Watch This Coptic Bishop’s Response to the Palm Sunday ISIS Attackers

"We love you. And this, unfortunately, you won't understand at all."

By Liberty McArtor Published on April 14, 2017

Last week 47 Coptic Christians were killed in their churches by ISIS while celebrating the start of Holy Week. Last Sunday night in response to the attacks, popular Coptic preacher Father Boules George delivered “a message to those who kill us” before a packed church.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the Middle East’s largest Christian community. It’s also believed to be the oldest Christian community, established by Jesus’ apostle Mark about A.D. 42.

The 10-minute sermon is on YouTube and was referenced in a tweet from Johnnie Moore, award-winning activist helping persecuted Christians worldwide.

A Message to All Who Will Kill Us

Watch the full video, or read an abridged version of the video’s translation from Arabic below.

Now what will we say to those who kill us? I don’t know. The first thing we will say is, “Thank you very, very, very much!”

And you won’t believe us when we say thank you. You know why we thank you? You won’t get it, but please believe us. Because you gave us to die the same death as Christ. And this is the biggest honor we could have. Christ was crucified — and this is our faith. He died and was slaughtered — and this is our faith. …

We thank you because you shortened for us the journey. When someone is headed home to a particular city, he keeps looking at the time. “When will I get home? Are we there yet?” Can you imagine if in an instant he finds himself on a rocket ship straight to his destination? You shortened the journey! Thank you for shortening the journey. …

You’re helping us, and you don’t even know it. We need to thank you. Trust me. And I’ll tell you why. Because there are people we visited in their homes one, two, three, four times, to encourage them to come to church. Still they won’t come. What you’re doing here — you’re bringing to church the people who never come. Believe me — it is bringing to church the people who never come! … You are filling up our churches!  …

The second part of the message we want to send to you is that we love you. And this, unfortunately, you won’t understand at all. … Why won’t you understand it? Because this too is a teaching of our Christ.

We love you because this is the teaching of our God — that I’m to love you — no matter what you do to me. I love you very much.

I long to talk to you about our Christ. And tell you about how wonderful He is. See what Christ said: If you love those who love you, you have no profit or reward with me. Even thugs and thieves love those who love them. Any gang loves its members. Even the drug dealers all like each other and take care of each other. Right? But I want to tell you that “if you love those who love you, what reward have you … But I say to you, love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:43-48.) …

The Christian doesn’t make enemies because we are commanded by God to love all of His creation. And so, we love you because this is the teaching of our God — that I’m to love you — no matter what you do to me. I love you very much.

And I want to say one last thing to you: we’re praying for you. Because the One who told us to love our enemies also told us to “bless those who curse you … and pray for those who spitefully use you.” (Matthew 5:44.) So the command I have been given from my God, who is full of love, make [sic] it my duty to pray for you. …

[To congregants]

So what do you think? How about we make a commitment today to pray for them? Pray that they know the God of love? Pray that they experience the love of God? Because if they knew that God is love and experienced His love, they could not do these things — never, never, never. …

I don’t know what the final [death] count is. They said 40-something, and, of course, many people in the hospitals will catch up to them. All of these are crowns. They are rejoicing with God. And they will attend the Resurrection up there. And they are praying for us. The rest is on us.

Oh, you lucky, lucky, lucky ones! And we can not wait until it is our turn. To our God be the glory now and forever. Amen.

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