Iraq

Biblical History

It is very tempting to start the biblical history of Iraq with a statement “we are looking at the cradle of creation, the Garden of Eden…”, just because Noah and the descendants of his three sons, as they journeyed from Mt Ararat to the plains of Shinar and found two rivers and gave them the name they were familiar with from the pre-flood world, Tigris and Euphrates. It’s the same today when the settlers came out from England to Australia, they used names they were familiar with in England to name new places/towns in Australia (i.e. Newcastle in NSW).

The worldwide, catastrophic Flood of Noah’s day would have destroyed the surface of the earth. If most of the sedimentary strata over the earth’s surface (many thousands of feet thick in places) is the result of this global catastrophe as we, creationists believe, then we would have no idea where the Garden of Eden was originally located-the earth’s surface totally changed as a result of the Flood. Also, God’s Word makes it clear that the Garden of Eden was located where there were four rivers coming from one head.

Ge 2:8-14 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden;….¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first isPison:….¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon….¹⁴And the name of the third river isHiddekel [Tigris]:…..the fourth river is Euphrates.

….No matter how one tries to fit this location in the Middle East today, it just can’t be done.

Post Flood Biblical History. – Ge 11:2 “And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.”

Shinar means “between two rivers.” They decided in unison to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves so they would not be scattered (Ge 11:2-5). Hence, Babel was founded (i.e. Babylon). Archaeological Babel is located about 100 km southwest of the modern city of Baghdad in Iraq. The modern country of Iraq is named for the ancient city of Erech mentioned in Ge 10:10 and Ezra 4:9 (Iraq is a mild variation of that name).

From the Table of Nations, the son of Arphaxad called Salah (Ge 10:24), were the ancestors who settled in most of the Middle East like Israel, Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, North Africa, Syria Yemen and Oman.

Short secular history of modern Iraq

After WW I, Iraq passed from the failing Ottoman Empire

to British control. Kingdom of Iraq was established under the British Mandate in 1932. In the 14 July Revolution of 1958, the king was deposed and the Republic of Iraq was declared. In 1963, the Ba’ath Party staged a

coup d’état and was in turn toppled by another coup in the same year, but managed to retake power in 1968. Saddam Hussein took power in 1979 and ruled Iraq for the remainder of the century, during the Iran-Iraq War

of the 1980s, the Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991 and the UN sanction during the 1990s. Saddam was removed from power in the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Intercessory Overview

The three majority-Muslim groups (Shiite Arab, Sunni Arab, and Sunni Kurdish) that compose modern-day Iraq have been in conflict for centuries. Attacks by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) forced tens of thousands of Christians to flee the country, leaving a small but bold and faithful remnant. For many of these Iraqi Christians, day-to-day life is focused on survival, and yet they faithfully work to advance the gospel. Many of Iraq’s Muslims have rejected Islam and become open to Christ for a variety of reasons, including the corruption and violence rampant among both radical Sunni Muslims (including ISIS) and Shiites (including the Iraqi government, backed by Iran). These circumstances provide a unique opportunity to share the gospel with Iraqis searching for hope and truth. The violence and instability have also led to a revival among traditional Christians, many of whom have come to saving faith and become bold witnesses for Christ.

Major Religion

Iraq’s population is divided between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Iraq is home to the second-largest population of Shiite Muslims, after Iran. Iraq’s Christian population has suffered severely at the hands of Islamists, decreasing from more than 1.2 million to fewer than 300,000 as the country has suffered from continual war and instability for more than two decades.

Persecutors

Christian converts from Islam are abused and rejected by their families. In addition, they may be killed or persecuted by clan or tribe members, government authorities or extremist groups.

What it means to follow Jesus

Northern Iraq is still home to many Christians who have a degree of freedom to worship even though they are under Islamist threat. Christians in other parts of the nation, especially those who are converts from Islam, are under continual threat of violence, including abduction and murder.

Access to Bibles

ISIS and other Islamist groups destroyed every copy of God’s Word they could find, but because of the work of Bible societies and missions organizations, including VOM (Voice of the Martyrs), far more Bibles have been distributed than have been destroyed. Today, most Christians in Iraq have their own Bible; several formats are available, including audio Bibles and children’s Bibles.

Prayers

The emergence of Iraqi Arab evangelicals in recent years (now over 50,000) is an answer to prayer! Many of them come from Muslim and even extremist backgrounds, but they encountered Christ through evangelical witness, gospel radio, and especially through dreams and visions of Jesus. Pray for leaders for the churches. Many fled the country and others died, often targeted by Islamists. Many times the Christian widows of these leaders continue with the pastoral and discipleship work.
Iraq suffered great upheaval in 1991 (with the Gulf War), in 2003 (with the 2nd Iraq War and the fall of Saddam Hussein), yet again in 2013 with the rise of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), and then in 2018 and beyond with widespread civil unrest and a broken political system. Pray for God to deliver this land from seemingly interminable conflict!
- The Kurdish Region of Iraq is one of the few bright spots to emerge from the last 30-plus years of war and conflict. It has far more autonomy, progress, and freedom than other parts of Iraq. Religious minorities (such as Christians and Yazidis) have a much greater degree of protection under the law, and Christian ministries experience greater openness to work.
- Many deep and violent divisions run through Iraqi society (Kurds against Arabs, Shi’as against Sunnis, secular politicians against Islamist groups). The ethno-sectarian system of politics in Iraq may keep wider conflict in check, but also holds back genuine progress and keeps the same elites in power. Outside of the Kurdish Region, Christians and other religious minorities lack true religious freedom. They face demands for bribes, kidnapping, destruction of their property, rape, and murder. Christian workers have been murdered with impunity. Most Muslim political leaders want to see progress, but extremist groups and a fundamentally divisive political framework continue to hamper efforts to bring peace to Iraq.
- The brutal violence and oppression that accompanied the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in 2014 has been greatly reduced. Thank God that their capacity has been greatly diminished. While almost all of their territory has been retaken, the destruction and trauma they wrought remains, and their violent and brutal ideology remains a threat via the use of terrorist cells who are able to strike with little or no warning. Millions were uprooted in the 2010s, and many of them – especially Christians and other religious minorities – have suffered intense trauma. Pray that Christians might minister life to those impacted by this evil; pray also that IS survivors and former IS fighters might encounter the Risen Jesus who forgives all sins and heals all wounds.
Pray for the growth of house churches and for Bible distributions in Kurdistan.
Pray for internally displaced Christian families from Mosul who are returning to camps in Kurdistan.
Pray for Brother Ahmed, a former Muslim who went missing in Baghdad in October 2020.
Pray for Brother N., a Kurdish leader in his 60s who was severely beaten and continues his ministry.

Pray for Christian converts from Islam in Baghdad, where persecution has intensified.