[2024 Ramadan Day 17] Türkiye, the beginning of the final revival that will complete history / Cyprus, the beginning and the end of the Gentile mission, that will complete the final revival

<Türkiye>

Türkiye, meaning the country of the Turks, is a leading nation among the approximately 250 million Turkic diaspora spread from the Balkans to all of Eurasia and Siberia. The Turkic people were the ruling people of the Ottoman Empire, which once was a world empire after overthrowing the Eastern Roman Empire. For 600 years, the Turkish people have played a leading role in Islamic and global empires and with a strong ethnic and religious identity, they continue to maintain their prominence even to this day in Anatolia, which connects Europe and Asia.

The Turkic Republic, which began as a constitutionally secular republic in 1923, has a population of approximately 85 million. It holds both a cultural and historical strong Islamic identity, dreaming of the revival of the Ottoman Empire, and the identity of a secular state. During Ramadan, villages and streets are crowded with people who treat Ramadan as a festival and buy bread and food every evening when they break their daytime fast. Meanwhile, Islamic religious groups are strengthening their fundamentalist stance amidst the support and protection of the regime, and as a result, the polarization and tension of the Turkic people's identity is becoming increasingly severe. Furthermore, due to the refugee crisis and economic deterioration over the past decade, the fatigue among Turkish citizens is reaching an extreme level.

Currently, the number of young people in Türkiye who observe Ramadan fast is decreasing, and especially in large cities, there is a noticeable increase in the number of young people who are eating at restaurants on the streets and at universities, regardless of the fasting. In particular, in the past few years when the economy has plummeted, Turkic young people have not been able to find the answer in Islam and have been experiencing significant disillusionment with religion.  Additionally, amidst conflicting Western worldviews, Turkish young people are feeling confused and conflicted, in need of the power of the Gospel.  While statistically, 99% identify as Muslim, in reality, many young people do not consider themselves Muslim anymore, spending their days in uncertainty about the future without finding answers from any source.

By the grace of God, the number of evangelical churches in Türkiye is steadily increasing. Known church groups are being established in at least 50 of the 81 cities in Türkiye, and local churches' gospel ministry and church development through social media are moving forward even amidst difficult social persecution. Just as the waters cover the sea, the knowledge of the of the glory of Lord is filling Türkiye!

Sister A is a sister who had a difficult time as she grew up due to her father's physical and verbal abuse. Her parents' divorce and her mother's suicide attempt caused her to live in fear of death. She always blamed God and misunderstood that God was the one who always made her life miserable. Then one day, she happened to join a worship service. Seeing people worshiping in tears, she wanted to feel the same way, so she continued to come to the worship services. One day, when people prayed over in tears, Sister A felt the love of God. As she repented of the curses and words of resentment she had said to God when she was young, the Holy Spirit touched her heart and she met God. And now, she confesses that the difficulties of her childhood have now been replaced with gratitude. During this Ramadan, she was baptized and confessed that she wants to live as a disciple of Jesus!

Hallelujah! The first revival of Türkiye will be the last revival in history. The Turkic people have never experienced revival in history, but now in this end time, the revival in Türkiye along with the revival of all the Turkic diaspora will be the holy spiritual revival for the final spiritual warfare of all nations!

<Cyprus>

We introduce you to Cyprus, where missions to the Gentiles began and will end, completing the final revival. Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Mediterranean, bordered by Turkey (75km) to the north, Greece (400km) and Europe to the west, Israel (200km), Lebanon (100km) and Arab countries to the east, and Egypt (380km) and North Africa to the south.

Cyprus, known as 'Kittim', the grandson of Noah's son Japheth, was used as a strategic strategic point and has historically been ruled by many empires and countries, including the ancient Mycenaean and Phoenician civilizations, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Rome, Arabs, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and Britain.

Currently, Cyprus is divided nation like Korea, divided into South Cyprus (Greek Cypriot) and North Cyprus (Turkish Cypriot), with the capital Nicosia (Lefkoşa) at its center.

Cyprus became Islamic under Arab rule in the 7th century, and was ruled by the Ottoman Turks for about 300 years in the 16th century. With the influx of Turks into Cyprus, the Islamic religion spread further, and now 99% of the population of Northern Cyprus (Turkish) is Muslim. (90% of the population of Southern Cyprus is Greek Orthodox.) After independence from Britain in 1960, the Greek Cypriots, the main ethnic group in Cyprus, staged a military revolt as a nationalist movement, demanding merger with Greece. Consequently, in 1974, the Turkish military invaded Cyprus under the pretext of protecting Turkish Cypriots, leading to the declaration of independence of Northern Cyprus in 1983. However, the international community defines the intervention of the Turkish military as illegal and does not recognize Northern Cyprus as an independent country, and only Türkiye recognizes Northern Cyprus as an independent country. Northern Cyprus is run as a single country with a president, parliament, army and police, and uses Turkic language as its official language. It uses the Turkic currency, ‘lira’, as its official currency. However, due to the island's beautiful natural landscapes attracting many foreign tourists, the 'dollar' is also widely used. Additionally, since South Cyprus is a member of the EU, the 'euro' is also commonly used, and due to the influence of British rule, transactions involving 'pounds' for items such as houses and cars can be observed as well.

Northern Cyprus is not recognized as a state, but in reality it operates as a actual sovereign country. Primarily inhabited by Turkish-speaking Turkish Cypriots, it appears to be a part of Türkiye, yet it is distinctly different from Türkiye. Additionally, although Cyprus is geographically part of West Asia, it is also classified into Europe ever since Southern Cyprus joined the EU in 2004. Many multi-ethnic young people come to Cyprus with the desire to go to Southern Cyprus and Europe, which are part of the EU, and students who graduate from universities in Northern Cyprus are also given the possibility to advance to Europe. The Northern Cyprus government aims to attract many international students, resulting in a diverse population comprising not only Turkish nationals but also individuals from Persia, Arabia, Central Asia, Russia, India, Pakistan, Africa, and other nations belonging to the 10/40 Window. Thus, although the population of Northern Cyprus is merely 400,000, it hosts around 30 major and minor universities due to the influx of multicultural young people and international students, making it a place where one-fourth of the population is university students and if counting all other, one-third or more of the population comprises of young people.

One day, 15 young people gathered together to worship and they happened to be  young people from Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Syria, Libya, Congo, Zimbabwe, and Korea. As they worshiped together on this day, the Lord gave them the faith that He would use Cyprus as a ‘missionary outpost’ where young people from various nations would believe in Jesus, become disciples, and be sent to the nations.

In the Book of Acts, the early church confessed Jesus as Christ and preached the gospel every day and persecution and the martyrdom of Stephen followed. Afterwards, those who were scattered due to persecution and tribulation came to Cyprus, and testified the gospel. And those from Cyprus went to Antioch and preached the gospel, planting the Antioch Church, which opened the door to the Gentile mission. And this was when the believers first came to be called Christians. Hallelujah!

Afterwards, Barnabas who was originally from Cyprus and Apostle Paul teamed up and were sent by the Holy Spirit from Antioch to Cyprus. Cyprus is where the first missionary team in church history was sent, the beginning of the gentile mission. In the region of ‘Salami’ located in the eastern part of Northern Cyprus, traces of the path that Barnabas and Apostle Paul took upon arriving at the port still remain. The path, where gospel of the kingdom of heaven passed through and reached eventually to us, will now once again become the path to advance the gospel beyond all nations to Jerusalem at last!

Not long after we came here, we met Brother B, who is in his 20s and is of Kurdish ethnicity. Brother B works at a hotel here and lives in a house with his older brother. Life in Cyprus, which looks similar to Türkiye but is completely different, is also a life away from home for Brother B. Brother B, who has a good heart and is happy to help others, always wants to contact us first, come to us, and help us, regardless of his situation.

The first day we worshiped together with Brother B was at Brother B's house. We happened to find a Turkish Bible under the television in the living room. Although he was not aware of it and had never read it properly, through this, we had faith and confidence that the Lord would guide Brother B to the path of salvation. And about two months later, while we were gathered together for Sunday worship, Brother B experienced the tough and healing of God on his hurting leg as we prayed over him. During the worship service on this day, Brother B encountered the Lord and His presence, and he sincerely confessed that he wanted to live for Jesus, who bore the cross for him. Hallelujah!

For Brother B, there still still seems to be many steps necessary for his confession of faith to lead to concrete changes in his life, but our Lord received Brother B's sincere confession and is raising him up as one who lives only for Jesus, fulfill God’s vision, and covenant for all nations.

Additionally, young ministers are currently worshipping and sharing the gospel on campus. Every week, young people from various ethnic groups, including Arabs, Persians, Central Asians, and Africans, come together to worship the Lord and dream not of their own dreams but of the revival of God's kingdom. Recently, there was the grace where young people from Muslim countries accepted Jesus during the worship service on campus. Sister S from Kazakhstan confessed, “Only the love of Jesus is everlasting, and I want to only love Jesus eternally too.” Brother I from Iran confessed, ‘I learned the true meaning of forgiveness through Jesus. I also want to serve my friends, whom I haven’t been able to forgive, like Jesus did.” Hallelujah!

Just as the army of Kittim broke the arrogance of the kings who tried to overthrow God's people and raised up a strong and courageous people who knew only God, the army of the young people in Cyprus not only will overcome the power of this world and be victorious, but also will stand firm and take action as people who know their God and raise up God’s army among all nations.

Cyprus, the beginning of the Gentile mission through Barnabas and the Apostle Paul, rise up with the young people from all nations to complete the Gentile mission and the final revival!

[Today’s prayer]

1. During this Ramadan, may the Holy Spirit touch those who seek and pray for God the Creator, so that young people in emptiness will meet Jesus, the truth. May the knowledge of the Lord cover Türkiye and Cyprus, just as the waters cover the sea!

2. The first revival of Türkiye, which will complete the end of history, has begun. May God send harvest workers from all nations to this place where there is much to harvest, and may all nations witness the revival of Türkiye!

3. There are many young people from Muslim countries in over 30 campuses in Cyprus. In Cyprus, where foreign missions began, may all the young people in this land spring up with the true dreams and vision of God.