War of the worlds: signs of the end of the age

Jesus said there'd be days like this.

The disciples came to Jesus asking: "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matt 24:3)

Jesus answered: "...many will come in My Name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places ... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved..." (Matt 24).

Things are going to get worse here on the 3rd rock from the sun before they ever get better. Count on it. That's why it is the acme of foolishness to spend all our resources trying to get comfortable down here. We don't belong here, folks! We're citizens of Heaven, as Christians, just passing through. We are "seated in heavenly places.." (Eph 1:3). We're are good as there as followers of Christ. That's either true for right now, or it's a lie. But we've been given a job description to make as many disciples for Christ as we can while we inhabit these earth suits. How's that going, by the way?

Count the cost before you dare to become a radical disciple of Christ because, as things worsen, the persecution of Christians will increase. Are you SURE you want to make yourself conspicuous? If we're fortunate enough that we're not living among those who are suffering the worst of the anti-Christian persecution, you'd better believe we're going to be held accountable for all that we could have done/should be doing with the many resources the Western Church has at its disposal. We can, and MUST, support the work of the Kingdom, with prayer, time, talent and finances. NOTE:the purchase of new playground equipment, repaving a parking lot, or buying a new gargoyle for the cathedral is probably NOT what the Kingdom requires from us at this time. Finances may be the most difficult to part with because our hearts are so tied to our purse strings. Think about that next time you make an impulse purchase or stick your head into that basement, attic, closet, or garage full of important stuff God has "blessed" you with. How much we trust God is evidenced by how much we trust him with our money. Fact is, we have nothing God hasn't given us, not as some sort of reward, but as a steward.

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH?

Why is it that so many Christians seem more ready to support military action against the Islamic world than we seem willing to adhere to the commission of Christ, all the while playing the "tolerance card" with our Muslim neighbors in the states, attempting to maintain status quo? It's BECAUSE of our tendency toward self-preservation as well as our greater faith in the government than we have in our God. Doesn't our support of violence against anyone in retaliation for their violence toward us make us their lowlife equals? My Mom taught me that as a boy. Is this the way of the Lord Jesus? He said "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matt 5:44).

Surely we don't believe that the duty of the Western Church is to protect the Gospel through force! God no more needs our military might to protect and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ than He needed Peter to slice the ear off of poor Malchus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Repeat! God no more needs our military might to protect and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ than He needed Peter to slice the ear off of poor Malchus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Folks, any religion or philosophy that intends to advance by way of military might is no better than Islam. Such a gospel would be, in fact, a religion of lies straight from the pit of Hell. Might does NOT make right! In fact,it's in great part because our faith WAS once promoted by the tip of the sword that there remains such resistance to it today. That plus the fact that we aren't making anyone jealous for what we've supposedly found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The world is rarely impressed with us

In a nutshell, there will not be ... can NOT be ... peace without Christ. Violence will get worse, and the disciples of Christ will suffer increased global persecution.

People of Planet Earth, I have two words for you: Jesus Christ. Hope is in Him alone, and in submitting to the Father in accordance with His Word. Though Christians may not be kept from the effects of war, for it rains upon the just and the unjust, we must come to the point where we openly, in front of God and everybody, abide in the Peace of Christ. THAT they WILL notice!

God is more concerned with the character of His kids than He is in our carnal comfort. Despite all the "stuff" that's happening and is GOING to happen on planet Earth, we are an army and must not lose the focus of our objective. Soldiers of the Cross, there's a Kingdom to advance in the Name of the King we love.

A CALL TO ARMS!

We see and hear so much about Christian political activism. Prayer in school, gay rights, women's right, abortion, gun laws...what does all this have to do with the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to 'go and make disciples'? Where is the saint who travails in prayer for souls? Even Muslim souls? And Chinese souls (6 of 11 Christian converts are Asian or East Indian)? Where are the people of God who will cry out to Heaven for the revival that will have a greater impact than a thousand years of political and social activism?

Jesus never taught that His followers should attempt to change the social or political order of things. We are not another special interest group. Not another subculture. If anything, we're a COUNTER culture - IN the world, not OF the world.

The word for the Church right now is "Repent!" In this instance, repentance begins when we turn from the solutions offered by this world, and put our trust in God. Some men trust in chariots, some in horses ... will WE trust in the Name of our God? (Ps 20:17)

There is a war of the worlds going on. It's not physical. Despite its appearances, it's not REALLY Islam vs. the West at all. It's SPIRITUAL, for our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the hordes of hell... a demonic force that, for the moment, seems to be making dramatic progress (Eph 6).

POST-CHRISTIAN CHRISTIANITY

Some are saying that we are currently living in a Post-Chrsitian age; that the Church as the world has known it, is a relic of the past. The present religious situation in Europe and North America is often described as becoming secular, where many people no longer believe, and therefore are defined as post-Christians. Post-Christianity is an expression to describe a 'secular' status in which Christianity is losing its central role in shaping the lives of the people. More and more, trends seem to be pointig toward a time when only the minority of those calling themselves 'Chrsitian' retain meaningful ties with traditional Churches. It's already here. Most people - Christians included - are living their lives independently of the Christian faith and the teachings of the Churches they (used to) belong to. Church-life has become extraneous to them.

The days are getting darker. What if there IS coming an end to Christianity? If that were the case, that certainly does NOT mean there has come an end to Christ, nor to His remnant of True believers.

I contend that it's "CHURCH-ianity" that is lying sick upon its deathbed, gasping for air, and NOT the glorious Bride of Christ, at all.

The Lord is with us, saints of God! Let us seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Now, let's lock 'n load! The war is with Hell ... on OUR turf and by OUR GOD's rules! Drop to your knees in fervent prayer, reconcile people to the God of the Bible, wield your checkbook, get your passport up to date so you can mobilize if called to overseas duty as a missionary. Quit waffling about, wondering when God will put you into the game. You're already IN the game. It's time to get your uniform dirty. The call to serve is REALLY a call to PREPARE! Get prepared.

Look around ... each of us is surrounded by resources that could be used to advance the cause of Christ! I know elderly people, children and cripples that are giving the devil a black eye on a daily basis by doing all they can. There are others, for example, who forward these weekly messages from t.e.a.m. ministries to hundreds of others within their scope of influence. My goodness, if we would ALL do at least THAT!

Fear not, Army of the Lord! The gates of Hell shall not prevail against us! Let's make it really hard to go to Hell from your sector of influence. Give till it helps! Don't worry, you cannot outgive God.

Remember this: all it takes for evil to continue to prosper is for good Christians to do nothing. It's a statistical fact that a soldier in battle will miss 100% of the shots he never dares to take.

So, how's YOUR aim lately?

Selah

Pastor Michael is founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). His eMail broadcasts, known as "Your Town for Jesus" (SEARCH it!) are reaching tens of thousands WEEKLY. Log on at [http://www.planetaryministry.org] Michael's mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Michael is the author of numerous booklets on a subjects that will interest the thinking Christian. Since 1999, he has written and broadcast nearly 500 inspirational articles and a dozen booklets, al designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God's people.

The Parable of the Parliament of the World's Religions

In 1893 an interfaith meeting was held in Chicago called the World's Parliament of Religions. Swami Vivekananda said, "Sisters and brothers of America. Sectariansm, bigotry, and its horrible descendant religious fanaticism have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled this Earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons human society would be far more advanced than it is now."

In 1993 the centennial Parliament of the World's Religions was held and 8,000 interfaith people from all over the world came to Chicago to discuss how the world religions could work together in peace and harmony. Further conventions were held in 1999 in Cape Town South Africa and in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. The event, held every five years, is coming to Melbourne, Australia next week from Dec.3 - Dec.9 2,009. There will be speakers and programs and workshops and singing and 10,000 participants. Check the official website for the Parliament of the World's Religions. You can register online until Nov. 29 and then you can register in person in Melbourne.

Despite these meetings we find ourselves today in the middle of a world wide "War on Terror" aka "The Christian Crusade Against Islam", publicly declared by President George W. Bush after 9/11. Hatred + Hunger + Nuclear Bombs = Extinction. The only way to get a different total is to change the terms of the equation.

Two years ago Jordan's Prince Ghazi created a website called "A Common Word" 138 Muslim Scholars and political and religious leaders signed a letter to the world Christian leaders called "A Common Word Between You and Us, Love." What followed was a series of interfaith meetings involving Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, and world Muslim Leaders, King Abdullah of Jordan and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The idea was to bring peace among Christians, Muslims and Jews.

The Earth is 5 billion years old. Judaism was invented 4,000 years ago, Christianity 2,000 years ago and Islam 1,400 years ago. Since then we have seen the Christian Crusades, the 300 year Christian Inquisition, the War Against the Jews aka The Holocaust, 4 Muslim Empires and Caliphates, and now we sit on the brink of Armageddon as the 3 children of God of Mount Sinai aka God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Allah, Yehovah, Elohim all possess nuclear bombs and bibles commanding them to kill all non group members in return for entrance into Heaven.

In Oct. 2009 Jordan's Prince Ghazi wrote a two year summary of his interfaith efforts. Prince Ghazi writes that despite some positive steps, the results so far have been disheartening. He says that Muslims and Christians still hate each other with a deep rooted hatred. Today pilgrims at the Hajj are walking around a stone idol in Mecca 7 times chanting "Death to America and Death to Israel." Prince Ghazi notes that the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan are quickly deteriorating. Prince Ghazi writes, "In short, we are still a long way away from where we could and should be. We must do more. It is now time for a common deed."

If your lawn has weeds, and you mow your lawn, the weeds will return. Unless you get down on your knees with your $2 weeder and take the weeds out by the roots, the weeds will return. At Madonna's concert a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim hug. This is a short form version of the photo op called the Parliament of the World's Religions to be held next week in Melbourne, Australia.

Once upon a time in the late 1800's a game was invented by a man named Sheldon Hockey called ice hockey. The governing body is the 66 nation International Ice Hockey Federation. In hockey two teams skate around and use their hockey sticks to shoot the puck into the net. Helmets are not allowed. The rules command the players to use their hockey sticks to spear their opponents in the eyes. The team with the last player standing with at least one eye is declared the winner.

Every five years the nations meet to discuss how their game can be played without anyone losing their eyes. 10,000 hockey enthusiasts come from all over the world to find the solution. There are world famous speakers and workshops and sing alongs but the players continue to lose their eyeballs. At the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions Deepak Chopra, brother of famed golfer Daniel Chopra said, "Religions are divisive; religions must evolve; a new tradition must evolve."

Jesus Christ the Jewish born Rabbi and Messiah of Christianity and Islam said that when he returned to save the world, he would command his Angels to bring the 3 billion Christians, Muslims and Jews and everyone else, and the 2 tablets carved in stone by God of Mount Sinai Himself into the new Temple of Love of God of Mount Sinai and Unite, and gather up the tares, the poisonous weeds, the Old Testaments, the New Testaments and the Korans, with their countless commands to kill all non group members and throw them into the fire. (Matt. 13:24-43).

Unfortuantely this will not happen. The people will continue to spear each other's eyes out to get into Heaven, and attend interfaith peace conferences like the Parliament of the World's Religions, listen to speakers, sing songs and promise to meet again in 5 years. Unfortunately we will not be here in 5 years because we are about to follow the rules in our bibles and nuke all life on earth into the dirt to get into Heaven. Our religious leaders, our blind guides have us convinced that in order to bring about the advent of the Messiah and save the world we must first nuke all life on Earth into the dirt in the Apocalypse, Nuclear World War III.

Jesus Christ said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." This means that the people of Earth must unite. On the website of the Parliament of the World's Religions "About Us" "Our Mission" "Our Approach" they say "The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions seeks to promote interreligious harmony, rather than unity. The problem with seeking unity among religions is the risk of loss of the unique and precious character of each individual religious and spiritual tradition." No eye may be spared.

Karen Fish is a writer currently living in Los Angeles California.
The Temple of Love http://www.thetempleoflove.com/

Pope Benedict's Invitation to the World's Religious and Policymaking Communities

The furious reaction that ensued following Pope Benedict XVI's September 12 lecture at the University of Regensburg all but drowned out the vital issue he was raising, not to mention his invitation for cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue. His lecture was not about Islam, or disrespect for Islam as a number of Muslim critics decried, but about the role of reason in the context of religion. That is a universal issue that extends to all the world's religions and beyond.

Early in the lecture, the Pope quoted a 14th century dialogue carried out between Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and a Persian scholar. At the time, a decaying Byzantine Empire was facing a growing struggle with a rising and expanding Ottoman Empire. That struggle had religious overtones. Therefore, the fact that the Emperor raised a key question concerning religion and religious doctrine is not at all surprising.

Emperor Manuel's preeminent argument was that, in general, violence is incompatible with religion. Under such an assumption, coercion in the name of religion is also inappropriate. "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul... not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature... Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats," the Emperor argued. "To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death," he added. In short, Manuel II felt that religious decrees needed to be constrained by what is reasonable.

That constraint of "reasonableness" extends beyond religious doctrine, especially in the post-Enlightenment world. Secular policy is constrained by "reasonableness." The Laws of War that have evolved since the 19th century offer a classic example. For example, under the Laws of War, it is reasonable for military combatants to target one another. However, it is unreasonable and, therefore, unlawful for military combatants to make civilians who cannot defend themselves their targets.

In his lecture, the Pope decried modern efforts to restrict the role of reason to matters that are observable or testable. Instead, he advocated a broader role for reason, one that extends to religious concepts and teachings, in addition to matters of science. Toward that end, far from seeking to isolate Muslims, the Pope called for a "dialogue of cultures and religions". He asserted that such a dialogue is "urgently needed today." Keeping with his theme, he also asserted, "The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason... this is the program with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time... It is to this...breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures."

That is an inclusive and tolerant message that his angry critics missed or ignored. In terms of foreign policy, the Pope's point is crucial. Unless states and leaders are willing to limit the means by which they pursue their policy objectives to discourse, the threat of violence or war will always remain very high. Diplomacy seeks to offer an alternative to war. It attempts to resolve disputes or pursue common ends though dialogue, persuasion, and compromise. Diplomacy is premised on the assumption that people are reasonable. If so, people can accommodate one another in finding common ground or forging an agreement that best protects their core needs or advances their interests. Moreover, modern free societies are founded on the idea that reason not force is society's arbiter. By any other assumption, free societies would simply cease to be feasible.

Apparently, the Pope's critics found his notion that "acting reasonably" applies to religion unreasonable or worse. For some, one can perhaps understand why. If religion demands that one act "reasonably," then the small number of extremists who seek to build a totalitarian caliphate based on their radical interpretation of Islam would no longer be able to justify their quest on religious grounds. If so, their endeavor would simply become just another totalitarian pursuit that has scarred human history and they would find themselves isolated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The university setting offered Pope Benedict an ideal forum for raising one of the big questions that has remained with humanity since the convergence of religion and reason and even earlier. In the best traditions of academe, it is exactly those big, difficult, and controversial questions that should be subject of rigorous inquiry, debate and discourse. Open debate on even controversial matters or deeply-held positions is what academic freedom is all about. Moreover, if people are "free to choose" (so long as they don't cause harm to others in the classical liberal tradition), then when it comes to matters of faith and conscience, persuasion ought to be the sole means by which opinions, views, or perspectives are formed or embraced. If the acts of people and states were constrained by a triumph of persuasion over coercion, then the resulting world would be far more peaceful and tolerant than it is today.

Nonetheless, Benedict's critics swept aside the Pope's message. Instead, they focused solely on Manuel II's challenge to the Persian scholar to "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." By doing so, they missed the Pope's invitation to greater interfaith dialogue and a pursuit of a more peaceful and tolerant future.

At a time when the world is facing a challenge posed by radical Islamist terrorists--as separate and distinct from Muslims and Islam--the world's Muslims have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate that what Mohammed "brought" was not the "evil and inhuman" coercion the Byzantine emperor feared, but in fact the kind of tolerance, co-existence, and role of reason that prevailed at the height of Classical Islamic greatness. Moderate Muslims have an opportunity to protect their faith from the extremists' interpretations. Those radical interpretations seek to divide the world's peoples between the "faithful" and "infidels," justify the use of force for earthly purposes of raw aggression and conquest, and impose a totalitarian coercion that suffocates people's freedom to live and worship as they see fit. It is strictly those radical interpretations that are "inhuman" and in need of being delegitimized and disassociated from Islam.

Benedict's message, if it is taken to heart and preserved in its proper context, plants the seeds for helping launch that process. Its call for a "dialogue of cultures and religions" is an invitation that both the world's religious communities and its policymakers should accept. It is that dialogue that could offer the world a new "Road Map" that just might lead to the kind of increased peace and tolerance that seems so elusive in the first decade of the 21st century.

Don Sutherland has researched and written on a wide range of geopolitical issues.