Middle-East – Media 4 Life Ministries

Love your Enemies

The News outlets featured a story today about that Jesus may have had a wife. There is nothing to support that claim, the text is only partial and the sentence that starts with “Jesus said, “my wife…” ends there. This ancient text is probably part of the gnostic writings and thus irrelevant.

But, to my point, I don’t see Catholics or Christians protesting in the streets, rioting and killing people, burning the American Flag and storming the University which examined the text and came out with the statement. What a starch contrast to the as Hillary Clinton put it the other day, “great religion” of Islam. Great Religion? One stupid YT video can bring forth death, hate and destruction to a whole region. One little remark about Muhammad or a cartoon of him leads to suicide bombers, and the killings innocent people.

One remark leads to hate, the killing of four Americans and the threat of the radicals to kill more Americans. That is anything but a peaceful religion. Where are those who normally come out and speak out against Christianity, the Hollywood elite and Atheist like Bill Maher?

What if we as followers of Jesus Christ, would go out into the streets killing and rioting every-time someone says anything against Jesus, Who is used a swear word everyday, Who gets spit on by liberals and Atheist everyday? How come that Christians don’t react like radical Muslims to a depiction of Jesus in the series of South Park? Or what about the paintings about Jesus? One that was very offensive, named “Piss Jesus” was displayed in an art gallery in the 90’s. Yet there was no retaliation towards the artist. I could list many more offensive remarks and insults that are made against Jesus and Christians everyday, but I think you know them already.

Christians are not called to hate and kill people who may offend them. Jesus and His teachings, Who in my opinion is the total opposite to Muhammad and the teachings of the Koran, told us to love your neighbor as yourself. We are to love, even those who hate us or offend us. That is what makes Christianity different from Islam. We do not by force convert people or kill them if they do not want to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. We turn the other cheek.

We do not repay evil with evil. Love will always triumph over evil. It was Jesus, who Muslims regard as a prophet (obviously not heeding any of His teachings) that taught us:

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44, 45.

As Christians we do not follow a doctrine of Jihad or Sharia law, we follow Christ and His teachings of love and forgiveness. As we see these unrest in Africa, the Middle East and beyond, let us as followers of Jesus not turn to hate. Let us pray for the Muslim world and for the radicals that one day the would have their eyes opened and that they will see that Jesus is the Messiah.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

That is what Jesus and His Apostles taught past generations and us today, love your enemy and do not hate. Be wise, but not foolish. Do not seek revenge. Vengeance is mine says the LORD, I will repay.

I’m sure that many of the radical Islamist have never even read the Koran. Many have not even seen that dumb YT movie, yet they go out and riot. They listen to radical clerics and Imams that use the Koran and Muhammad to further their agenda and ideologies. They are blinded by this religion of antichrist. Let us pray that they will see the light one day. God is doing a mighty work in the Middle East and surrounding areas. We may not understand everything, but His purpose will be fulfilled. God loves the Muslim world and He wants them to return to Him. the true and living God.

And in closing, just for those who teach that the God of the OT is different from the God of the NT, here is what Jesus was quoting: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: “I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18.

The coming war of Gog and Magog?

Looking at the headlines today about the unrest in the Middle East makes one wonder, what’s next? It all started with Tunisia when one man set himself on fire. That set off a wave of protest throughout the Arab world what the media calls the Arab spring. Sudan became two countries, the North and the South with a border along the Nuba mountains. There are reports that came out just recently that a Bible college and 4 churches that are set up by Samaritan Purse have been bombed by radicals Islamist in South Sudan. Sudan is an ongoing battle to this day.

Next came Egypt and the removal of Mubarak after long and heavy fighting of the people against the regime. No one is really certain what the new government will finally look like. Egypt has been a long-standing ally of the US and had a peaceful existence with Israel, which seems to fade fast.

And who can forget Libya and Qaddafi’s regime? He and his son vowed a long and bloody battle. Many people died until Qaddafi was captured and killed by his own people. Now the Syrian regime is in the news and has killed at least 5000 protesters since the unrest by the people started. Just recently the UN failed to come to a resolution to oust Assad, even though the people of Syria are crying out to the world for help. Russia and China are the two countries that are opposed to the ousting of Assad.

The UN has been ineffective many time and is in my opinion irrelevant. They are headquartered in New York City. It might be a good idea to vacate the building and set up shop somewhere in the Middle East. At least it would be much easier traveling for Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez who hate the US anyways. And now Iran again is threatening with the annihilation of the state of Israel. Just recently the supreme leader came out with a statement why it is religiously justifiable to wipe out Israel. http://www.wnd.com/2012/02/ayatollah-kill-all-jews-annihilate-israel/

Israel is under tremendous pressure and it seems that the world has abandoned Israel. A nuclear Iran with a rogue regime like Ahmadinejad would be world-changing. Israel cannot allow for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon that would be aimed at them. Just today the Israeli Ambassador to the US declared that Israel will act unilateral if necessary. There are many speculations floating around if and when Israel will attack Iran. Many believe that it could come as early as this spring. Although sanctions have been imposed by the UN and the US, they have not deterred the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear weapon.

The Bible has prophesied many of these things and I believe we are at the verge of an all out war of biblical proportions. Could this be the Gog and Magog war spoken off in Ezekiel 38 and 39? I don’t know, I don’t want to make any predictions, but we are seeing some events unfolding as we have never seen them before. I have a strong sense that by this summer, we will see some events happen that could possibly cause an all out war in the Middle East. The escalation of Iran vs Israel could be the trigger for biblical prophecy to unfold right in front of our eyes. Iran wants to create chaos, in the Shiite religious belief, chaos will usher in the 12th imam or the Mahdi. It is Islams version of the Messiah, which is the Antichrist in Christianity.

What exactly will happen in the near future is uncertain, but I believe we have never been closer to the escalation of Gog and Magog. Many Bible scholars believe that Magog is Russia and as many of you know the former Soviet Union has changed dramatically over the last years. Many of the southern states are Islamic and are at the north of Israel with other Islamic countries virtually surrounding Israel. I have spoken to some Jewish scholars and some believe that China is part of Magog as well. That of course is a possibility, China sides with Russia on many decisions made at the UN. One thing is for sure, Israel has many enemies that surround her.

Coming back to Syria for a moment, there is a prophecy about Syria in the book of Isaiah that declares Damascus will be a heap of ashes. “The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.” Isaiah 17:1. That has not happened yet, Damascus is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Seeing what’s happening in Syria, maybe that prophecy is not too far off? Whatever happens in the near future, we need to look at the Middle East, especially Israel. Israel is the center of the world, Jerusalem is the center of Israel and the temple mount i.e Mount Moriah is the Epicenter.

It is also time for us Christians to stand with Israel, our current administration has thrown Israel under the bus and Israel will once again face the threats virtually alone. But on thing is for sure, Israel is the apple of God’s eye and God will not allow anybody to wipe them off the map. His promises to Abraham, Issac and Jacob will be fulfilled and the predictions about Gog and Magog will be fulfilled. God is in control and He will preserve and protect His chosen people. Let us all pray for the people of Israel that face a constant threat of annihilation from her enemies. If this escalation will result in the war of Gog and Magog or maybe a precursor, who knows. The stage is set. We are in the final act.

“For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”Psalm 83:2-4.

Ezekiel 35, the Arab-Israeli War before Ezekiel 38 (antwrites.com)
Insights of a Former Cia Director: Is an Israeli-iranian War Imminent? (flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com)

Peace in the Middle East?

Why is it so difficult to archive peace in the Middle-East? Is it because of people like Ahmadinejad, the Muslim brotherhood and other radical groups? They all have one thing in common, they hate Israel. They would like nothing more than to see Israel wiped off the map. Israel is a constant target and is surrounded by enemies that think just like Ahmadinejad. They have another thing in common, they opposition to recognize Israel as a sovereign State. So much for a peaceful Islamic religion. There is nothing peaceful about Islam, especially the radical side of Islam. The Koran is not a book of peace as many claim.

I heard someone say on a news show once: ” if a Muslim studies the Qur’an, and it’s teachings, they will end up being radicals. Muhammad was a wild man, conquering by killing with the sword. Many people look at the world today from a human perspective or the human level. There is also a divine perspective i.e. a divine level. Most of society thinks that all these conditions in the Middle East are man-made and resolvable with negotiations. These so-called negotiations have been going on as long as I can remember.

Israel has made many concessions over the years and in return saw more violence. Society thinks that one day we can have worldwide peace. We just need to make some changes, co-exist and have more tolerance. Unfortunately, the people who want more tolerance are the most intolerant people. What the fail to see is that there are spiritual battles raging all around us, unseen with human natural eyes. There are Satanic forces that control certain areas in the world. Iran, formerly Persia is one of them. In the book of Daniel, God gives us some indication’s that there are in deed spiritual battles between the angels of heaven and the fallen demonic angels that once rebelled against God. Daniel prayed for help and guidance to understand the 70 weeks in the book of Jeremiah. He prayed for 3 weeks until Gabriel one of the Archangels finally came to him. Gabriel told Daniel that he was held up because of the prince of Persia, who opposed him. The prince of Persia was not the physical human prince that was ruling Persia at that time. The prince of Persia was a demonic force over Persia. Gabriel went on to say that he had to go because the prince of Greece was coming. There is battle going on unseen to with the naked eye. A battle of good versus evil. Does evil exist? I think we all know that there are evil people in the world. Ahmadinejad and Assad among them. They are controlled by Satan and his demonic army.

Israel is the center of the world, Jerusalem is the center of Israel and the Temple mount is the epicenter. Satan is doing his best to cause conflict after conflict trying to destroy the Jewish people. The temple mount is the most holiest place on earth, the mount is also known as Mount Moriah. The temple was build by King Solomon after God told King David that he could not built the house of the Lord because he had blood on his hands. This is the same mount where Jesus was crucified. It was the very same spot where God had asked Abraham to offer up Issac. Jesus sacrificed His life for us on that mount. He was the acceptable offering, the unblemished lamb of God. It came to pass just as God told Abraham, “I will provide a sacrifice.”

Israel is about the size of New Jersey, but it is in the news just about every day. What is it about this small country that is so much in the news? There is much more to it than people not getting along. This is nothing more than a spiritual battle. Satan knows his time is running out. His time is short. He has tried throughout history to destroy the Jewish people. Haman, Herod, and many others including Hitler, were controlled by Satan and his forces. Just as he tried a to wipe out the Jews many times in the past, so is he coming after the church, the bride of Christ. He wants nothing more than for us the believers to fail. He has tried to wipe out the church right from the beginning. The early church went through heavy persecutions under Nero. Instead off wiping out the church, it grew in numbers. Satan failed in his attempts to wipe out the church. Then he penetrated the church, infiltrating it from the inside.

For many centuries people were in the dark, kept from reading the word of God. This changed at the time of the reformation. Brave people like John Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther and many others brought the Bible back into the people’s hand. Finally they could read and study the Bible in their own language. The word of God is powerful and Satan has tried for a long time to keep people from reading it. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom 10:17.

If he can keep people from reading and studying the word of God, he would be victorious. He already succeeded removing the Bible from schools and government and from many people’s homes. His tactics are always the same, lying and deceiving. It worked in the past and it works today. He hates the word of God, why? “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4:12.

If you read the newspapers watch the news and see all the stuff that is going on around the world today, Egypt, Syria and many other places around the world, think off it as a spiritual battle. We are right in the midst of the battle. Let us as believers not look at the world with human natural eyes but with spiritual once. The world is spiritually blind and cannot see. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 2Cr 2:14.

God has given us His Spirit of wisdom. We can see and understand things for what they really are: a battle of biblical and heavenly proportions. In these last days, we need to be ready and put on the whole armor of God. Satan and his minions are working around the clock.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:11-13