☪ Hard to tell what was
going on here. Isaac Lopez may be a convert to Islam and a jihadi. Or
he may be a leftist who admires jihadis and hates Christianity. Or he
may be genuinely mentally ill. One thing is certain: authorities
aren’t going to elucidate his motives.
“Man arrested
after bomb threat at Miami Greek Orthodox church,” Orthodox
Christianity::
A 27-year-old man was
arrested Monday following a bomb scare at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox
Church in Kendall on Sunday, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s
Office.
The incident occurred
during Sunday Liturgy. Isaac Lopez, a Cuban national, was reportedly
acting suspiciously while carrying a backpack, prompting a church
member to alert an usher, reports the Miami Herald.
When confronted about his
backpack, Lopez allegedly told the usher, “It’s a bomb,” before
handing over the bag. The usher secured the backpack in a nearby
room.
Minutes later, a loud,
high-pitched alarm resembling a ticking countdown sounded throughout
the church, disrupting the service. Deputies said Lopez ran to the
room where the backpack had been placed, put his phone—which was
making the ticking noise—inside the bag, and returned to the
service.
As the service ended,
Lopez reportedly yelled the Islamic terrorist phrase, “Allahu
Akbar”—Arabic for “God is great,” causing fear among
congregants, according to authorities.
🐍 The
ever ungrateful Muslim invaders vandalized a Christian church and
were caught on video. They say vandalizing the church is within their
first amendment rights and demand their charges be dropped
They
“intentionally selected the church because of religion”
Demands
from advocates including CAIR, the Council on American Islamic
Relations, “We demand that the charges be dropped immediately.”
So
far, jurors have disagreed, convicting one man, Raunaq Alam, of
vandalism but not of a hate crime.
Alam
was one of three charged in the vandalization of a nondenominational
church, Uncommon Church in Euless, in Tarrant County last March. They
are accused of spray-painting “expletive Israel” and affixing
pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on the exterior of the church
building, among other actions recorded on a church security camera.
District
Attorney Phil Sorrells initially charged them with felony criminal
mischief; the case was originally filed in County Criminal Court No.
5. The charges were later increased to a third-degree felony hate
crime, which carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison. It was
increased to a hate crime because the perpetrators allegedly targeted
a church because of religion, the prosecution argued. The case was
also transferred to County Criminal Court No. 9 under Judge Brian
Bolton.
Alam
was the first to go to trial in mid-September and was found guilty on
the criminal mischief charge. Bolton issued a sentence of five years
probation. Alam was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $1,700 in
restitution to the church. His probation terms include serving 180
days in jail, conducting 180 hours of community service, undergoing
regular drug and alcohol testing, wearing a GPS monitor and issuing
an apology to the church.
Alam
was next indicted on a charge of committing perjury and he faces a
drug possession charge. His attorney argues he is being targeted, she
told KERA News at a news conference.
Co-defendant
Afsheen Khan was also charged with felony criminal mischief; her
trial was Sept. 30. A third defendant, Julia Venzor, agreed to
testify against Alam and Khan as part of a plea deal. She pleaded
guilty in exchange for the deal, also receiving five years-probation,
WFAA News reported.
The
vandalism occurred after the church put up an Israeli flag to express
solidarity with Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist
attack, Uncommon Church’s pastor, Brad Carignan, testified in
court.
The
case highlights a pattern in Texas where Christians, churches, Jews,
synagogues and pro-Israel Americans have been targeted with
unprovoked violence by Muslims.
☪ Why
were Antachrist Saracens/Arabs/Muslims
allowed to freely raid Europe for nearly 300 years before the First
Crusade?
Its
honestly amazing how weak western christian nations were around
700-1000 compared to what they would be after 1100
They
were fractured into small realms that often weren't very stable, and
had to contend not only with the saracens raiding from the south but
also the pagan northmen from the north.
One
could say the Crusades did a great deal of work in unifying much of
Western Europe culturally and more or less aligning overall sense of
identity. The area is unique in temporal and ecclesiastical power
performing as joint poles of power.
😔 The vicar of a
church in Sussex said he was shocked to witness vandalism of its
churchyard amid an "ongoing battle" with anti-social
behaviour.
St Andrew's Church in Hove
said its CCTV footage showed a man tearing down and shattering
outdoor lights, ripping flowers from a World War Two memorial and
attempting to remove a headstone from a grave.
Reverend Dan Henderson
told BBC Radio Sussex: "People come to the churchyard to seek
peace and reflection...it's a shock to see someone do that for
seemingly no reason."
Sussex Police understands
the damage took place at about 19:10 GMT on 27 November and said it
was appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Rev Henderson said members
of the church's youth group first raised concerns after finding a
string of lights ripped down.
It was only once he had
checked the church's CCTV cameras that he realised the extent of the
damage.
However, after contacting
police, he said he was told there "wasn't much they could do".
"Everything can be
replaced, but we work to a deficit budget in the church," he
said.
"We're looking at how
we can replace those lights and just welcome people into the
different services that we have in Advent and Christmas."
'We want to spread joy'
Ahead of the church's
Christingle service on Sunday, Rev Henderson said his spirits
remained high.
"Our theme for
Christmas this year, and for the whole of the Church of England, is
joy," he said.
"There is joy not
just in the sort of material things that happen at Christmas, but
there's a deep-seated joy that Jesus brings that can't be taken away
by things like this."
Sussex Police described
the suspect as a white man in his 60s, about 6ft (1.80m) tall with
grey hair, wearing a black and red jacket with black trousers.
The Vandals
The Vandals
were a Germanic people who migrated from Northern Europe, crossed the
Rhine into Roman territory in \(406\) AD, and eventually established
a powerful kingdom in North Africa that lasted from \(435\) to
\(534\) AD. Led by Gaiseric, they conquered Carthage in \(439\) AD,
built a strong navy, and controlled much of the western
Mediterranean. Their most famous act was the sack of Rome in \(455\)
AD, after which their name became synonymous with wanton destruction.
The Byzantine Empire eventually conquered the Vandal kingdom in
\(534\) AD, leading to their disappearance as a distinct entity.
♰ History does not know the conventional way and does not believe
in chance. Everything that happened in the past will definitely
respond today. And St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is a
monumental confirmation of this opinion.
Founded in the summer of 1108 on the occasion of the victory over the
Polovtsians, the church was consecrated in honor of Archangel
Michael. He was considered the patron of military affairs - work
worthy of princes. The temple was the first among others to receive
golden domes and began the tradition of gilding them. It was the
domes that suffered the greatest losses in 1240 during the Mongol
invasion - the Mongols damaged the cathedral and removed its gilded
baths. But this did not prevent the temple from being reborn in full
beauty in two centuries.
Demolition of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral by Bolsheviks
At the beginning of the summer of 1919 Bolshevik (Communist)
government moved to Kyiv from Kharkiv. They started the
nationalization of buildings and property.
In the 1930s, Soviet historians called into question the known
historical facts regarding the age of the cathedral. They emphasized
that the medieval building had undergone major reconstructions and it
hadn’t preserved the original Byzantine style. In its place, they
planned a new administrative center for the Ukrainian Soviet
Socialist Republic.
The cathedral was declared to belong particularly to the Ukrainian
Baroque architectural style, rather than to the 12th-century
Byzantine style. This conclusion was encouraged by the Soviet
government to demolish the entire monastery. All the professors
signed the demolition act except for Mykola Makarenko, who stood his
ground and refused to do so. As a consequence, he was arrested and
eventually sentenced to death in Tomsk, Russia in 1938.
The cathedral saw the hetman's greatness and the Ruin, the prosperity
of Kyiv and the destruction of its churches during the "godless
five-year plan". It took about 60 years for the St. Michael's
Golden-Domed Monastery to be restored in the same way to which modern
Kyivans are accustomed. It was restored so that the church could
stand up for them again in 2013-2014. Then, for the first time in 8
centuries, the bells of the monastery sounded the alarm, and its
walls became a place of rest and hiding for the participants of the
Revolution of Dignity.
History does not believe in chance. It creates symbols, and then,
century after century, turn by turn, strengthens them. Whether it's a
temple wall or a baby surrounded by lambs, those destined to stand up
for the people will surely be reborn to fulfil their historic
purpose.
😇
'White Ethiopians' Singing Hymn to St. Michael in Ethiopic/ Geez |
የቅዱስ
ሚካኤል ግዕዝ መዝሙር በነጭ ኢትዮጵያውያን
አንደበት
😇 Commemoration
of the Archangel Saint Michael- የሕዳር
ሚካኤል
Ethiopian
Orthodox Tewahedo Church honors Saint Michael (Kidus Mikael); the
Angel of mercy; on the 12th of each month of which two of them are
great annual feasts of the saint – on Hidar 12 (November 21) and
Senie 12 (June 19). His name Michael means “who is like God”.
Saint
Michael is one of the seven Archangels, who is always standing
besides God’s throne and is honored for defeating Devil at God’s
command (Rev.12:7-9).
In
addition to the Holy Bible, "Dersane Michael" contains the
miracles of St. Michael. Archangel Saint Michael is powerful and the
guardian of the souls and fighter against evil. He is often painted
in the walls of every Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church followers
with a flaming sword and spear, which pierces the devil.
❖ On
Hidar / ሕዳር
፲፪/
12 (November 21):
1.
Crowned and became the Arch of the Archangel’s
Saint
Michael is one of the seven Archangels, who is always standing
besides God’s throne and is honored for leading the army of Holy
Angels and defeated Satan and the rebellious angels into Hell.
Revelation 12:7 On this day God crowned him with his glory and mercy
and become the Arch of the Archangel's.
2.
The Commander of the Lord’s Army
Joshua,
the son of Nun, saw him in great glory and was frightened by him and
fell on his face to the earth and said to him, "Are you for us,
or for our adversaries?" So he said, "No; but as Commander
of the army of the Lord... I have given Jericho into your hand, ...
and its king." (Joshua 5:13-15, 6:2)
3.
The Exodus of Israel from Egypt through the help of the Arch Angle
Michael
Exodus
14:19-22:
19
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s
army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved
from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of
Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to
the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the
other all night long.
21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night
the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it
into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went
through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right
and on their left.
23
The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots
and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of
the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at
the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed[a] the
wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the
Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is
fighting for them against Egypt.”
26
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so
that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots
and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at
daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing
toward[b] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water
flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army
of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of
them survived.
29
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of
water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved
Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty
hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared
the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
Michael,
is the commander of the angels, came down from heaven, and rolled
back the stone from the mouth of the tomb, and announced the women
“Christ is risen from the dead”.
St.
Paul observes that the Hebrews “ all our fathers were under the
cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-4; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal.
3:27).
There
is a common ritual practiced by the devotees in order to commemorate,
worship and give thanks. Ethiopian traditional bread – Difo Dabo,
roasted barley – Kolo in the name of St. Michael are being
prepared and shared in the church.
🙏 May the prayer of
Archangel Saint Michael be up on us!
