Concerning the imprisonment of Pastor Saeed Abedini

It seems to me that today there is a great deal of hand wringing going on among evangelicals concerning the imprisonment on Pastor Saeed Abedini. 

By all accounts he is a good man on a mission of mercy to help orphans. He has been accused of Christian evangelism and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison. He had to have known the risks when he went to Iran. I understand that this is a fearful time for his family and those close to him. I get all of that, and for that reason I write this with a great deal of somberness. 

We as Christians need to take a step back for a little "Kingdom" perspective.

This is not the first time a Christian preacher has been put in prison for the sake of the gospel. In fact Jesus told us these things would happen. As much as we love religious liberty, we should not forget that great revivals can happen in prison.

Do I want Pastor Abedini to be freed? Yes, but my hope is not in a rescue by the U.S. Government. My prayer is that he will bear such a witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ, that prisoners and guards alike will believe on Jesus Christ as their Savior. I want his freedom to come in a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ. 

As I understand it, he is being held in a notorious Iranian prison called "Evin Prison". It seems that in addition to hardened criminals, this prison holds many Iranian intellectuals who are incarcerated for political reasons. 


It is unlikely that any missions organization would be able to penetrate this Iranian prison, but now there is an evangelical pastor of Iranian descent, in this Iranian prison filled with potential national leaders. The Lord Jesus now has a light in a very dark place.

"Our Father in heaven, please grant Pastor Saeed Abedini courage and wisdom and favor and confirm you word in amazing ways!"

Pastor Saeed Abedini

America's blood crime...

Some statistics say that in the last 40 years since "Roe v. Wade" legalized abortion in the U.S., the lives of 53,000,000 babies have been extinguished. Their little bodies have been thrown out like trash or (worse) sold for various purposes.

We have a problem.

God interacts with mankind in several different levels. He certainly deals with people on an individual level, but the Bible also indicates that he also interacts with people as social groups (such as families, cities and nations) as well.

It is the national relationship that concerns me.

Human government was God's idea, not man's. We first find it established as God talks to Noah after the flood  (Genesis chapter 9) .  The antediluvian (pre-flood) world was a world of civil anarchy, filled with violence. For this reason, the Bible tells us, God destroyed it in a flood. In Genesis 9, God is pushes the restart button. Here a social contract of self government is established that emphasizes the value of human life:

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." Genesis 9:6.

Do you see the principle there? Human life is sacred because a human life is "in his own image."

This principle continues to be developed throughout the Bible. Notably it makes God's "Top Ten" list as "you shall not murder". He established the principles of "due process" and differentiates between "manslaughter" (accidental killing) and "murder". Throughout the Old Testament we find that the rise and fall of nations is in direct relation to their treatment of the innocent, particularly their children, their widows and foreigners. We find God's promise of national longevity is tied to the protection of the innocent. One of the damning sins of the Canaanites was child sacrifice to the pagan god Moloch. The horrors of the plagues in Egypt were preceded by decades of Israeli children being tossed into the Nile. Israel's and Judah's captivities were preceded by the adoption of pagan practices, including child sacrifice.

Murder, in any form, is an evil of the highest order.  When murder is committed, God takes note. If a society does not police itself by bringing murderers to justice, God will avenge the innocent himself. In the case of the abortion industry, we have failed to prosecute those who take innocent life. Even worse, as a nation, we have condoned it. There is a verse in 2 Kings 24:4 that concerns me greatly. Speaking of the ancient nation of Judah it says they, 

"... filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon."

Then they were taken captive.

Will God judge the United States for those 53,000,000 dead babies?  I am certain of it.

How will he do it? I have no idea.

Can it be avoided? If we were to arrest and prosecute the abortionist for the last 40 years, perhaps. But we won't.

Can it be postponed? God is merciful. He allows a window for repentance and self judgment. Historically, that window has lasted for decades for many nations. Sometimes nations repent and judgment is postponed, sometimes they don't and it comes more swiftly.

What can I do?  Individually there is a lot you can do. First, repent of you sins, any and all. Sin requires judgment. If you will let him, Jesus bore that judgment for you when he died on a cross. He gave his life for you. He took your punishment. There is no sin too great for him to bear, even the killing of the innocent.

Then, for the nation, you can pray for God to work in realms of authority far higher than ours. As Christians we must remember we have a mandate to preach to all nations, but we cannot save any nation. Rather, it is individuals that we lead to salvation.
 
While the United States remains under a cloud of judgment, individually anyone can find a place redemption in Jesus Christ. He gave his life for you, if you haven't already done so this would be a good day to give your life to him...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16