Psalm 25:19. Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Psalm 38:19. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

Psalm 41:7. All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

Psalm 69:4. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

Psalm 69:14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

Matthew 10:22. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Mark 13:13. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Luke 6:22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Luke 21:17. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

John 7:7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

John 15:18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

John 15:23. He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:9-14).

Fires Destroy Six Christian Villages in Turkey, Authorities Suspect Arson. ‘A measure of wheat for a penny.’

Scott Slayton | Contributor to ChristianHeadlines.com | Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Fires ravaged six Christian villages in southern Turkey. Fires, which many believe were started intentionally, engulfed the villages of ELbegendi, Guzelsu, Dibek, Uckoy, Ucyol, and Dagici along the Turkey-Syria border, Faithwire Reports.

According to International Christian Concern, “arson has become a recognized insurgent tactic which targets the agricultural resources of villages.” 

Last week, insurgents in Turkey are believed to have burnt down between 700 and 800 olive trees last week.

In the most recent incident, authorities suspect arson because fire has been a common tool used against farmers in Syria and Iraq as well. According to The Telegraph, one official told The Guardian that 50,000 hectares have been burned in the region since May, resulting in a loss of $50 million. 

The fires make the nation’s food shortage even more dire. Experts believe that agricultural production had already fallen by almost one-third because of the violence. In addition, “an all-time low” food production immediately endangers the lives of 6.5 million people and could cause another 4 million into food insecurity as well.

A man named Fowaz lamented results of the fires to The Guardian, saying that the country was looking at the best harvest he could remember. He commented, “It’s been more than 60 years since the harvest was this good. The years before we were just planting, but the harvest didn’t come. This year was to be one of the best maybe of our lives.”

This is just the latest incident causing anxiety for Syriac Christians.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, Syriac Christians feel threatened by the build-up of the Turkish military at the border and they have requested that the United States assist them. The Syrian Military Council released a statement explaining the dire nature of their situation, saying, “The Turkish Army started to remove the wall between Turkey and Northern Syria in the Tal-Abyad area. Turkey has amassed its forces and its jihadist proxies at that point. It clearly aims to invade Northern Syria.” The statement continued, “Turkey aims to kill and destroy us and to finish the genocide against our people. {There} are still more than 100,000 Syriac Christians living in NE–Syria and they will be killed or driven away if Turkey invades.”

The U.S. has yet to publicly respond to the Syriac Christians call for help, but in Turkey, authorities say they will investigate the cause of the fires as soon as the flames die down.