On
a dangerous seacoast notorious for shipwrecks, there was a crude little
lifesaving station. Actually, the
station was merely a hut with only one boat...but the few devoted members kept
a constant watch over the turbulent sea.
With little thought for themselves, they would go out night and day
tirelessly searching for those in danger as well as the lost. Many, many lives were saved by this brave
band of men who faithfully worked as a team in and out of the lifesaving
station. By and by, it became a famous
place.
Some of those who had been saved as
well as others along the seacoast wanted to become associated with this little
station. They were willing to give their
time and energy and money in support of its objectives. New boats were purchased. New crews were trained. The station that was once obscure and crude
and virtually insignificant began to grow.
Some of its members were unhappy that the hut was so unattractive and
poorly equipped. They felt a more
comfortable place should be provided.
Emergency cots were replaced with lovely furniture. Rough, hand-made equipment was discarded and
sophisticated, classy systems were installed.
The hut, of course, had to be torn down to make room for all the
additional equipment, furniture systems and appointments. By its completion, the life-saving station
had become a popular gathering place, and its objectives had begun to
shift. It was now used as sort of a clubhouse,
and attractive building for public gatherings.
Saving lives, feeding the hungry, strengthening the fearful, and calming
the disturbed rarely occurred by now.
Fewer members were now interested in
braving the sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired professional lifeboat
crews to do this work. The original goal
of the station wasn't altogether forgotten, however. The lifesaving motifs still prevailed in the
club's decorations. In fact, there was a
liturgical lifeboat preserved in the Room
of Sweet Memories with soft, indirect lighting, which helped hide the layer
of dust upon the once-used vessel.
About this time a large ship was
wrecked off the coast and the boat crews brought in loads of cold, wet,
half-drowned people. They were dirty,
some terribly sick and lonely. Others
were black and "different" from the majority of the club members. The beautiful new club suddenly became messy
and cluttered. A special committee saw
to it that a shower house was immediately built outside and away from the
club so victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the very next meeting there were
strong words and angry feelings, which resulted in a division among the
members. Most of the people wanted to
stop the club's lifesaving activities and all involvements with shipwreck
victims....(it's too unpleasant, it's a hindrance to our social life, it's
opening the door to folks who are not our kind"). As you'd expect, some still insisted upon
saving lives, that this was their primary objective-that their only reason for
existence was ministering to anyone
needing help regardless of their club's beauty or size or decorations. They were voted down and told if they wanted
to save the lives of various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those
waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast! They did.
As years passed, the new station
experienced the same old changes. It
evolved into another club...and yet another lifesaving station was begun. History continued to repeat itself...and if
you visit that coast today you'll find a large number of exclusive, impressive
clubs along the shoreline owned and operated by slick professionals who have lost
all involvement with the saving of lives.
Shipwrecks still occur in those waters,
but now, most of the victims are not saved.
Every day they drown at sea, and so few seem to care...so very few. Do you?
Reading about David in 1 Samuel (chronologically).
God Has a Plan For Your Life!
Then the Lordsaid, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” -1 Sam. 16:12
He Wants to Annoint You; He wants to Fill you with His Spirit!
13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. -1 Sam. 13
His Spirt Will Make You Bold!
David asked, "...who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" - 1 Samuel 17:26
David continued..."The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." -1 Samuel 17:37
David said to the Philistine (Goliath of Gath) "...you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defiled. Today I will strike you down and cut off your head". -1 Samuel 17:45
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. - 1 Samuel 17:48
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This is a great story to remember the next time you see a
significant battle looming.
Seek God's Spirit and His annointing.
...then run quickly toward your battle in God's strength!
Georgetown residents should be proud of our community’s response to a need. Our church men’s ministry became aware of someone we wanted to help. Long story shortened — a local middle-aged women had need of regular transport to her job in Georgetown South and her problem hips prevented her from biking. Our group, Anvil Ministry for Men, decided to help her by way of raising some cash through a garage sale in our church parking lot (Georgetown Christian Fellowship). An email to The Independent & Free Press which described our project was published and brought in a flood of calls from the community who seemed happy to help. Because people were generous in their donating, we exceeded our sale goals. Some highlights include a business owner who upped our project goal from a gas-motored bike assist to a more ‘proper’ scooter by promising some financial assistance. Someone from the Norval United Church gave us a very generous donation from their church Outreach Committee. Some of the donors turned out to be garage sale buyers as well, who further helped our cause. We were able to see first-hand our community coming together for a good cause. We want to thank all of you for your support.
Thank you God for Canada! I happen to be in Ottawa this morning and took a walk on Parliament Hill around 8am and watched the prep for today's remembrance of those fallen in combat.
Tomb of the unknown soldier. It was at this site that Cpl. Nathan Cirillo died several weeks ago.
"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "that it shall no more be said, 'The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,' but, 'The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.' For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers."
—Jeremiah 16:14–15
This amazing prophecy came from the pen of one of Israel's acknowledged major prophets. For more than 3,000 years the Jews celebrated the exodus of Moses from Egypt's bondage as the greatest event in their history. Yet Jeremiah declares there is coming a second exodus that will be so great that the first exodus will pale by comparison.
Jeremiah states that the people will come from "the land of the north," which I believe is Russia. In the Bible, all directions are given from Jerusalem. In the mind of God, Jerusalem is the center of the universe.
Jeremiah expanded his prophecy of Exodus II to include "all the lands where He had driven them." As I write this book, the chief rabbi of Israel has his representatives going to the four corners of the earth to help Jewish people return to Zion. Exodus II is far from complete, as the mighty right hand of God continues to gather "the apple of His eye" to the land given to Abraham and his seed almost 6,000 years ago.
Fishers and Hunters
The Bible is a book of parables and word pictures describing principles of truth from God to man. The prophet Jeremiah puts his pen to parchment and paints a vivid picture of the human agents God intended to use to bring the Jewish people back to Israel.
"But now I will send for many fishermen" declares the LORD, "and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks."
—Jeremiah 16:16, NIV
I believe this verse indicates that the positive comes before the negative. Grace and mercy come before judgment. The fishermen come before the hunters. First, God sent the fishermen to Israel. These were the Zionists, men like Theodor Herzl who called for the Jews of Europe and the world to come to Palestine and establish the Jewish state. The Jews were encouraged to escape while there was still time. The situation for Jews in Europe would only get worse, not better.
A fisherman is one who draws his target toward him with bait. Herzl and his fellow Zionists were God's fishermen, calling the sons and daughters of Abraham home. Herzl was deeply disappointed that the Jews of the world did not respond in greater numbers.
God then sent the hunters. The hunter is one who pursues his target with force and fear. No one could see the horror of the Holocaust coming, but the force and fear of Hitler's Nazis drove the Jewish people back to the only home God ever intended for the Jews to have—Israel. I stand amazed at the accuracy of God's Word and its relevance for our time. I am stricken with awe and wonder at His boundless love for Israel and the Jewish people and His divine determination that the promise He gave
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob become reality.
"Go to the potter's house."
In Jeremiah 18, the prophet presents a second vivid picture of the process God will use to bring Israel to its divine destiny. God tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house, and God declares that He Himself will be the potter.
"Arise and go down to the potter's house." ... Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was making something on the wheel. Yet the vessel that he made of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel."
—Jeremiah 18:2–6, MEV
God makes it absolutely clear that He is the potter, and the pot in His hand is the nation of Israel. The first time the Lord set out to mold Israel as a potter molds the clay, He envisioned that the clay pot was marred in His hand.
God did not cast the pot away. Instead, He crushed the clay on the wheel and formed it into a second pot, whereby the divine destiny of the Jewish people could be realized according to His eternal plan.
On one of my many trips to Israel, I was taken to a potter's house in Hebron. Here the potter was making pottery on a pottery wheel just as masters of his craft had done for thousands of years before. He took a lump of clay, moistened his hands and, as he pumped the spinning wheel with his feet, carefully began shaping the clay into the image locked in his mind.
He found lumps and imperfections in the clay and plucked them out, throwing them onto the floor. Patiently, he shaped the pot, and when it didn't come together, he smashed it and began again. The second pot came out perfectly as everyone in our group applauded.
God, the Master Potter, has shaped Israel a second time. The process continues with imperfections being plucked out and cast aside. The pot will reach perfection when Messiah comes, and the whole earth will applaud as Jerusalem becomes the "praise in the earth" (Isa. 62:7).
_________________________________
Spiritual Awakening Coming ...to 'Dry Bones' Israel
(Flickr/Incase)
God's chosen people, the Jews, and the promised land of Israel are the hub that forms the wheel of prophecy. All end-time prophecy focuses first and foremost on Israel's importance to God and His eternal covenant with them: "All the land of Canaan, where you now live as strangers, I will give to you and to your descendants for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God" (Gen. 17:8). But because of the Jews' disobedience and rebellion, they were scattered around the globe, and control of their promised land of Israel slipped right out of their fingers for hundreds of years.
More than 2,600 years ago the prophet Ezekiel prophesied the resurrection of Israel from the Gentile graves in the lands to which she had been scattered, predicting the rebirth of Israel, which took place on May 14, 1948. Ezekiel also prophesied about the holy war that would take place in Israel some time after Israel's restoration to independence.
God gave Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dry bones. I want to make it very clear that I do not believe that Ezekiel's vision has anything to do with the resurrection of the dead saints of the church. In Ezekiel 37:11, God told Ezekiel, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel." There is no doubt in the text that this could only be Israel.
In a vision, God took Ezekiel to a valley full of dead bones that were very dry and scattered. This was God's physical portrayal of the nation of Israel. Israel ceased to be a nation in A.D. 70 when the Jews were scattered to the ends of the earth by the Roman army under Titus. It would be more than 2,000 years before Israel became a recognized state again in May 1948—and the bones grew very dry!
God asked Ezekiel a perplexing question: "He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'"(Ezek. 37:3).
Ezekiel responded to God by saying, "O Lord GOD, You know" (v. 3). In other words, he was saying, "I don't see how it's possible. Death has done its work. Life is gone. Lord, if these bones live, it will require the miracle-working power of Jehovah God."
For nearly 50 years I have preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to audiences all over the earth. I have stood in churches, cathedrals, auditoriums, football stadiums and a preaching field in Nigeria with more than 3,000,000 people attending. Yet, like Ezekiel, as I have looked over the audiences large and small, I have often thought, "Can these bones live?"
In response to Ezekiel's question, God told him to do something very strange. It was the strangest message to the deadest congregation in the history of preaching! God told him to preach the Word of the Lord to the dry bones. "Again He said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord"'" (v. 4).
The word "prophesy" doesn't always mean to foretell or to predict. Here, it means to speak out or to preach a message to the people of God. There is supernatural power in the spoken Word of God.
Ezekiel's faith conquered the limitations of his carnal mind, and he obeyed the voice of God. It is a Bible fact: Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings judgment. Ezekiel looked at the valley full of scattered, very dry bones and preached this message:
Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." —Ezekiel 37:5–6
Ezekiel proclaimed that God was going to do a supernatural work that would make those dry, lifeless, scattered bones live again. It would be a reversal of death and corruption.
In perfect obedience to the Word of God, Ezekiel said:
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. —Ezekiel 37:7–8
Notice that the restoration to life for the bones was a process. It was not an instantaneous event. The bones were dry, scattered, and dead for a very long time. The dry bones in Ezekiel's vision represent the nation of Israel during the Diaspora, beginning in A.D. 70 (Ezek. 37:11). Gradually the bones came together, and the sinews and flesh came upon them.
It was at this point of Israel's gradual restoration that people like Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, began to call the Jews back to Israel. The "sinews and flesh" continued to come together as the Jews of the earth returned to Eretz, Israel, to drain the swamps and transform the desert into a rose. On May 14, 1948, at 4:32 p.m., the State of Israel, after 2,000 years, was reborn. Ezekiel's prophetic vision was fulfilled:
Then say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land.'" —Ezekiel 37:21
God made it exceedingly clear that He would bring the Jews back to "their own land." He would not bring them back to the Palestinians' land—He would restore them to the promised land of the eternal covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants.
At the conclusion of Ezekiel 37, the nation of Israel had been physically reborn. Today they have a flag; they have a constitution; they have a prime minister and a Knesset. They have a police force, a powerful military and the world's best intelligence agencies. They have Jerusalem, the city of God. They have a nation. They have everything but spiritual life.
Like the dry bones of Ezekiel 37, Israel awaits the spiritual awakening of the breath of God and to the coming of Messiah.
I want to include a small but important passage I came across this morning. In this scene, Samuel the man of God has confronted Saul. How have YOU listened to God today? Have you listened to Him from his Word?
" ....Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him. For rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols.
....“I have sinned,” Saul finally admitted. “Yes, I have disobeyed your instructions and the command of the Lord, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. (-1 Samuel 15 Living Bible)
"I started to write an apology, but I don't have anything to say I'm sorry for...It was long distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he's going to look at you."
- Jennifer Lawrence (actress)
I will be the first person to admit that men, in general, are wired differently than woman when it comes to visual stimuli regarding the opposite sex (yet, recent statistics have shown that this is a problem for women as well). Having been involved in family ministry for over 10 years, I have walked alongside many men struggling with some form of pornography. I can count on one hand the men that I’ve known that truly are not tempted and don’t struggle with the unabashed access we now have to online nudity. In this sense, it is true that most men, and this includes Christian men, are tempted to look at pornography when it is literally one click away. Yet, to say that men need or must pursue porn to function in life is just a flat out lie. By God’s grace, Ms. Lawrence’s quote is way off base, and men can say “no” to porn and the lies that surround it.
Pornography’s 3 Big Lies:
“It doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“God wired me this way.”
“It creates intimacy within our marriage.”
The Truth:
1. Pornography hurts everyone. Our sins always impact our relationships, first vertically with God and then horizontally with others. Pornography is no different, and given its intimate nature can cause even greater harm. When we choose porn over our spouse we devalue them and are essentially saying, “You’re not good enough. I need someone else to fulfill me.” Can you imagine the hurt this inflicts upon our spouse when we continually choose porn over them? Another sobering thought is that the young woman we are looking at is someone’s daughter and very possibly the wife of another man.
2. Yes, God wired and designed marriage to be an amazingly intimate relationship. God has hard-coded the desire for intimacy between a man and a woman. The covenant of marriage reflects the reality of this most personal union. The physical act of sexual union also speaks to the passionate bond that a man and woman are designed to share. Within this most sacred God-made covenant, marital intimacy takes on a meaning of pure oneness. In this sense, it is absolutely wonderful for a man to desire his wife and a woman to desire her husband. The book of the Songs of Solomon elaborates in great detail the fervent love that a man and woman can share within their marriage. The beauty of the marital covenant, like other God-given covenants is this: Within the boundaries of this union, i.e. holding fast to Christ, there is both total provision and complete protection.
3. Sexual sins like pornography destroys families. While some couples may experience greater sexual satisfaction when involving pornography within their marriage, it will overtime kill their marriage. Porn devastates true intimacy. There is a simple truth that is universal in its application: Anything that comes between God and me (the vertical) will cause separation in my marriage (the horizontal). As shared before, we never sin on an island. Sadly, couples that turn to pornography for greater “intimacy” within their marriages are doing just the opposite. It also has ramifications for our children. Beyond sad is the fact that the average age now for a child to view pornography is 11 years old (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding). I’ve personally met dozens of adult men and women that are still recovering from their father’s legacy of porn and/or their exposure to it because of their father.
There are a few verses that God used to convict me in this area:
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriagebed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Hebrews 13:4
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined[d] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[e] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:15-19
While porn may give us a temporary sexual “high,” it will always damage our most intimate relationships with God, our spouses and our children. Ms. Lawrence was correct that most men are wired in a way to desire intimacy with women that may lead a man down the path of pornography. However, God also wired man with the ability to choose which path he will take. This God-given yearning for sexual intimacy was designed to exist and thrive within a oneness relationship with our wives. When it comes right down to it, our sexual desires as men are more about our spouses (putting their needs before our own), the marriage covenant, and the glory of God than they are about us.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,because we are members of his body.
Don't believe the stereotypes about Pentecostals in America. (Facebook)
If you happen to tune into the Oxygen network's Preachers of L.A. or National Geographic Channel's Snake Salvation, you might be tempted to believe all Pentecostals are either money-grubbing charlatans or misguided rural bumpkins. But the truth is never in the media stereotypes.
I'm a Pentecostal. I don't wear that label on my sleeve, but I'm not ashamed to admit to anyone that I'm a Christian who believes in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet when I use the word Pentecostal to describe myself I get some funny looks.
Some people think Pentecostals are brainless weirdos who go into uncontrollable fits during religious services. They're surprised to learn we have advanced degrees, own businesses, hold public office and mobilize a lot of the world's charitable work.
To set the record straight, here are 10 facts about Pentecostals that might clear up the misconceptions:
1. We do not necessarily attend Pentecostal churches. Since the 1960s in the United States, there have been growing numbers of Pentecostals in other denominational churches. There are Pentecostal Anglicans, Pentecostal Methodists, Pentecostal Baptists and huge numbers of Pentecostal Catholics. A recent 2011 Pew Research Center study revealed that Pentecostals and charismatics make up more than a quarter of all Christians today. And last year the leader of all Anglicans, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, admitted that he speaks in tongues.
2. We are not uneducated. The idea that Pentecostals are theologically ignorant is silly when you consider that 300 of the world's most well-known Pentecostal scholars gathered in March of this year to present papers. The theologians who participated in the annual meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies in Springfield, Missouri, represented more than 100 denominations and 200 academic institutions.
3. We do not all live on the "other side of the tracks." When the Pentecostal revival began in 1906 in Los Angeles, proponents of our movement were characterized as poor people who worshiped in tents with sawdust floors. But today a huge percentage of American Pentecostals belong to the middle class, and in developing countries wealthy Pentecostals are funding ambitious missionary projects. Meanwhile the owner of Hobby Lobby, David Green—who has been in the news this week because the Supreme Court ruled in his company's favor—is a Pentecostal who is worth about $5 billion.
4. We do not all support the prosperity gospel. While flamboyant preachers like Clarence McClendon and Noel Jones flaunt their wealth while begging for dollars onPreachers of L.A., the prosperity gospel is not a hit among a majority of Pentecostals. In fact, one of the nation's most prominent Pentecostal preachers, T.D. Jakes of Dallas, rebuked the stars of the reality show and told his congregation to "pull the plug" on it.
5. We do not handle snakes. Americans became intrigued with the oddity of religious snake handling because of National Geographic Channel's Snake Salvationshow. But remember that there are only about 125 churches in this country that belong to this strange sect, and the congregations are tiny. Remember, too, that prominent snake-handling pastor Jamie Coots of Middlesboro, Kentucky, died this year from a snake bite. Pentecostal denominations have condemned snake-handling since the practice began around 1910.
6. We do not go into a trance when we speak in tongues. People who speak in tongues pray voluntarily, and they can start and stop their prayers whenever they want. When researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studied the phenomenon of speaking in tongues, they found that it actually produced a feeling of peace and well-being in people who engaged in the behavior. And The New York Times reported in 2006 that a study of Christians in England suggested that those who spoke in tongues "were more emotionally stable than those who did not."
7. We are not all Republicans. Yes, Sarah Palin has attended a Pentecostal church, and so has former Attorney General John Ashcroft. But it is rudely stereotypical to assume that all Pentecostals are white conservatives. A large percentage of American Pentecostals are African-American and Hispanic, and many of them voted for Barack Obama in the divisive 2008 election. Studies have shown that Pentecostals and evangelical Christians are the largest voting bloc in the nation, and that Obama could not have won without sizeable support from this group.
8. We are not racists. While it is certainly true that racism tainted the early years of Pentecostalism, today Pentecostal and charismatic churches are more likely to be racially mixed than other denominational groups. This is primarily because the essence of the Pentecostal experience, as described in the Book of Acts, involves the breaking down of racial and cultural walls by the power of the Holy Spirit.
9. We are not prudes. There was a day when Pentecostals (along with Baptists and holiness groups) preached hard against secular entertainment—and anything else that sounded fun. Women couldn't wear pants or makeup, men couldn't play cards, and movies were off limits. But this doesn't describe Pentecostals today. We have invaded the arts. And some, like David Cunningham, son of Youth With a Mission founder Loren Cunningham, have become professional filmmakers.
10. We are not going away. Pentecostals only represented 6 percent of all Christians in the year 1980. Today that number has jumped to 26 percent. And the Pulitzer Center reports that 35,000 people join Pentecostal churches every day. Some researchers predict there will be 1 billion Pentecostals in the world by 2025. No matter how you stereotype us, it cannot be said that Pentecostals are on the fringes of society. You might as well get to know us.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.
Many people—religious and non-religious—are asking questions about a word they hear the media use when referring to ISIS and other Islamist jihadists. That word isapocalyptic, which is used when specifically referring to the fatalism of Islamists.
People wonder, why do so many Muslims (both Sunni and Shi'ite) operate with such an "apocalyptic," end-of-world mindset?
Our secular society, however, coupled with the media's carelessness, is bandying about words like apocalyptic without using them properly and without explanation. That creates a great deal of confusion for some, many of whom just throw up their hands in resignation and say, "I don't understand this."
But for those who want to understand, I am offering this two-part column, taking excerpts from my newest book, Jesus, Jihad, and Peace. I hope this will put things into perspective, so when the media says that an Islamist entity (such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, Iran, etc.) operate with an apocalyptic vision, you can make sense of it.
The word apocalypse does not, in fact, refer to a disastrous, catastrophic, end-of-world event. It's a Greek word, the root of which means revelation, or revealing things that are hidden. For instance, we know the last book of the Bible as Revelation, but in the original Greek language, it is Apokalupsae. It reveals what is happening in the heavenly realm, as well as events in the future.
The Concept of the Antichrist
Both the Old Testament and New Testament spoke of an end-times figure, the Antichrist, some 600 years or more before Islam came on the scene. That timing will be important when I explain Islam's "end of time" coming of a Mahdi in my next column.
The Antichrist is known by various names. Paul calls him "the lawless one," "the man of lawlessness," and "the man doomed to destruction" who "will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thess. 2:1-12). The most detailed description of the Antichrist is in Revelation 13, where the Apostle John refers to the Antichrist as "the beast." The Old Testament prophet Daniel describes the abominable works of the Antichrist, but gives him no name or title (Dan. 9:27).
Who, then, is the Antichrist, whose brief but terrible reign is predicted in both the Old and New Testaments? He will be a world leader of unparalleled political, military and religious power. He will be charming, persuasive and popular beyond measure. The world will not know him as the "Antichrist," but by some attractive name and appealing title. But just as the word "Antichrist" suggests, he will be the opposite of the Lord Jesus Christ in every way. Everything Christ is, the Antichrist is not; everything Christ is not, the Antichrist is.
Jesus came from heaven (John 6:38); the Antichrist comes from the Abyss, the spiritual domain of evil (Rev. 11:7). Jesus came in the Name of the Father; the Antichrist comes in his own name (John 5:43). Jesus was despised by the world (Is. 53:3); the Antichrist will be worshipped by the world (Rev. 13:3-4). Jesus came in humility as a servant (Phil. 2:7-8); the Antichrist comes in pride, claiming to be God (2 Thess. 2:4; Dan. 11:36). Jesus is the truth (John 14:6); the Antichrist is the lie (2 Thess. 2:9-11). Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35); the Antichrist is the son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3, KJV).
The Apostle Paul tells us that the mystery (or secret) of godliness is that God Himself has appeared to us in human flesh (1 Tim. 3:16)—and that the mystery (or secret) of lawlessness is that Satan has produced a counterfeit Christ, the Antichrist, Satan wrapped in human flesh (2 Thess. 2:6-8). Jesus is the true Shepherd; Satan will have his evil shepherd, the Antichrist. Jesus is the Holy One of God; the Antichrist will be the lawless one of Satan. Jesus is the Man of Sorrows; the Antichrist will be the man of sin.
One Antichrist and many antichrists
First of all, the Antichrist is coming—a lawless man who will come in Satan's power, demanding to be worshipped as God, destroying all those who love God. But John tells us that there are many other antichrists, lesser deceivers who are also self-exalting, evil and destructive. They are antichrists, but they are not the Antichrist.
Jesus tells us that, shortly before His return, the Antichrist will arise during a time of global chaos and confusion, when the world is in political, social, financial and ecological upheaval. The terrified people of the world, desperate for a strong leader, will turn to this man and give him control of the governments of the world.
Daniel tells us that the Antichrist will speak "boastfully" (Dan. 7:8), yet it is clear that these will not be empty boasts. The Antichrist will appear to possess superhuman brilliance. He'll be the ultimate smooth talker, the greatest con man who ever lived, and he'll unite the nations under his rule. At first, he'll seem to be a wise and benevolent dictator, bringing peace, prosperity and hope. But once he is firmly in control of the gears and levers of power, he'll reveal his true intentions.
The way has been paved for such a leader. Atheists, humanists, New Age mystics, Hindus, Buddhists and Islamists have little in common with each other—but they all share in the belief that Jesus is not the only way to salvation. There are even many self-styled "Christians" who deny the Lord's claim to be the only way to God. So it will be easy for the Antichrist to establish himself to many as an acceptable alternative.
In these days of muddled and confused worldviews, it is vitally important to know the truth. After all, Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." As events unfold, we need to see them not only through the camera's lens, but also through the lens of biblical revelation.
That the Antichrist is coming is known—only the timing is unknown. Although we know not the hour of night that the thief comes, we must be prepared nonetheless.
Next we'll take a look at the striking parallels between the Antichrist and Islam's Mahdi (savior).
The Antichrist and the Muslim Mahdi (Part 2)
Mecca, also called Makkah, is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the site of his first revelation of the Quran.
In my last article, I explained the Judeo-Christian understanding of the Antichrist, and that he will somehow be intertwined with Israel, and more specifically, Jerusalem.
Because Islam borrowed a great deal from Judaism and Christianity, it is not surprising that they too have a figure with a messianic complex—the Mahdi, or the Guided One.
Muslims see the Mahdi as a savior who will lead a global revolution and establish a worldwide Islamic empire. The Mahdi will rule the earth as the final Caliph of Islam (a caliph is both a political ruler and a spiritual representative of Allah on earth).
Muslims revere Jesus (whom they call Isa) as the Masih or Messiah. In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi will arrive at the same time that Isa returns. Isa will descend to earth in Syria, east of Damascus, dressed in yellow robes, and will assist the Mahdi, who will rule over the earth for seven years (or, in some Islamic traditions, nine or nineteen years). At the end of the Mahdi's rule, there will be a Day of Judgment for the entire human race.
The parallels between the biblical Antichrist and the Mahdi of Islam are chilling. Both are associated with the End Times and the Judgment. Both possess political, military, and religious power, and head up a one-world religion. The Mahdi will force all non-Muslim people to convert to Islam. Like the Antichrist, the Mahdi will establish Jerusalem as his capital, from which he will rule the earth.
Islamic scholars Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad Arif write, in Al Mahdi and the End of Time: "The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on prophethood as the hadith states. ... Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi. ... That will abolish the leadership of the Jews ... and put an end to the domination of the Satan who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the Sharia [Islamic law] of the Lord of the worlds."
Though Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, they deny that Jesus is the Son of God. Jews and Christians are, to Muslim fundamentalists, "pigs and dogs" who must either convert to Islam or be eliminated. Bible prophecy makes it clear that the Antichrist will target Jews and Christians for destruction, just as Islamic prophecy states that the Mahdi will wage war against Jews and Christians. Those who oppose the Antichrist's worldwide religion will be executed.
Muslim scholar Imam Muhammad Baqir states clearly how the Mahdi will establish his one-world religion: "There must be bloodshed and jihad to establish Imam Mahdi's rule." And Ayatollah Ibrahim al Amini of the Religious Learning Center in Qom, agrees: "The Mahdi will offer the religion of Islam to the Jews and Christians; if they accept it, they will be spared, otherwise they will be killed."
Daniel tells us (and Jesus affirms in the Olivet Discourse) that the Antichrist will establish "the abomination that causes desolation" in the temple in Jerusalem. The apostle Paul adds that the Antichrist "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Since the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., as Jesus predicted, this has led some (not all Christians) to suggest that the Jewish temple must be rebuilt on the Temple Mount before the Antichrist can be revealed to the world.
Yet the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque stand on the Temple Mount today. One of the Islamic Hadiths (traditions) records that their Prophet Muhammad said, "[Armies carrying] black flags will come from Khurasan [Iran and Afghanistan], no power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela [the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem] where they will erect their flags." In Islamic tradition, black banners symbolize violent conquest, and Muslims await the Mahdi's conquest of Jerusalem, when he establishes his reign from the temple site.
Daniel 9:27 tells us the Antichrist will establish a seven-year covenant with Israel—but he will break the covenant after three and a half years, defiling the temple with "an abomination that causes desolation." The Hadiths of Islam also speak of a seven-year covenant that the Mahdi makes with Israel: "The Prophet said: There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Aaron [Honorable Aaron, the brother of Moses] and will be upheld for seven years."
There can be no doubt: Muslims are preparing to accept the Mahdi as their leader—and the Mahdi is indistinguishable from the world leader we know as the Antichrist.
I bring all of this to your attention so we can have a knowledgeable perspective when viewing current events unfolding in the Middle East.
But Christians should not fear.
Regardless of whether the Antichrist comes in this generation or a hundred years from now, those who have placed their faith in God's Messiah, Jesus the Christ, fear no one nor even death. Their eternity is secure in the one who is the only one to defeat death and rise from the grave.
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams. Youssef was born in Egypt.
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