In February, 20 Egyptian Christians and a brother in the Lord from Chad were kidnapped, paraded, and beheaded by the Islamic State (IS) in Libya.
Dressed in the orange one-piece IS execution suits, they were marched handcuffed and leg chained, each accompanied by an armed executioner. The men knew that they were to be slaughtered. The request of some to have last words over the phone with loved ones in Egypt had been denied. One by one, they were urged repeatedly to recant their faith in Christ. Not one did.
In Jesus’s hands
None stumbled in his walk. Some were clearly whispering prayers. In the first YouTube recording, one is heard saying in Arabic, ‘Jesus, my life is in your hands’, as he felt the knife on his neck. The man beside said, ‘Amen’.