christians around the world. This in-depth resource includes information on the 50 countries where Christians experience the worst persecution.   WHAT IS THE WORLD WATCH LIST?   The World Watch List is an annual report on the global persecution of Christians, published in the form of a list ranking the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Released at the beginning of each year, the list uses data from Open Doors field workers and external experts on Christian persecution to quantify and analyze [More]

“Let’s hope these trends reverse under Trump”  Admin In a new study of President Obama’s legacy, the Pew Research Center found that religious affiliation and practice dropped off dramatically during his two terms in the White House.   “When it comes to the nation’s religious identity, the biggest trend during Obama’s presidency is the rise of those who claim no religion at all,” Pew notes in a report released this week titled “How America Changed During Barack Obama’s Presidency.”   When Barack Obama took office, those who identified as atheists or agnostics along with those who said their religion was [More]

Stories of God on the move were abundant in 2016.   From North Carolina to Iran, thousands encountered God and experienced revival.   Despite terrorism, wars, and a rocky presidential election, God showed up in some of the most unlikely places at the most unlikely times.   CBN News followed these waves of revival throughout 2016. Here’s our top picks.   Read More: 2016’s Top Stories of Revival | CBN.com

The importance of Bible reading and meditation is nothing new to us as believers. It’s no secret to us how important the scriptures are to us. It’s one of the primary ways that God speaks His truth and commands to us and our way to experience success here on earth (Joshua 1:8).   2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”   But sometimes we take one look at some scriptures in the Bible and they seem to be anything but useful.   That’s a wrong impression since, [More]

You’re about to hear first-hand testimony and see video of an unprecedented Christian revival happening in parts of China. What is unique about this story is how God is moving among communist-controlled government churches.   CBN News traveled to southern China and obtained exclusive, never-before-seen images, from inside these churches.   When God Shows Up in a Communist Church   It’s Thursday evening in Fujian Province, southeast China. Scores of men and women are dancing, waving flags, blowing shofars, singing and worshipping God.   You might think these images come from a charismatic service in the United States. But they’re [More]

Some are calling it the fulfillment of prophecy. A step toward the rebuilding of the Temple. A flock of sheep described in the pages of Genesis have returned to Israel for the first time since Jacob walked the Holy Land. In Genesis 30:32, Jacob leaves his father-in-law Laban’s household and takes a very specific part of…

“Brother Sam” is a gospel worker in the Middle East, where part of his ministry is reaching out with help to refugees displaced by ISIS from Iraq and Syria. By helping with practical needs—shelter, education, medical aid—Brother Sam and other Christians have the opportunity to share the gospel and introduce Muslim refugees to Jesus Christ.   Such work comes with risk and threats, but Sam tells us that persecution creates “a healthy environment for the Lord to work.” And God is working! Listen this week to hear stories of divine healing, Muslims coming to faith and Christians passionately reaching out [More]

Ali Sassi is a Tunisian man who always accepts a challenge. So when a Christian friend challenged him to demonstrate when and how the Bible had been changed (which nearly all Muslims believe has happened), Ali accepted the challenge. He figured he’d read the Bible for an evening and be able to demonstrate the changes.   Instead he spent two years reading and studying, and at the end of that time he was convinced that the Bible had not been changed, and that Jesus is the Son of God. His decision to follow Christ was costly as even his own family [More]

A shocking rise in violent persecution of Christians is forecast for next year by the charity Release International. The most dramatic increase is expected to be in the Islamic world, where Christians are finding themselves at ever greater risk of persecution from both the state and Islamic militants. Persecution of Christians is also on the rise in India, from militant Hindus, and China, where the pressure is continuing to grow on unregistered churches. The full figures will be published next month in Release International’s annual Persecution Trends report. The findings are previewed in the January edition of the charity’s magazine, release. [More]

Archaeological discoveries announced in 2016 help us better understand the Bible and the biblical world, and affirm the Bible’s details about events and people. Below are the top findings from the important excavations taking place in the lands of the Bible or that have a biblical connection. (This list is subjective, and based on news reports rather than peer-reviewed articles in scientific publications.) Read More: Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2016 | Christianity Today

The Museum of the Bible, a project of Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, has officially announced that its doors are scheduled to open in the nation’s capital in November 2017. “The grand opening of Museum of the Bible is sure to be one of the most memorable events held in our nation’s capital in 2017,” said museum President Cary Summers in a statement on Friday. The 430,000-square-foot museum is being constructed just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol, and plans to house one of the world’s largest collections of ancient biblical scrolls, codices, papyrus fragments and other historical artifacts. Read More: [More]

Jesus has once again miraculously saved someone—a Muslim woman—from certain death.   The woman named Hajira told Bibles4Mideast that she was recently bitten by a Sahara Horned Viper, a highly poisonous snake, while she and her family were enjoying an evening bonfire in the desert.   She said within seconds, she fell unconscious and they rushed her to the nearest hospital where she lapsed into a coma that lasted four days.   When she woke up she could not move her body and felt intense pain. “I heard doctors discussing renal failure and increasing fibrinolysis. Nobody thought I would live,” she [More]

An “angry” Jesus with “blazing eyes” suddenly appeared in the darkened sky amid a howling dust storm and, in a “mighty” voice, told a band of armed Islamist militants, “Why are you persecuting me?”   The encounter with Jesus was recalled by one of the militants nicknamed Haroon, according to the group Bibles4Mideast. He told his own account of an incident earlier reported by the same Christian evangelisation group and published by Christian Today in October. That article was based on the account of Rizwan, one of the Christians being chased by the militants.   Haroon said he and 19 other [More]

Christians have long been facing persecution in China and one of those facing persecution is Yu Jie, whose father was an engineer and a Communist Party member.   It was actually Yu’s wife who first became a Christian in 2001. She started a small Bible study in their home, according to Charisma News. Yu became a Christian two years later and was even baptised on Christmas eve. The test of his faith came on Dec. 10, 2010, when he claims he was secretly kidnapped by the police and taken to the outskirts of Beijing. Charged with undermining state security through his [More]

Americans remain largely a people of faith, even though they may not regularly attend services with a faith community. According to Gallup’s survey on religion in the nation, 74 percent of Americans identify with a Christian religion, and five percent with a non-Christian faith. Of those participating in the survey, 21 percent claimed to have no religious identity, an increase from the 15 percent who said the same in the 2008 survey. Gallup observes a shift away from formal religion in America. In its earliest survey on religion in 1937, 73 percent claimed formal membership in a faith community. In [More]

Christians are being asked to pray for Bible translators around the world as they are undergoing unprecedented spiritual warfare. A plea for prayer comes from Wycliffe Associates, the international organization known in the advancement of Bible translation. Brent Ropp, vice president of operations for Wycliffe, says the ability to translate the Bible has accelerated in recent years, and so has opposition to the effort. “Satan’s territory has not been invaded at the pace or the rate that its being invaded today by the truth of God’s Word,” Ropp tells OneNewsNow. It once took 20 to 30 years to translate the [More]

In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio from 2016, “Sister Amber” shares how Christ was with her even as she was being tortured and abused in Tibet.   After more than a decade in Tibet, Amber watched as God orchestrated a great ministry breakthrough: people who’d been totally closed to the gospel message were now asking to learn more about Jesus. But just days after that breakthrough Amber experienced persecution as police came pounding on her door.   Listen as she tells the story, including how God ministered to her in the most painful moments of her suffering. [More]

In one of the most-listened-to episodes of VOM Radio in 2016, Australian John Short shares the story of his detention in North Korea.   He was repeatedly interrogated. He was forced to write a “confession” of his “crimes,” including the offense of wanting more North Koreans to follow Jesus. But if God called him today, Short says he would happily go back.   Mr. Short shares this week on VOM Radio how God strengthened him during his captivity, the Scriptures and earthly examples that most encouraged him, and how he managed to take a measure of control back from his [More]

“Beautiful rendition of this classic Christmas song by Lark & Spur.” Admin The popular Christmas song O Come O Come Emmanuel originated in the 12th century as a Latin chant during Advent season in the Catholic church. It was translated into English by John Mason Neale in the 1800’s and has since that time become a favorite among church hymns.

A beautiful version of this song done by Lark & Spur

A beautiful, upbeat version of this classic Christmas song by Lark & Spur

A beautiful version of the classic Christmas song by Lark & Spur

Another beautiful Christmas song from Lark & Spur. This song is a Scottish carol from the 17th century.

“Pastor Tim” leads a church in Malatya, Turkey—a church which almost ten years ago saw three of its members martyred for their faith in Christ. This week we’ll hear how that loss affected the church and how God has moved in Malatya in exciting ways in the past 10 years.   We’ll also hear an update on how one of the martyr’s families continues to serve the Lord in that city—and even to love the murderers. Tim will also update listeners on the overall situation for the church in Turkey, especially in light of recent political upheaval there, and how [More]

What’s it like to hear from your pastor husband, who has spent nearly a year in prison? Pastor Yang Hua was abducted by Chinese police Dec. 9, 2015 and accused of “divulging state secrets”. Yang has not yet gone to trial, but his words to his wife reveal both a glimpse into a man concerned for his wife and a man whose confident hope rests in the Lord.   To write to Yang Hua, visit prisoneralert.com.     My dear wife: Greetings!   I have received all of your letters: the first on Oct. 5 and the second on Nov. [More]