The Return of the Righteous Orient

The 20 Coptic Martyrs of Libya, Receiving their Crowns of Life from Christ on February 15th, 2015 

By Bp. Joseph Boyd (Ancient Church of the West)

“…ἀναστήσω τῷ Δαυιδ ἀνατολὴν δικαίαν…”

The News for Christians in the Middle East, the Land of Christ’s Birth, is bleak: 2014 has been declared as the “Year of Christian Martyrdom” by international human rights organizations. ISIS launched a second series of attacks on Assyrian villages on the Khabur river in Hasaka, Syria. In Iraq ISIS destroyed a third Assyrian archaeological site, the city of Khorsabad, more than 2700 years old. This comes on the heels of ISIS destroying the city of Nimrud, the Museum of Mosul, and the walls of the city of Nineveh. ISIS killed 21 Coptic Christians in Libya for their faith a little over a month ago. In Syria, ISIS is still holding over 300 Assyrians who were captured in the first attacks on the Assyrian villages, which occurred on February 23. 

Who are these “Christians” of the Middle East? Isn’t the Middle East Muslim? Why are these people there? Aren’t they just a tiny minority of “Roman Catholics”? 

Why should we be interested in them? Why do we need to help them? What is their connection to us? 

How the Story of Asia’s Ancient Church and its Continuous Persecution leads us to a Celebration of Our Lord’s Promise and an Expectation of the Lord’s Return - 

  

Jeremiah 23:5- “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David the Righteous Orient, and a King shall reign. And He will understand and bring about judgment and righteousness on the earth.” 

• Jeremiah’s prophecy predicted that salvation would come from the East. 
• Those who prophesied over Christ as a baby spoke of this easterly dawn - Luke 1:76-79 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the Orient from on high shall dawn upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 
• The East sent its Wise Men to worship the Christ Child. 
• Christ died, was buried, and rose again – Conquering death and making it into a pathway to life, and this Resurrection is celebrated as the rising of the sun in the East, in the Spring of the year, remembering this Eastern Birth and Resurrection as “Easter”.
• Christianity is an Eastern Religion to all of the West, the largest Church up until the 1300’s was the Church of the East, and those who believe in the “Back to Jerusalem Movement” fail to realize this – The Church’s earliest and most successful mission spread all over the East, into India, China, Tibet, Mongolia, and even Korea! 
• Christ was born in Asia, not an American, or a European, but of the despised, Aramaic-speaking famers and villagers of Asia – and it was this despised, hebraic, simple Church that evangelized the world! 
• As we celebrate this lenten season of preparation for Easter, let us look to the East for Christ’s Return, remember the East’s role in the spread of the Gospel, and celebrate the triumph of the Resurrection - Matthew 24:27 “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” 
• We must pray everyday – “He comes quickly! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelations 22:20 

The Syriac Song of the Martyrs 

(From Mar Awa the Great, the 6th Century Patriarch of the Church of the East) 

Let thy servants praise thee, O Lord! 

O holy martyrs and teachers of faith, pray that there may be peace in creation. 

Let wars be brought to naught and contentions cease among us. 

And may the church sing praises by the mouth of her children. 

And thy saints give thanks unto thee. 

May the holy martyrs who confessed thee in their afflictions 

And propitiated thee by the blood which their necks poured forth 

Make request for sinners to thee, O our Lord 

That in the Day of Judgment thou may forgive their trespasses. 

Let them speak of the glory of thy kingdom. 

The martyrs saw the glory of the kingdom in their minds 

When they were being killed by their persecutors 

And they joyfully endured the tortures in their bodies 

And our Lord Jesus Christ received their spirits. 

Honored is their blood in his sight. 

Let us diligently honor with songs of the Holy Spirit 

The bones of the martyrs who endured afflictions 

That we may find help in the day of recompense of their labors 

From the goodness of the mercies of God. 

The Lord on high is glorious. 

On high are your crowns and in the world are your assemblies 

O martyrs, preachers of Christ the King. 

On high, and to the deep, lo your feasts are celebrated. 

O sowers of peace in the four quarters of the earth. 

Seek the Lord and be strengthened. 

O, martyrs, seek for mercy from the merciful God 

That he may make his peace to dwell in the four quarters of the earth. 

And when our Lord is revealed and the clouds bear up your bodies 

Pray that with you we may inherit the kingdom. 

My voice shalt thou hear in the mornings, O Lord 

In the morning the martyrs cried in the judgment hall before the persecutors 

We will not deny the Heavenly Bridegroom 

For it is he who delivers us from the hands of the ungodly 

And clothes our bodies with glory in his kingdom. 

(From the Church of the East’s Daily Hymns and Prayers) 

What Can We Do To Help? 

Learn more about the Ancient Church, Study Church History, the Canonization of the Creed and Scriptures, Reach Out to Immigrants and Refugees, Establish Friendships with Christians from Ancient Apostolic Communities, Attend Liturgies of the Ancient Churches – Learn Greek, Arabic, Aramaic! 

Psalm 75 

“We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity. When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak so defiantly.’ ” No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs. As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob, who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”