Libya (MNN) — Now that rebels have stormed Tripoli, there are growing
rumors hinting that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi could flee to
Venezuela or Cuba.
In the meantime, the European Union welcomed the advance and called for
Gaddafi to step down. Whether or not the
state of Libya will remain the same over
the next 72 hours is yet to be seen.
What makes this advance particularly significant in the six months of civil
war is the absence of key leaders who defected over the last few weeks, leaving
Gaddafi increasingly isolated. Could
another assault force a reset of the conflict? That's unknown.
However, says Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs, change is likely to favor
those seeking freedom, specifically, the Christians. Libya is ranked 25th on the Open Doors
World Watch List, a spot earned because "there was heavy persecution,
particularly of Muslim converts. There were some churches in the city of
Tripoli that were allowed to be open, allowed to operate, but primarily
they dealt with foreigners."
Libya adheres to Islamic law, and all citizens are Sunni Muslims "by
definition." Conversion to Christianity is forbidden, and
there are few native Libyan believers. Nettleton
explains that "where you run into persecution is where a Muslim changes [his or her] faith and comes to Jesus Christ. Those are the people who face really
heavy persecution."
The National Transitional Council is urging Libya to start an
"all-inclusive" dialogue leading to democratic elections. Watchdog groups warn that the transition could
bring more violence with it. Nettleton
says, "There's just a lot of questions at this point, and we need to pray
that Christians will be protected, that whoever ends up in government authority
will provide protection, will recognize the rights of minority groups like Christians."
Currently, most Libyan Christians are forced to believe in secret and are
afraid to meet with other believers. Small Christian communities do exist,
mostly consisting of sub-Saharan migrants and Western expatriate workers. They've remained active throughout the longest
periods of oppression. Nettleton says
because of this, "In some cases, Bibles have been able to be delivered
into Libya because of some of the upheaval. Maybe the border is not being as
tightly monitored as in previous years. "
That's nothing new. With Gaddafi's
strict control of the country, evangelism has been difficult and any Christian
literature that got into the country was smuggled in.
At the crossroad of change, could there be more freedom? Nettleton
indicates it's too early to know yet, but "we can pray about that as
well, that Scriptures will go in and that Christian work can fill some of the voids."
Given the
significance of the persecution and harassment in Libya, just 3% of
the population is believers. That begs the
question: Is Libya home to a remnant
church? Nettleton replies, "There
is a vibrant group of believers that are there, that are sharing the Gospel. So
while I would say a 'remnant' is a fair description, don't be confused into
thinking that there aren't really bold, on-fire believers there, because there
absolutely are."
As Libya looks forward to a new beginning, Christians are encouraged to "pray first, pray second, and pray third. I
think at this point, because there's so much upheaval, I think prayer really is
the frontline of the spiritual battle for the nation of Libya."
