Tag: Islam

Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword

You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ~Matthew 24.6

When October 7th happened, I was mortified and incensed at the evil atrocities which were perpetrated on the nation of Israel and its people. My flesh rose up and I concurred that they should retaliate quickly, bomb, and push the Muslims out of Gaza, and the rest of the land of Israel. But as the conflict waged on and turned into a viable war, I have realized that Israel’s retaliation is just making things far worse, not only for them, but for the whole world. It reminds me of gang fighting as you see in the media: One faction kills someone unfairly, then that ‘victim’ gang has to defend itself, so it retaliates, then the original perpetrator strikes back, and it goes on and on and more and more people die. At some point, it’s hard to remember who the bad guy was.

Drawing back and taking a wide-angle view of this battle as a Christian, I cannot help but realize that this is not the way Jesus would handle things. In the era before Christ (BC), the Old Testament is rife with battle and war detailing accounts of God’s people having to defend themselves against the pagan nations around them. When Hagar had Ishmael sinfully through Abram, they were cast out of the Holy Land, and this marked the beginning of a prophecy of war between God’s chosen people and those not from His chosen lineage. Ishmael’s people became the wild warring crowd later coming under the aegis of Muhammed, the founder of Islam. Islamists are known as Muslims, certain orthodox sects of which are the hateful terrorists that initially led this attack on October 7th through Hamas.

But that was in Old Testament times. Jesus, the unique Son of God was given to us by God, He died and was resurrected into heaven to rule and reign for eternity, on earth and in heaven. Jesus is our King. The veil was torn in the great temple, meaning that the old gave way to the new. There is no more need of war because Christians know that we wage war not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual enemies, led by their father, Satan.

But since Israel is still mostly made of of Jews who do not call Jesus their Lord and Savior, they are still living in Old Testament times theologically speaking. Until they accept Jesus as their Savior, they cannot know the right way to act or be.

“Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory….But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. ~1 Corinthians 2:6-8, 10-16

A simple search of the bible shows that in the New Testament, war is not condoned but rather condemned. All the verses I found remind us that our battle is spiritual, not physical. I copied some verses below as evidence of this. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, rather an overwhelming example of how man should handle conflict in our world, now that the Lord Jesus already fought this battle and won.

  • And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. ~Revelation 19:11
  • For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ~Ephesians 6:12
  • For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. ~Galatians 5:17
  • The dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. ~Revelation 12:17 (The above verses about war in the New Testament: Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/War)

Also:

  • For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. ~2 Corinthians 10:3-5
  • Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ~Romans 12:19

“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” ~Matthew 26:52

  • I tell you who love Me, love your enemies, do good things for those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ~Luke 6:27-31

Indeed the armor of war for Christians is not physical at all, but conceptual:

The Full Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. ~Ephesians 6:10-18

Men especially, have flesh made for warring. That is why wars are started and perpetuated by men. But men can crucify their flesh following in the example Jesus gave us on the cross. Every day we are to pick up our cross and die to our flesh in order to serve and please God.

It is counterintuitive that we can pray away the cold, hard hatred of angry Islamists manifesting as ISIS and Hamas and Hezbollah and Houthi, yada yada yada, yet when you look at the escalation of what is happening in the middle east, and even Europe, how can anyone think the methods employed are bringing about progress or good? Jesus epitomized the concept of counterintuition such as teaching us ‘love your enemies’. This is not just an interesting thought exercise; this is to be taken literally.

We can know these teaching of Jesus and we can memorize these bible verses, but they still can hit the impasse in our heart that wants to win justice. But we are not the justice-bringers or the vengeance-reapers. God is.

Dr. Jay Adams wrote on this idea of worldly struggle and how to deal with it in his treatise, The Spirituality of the Church. I will copy an excerpt from his writing here for our edification:

Jesus mounted no protests, never worked directly to change laws or customs, and kept Himself free from politics. That doesn’t mean that He had no impact upon men’s customs. Quite to the contrary. No greater force for societal change has even been known than that which He and His apostles released upon the world [and you will do greater things than these!]. But it was all done by the preaching of the Gospel that changed the hearts of men, who then changed the ways in which they lived. Abortion and infanticide were legal under Roman government, but neither Jesus nor His apostles did anything to alter this deplorable situation other than preach the Word.

The implication of the spiritual kingdom of God is simply this: the promotion and spread of righteousness must take place as the result of the Spirit, using His Word to change hearts. Anything other than spiritual means to carry out spiritual purposes is unbiblical. Are you aware of this fact? Or are you spending time, energy, and money on things that will not last.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” ~Mark 16:15

They are blessed who work for peace, for they will be called God’s children. ~Matthew 5:9

So, yeah. If we believe in Jesus, it should not just be in word, but in deed. Otherwise, we are a like a double-minded man, saying one thing and doing another. We should fear not man, but God.

Arabic, the Language of Demons

This title may sound harsh, but I think it is true. The language of the Quran, the religious text of Islam, is Arabic. Therefore, the DeFacto language of Islam is Arabic. If Islam is interpreted and practiced as Muhammed, the creator of it, intended, it demands the killing of the Jewish people, Judeo-Christians, Christians, and anyone who would support them. Since Satan and the anti-Christ are the arch enemies of God, it follows that the devil and his demons will find affinity in Islam, and that their followers would manifest verbally in Arabic. When I hear an angry Arabic-chanting mob spewing hate, it feels to my spirit like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I felt led to learn Arabic in order to understand my enemy better. But even more than that, to free from bondage God’s chosen ones who might be enslaved as Muslims in Arabic lands. So far, I mostly feel called to the Middle East, but I really don’t know where God will send me at this point. I thought it was Afghanistan, but I realize that is a mostly Farsi/Dari speaking land. But like when Harry Potter drinks the felix felicis potion he is magically led on an unlikely but profitable journey he never would have been inspired to take on his own, I feel this way with God: He will lead me on a mission and guide each step one-by-one in a way I would never be able to plan by my own industry. This might even start in a non-Arabic speaking country!

Nations in which Arabic is an official language (de facto or de jure). Arabic in countries with more than 50% Arabic-speakers is considered a majority language, otherwise it is a minority language.

Right now, I am just using Duolingo as my primary language teacher, but plan to start adding in some Arabic workbooks to refine my study. My goal is to not be fluent, or even proficient, but simply capable of communicating with Arabic-speakers in a meaningful way. I really like learning this language as it is written backwards like Hebrew (which I have dabbled in), and it lists the nouns before the adjectives like Spanish (which I took in high school). There are a TON of letters in the alphabet and a lot of rules which I am not too bothered by. Overall, I think it is a reasonable and attainable goal, as long as God gives me this provision. 🙂

Biblical History Repeating Itself

Relentless Judgment on Israel~ Hosea Chapter 13

When Ephraim spoke, trembling,
He exalted himself in Israel;
But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.
2 Now they sin more and more,
And have made for themselves molded images,
Idols of their silver, according to their skill;
All of it is the work of craftsmen.
They say of them,
“Let the men who sacrifice[a] kiss the calves!”
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud
And like the early dew that passes away,
Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.

4 “Yet I am the Lord your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For there is no savior besides Me.
5 I knew you in the wilderness,
In the land of great drought.
6 When they had pasture, they were filled;
They were filled and their heart was exalted;
Therefore they forgot Me.

7 “So I will be to them like a lion;
Like a leopard by the road I will lurk;
8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs;
I will tear open their rib cage,
And there I will devour them like a lion.
The wild beast shall tear them.

9 “O Israel, you are destroyed,[b]
But your help[c] is from Me.
10 I will be your King;[d]
Where is any other,
That he may save you in all your cities?
And your judges to whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?
11 I gave you a king in My anger,
And took him away in My wrath.

12 “The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is stored up.
13 The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him.
He is an unwise son,
For he should not stay long where children are born.

14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave;[e]
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues![f]
O Grave,[g] I will be your destruction![h]
Pity is hidden from My eyes.”

15 Though he is fruitful among his brethren,
An east wind shall come;
The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness.
Then his spring shall become dry,
And his fountain shall be dried up.
He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
16 Samaria is held guilty,[i]
For she has rebelled against her God.
They shall fall by the sword,
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces,
And their women with child ripped open.

Footnotes:

  1. Hosea 13:2Or those who offer human sacrifice
  2. Hosea 13:9Literally it or he destroyed you
  3. Hosea 13:9Literally in your help
  4. Hosea 13:10Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read Where is your king?
  5. Hosea 13:14Or Sheol
  6. Hosea 13:14Septuagint reads where is your punishment?
  7. Hosea 13:14Or Sheol
  8. Hosea 13:14Septuagint reads where is your sting?
  9. Hosea 13:16Septuagint reads shall be disfigured

 

In the belief that the following passage is true and that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), I give you Hosea 13 from God as a backdrop for events that will soon unfold in America; IF we do not turn from our persistent idolatry of sex, money, and willful ignorance and cling to the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and might.

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.  ~2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ephraim was the largest tribe in the northern part of the kingdom of Israel.  After King Solomon died, the kingdom of God-the 12 tribes of Israel-became divided into a northern and southern kingdom:  Ephraim, the largest, (usually called Israel) and Judah, respectively.  The people of God made idols out of silver (and gold) and the finest craftsmen sculpted these objects.  They began worshiping their idols and abandoning the one true God.

One cannot but help notice the uncanny similarity with ancient objects crafted skillfully by hand out of silver and our modern-day electronics, all of which contain silver.  Our first electronics contained gold, lead, and platinum, sometimes in high quantities, so much so that harvesting these precious metals from salvaged appliances is a booming business, especially in third-world countries.  See this post on how idolatry is clutched by nearly everyone in America today in the form of personal devices.  Idolatry is not a practice that got left in antiquity when we stopped making animal figurines.  It very much continues on an even more pervasive scale today.

Even though God is not readily visible (we have to seek Him out), nor easily proved (His existence requires faith, not facts) does not mean that He is not real.  Furthermore, His word stands true forever, so what is written in the historical record of the Bible was true, is true, and will be true in the future.  Self-identified church-attending Christians are in denial about how much they practice idolatry.  Not only that, but as Americans fall further and further away from belief in God, our citizens are bold about denying the existence of God at all.

God tolerates this behavior and practice no more today than He did when the Jewish nation was expunged from the Holy Land, several times over.  He clearly states in the scriptures that if we forsake Him, He will not only forsake us, but He will allow the ‘wild beast to tear them [us], [we] he will know pain like a woman in labor, [we] he will lose his children, [our] his spring will dry up, [we] they shall fall by the sword, [our] their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and pregnant women will be ripped open’.

This sounds like Islamic practice.  And it is happening very, very close to us!  It is happening to Jews, and our Christian brethren in all parts of the world, and has even happened here, on American soil.

Islam has declared war on us, whom they call ‘infidels’.  But instead of fighting their war their way, we must cling to God because God promises us in His covenant with us that if we love Him with our heart, soul, and might; and love our neighbors as ourselves above all else, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  ~Leviticus 26:8”

We cannot fight a war on our own and win.  We have exalted ourselves because our lives became easy as Americans, and we neglected and forgot about God; as the Jews before us also had done and were punished.  Only with God we will stand strong and be invincible.

~selah