Paris, France:  A new French law banning public prayer went into effect Friday, throwing thousands of praying Muslims off the streets of Paris and into a former fire station.  According to secular law, it's okay to practice any religion you want, just not in public.  France lacks space for mosques and for years worship overflowed into the streets.  Since the ban on public prayer in the streets, the Muslims have been given a former fire station for worship.  In the meantime, hundreds of Muslims have been found praying in the streets since the new law, but there have been no arrests. 

Humm, there are a lot of Muslims in France.  Let's recap:  New law says no praying in the streets.  Muslims receive public building and pray in the streets anyway, but there have been no arrests.  I'll be curious to see if Christians will receive a public building, or whether they will ever be arrested for praying in public.  In Canada, a minister was arrested for preaching, right from the Word of God, that homosexuality is a sin.  Here in America, prayer and God were kicked out of the public school systems many years ago.  It is very interesting to see, however, that Muslim foot baths are being installed in public schools, accommodations have been made for Muslims to pray in schools and even Muslim curriculum is being allowed as "history" in US public schools. 

According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith.  David B. Barrett, Todd M. Johnson and Peter F. Crossing in their 2009 report in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (Vol. 33, No. 1:32) estimate that approximately 176,000 Christians will have been martyred from mid-2008 to mid-2009.  This, according to the authors, compares to 160,000 martyrs in mid-2000 and 34,400 at the beginning of the 20th century.  If current trends continue, Barrett, Johnson and Crossing estimate that by 2025 (if the Lord delays His return) an average of 210,000 Christians will be martyred annually. 

Increasing Christian persecution is a sign of the last days.  Jesus said, "Before all these (signs of the end times), they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake...and you will be betrayed by both parents, brethren, kin folks and friends, and they will put some of you to death (Muslims kill their own family members for 'apostasy,' conversion to Christianity).  You shall be hated by all men for My name's sake; but a hair of your head will not perish (eternally)" Luke 21:12,16-18.  Sound familiar?  Jesus went on to say, "When you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation is near (Russian warships were sent to the Mediterranean Sea in January and US troops are in Israel for the first time in history!)" Luke 21:20.  The Bible tells us that the "desolation" is a time when the Antichrist will appear (Daniel 9:26-27, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14).  The alignment of nations against Israel, prophesied in Ezekiel 28, is forming right now, and by this we know that the end of the age and the rapture of the saints is near!  If you are not prepared, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website.  God bless you.