The Attack against Israel and Christians

Are we living in the generation that will see the fulfillment of these verses from the Book of Revelation?

Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the maleChild. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. – Revelation 12:13-17

Persecution of Israel has gone on for nearly 2000 years, but the 1930’s and 40’s began a period of all-out intense hatred of Jewish people which was centered in Nazi Germany. While the demise of Germany’s Hitler ushered in an interlude in that hatred, it merely caused it to go underground for a time, to re-appear in more successful vehicles. It has reappeared in Islam, the UN, and the EU.

Remember, the Devil’s goal is to destroy faith in God. So while he attacks the Jews, he also attacks any faith in God, Jesus His Son, and in the Bible, which is His Word. We are witnessing how materialism, pluralism, and political correctness can be just as successful weapons for Satan as Nazism was. The Bible warns that “the love of money is the root of all evil” and we can see how government and the corporate world can be corrupted by it. I am not speaking against true capitalism, which I believe is of God, but of the greed which drives both government and the corporate world to succeed without God. They have forgotten the Biblical truth that it is “God who gives the power to get riches” and our government is settling for worldly power rather than godly authority. Pluralism breeds an ‘anything goes’ attitude that denies Biblical standards of truth and morality while the doctrine of ‘political correctness’ attacks any who would dare to stand for those standards.

Once the devil’s weapons of materialism, pluralism, and political correctness have sufficiently weakened us, he turns to the corruption of politics. Few understand that Islam is not primarily a religion but a political ideology that hates Israel and wants to destroy it. Does no one wonder why Islam, which teaches anyone who does not believe in Allah must be destroyed, could be so closely aligned with Hitler or with Communism, both of which confessed atheism and occultism?

While the UN was founded by people with Catholic backgrounds, their roots have always been socialistic and they regularly pass resolutions condemning Israel. While they say they are for equality among nations, persons from Israel can hardly get a job in the UN while Palestinians are readily preferred. The recent article Revealed: UN Body PrefersPro-Palestinian Employees says it all. Another recent article, Potential Economic Sanctions Really Anti-Semitism, also reveals how the EU is taking a stand against Israel in favor of Palestinians.

Since WWII, the world has seen a dramatic decline in faith in God. The churches throughout Europe are mostly empty or have been taken over by Islam. The head of the EU declared that if a man came forward with a solution to their economic problems, they would follow him whether he is God or devil! They have clearly chosen the devil! Israel itself is largely a secular state and America is rapidly denying the faith that once made them strong. In Europe and South America, Nazism is rearing its ugly head once again. In America, radical Muslims are given sensitive jobs in the government and public display of Christian values is discouraged. Laws are being passed which stop Christians from legally practicing their faith, such as forcing Christian bakers to make cakes for homosexual weddings, or Christian medical workers being forced to give abortions, or Christian landlords forced to rent to homosexuals. American corporations are caving into this pressure all for the sake of the dollar, changing Merry Christmas greetings by employees to Happy Holidays. Apple’s new iPhone 5 now places the Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall in Palestinian Jerusalem.

There are many other examples of this rapid decay into the Antichrist system but, I list these few to draw your attention to the last verses of Revelation that this article began with. Not only is another holocaust for the Jews being planned, but Christians as well are the target. If America loses its faith in God for the sake of materialism, pluralism, or political correctness, we will cease to be the ‘light set on a hill’ that our founders envisioned. And further, Jews and Christians will be driven “into the wilderness” in defeat.

During WWII, America almost waited too long before joining the battle and won only at great cost. In this war, if American Christians do not stand up now and fight for the faith that was delivered to us, we too may face a great cost.

But be encouraged, it is not too late for us to overcome if we call on the name of the Lord without fear, giving testimony of our faith in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Pray earnestly how you can be the person you were destined to be – one who is a witness for God and His Son Jesus Christ.

The Meaning of Christmas

The Christmas season is once again approaching and I already see stores setting up displays of Christmas trees, bright lights, and isles filled with toys and other items related to the season. It is with great sadness that I read about the White House no longer erecting a Christmas tree but a ‘holiday’ tree because either they don’t believe in Christmas or they are afraid of offending Muslims and others. While Islam is un-ashamedly declaring they will take over the world and every knee will bow in submission to Allah, Christians are mostly silent on the reason we celebrate Christmas, or perhaps it’s just because most don’t know why Christmas is important.

Just what is Christmas anyway? Is it Santa and a sleigh full of presents for every child? Is it a time of celebration and family get-together's? Or is it a time for retailers to make up for lagging sales throughout the year?

While all these things might be done during the Christmas season, they are not what Christmas is about! The true meaning of Christmas can be summed up in a verse from the Book of Isaiah:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” – Isaiah 9:6, 7

Christmas is really about God re-affirming His government on earth. This government was officially re-established nearly 2000 years ago with the birth of the Christ Child, Jesus. To Isaiah it was revealed that His government would increase and have no end. To king David God revealed –

“..I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. …Now therefore, be wise O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” – Psalm 2:6-12.

Satan’s forces claim they will rule the world but it is always through fear, intimidation and violence that they try to achieve their goal. God’s plan is for the government of Christ to be established with “judgment and justice”. It is not forced on anyone but each is given a free choice. We all have sinned in some way and so have earned the reward of death but because of God’s love for us, He made a way to be reconciled through the free sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. His mercy makes a way for all who will choose it.

How are judgment and justice brought forth? Those who follow Jesus, the Christ, are having their senses exercised to discern good and evil. His innocent blood shed for us on the cross cleanses us from sin and guilt. The Holy Spirit, Jesus sends to every believer who asks, is training us to judge every situation, every temptation by holding it up to the light of God’s Word. When we choose God and His standards, true justice is established. We are not only cleansed by the blood of the Lamb but it also gives us judgment, the act of discerning between the good and evil. When we testify of the good, the truth, (and that means act on it) God’s justice is lifted up like a light in the darkness. When we give place to no fear but the fear of God – we overcome. Our prayer rises like sweet smelling incense to God.

Christmas is about God making a way to save us from our self-imposed destruction. As each individual person responds to the free offer of salvation through Christ Jesus, the government of Christ grows.

Christmas is about establishing the government of Christ Jesus in our individual lives. We do that by turning from ideas and actions that will destroy us to the ideals that Jesus and the Word of God teach us. This process is called repentance. Contrary to popular thought, repentance is not just feeling sorry but it is changing from bad to good. It starts with individuals. But when individuals change they can affect their families. And when families change they can affect their communities. And when communities change they can affect their states. And when states change they can affect their nation, and so on. So, every individual has the potential to affect nations for the good!

We celebrate Christmas because it commemorates the birth of the Christ Child. The time God stepped into man’s history with the answer to his problems. The time when God began to bring forth His government on earth that will only increase and have no end.

No matter how bad the world situation looks or how much evil seems to hold sway over mankind, I can celebrate Christmas with joy because it reminds me that Christ is still on the throne of God’s government on earth and it will yet rule all. How can I be sure of this? Because the “zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish it!”

Light to See By

19 Year Old Christian Girl Forced to Convert to Islam with Knife at Her Throat

Imagine if this happened to your daughter. You say, “That could never happen here!” But, it could. Islamic terrorists are capturing children all over Nigeria and subjecting them to this choice – convert to Islam and be a slave or die! The same Islamic philosophy drives Muslims in the West as those in Africa. Already, in countries like Holland, France,  England, and even the United States wherever Muslims become a majority they are pressing for Sharia law where husbands can kill their wives for lack of submission.

In the United States Muslim Brotherhood, which has been indicted as a terrorist group, is being placed in key positions of authority in the Obama administration. In cities like Dearborn MI so-called ‘mercy killings’ are taking place. ‘Mercy killings’ seem to be legal, under Sharia law, for cases of suspected adultery on the wife’s side, leaving the faith, unruly children, and a whole host of other actions. Now we are seeing public schools around the nation teaching Islam to grade school children, even while they refuse to honor Christmas as a Christian holiday. Graduating students cannot mention Jesus in Salutatorian speeches but students can take Muslim names and pretend they are on jihad! All this and more is happening during the tenure of a president who is clearly sympathetic to Islam if not, as some claim, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Jesus taught a simple rule to judge situations like this – “by their fruits you shall know them.”

President Obama worked to oust Qaddafi from Libya and President Mubarak from Egypt while backing the Muslim Brotherhood thus loosing the US key allies in the region, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel. He is backing Muslim Brotherhood forces in Syria against Assad. Now he has made a secret deal with Iran to allow them to become a nuclear power and has even made them the US’s main ally in the region, a position Israel once enjoyed. An Israeli headline says it all - Ex-Intel Chiefs: Obama Let Iran Go Nuclear. President Obama recently released an Iranian nuclear scientist from jail to honor the agreement he made with Iran but he would not bring up the release of the American preacher Saeed, who has been jailed in Iran for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, everyone knows preaching the Gospel is much more dangerous than building nuclear bombs!

The United States is the last place where Christianity can be freely practiced and it is being attacked here as well, even by those in high government positions. Our President has helped accelerate the process that began much earlier. As Allen West recently wrote in the article Obama's 'clandestine' plan to make bullets vanish by using the EPA to stop ammunition makers in the US from making bullets, Obama has successfully sidestepped the 2^nd Amendment. After all, what good are guns if you don’t have bullets?

If you infiltrate the country's leadership, undermine its ability to resist, build up its enemies, and then weaken the faith it was built on, you can bring down the country, even though it was a giant.

Our intelligentsia's are outlawing Christian expression from the public schools while allowing Islam full access. Under the banner of Political Correctness common sense has been outlawed. At the same time many in the Christian Church are preaching a doctrine of surrender rather than stand up and fight – after all, they might get sued! It is not the doctrine that Jesus and the Apostles preached but then maybe that is why they were in trouble all the time. If the churches really preached against evil in all its forms, they would be in court so often they would overload it! Because preaching against evil is certainly politically in-correct! Nevertheless, let us remember what Paul told Timothy -

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy,  – 1 Timothy 4:1-4

But, if we stand by the Word of God, we will not only have light to see by in this present darkness, but we will overcome it. Don't depart from the faith!