International Christian Concern, October 11th, 2024
Jacob, a young man from northeastern Syria, was born into a committed Christian family and served his church for years.
After moving to western Syria to study engineering, he commuted weekly to his home city to see his family, meet up with friends, and continue serving in his church.
As he travelled to visit his family in 2014, a group of armed, masked Islamic extremists stopped his bus and kidnapped every Christian on board. Desperate to save his life, Jacob tried to deny his Christian faith, but the cross necklace hanging from his neck gave him away.
The gunmen beat Jacob and the other believers, ordering them to denounce their faith in Christ. Jacob, ashamed for attempting to deny Jesus earlier, chose to remain firm. The gunmen sentenced him and the other believers to hard work till they decided when to execute them.
One day, the gunmen told Jacob to dig his own grave with his hands. They ordered him to kneel at the edge of the grave for hours, saying they would kill him if he didn’t deny Christ.
Jacob considered denying his faith to escape, but something surprising happened: the police arrived. As the kidnappers exchanged gunfire with the officers, Jacob escaped.
Free from captivity, he felt God’s presence and was filled with gratitude toward Jesus. He knew Christ saved him from the Islamic extremists despite his attempts to deny Him.
Jacob felt a new sense of purpose. His relationship with Christ deepened, and he shared his testimony with everyone he could. Although countless martyrs have died during more than 13 years of conflict in Syria, many Syrian Christians have seen their faith renewed, and one of them is Jacob.