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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

3 Facts About Being a Child of God

Scripture: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
Paul tells us; “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). So what exactly is this new identity we have in Christ Jesus? Here are three things that happen when you become a child of God.

You are Adopted by God

“You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). When you become a child of God, you are adopted. You may not have a good human father, but God is a perfect Father. He loves you no matter what. Nothing you do will change God’s love for you (Romans 8:35-39). Sin can hurt your relationship with God, but even if you sin you are still God’s child. God’s forgiving love is shown in the parable of “The Prodigal Son.” (Luke 15:11-32).

You Inherit God’s Blessings

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ...” (Romans 8:17). Becoming an heir means you’ll inherit God’s great riches and blessings. Jesus promised that he would secure a place for us in his Father’s House (John 14:2-3). As adopted children, he has chosen us and given us all the blessings of heaven (Ephesians 1:3,11). He has revealed his plans to us and enabled us to be heirs of His Kingdom.

You Begin to Reflect God’s Image

Children are often a reflection of their parents, in looks and in learned behavior. Since we are children of God, our Heavenly Father is the perfect role model. “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children…..For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...” (Ephesians 5:1, 8-10). As a Christian, you represent the family of God. When you become a child of God, you’ll begin to reflect God’s image. You can give others an impression of God by your actions and words.
When you fully understand God’s love for you as His child, you will have power to live a life that pleases Him. Are you ready to become a child of God? Click here to learn how to join God’s family.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Ebola: A Foretaste of Prophesied Epidemics to Come?


Throughout history, disease epidemics have ravaged mankind. The Black Death of bubonic plague killed more than 20 million in Europe in the 14th century. A 17th-century outbreak of the dreaded disease in England killed more than 70,000 of London's 600,000 inhabitants.
Modern vaccines and advancements in global hygiene were thought to bring these disease epidemics under control. Yet the last century witnessed the influenza epidemic of 1918, in which the H1N1 virus killed an estimated 70 to 100 million people worldwide. Estimates of death from the much more recent AIDS epidemic of the 1980s exceed 30 million, according to the World Health Organization.
Clearly the scourge of disease epidemics has not been eradicated. In fact, bubonic plague just killed 47 people in Madagascar in November ( Daily Mail, Nov. 26, 2014). And now there's a devastating new menace on the world scene, Ebola.
This virus-born disease is not really new; the sporadic minor outbreaks of the past 40 years have been quickly brought under control. But a new strain that has ravaged West Africa since the summer of 2014 has brought back the specter of death tolls in the tens of thousands and threatens to spread from Africa to the rest of the world.
Spread by a virus native to the African fruit bat, patients contract the disease within 2 to 21 days after exposure. Victims suffer high fevers, muscle pain and severe headaches, usually accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea that lead to hemorrhaging and death.
In pondering these developments we ought to ask: What is the outlook for the world in the years ahead on the disease front? Does the Bible have anything to say about it?

Increasing pandemics prophesied

Students of Bible prophecy are familiar with the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse" found in Revelation 6. Putting these together with Jesus Christ's outline of future events in His lengthy prophecy on the Mount of Olives (Matthew:24:3-8Mark:13:3-8 and Luke:21:7-11), we can see that the four horsemen symbolize a series of terrible conditions that would beset the world.
Mankind has been ravaged by the white horse of religious deception (Revelation:6:1), the red horse of warfare (Revelation:6:4) and the black horse of famine (Revelation:6:5).
When we continue reading, we also see a fourth horseman: "When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him" (Revelation:6:7-8).
Who or what is signified by this fourth horseman? The next conditions Jesus described were terrible plagues of pestilences (disease epidemics) and natural disasters.
Notice that the pale horse carried a rider, referred to as Death, accompanied by Hades, the Greek word for the grave. The Expositor's Bible Commentary has this to say about the color of that horse: "'Pale' ( chloros ) denotes a yellowish green, the light green of a plant, or the paleness of a sick person in contrast to a healthy appearance. This cadaverous color blends well with the name of the rider—'Death'" (Vol. 12, 1981).
So the world has seen increasing epidemics, and it will yet see more. The recent Ebola outbreak, then, is a preview of worse things to come. Yet it is the disease now on the rise, and we need to pay attention to it.

Most recent U.S. Ebola patient

In the United States, the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Dr. Thomas Frieden, warned Americans that Ebola would likely jump the Atlantic to America. "The spread of Ebola to the U.S. is inevitable," he testified before Congress in August (Fox News, Aug. 9, 2014). 
Frieden was correct in his prediction. Since that time, all but one of the 10 who have contracted the disease, mostly from traveling to or working in affected areas of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, have recovered due to intensive treatment in U.S. hospitals.
But in mid-November Ebola claimed its second U.S. victim. Dr. Martin Salia, a surgeon who contracted the disease while working in Sierra Leone to treat other Ebola patients, died within 36 hours of being admitted to a Nebraska hospital. Dr. Phil Smith, who leads the Nebraska Medical Center's bio-containment unit, had said the 44-year old Salia was "extremely ill," adding that his condition was much worse than other patients treated successfully in the United States.
Despite fewer than a dozen U.S. cases, Ebola dominated American headlines in late 2014. Calls for the total elimination of flights from affected nations in West Africa were met with objections from those who saw the travel restrictions as a rejection of America's traditions of open borders. The political firestorm was somewhat quelled with a compromise that restricted travel from those areas to five U.S. airports where patients are screened on arrival.

"Could affect world economy"

As of early December the deadly virus had killed more than 6,000 people in West Africa, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leona. At present rates, thousands more are affected every month. The mortality rate has held steady at a consistent 50 to 70 percent, and researchers are desperately racing to find an effective vaccine.
The CDC publicized sobering statistics in October about the possible spread of the disease. "The worst-case scenario tops a million cases within a relatively short period of time, and not only would affect West Africa, but would inevitably spread to other countries," Frieden said. Although the CDC later scaled back its projections, infections anywhere near that level could have widespread impacts.
While the CDC does not foresee a "significant health risk" in the United States, Frieden admitted that in an interconnected economy, "it could absolutely change the way we work here." He continued: "It could change the economy of the world. It could change how we assess anyone who's traveled anywhere that might have had Ebola."
The highly contagious disease spreads from close human contact and transfer of bodily fluids. Observers have noted that often-crowded living and transportation conditions and the porous borders between many African nations further contribute to the spread of Ebola.
An ABC News story from October about the spread of the disease in Mali is revealing. "Ebola could cause many deaths here in Mali," said Aminata Samake, who works at a bank in Bamako, the capital. "We have a tradition of living closely together that could contribute to a huge contamination. Take the example of public transport—you find people crammed into a bus, one on top of the other. Large families share the same plates, even the same glasses for tea."
Responding to the threat, the CDC has issued a Level 3 travel warning for U.S. citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Also in place is a Level 2 alert against U.S. citizens traveling into Mali or the Republic of the Congo, where dozens of Ebola cases have been reported.
The political divide in the United States goes beyond the air travel issues mentioned above. The outbreak has fueled conservative calls for tighter border restrictions, while liberals still press for freer movement into and out of the country from all areas of the world and a greater reliance on Washington's leadership in managing the epidemic.
Some have also expressed outrage at President Obama's decision to send American troops to areas affected by the disease with little training in preventing infection.

Biblical principle of quarantine

Medical experts agree on the effectiveness of quarantine as a way to stop the Ebola advance. You may not know it, but the Bible teaches the exact same thing!
Ancient peoples did not know that most diseases are spread by microorganisms transmitted from one person to the next. They also did not know about laws of sanitation, such as making sure bodily wastes are kept away from human contact. Historians celebrate impressive achievements of the ancient Egyptians, yet those supposedly advanced people actually used animal dung as a primary ointment ingredient for all types of illnesses.
Nowhere in the first five books of the Bible—commonly called the books of Moses—did God reveal to ancient Israel that disease organisms transmit disease. But God did instruct Israel that the sick should be kept isolated from the rest of the population. Read for yourself God's specific instructions in Leviticus 13 and 15 concerning people with various types of rashes and bodily discharges. They were to separate themselves from the camp of Israel for the duration of the illness.
Just as ancient Israel used the practice of quarantine to stop disease from spreading through the crowded camp of Israel, quarantine has proven to be the best method to stop the spread of Ebola.

Laws concerning disease and bodily discharges

Again, consider the time during which Moses wrote these instructions. Ancient Egyptian medical knowledge was primitive compared to that of the 1800s. It is obvious from the Papyrus Ebers manuscript and other ancient sources that there was no sense of sanitation in Egypt whatsoever—as illustrated by the dung ointments mentioned above.
The ancient laws of the Israelites, on the other hand, show nothing but concern for sanitation. These would have protected against microscopic pathogens. Yet how could Moses have known of the existence of such germs? The Egyptians certainly did not—nor did any other ancient culture.
In fact, "until this century, all previous societies, except for the Israelites who followed God's medical laws regarding quarantine, kept infected patients in their homes—even after death, exposing family members and others to deadly disease. During the devastating Black Death of the 14th century, patients who were sick or dead were kept in the same rooms as the rest of the family.
"People often wondered why the disease was affecting so many people at one time. They attributed these epidemics to 'bad air' or 'evil spirits.' However, careful attention to the medical commands of God as revealed in Leviticus would have saved untold millions of lives.
"Arturo Castiglione wrote about the overwhelming importance of this biblical medical law, 'The laws against leprosy in Leviticus 13 may be regarded as the first model of a sanitary legislation' (Arturo Castiglione,  A History of Medicine . . . ,  1941, p. 71).
"Fortunately, the church fathers of Vienna finally took the biblical injunctions to heart and commanded that those infected with the plague . . . be placed outside the city in special medical quarantine compounds. Care givers fed them until they either died or survived the passage of the disease. Those who died in homes or streets were instantly removed and buried outside the city limits.
"These biblical sanitary measures quickly brought the dreaded epidemic under control for the first time. Other cities and countries rapidly followed the medical practices of Vienna until the Black Death was finally halted" (Grant Jeffrey, The Signature of God, 1996, pp. 149-150).
Of course, while taking all reasonable precautions, we should also be aware of the protections God offers to those who look to Him for protection. As Psalm 91 states: "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust' . . . You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday" (verses 2, 5-6, New International Version).

What to watch for

The beginning of 2015 sees a world somewhat relieved that earlier fears of a massive Ebola outbreak have not materialized, but still nervous as it views the spread of the disease to other nations.
However, we have to ask ourselves: Could this signal that the fourth horseman is ready to begin his deadly ride? And if this horseman is not riding through the advanced Western countries, is it riding through other nations? The events of Revelation 6 can become starkly real—and indeed they already are to tens or hundreds of thousands of people in affected areas.
This is not a time for complacency or letting down our guard. All that would be required for an epidemic to begin to ravage the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia or some other Western nations is for perhaps a dozen new cases to break out while our attention is diverted elsewhere. If each of those infected people had contact with 10 other people, who had contact with 10 others, who had contact with 10 others . . .
Yes, it could happen just like that.
The media easily diverts our attention to whatever is "hot news" at the moment, keeping us attuned to their advertising messages. Yet Jesus' warnings in His Olivet prophecy and in the book of Revelation are for our time today, when a chaotic, troubled world will experience the pinnacle of misery before at last being replaced by the just reign of God through Christ over all nations.
"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke:21:36, NIV).
God gives His prophetic warnings for a purpose. He wants His people to see the danger coming and do what it takes to avoid it. Will you be one who heeds the warning?

Monday, January 19, 2015

God Will Forgive Anyone

Scripture: “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit.” I Peter 3:18
What was your life like before you accepted Jesus and asked Him to save you? You may have grown up as a Christian from a very young age. However, many people don’t accept Jesus until they are much older. Whatever your background, whatever your testimony -- God can use you to help others come to know, love, and follow Him. God will forgive anyone!

We All Sin

It can be a challenge to understand that everyone is impacted by sin. At first, people might not want to admit that sin rules their lives. But even Israel’s ancient King David, who was called “a man after [the Lord’s] own heart” (I Samuel 13:14), said, “I was born a sinner — from the moment my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). The desire to sin is passed on to each human. We are all born with the urge to do what we want, rather than what God’s wants.

Jesus Brings Forgiveness

The only human who ever lived an entirely sinless life was Jesus Christ, who “is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). God used Jesus Christ to pay the price for the sins of every human. Jesus taught that “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No-one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He declared, “I have come to call sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Jesus is the only way a sinful human can be forgiven and come to God.

God is Faithful

We learn from the Bible that “if we confess our sins to [God], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (I John 1:9). Anyone can come to God and be saved from their sins.Learn how to ask God to save you by clicking here. God will change your life if you repent (agree that your sin is wrong) and ask for forgiveness. Rely on Him because He can change your life. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ that you are invited to share with the world!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Do You Need Salvation?

Scripture: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”Romans 6:23
Look at the people around you: the people in your home, at your job and on television. Every single one of them is a sinner. Everyone has sinned against God. The Bible says it like this: “No-one is righteous — not even one” (Romans 3:10). So what can you do when you realize you have sinned?

God Promised Salvation

As humans, we are naturally sinful. We turn away from God, choosing sin rather than living the life God wants for us. But from the very beginning, God had a plan to save us. The plan is called Salvation. The Prophet Isaiah wrote in God’s Word about the Savior. “I will make You a light to the Gentiles, and You will bring My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus (His Son) in the form of a human. Jesus lived a sinless life and taught people how to live in God’s ways. He became the payment for our sins when He sacrificed his life and died on the cross. However, the power of death could not stop Jesus, so He rose from the dead. When we believe in Jesus, He promises forgiveness for sin and eternal life. Learn how to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation by clicking here.

Salvation is for Everyone

No matter how terrible your life seems, God can help you. When you accept God’s Salvation through Jesus Christ, God can remake your life so you will live a life God is pleased with. You no longer have to be a slave to sin and death! God’s Word tells you to “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Salvation Is Eternal Life

In a prayer, Jesus described the way to eternal life: “to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth” (John 17:3). If you know the Lord and have accepted Jesus Christ, you have been guaranteed God’s love for all eternity in Heaven. When we live our life with faith in God, His eternal rewards are tremendous. Remember, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Monday, January 12, 2015

Renewed Life with the Holy Spirit

Scripture: Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to people far in the future — all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Acts 2:38-39
After His resurrection, Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to teach and guide His followers. We who follow Him today have inherited this promise: the Holy Spirit lives within us, guiding us in God’s new life each day.

Who or What Is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. God sent the Holy Spirit to Christians to teach us and to remind of Jesus’ instructions. The Holy Spirit guides, comforts, and nurtures us. The Bible also refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of Christ,” and simply “the Spirit.”

How Do You Receive the Holy Spirit?

God made it easy to understand when the Holy Spirit enters a Believer’s life. The Apostle Paul wrote,“When you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). Believers receive God’s Spirit when they believe in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. Repenting is agreeing that your sin is wrong and asking for forgiveness. Paul further explains, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9); so if you belong to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help You?

God instructs Christians to “follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25). In your old life, you would seek after sinful desires. But with your new life in Jesus Christ, you will find the Holy Spirit helping you live in God’s ways, so you develop “desires that are the opposite of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:17). You can be sure that you are letting God’s Spirit direct your life when you behave with the Fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Confusion Over What the Quran Teaches - Peace or War?


Those most commonly cited are:
• "There shall be no compulsion in religion" (Surah 2:256, all quotes from the Dawood translation, 1999). This is often quoted to say Islam doesn't compel conversions to Islam or prevent people from leaving Islam for another religion.
• "Whoever killed a human being, except as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all mankind; and that whoever saved a human life shall be regarded as having saved all mankind" (Surah 5:32). This is often cited to show that Islam condemns violence and holds human life in high regard.
• "Say, 'Unbelievers [non-Muslims], I do not worship what you worship, nor do you worship what I worship. I shall never worship what you worship, nor will you ever worship what I worship. You have your own religion, and I have mine" (Surah 109:1-6). This is often quoted to say that Islam takes an accepting view toward others being able to practice their own religions.
• "If they incline to peace, make peace with them, and put your trust in [Allah]. It is surely He who hears all and knows all" (Surah 8:61). This is often cited to say that Islam teaches living at peace with others.
Some even say that the word Islam means "peace," though this isn't true. Islam means "submission"—submission to Allah, Islam's deity. The meaning of Muslim, a person who practices the religion of Islam, is "one who submits"—who submits to Allah and his religion.
While the verses quoted here seem fairly clear, what the Quran actually teaches isn't so straightforward. Dozens of verses, a few of which are quoted in the main article "The Jihadist Worldview," clearly advocate warfare, violence and brutality. So why the clear contradictions?
Much of the confusion stems from the circumstances under which the Quran was written. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was illiterate, so he didn't write a word of the Quran. The 114 chapters of the Quran, called surahs, record the supposed revelations of Muhammad as written down or memorized by his followers after Muhammad came out of trance-like states during which Allah supposedly disclosed his divine thoughts.
In the years following Muhammad's death in A.D. 632, his closest companions compiled these writings into the Quran, which Muslims consider to be the divine and authoritative words of Allah.
However, unlike the Bible, the Quran isn't organized historically, chronologically or thematically. It's organized based on the length of the chapters, from longest to shortest, regardless of content or timing. Thus, when verses conflict, no one can really tell for sure which verses were written earlier and which were written later (and thus presumably the "final word" on a given subject).
Such inherent contradictions led to the Muslim doctrine of abrogation, meaning earlier verses were abrogated—nullified or overridden—by later verses. This doctrine is based on two verses that Muslims believe Allah inspired to be included in the Quran:
• "If We abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten, We will replace it by a better one or one similar. Did you not know that [Allah] has power over all things?" (Surah 2:106).
• "When We change one verse for another ([Allah] knows best what He reveals), they say: 'You [Muhammad] are an imposter.' Indeed most of them have no knowledge" (Surah 16:101).
Islamic scholars and teachers are well aware of this teaching, though they seldom discuss it openly because of its inescapable implications—that Allah, far from being an all-wise and all-knowing deity, can and did change his mind in what was supposedly divinely revealed to Muhammad.
What are the practical conclusions that result from the doctrine of abrogation?
Most scholars who have studied the Quran believe that the Quran's verses advocating peaceful coexistence and tolerance were written in the early years of Muhammad's movement when he and his small number of followers didn't wish to antagonize potential enemies who greatly outnumbered them. But as Muhammad gained more and more power and a greater following, the chapters of the Quran written later increasingly advocated warfare, violence, intimidation and enslavement of those who opposed him.
Thus, Allah's later revelations command fighting and subjugation of "infidels"—non-Muslims—so that Islam would gain its rightful place as the dominant (or only) religion in lands it controlled. 
Which is exactly what we see playing out in headlines all around the world.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Warnings to the West


It's quite shocking for those in Western nations to see news of increasing beheadings in the Middle East by Islamist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or IS). It's even more shocking when this monstrosity is perpetrated against captured Western journalists and aid workers by Muslims from Britain fighting for the Islamic State. But it's more shocking still when it happens inside Britain and the United States.
Beheadings and other increasing terrorism are swiftly coming to Western shores. In October 2014 in the Canadian capital, a Muslim convert fatally shot a soldier on duty at the national war memorial and then proceeded into the parliament building in a shooting attack. (Had he turned down a hall inside, he could potentially have shot parliament members and the prime minister.) This came two days after a car-ramming attack on military personnel in Quebec, murdering a soldier, by another Muslim convert.
Thankfully, some attempted attacks are being thwarted—including one in Britain against the queen ("Terrorists Foiled in Plot to Kill Queen Elizabeth," New York Post , Nov. 7, 2014).
The commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police said that police have prevented an increasing number of attacks recently. But how long can the danger be averted? It's important that we recognize the increasing peril the Western world finds itself in—and that we know where to turn for real security.

Lone-wolf attacks—not easily stopped

Some attacks have, of course, still happened. In September, an 82-year-old woman was beheaded in her London garden by a recent Muslim convert. In May 2013, a British soldier in London was murdered by two Muslim men who nearly decapitated him in public on the street. In both instances the police instantly ruled out terrorism—even though that's obviously what it was.
The same reflexive denial of terrorism happens with such incidents in the United States. A recent Muslim convert beheaded a woman in Moore, Oklahoma, in September. Authorities were quick to label it workplace violence —just as they did the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009 in which 13 soldiers were killed and another 29 wounded. Yet the shooter, Nidal Hasan, has repeatedly referred to himself as a soldier of Allah, including in a recent jihadist letter to Pope Francis (Catherine Herridge, "Fort Hood Shooter Sends Letter to Pope Francis Espousing 'Jihad,'" Fox News, Oct. 10, 2014).
Breitbart News recently listed a number of other attacks by such "lone wolves" since 2006 in which individual Muslim men killed eight people and injured many others in attacks that included beheadings, shootings, knifings and driving a car into a crowd of people (Ben Shapiro, "7 Other Lone Wolf Islamic Attacks Inside the U.S.," Sept. 28, 2014).
Some have a hard time seeing lone assailants as terrorists, assuming terrorism must be planned and carried out by a group of people. Yet the Canadian parliament attack was labeled terrorism despite the single shooter. Of course, in at least several of these cases the assailants were responding to the call of Islamic leaders abroad for such attacks against the West. So terror organizers are still involved in terms of incitement.
Indeed, terrorists acting alone are now considered a greater danger than groups conducting bigger plots that might be more easily uncovered. A recent Newsweek headline declares: "The West's Greatest Threat Is the 'Lone Wolf' Terrorist, Say Security Experts" (Joshi Herrmann, Sept. 3, 2014).
The accompanying article states: "According to experts, the authorities are most worried about small-scale, primitive, and -brutally violent attacks from jihadists affiliated in one way or another with Islamic State (IS), also known as Isis, operating more independently than their predecessors, who were organised into terror cells. The result is an unpredictable agent of terror, an incarnation of the much-feared lone wolf . . .
"Claude Moniquet, a former agent for French foreign intelligence . . . says the mass participation of up to 2,500 Europeans in the -Syrian war means that, 'the situation now is seen as extremely dangerous in France by the security services.'
"'I think that clearly the idea of a large-scale attack still exists,' says Moniquet. 'But the lone-wolf attack, the isolated jihadist, is much more worrying because they could attack very easily.'
"He says such attacks are the preference of the IS leadership: 'I think if they had the choice between a global attack in two years in Washington, with all the risks of being detected, and five or six small-level attacks in Europe, they will definitely choose [the latter]' . . .
"The security services face a race to adapt, says Moniquet. 'We were trained in the security services and the intelligence services to oppose large-scale organisations, like the KGB, like the Cosa Nostra [or Mafia], like al-Qaida,' he says . . . 'We are not so trained to find and confront isolated people.'"

A growing danger from within and without

The situation is made worse by many individuals from not just France but also Britain and the United States traveling to the Middle East to fight with the jihadists—and then returning home with skills picked up from the battlefield and training camps.
As the BBC News article above reported, London's police commissioner "highlighted a police estimate that 500 people have left the UK to Iraq or Syria to fight. 'They're going to have been militarised. They will have a complex web of people that they know and of course they will have learned tactics that they may want to use here,' he said. Labour MP Khalid Mahmood earlier told the Sunday Telegraph he believed the number was closer to 2,000."
This problem is part of the consequences of multiculturalism, wherein rather than blending into a national whole the various ethnicities and religious groups are fragmented into separate communities. Instead of pacifying Islamic radicals, this just gives place to homegrown terror and violence. Consider this title of a news article about Sweden: "Swedish Police Release Extensive Report Detailing Control of 55 'No-Go Zones' by Muslim Criminal Gangs" (The Muslim Issue Worldwide, Nov. 8, 2014).
The Western world must take the threat of Islamic infiltration and increasing terrorism seriously. Some think there is no threat—that the West is far out of reach from Middle East terrorists. But increasingly influential groups like ISIS, with access to lots of money and weapons and manpower, are a threat.
U.S. officials recently issued a strong warning of "fresh intelligence that ISIS wants to recruit or inspire sympathizers inside America to hurt military members where they live" ("ISIS Threat at Home: FBI Warns US Military About Social Media Vulnerabilities," ABC News, Dec. 1, 2014). And in Britain it's being reported that al-Qaeda is planning to bring down a number of passenger jets with bombs. We must take the rise in threats and attacks against the West as a warning!

Finding real security

What should those in the West do in the face of all this? Most importantly, of course, people need to turn to God. It was very disturbing how easy it was for a terrorist to walk into the Canadian parliament building and start shooting.
It was likewise disturbing when a man was able to hop the fence at the White House and enter through an unlocked door. A subsequent attempt was stopped by guard dog—not, as Americans might have imagined, by lasers and other hi-tech security devices.
But the truth is that it does not ultimately matter what security measures are in place. The Bible tells us, "Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm:127:1).
We would be blind not to realize that God has been protecting the United States, Britain and other Western nations from those who seek our destruction. But with increasing immorality in these nations, God is lifting that protection. For real security, it is vital that we return to God in repentance and pray for His protection and guidance.

Friday, January 9, 2015

The Paris Terror Attacks


The new year has started violently in Paris. Twelve people were killed on Wednesday, January 7 in an deliberate terrorist attack by men claiming connection with Al Qaeda. It was a barbaric ruthless attack. One video showed a policeman being gunned down on a sidewalk.
The attack came on the office of Charlie Hebdo a satirical weekly newspaper that regular lampoons Islam. The publication had been under threat and was receiving light police protection. Cartoonists and writers were killed in the slaughter virtually wiping out the editorial staff of the paper.
France has Europe’s largest Muslim population and terrorism and pressure from radical Islam is a continual threat to the tolerant and liberal French culture. France’s reaction to this act will be a critical indicator of what future relations between the growing Muslim population and traditional French institutions will be. Attacking a newspaper and killing its staff strikes at values of free speech, fraternity and liberty–bedrock values across the European Community.
Neither France nor Europe needs an attack like this. Should others follow you could expect a reaction that could escalate relations between the Muslim and native populations. The EU system is struggling economically. It is still figuring out how to react to Russia’s incursions into Ukraine.
Last year Pope Francis told the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that Europe gave "a general impression of weariness and aging, of a Europe which is now a ‘grandmother,’ no longer fertile and vibrant”. That’s not a ringing endorsement from the pontiff. Attacks like this will one day bring Europe to an action that will rouse latent forces. That time isn’t now but it is coming.
This is a sad moment for the City of Light and the families of those who have been killed. May God’s grace be upon them at this time.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Do You Have to Go to Church?

Scripture: “Do not give up meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25
There are church services on television and the Internet. But is it ok to stay at home and watch a church service? Or do we have to go to a physical church building? Let’s find out the true meaning of church.

Church: The Body of Christ

When God talks about the church, he isn’t talking about a physical building. The church is all the people in the world who have put their faith in Jesus, sometimes called the body of Christ.
Christians are instructed to meet together regularly. (Hebrews 10:25) Many Christians go to church buildings (local churches). But if there isn’t a local church near you, don’t worry. You can meet in a house church, a secret meeting place or a public place where you can fellowship. The important thing is to meet with other Christians so you can learn, fellowship, and work together to teach others about God.

Divide and Conquer: Enemy Strategy

It’s not easy to overpower a group of people because there’s strength in numbers. But if you divide them, you can easily conquer. The Bible even talks about the benefits of being with another person instead of being alone. “Two are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
As Christians, we have an enemy who wants to divide us. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8). Satan tries to separate you from other believers because he knows you are weaker when you are alone. When we are in a group, we can support each other, hold each other accountable and pray for each other. Satan will not be able to drag one of us off into the wilderness of unbelief, doubt, or despair.

United in Love: Jesus’ Prayer

Jesus prayed for us to be united. (John 17:9-11). He told us to “Love one another” (John 13:34) and“Encourage one another” (I Thessalonians 5:11). You’ll be able to do all of that and more when you’re united with other believers by meeting together. If you haven’t put your faith in Jesus yet, become a part of the body of Christ today and you can begin meeting with other believers too!

Saturday, January 3, 2015

The Jihadist Worldview: What's Behind the Mideast Brutality?



The headlines out of the Middle East in recent months have been horrifying—American and British hostages beheaded, captured prisoners executed in the thousands, women forced or sold into a lifetime of sexual slavery, children brutally murdered and communities starved to death or murdered in cold blood for refusing to change their religion.
Much of the world is shocked by such brutality, and rightfully so. It seems incomprehensible to the Western mind.
What's driving such cruelty, a barbarism not seen in our lifetimes? If we are to understand, we need to cast off the blinders of political correctness and unflinchingly face the facts.
In reality, the answer is simple. Those who are behind these horrors share a common denominator. They are unapologetic in saying they are doing what they are told to do by their religion— Islam.
And while it is true that many Muslims are peaceful, and are equally horrified by these events, all we have to do is look at the words of the perpetrators of such atrocities to understand their motivations. They clearly and proudly state that they are doing what their religion tells them to do.

A religion of peace?

Ever since the horrific hijacked-airliner terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (with another jet apparently supposed to crash into the White House or U.S. Capitol building), Western leaders have gone out of their way to describe Islam as a religion of peace.
For example, just six days after those attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans, then-President George W. Bush, speaking at the Islamic Center of Washington D.C., said: "These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith . . . The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam.  That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace" (emphasis added throughout).
In a speech to the United Nations on Sept. 24, 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama stated: "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace. Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice. And when it comes to America and Islam, there is no us and them—there is only us, because millions of Muslim Americans are part of the fabric of our country. So we reject any suggestion of a clash of civilizations."
In a speech on Sept. 3, 2014—ironically, the day after the Islamic State (IS) released a video showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry applauded Islam as a "peaceful religion based on the dignity of all human beings."  He then explained that "the real face of Islam is . . .one where Muslim communities are advocating for universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the most basic freedom to practice one's faith openly and freely."
On Sept. 24, following the brutal decapitation of British hostage David Haines, British Prime Minister David Cameron insisted that his murderers "have nothing to do with the great religion of Islam, a religion of peace, a religion that inspires daily acts of kindness and generosity."

Who is a more reliable authority on Islam?

While these and other Western leaders repeatedly claim that Islam is a peaceful religion, we should also remind ourselves that those actively involved in committing these atrocities have spent their entire lifetimes immersed in Islamic belief and culture.
We should also note that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the declared caliph of the Islamic State, holds a doctorate in Islamic studies from the Islamic University of Baghdad—distinguishing him as highly knowledgeable of Islamic law, history and culture. Unlike these Western leaders, he is thoroughly familiar with the beliefs of Islam and teachings of its holy book, the Quran.
As caliph—supreme ruler of the new Islamic nation carved out of Syria and Iraq—his determinations of what is allowable or forbidden is the law of the land. And as recent headlines have shown, Al-Baghdadi and his followers, like Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda before them, see no conflict between their tactics of murder and mayhem and their practice of Islam. In fact, they boast that what they do is the practice of Islam.
What, then, is the truth? Is Islam a religion of peace, as these politicians say, or is it something different? To understand the answer, we need to examine Islam's holy book, the Quran.

Islam—the supreme and only true religion

What are some of the teachings of the Quran that are leading to violence and bloodshed around the world?
The clear teaching of the Quran is that Islam is the supreme and only true religion, and that eventually the entire world will come under Islamic rule.
For example, Surah 61:9 states: "It is He [ Allah ] who has sent for His apostle [ Muhammad] with guidance and the true faith [ Islam ] , so that he may exalt it above all religions, much as the idolaters may dislike it" (all quotes from the Dawood translation, 1999). In the Quran, "idolaters" refers to all who practice non-Islamic religion—including Christians and Jews.
In line with this belief in the supremacy of Islam, Surah 2:193 gives this clear command:"Fight against them until idolatry is no more and [ Allah's ] religion reigns supreme." Again, "idolatry" in the Quran refers to any religion other than Islam, which would include Christianity and Judaism and any other belief system. To those who follow this verse—and there are millions who do—if you don't worship Allah by the dictates of Muhammad, you are considered an idolater and therefore a legitimate target of this command. 
In the worldview of Islamic scholars and leaders, the world is divided into two spheres—the sphere or lands of dar al-Islam, meaning "the domain of Islam" (where Islam is dominant) and dar al-harb, meaning "the domain of war." A fundamental aspect of this worldview is that all non-Muslim lands must eventually be absorbed or conquered by Islam, preferably by peaceful conversion, but by force if necessary—thus they are "the domain of war." 
Another aspect of this that bears bringing out is that most of the Muslim world is united against Israel because it is considered an abomination for land that was once dar al-Islam,part of the land of Islam,to revert to dar al-harb, to fall back under control of the infidel (Christians or Jews).
This is a key reason why Muslims are so determined to bring the physical territory of Israel back under Muslim domination. Keep in mind that the Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in 1964, three years before Israel captured the West Bank and Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War—so Muslim determination to "liberate" Israeli lands long predates Israel's control of these areas and extends to all of Israel, period.
This is why Muslim leaders openly boast of their desire to liberate the land "from the sea to the sea"— from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, meaning no more Israel. This is why the founding documents of terror organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah openly call for the elimination of Israel.
Western governments, failing to understand this Muslim belief, regularly pressure Israel to negotiate with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority for a peaceful solution. But in fact there is no peaceful solution when the negotiating partners believe with all their heart and soul that Israel's land belongs to them and that it must be ethnically cleansed of Jews—as stated repeatedly by Hamas and Palestinian Authority leaders. 

Jihad— holy war against non-believers

If Islam is to become the supreme and only true religion in the world as taught by the Quran, how is that goal to be accomplished? The answer is jihad or holy war. The Quran commands violence and conquest to spread Islam. It contains literally dozens of such commands, but we'll quote just a few:
Surah 9:5 states: "When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them."
Surah 9:73 reads: "Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate."
Surah 9:123 commands: "Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that [ Allah ] is with the righteous."
Harvard University professor of government Samuel Huntington, commenting on the disproportionate involvement of Muslims in warfare and terrorism around the globe, coined the phrase "the bloody borders of Islam" in his 1997 book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. At that pre-9/11 time he had no idea how prophetic the phrase would be.
In the 2005 book Religion, Culture and International Conflict: A Conversation (Michael Cromartie, editor), Professor Huntington wrote: "While groups from all religions have engaged in various forms of violence and terrorism, the figures make it clear that in the past decade Muslims have been involved in far more of these activities than people of other religions . . .
If you look around the Muslim world you see that in the 1990s Muslims were fighting non-Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Chechnya, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kashmir, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Middle East, Sudan, Nigeria, and other places. Muslims have been fighting one another also" (p. 5).
He went on to note that in the year 2000, 23 of the world's 32 armed conflicts involved Muslims. Similar numbers hold true today. A glance at a world map shows that nearly all of the world's wars are taking place around the edges of the Muslim world where Islam is pressing outward against non-Muslims. Whereas the Bible teaches us to love our neighbors (Leviticus:19:18Matthew:22:39), the Quran teaches Muslims to "make war on the infidels who dwell around you"— to fight your neighbor. 
It's also worth noting that many Muslims believe that the only sure way to enter paradise (in their view of the afterlife) is to become a martyr fighting for Islam. They draw this belief from Surah 22:58: "As for those that have fled their homes in the cause of [Allah] and afterwards died or were slain, [Allah] will surely make a generous provision for them [in paradise]. [Allah] is the most munificent provider. He will surely admit them with a welcome that will please them. All-knowing is [Allah], and gracious."
In Islamic thinking, as soon as a martyr sheds his first drop of blood, he is guaranteed a place in paradise. And when he arrives, he has waiting for him 72 young, dark-eyed, beautiful virgins to be his perpetual companions in paradise. This is one reason so many young Muslim men are willing to die as suicide bombers—because they are guaranteed entry into paradise as soon as they blow themselves up, since they are dying in the cause of jihad.
The Quran also says that Allah will punish those who do not wage jihad as he commands. Surah 9:39 warns: "If you do not go to war, [ Allah ] will punish you sternly, and will replace you by other men." In other words, if you're a Muslim and don't wage jihad, you will be punished and Allah will choose someone else to fight in your place. 

Using terror in waging jihad

The Quran also commands using terror and cruelty in waging jihad. Surah 8:59-60 states: "Let not the unbelievers think that they will ever get away. They have not the power so to do. Muster against them all the men and cavalry at your command, so that you may strike terror into the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides them who are unknown to you but known to Allah." 
This is why the Sunni fighters of the Islamic State are so viciously cruel. Knowing this verse, they use terror to strike fear into their enemies to demoralize them and cause them to give up their will to fight. Those whom they capture—Shiites whom they consider apostates or non-Muslims—they brutally execute in accordance with what they read in their holy book.  
The Quran even mentions specific methods to sow terror, which the Islamic State fighters use. Surah 8:12 states: "[Allah] revealed his will to the angels, saying: 'I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers!'" 
So what the Quran tells them to do, they do. When their holy book tells them to strike off heads, they do exactly that.
The civilized world has been horrified to see Islamic State fighters, like al-Qaeda fighters and Iraqi terror groups before them, brutally decapitate captive soldiers, as well as Western journalists and aid workers. Perhaps you have seen clips from some of the beheading videos shown on news reports or posted on the Internet. You may have wondered, as I did, what the Arabic-language shouting and chanting signified.
I already knew the meaning of the shouts of "Allahu Akbar"—"Allah is great" or, more properly, "Allah is greater" (than any who would oppose them). With a little research I learned the significance of the chanting often accompanying the shouts. The murderers are chanting verses like the one above telling them to behead infidels. They are simply quoting their scriptures in the Quran.
Yet Western leaders assure us, as President Obama did in a Nov. 16 White House statement after the beheading of American hostage Peter Kassig, that such acts "represent no faith, least of all the Muslim faith . . ."
Another Surah that illustrates Allah's cruelty is Surah 5:34-35: "Those that make war against [Allah] and His apostle [Mohammad] and spread disorder in the land shall be slain orcrucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter."
Here Allah commands torture, crippling and maiming of prisoners. Crucifixion is a horrible form of torture and execution, and they practice it with relish. A brief search of the Internet will produce hundreds of photos showing Islamists carrying out and celebrating such practices.

Slavery and the Quran

What does the Quran teach about slavery? Although little is said about it in Western media, slavery remains alive and well in parts of the Muslim world. While the slave trade in the Americas during the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s has been rightfully condemned, the focus has largely been on the white slave owners and slave traders, with little said of the Arab Muslims who first enslaved Africans and sold them to whites.
This, too, was approved in the Quran. Surah 47:4 says: "When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly." Those who follow the Quran literally have long understood this to mean that when Muslims defeat their enemies, they are allowed to either kill them or enslave them.
According to early Muslim writings, Muhammad—who is viewed as the ideal man whom Muslims are to emulate—sold, traded and confiscated slaves, making himself a slave trader.
A particularly appalling aspect of recent Muslim conquests is women and girls being taken captive to be used as sexual slaves. This happened with the capture of Yazidi towns in northern Iraq by the Islamic State and the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by the Islamic Boko Haram movement in Nigeria. This, too, is specifically allowed in the Quran. Notice these verses:
Surah 23:1-6 says: "Blessed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, who avoid profane talk, and give alms to the destitute, who restrain their carnal desires (except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them . . .)."
Surah 33:50 states: "We [that is, Allah speaking of himself in the plural] well know the duties We have imposed on the faithful concerning their wives and slave-girls. ( We grant you this privilege [satisfying their sexual desires with slave girls]) so that none may blame you."
A Nov. 5, 2014, report by the International Business Times was headlined "Shocking: ISIS Official 'Slave' Price List Shows Yazidi, Christian Girls Aged '1 to 9' Being Sold for $172." The article went on to describe a price list for sexual slaves on an Islamist website: "In the name of Allah, most gracious and merciful. We have received news that the demand in women and cattle markets has sharply decreased and that will [affect] Islamic State revenues as well as the funding of the Mujaheddin [jihadist fighter] in the battlefield. We have made some changes. Below are the prices of Yazidi and Christian women."
At the same time a video posted online appeared to show Islamic State fighters at what one of them called "slave market day" while quoting Surah 23:1-6 (cited above). The men discuss prices for girls and women from $100-300 depending on the age and eye color—with green or blue eyes bringing a higher price.
An October online edition of Dabiq magazine (published by an Islamic State jihadist group) boasted after the capture of the Iraqi town of Sinjar that "the enslaved Yazidi families are now sold by the Islamic State soldiers." It then explained that "the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Shariah [Islamic law] amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated in the Sinjar operations." Thus, as war booty, they were divided up and sold as pieces of property.

Turning a blind eye to the grim reality

The sad truth about the Middle East today is that we are seeing a revival of the original Islam Muhammad brought to the world in the seventh century.
Muhammad's new religion caught fire, fueled by power and plunder. The Islamic State is repeating Muhammad's early conquests—burning churches, looting monasteries, enslaving and forcibly converting the powerless, and callously executing those who stand up to them. It is vigorously enforcing sharia law—cutting off the hands of thieves, stoning adulterers and blasphemers, whipping criminals and banning anything that stands in the way of Islam.
In defiance of the major Western powers, it has brutally butchered American and British citizens, decapitating them and posting videos of the murders on the Internet for the world to see. The message is unmistakable: Allah is on their side, and they have nothing to fear from the major world powers.
Until Western leaders wake up from their willful blindness and face the grim reality of the jihadist worldview that is motivating the Islamic State as well as Hamas, Hezbollah and countless other groups and movements, that part of the world will remain a powder keg waiting to explode and take down much of modern civilization with it. And shockingly, Bible prophecy indicates that is the likely outcome to which events in that region are heading.