In April 2024, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was preaching at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Australia, when he was violently attacked by a young Muslim man.

The independent church primarily ministers to Assyrian Christians who fled the Middle East because of persecution and follows an Eastern Syriac tradition.

Emmanuel is a popular speaker as his YouTube channel has over 317,000 subscribers. The attack was caught on camera because the church broadcasts its services live.

Police described it as a hate-motivated attack because Emmanuel, who was born in Iraq, has publicly criticized Islam and its prophet.

Emmanuel, 53, was stabbed several times with a switchblade, including once in the eye. Although he survived the attack, he now has a prosthetic eye.

The young man also stabbed five other members of the congregation, including another priest, before he was restrained.

In a recent interview with Glenn Beck, Emmanuel warned Christians that he believes we have entered the end times, Charisma News reports.

He went on to suggest that we are now at the midpoint of the end-times timeline.

“Because what is happening is not happening at a local level but at a global level, and it’s happening so rapidly, so fast,” Emmanuel told Beck. “It is kind of alarming and very alarming.”

Emmanuel added that one of his biggest concerns is the state of the Western church.

“I believe the church has become extremely lethargic when it comes to really standing up for Christ,” Emmanuel said.

He added that persecution is coming and that Christians in the West will have to decide whether they are willing to stand for Christ if doing so comes at a personal cost.

“It’s easy—it’s very easy—to talk about the Lord, but very hard to live for Him,” Emmanuel added.

After the attack, Bishop Emmanuel publicly stated that he had forgiven his attacker. He also urged people not to seek revenge, telling them to let the justice system do its job.

“Forgiveness is one thing, but justice is a totally different thing,” Emmanuel stated. “Forgiveness has to be there, but justice must take also its path and be fulfilled.”

Since the service was being broadcast, dozens of people who witnessed or heard about the attack had gathered outside the church by the time police arrived.

Although the attacker was in custody, the incident led to a tense and, at times, violent standoff as authorities took him to the police station.