"By God's grace, I endured a few years in prison in exchange for an eternity with Him."

Ebrahim Firouzi, a Christian convert from Islam, spent seven years in prison in Iran. Now he is enjoying eternity with the Lord, experiencing the fulfillment of that promise following his death in February.  

This interview was recorded about four years ago—after Ebrahim's release from prison while he was serving out two years of "internal exile," living in a remote area along the border of Iran and Pakistan. We've chose to re-air it on VOM Radio to commemorate our brother's faithfulness and honor his memory.

With the recent death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a helicopter crash, this is a particularly strategic time to pray for the nation of Iran.

Ebrahim Firouzi was first arrested in 2011 and given a ten-month sentence. After his release, he continued boldly sharing the gospel at every opportunity. He was always looking to bring hope to the people of Iran through sharing the gospel.

"My only priority was that people would be able to hear and receive the Word of God." Firouzi said.

He was arrested again in 2013, ultimately serving a total of seven years in prison, followed by two years internal exile, during which time he was required to regularly check in with local police.

While he was in prison, the stories and examples of persecuted Iranian Christians before him encouraged and impacted Ebrahim to remain faithful.

This interview was originally conducted in Farsi by Joseph Hovsepian, the son of martyred Iranian church leader Haik Hovsepian. We are thankful to Joseph and our friends at Hovsepian Ministries for allowing VOM Radio to broadcast this interview and share Ebrahim's testimony.

Please pray for pastors and other Christians imprisoned in Iran and other nations.

Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcast. Or you can listen each week—and get reminders to pray for persecuted Christians—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.