Posted on 08/26/2010 5:00:01 AM PDT by scottfactor
It's time to state some plain truths that will not necessarily help me win friends and influence enemies. And if you are offended by talk of things spiritual, you may want to tune out right now, because I'm going to talk about God and the devil.
For so long I keep hearing people ask why are Christians so maligned and hated? And why are Islamists suddenly getting all this religious freedom support from the American left that doesn't give a rip about freedom of religion for Christians? Why is the left standing up with vigorous indignation toward those who oppose the Ground Zero mosque?
The answer is stunningly simple, but it's not an answer that everyone wants to accept, and that's fine, too, because—again—I’m not trying to score the Miss Congeniality trophy. The truth is never popular in this world.
Unless we are prepared to realize that there's more to our world than meets the eye, then we will never understand why these things are.
Our world is run by powers that we can't see with our eyes. Of course, there are people who are world leaders, who run our physical world, but there are spiritual forces that influence all of us, whether we acknowledge them or not. There are two forces at work here: the forces of heaven and the forces of hell, and there are no others. There is one God, one Creator of all we see. He sent his son, Jesus, to bridge the unbridgeable gap between God and man, and it is done. The forces of hell under Satan are fully and actively aligned against God and his people in a furious and deadly spiritual battle.
Evidence of this truth is clearly seen everywhere we look. Christians and Christianity are under a constant assault and always have been, whether it's the ACLU in their crusade to purge any sign or hint of Christianity from the public square, or the murdering of Christians around the world by practitioners of the "religion of peace," or even the snide, slanderous and libelous portrayal of Christians by the media, Hollywood and academia.
On the surface, the hatred the world has for Christianity seems irrational and disproportionate, in that Biblical Christians are not people who should normally engender such deep, frothing hatred in others. Though we are all fallen and struggle daily with sin, those who know Christ and strive to live according to his words are generally kind people, not offensive people. Unless we realize that the irrational hatred for Christianity has its source in the spirit realm which infects the hearts of men, then it makes no sense that Christians should be so reviled by the world.
Where it makes sense is in the unseen spirit realm. The forces of hell have as their mission the destruction of God's people and creation. Satan and his minions are beings of eternal hatred, and their hatred will never be quenched. They despise all of humanity, not just Christians, but it is those who have the Spirit of the Lord living in them that are the recipients of the most vicious of hell's hate.
Christians are the top targets of the enemies of God in the spirit realm, because God has revealed his truth--his Word--to humanity through the Jewish people (who also receive this hell-born hatred), and Christians, through Jesus, are the lovers and exhibitors of God's truth. The demonic forces of darkness cannot abide the presence of God, and their hellish hatred enters the hearts and minds of the people of the world—those who reject God—and it manifests itself in their maniacal hatred for all things Christian.
So, what does this have to do with why we see such glowing and loving support of the Islamists and the Ground Zero mosque by those on the left? Everything. As I said, I'm not trying to win friends here when I say this, but Islam is one of a number of world religions that is based on something other than the revealed truth of God. I know many will say, "How can you say that? Everyone who has a religion believes that his religion is the right one, so how can you say that Christianity is true, when the Islamists believe their way is the true way?" I cannot convince anyone of the truth, but I can say that it's mathematically impossible for both Islam and Christianity to be true. They contradict each other, as is the case with most of the world's religions.
The support that Islam receives is the support of the fallen world that created Islam. Satan is the god of this world, and he takes care of his own, although "care" is a perverse description of anything Satan does to his followers, since his way is the certain way to eternal death. Those who walk in darkness flock together; thus, we see the leftists in our country aligning themselves with the Islamists who have bad intentions toward our country. The common denominator between the two is spiritual darkness. They’re both on the same team.
It is those on the left who are such ardent supporters of the Ground Zero mosque. They are screaming that those of us who oppose it want to deny the Islamists their freedom of religion to build the mosque; that's a lie, and we know it. Those same leftists are the ones who scream for all evidence of the God of Christians to be removed from their sight and for his followers to never utter a prayer in the name of Jesus within their hearing. The split personality of these people is amazing to behold! But it makes perfect sense when you consider the spirit forces behind them. In their thinking, Islam is good, but Christianity is not.
In plain and politically incorrect English, Islam is an earthly ideology born in the heart of hell, and Christianity is born in the heart of God. I know many, many people will yell bloody murder at my assertion, but that's okay. The truth in all its offensive reality will stand, and all the lies of the world will fall and burn in the fire on the last day.
We must not be surprised that the world loves and supports the Islamists and their current plan to spit on Ground Zero with a victory mosque. We must not be surprised that the same world hates the followers of Christ. In John, chapter 15, Jesus himself told those of us who love him,
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
Those of us who are Christians must always take heart, because no matter how bad things get here in this world, we know that in the very end, we win.
Bingo ! Ping
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to STAND FIRM AGAINST THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL.
FOR OUR STRUGGLE IS NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST THE RULERS, AGAINST THE POWERS, AGAINST THE WORLD FORCES OF DARKNESS AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL FORCES OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17, Emphasis mine)
The fundamental reason why Islam is "Fine" and Christianity is not is =
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Islam rejects Him as God and as the ONLY savior of all of mankind, Islam also seeks to destroy The Lord Jesus Christ and anyone and every institution that honors and worships Him. Whereas biblical Christianity and Christians, worships, exalts and honors The Lord Jesus Christ as God, and as the ONLY savior of all of mankind = anyone and everyone who will put their faith/trust in Him (and in His finished work upon the cross), and in Him alone for the saving of their eternal souls.
Satan, and all who FOLLOW HIM, in the spiritual realm and upon this world (Including Islam and its followers), HATE and reject The Lord Jesus Christ and perpetually seek to destroy Him (which is impossible because He gained everlasting victory over them all at Calvary, as is demonstrated by His resurrection from the dead because God the Father was completely satisfied with His ONE sacrifice upon the cross for the sins of all of mankind throughout all of history) and everyone who believes in Him for their eternal salvation.
This is THE REASON why the world loves Islam and hates Christians and biblical Christianity = The Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the "Stone of stumbling", and THE ROCK of OFFENSE:
"For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a CHOICE STONE, a PRECIOUS CORNER STONE, And he who BELIEVES IN HIM will not be disappointed.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; BUT FOR THOSE WHO DISBLEIEVE, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING and a ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble BECAUSE THEY ARE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WORD, and to this DOOM they were also appointed." (1 Peter 2:6-8 Emphasis mine)
The world, it's system, mankind and Satanic forces hate The Lord Jesus Christ because in the end, HE IS GOING TO BE VICTORIOUS OVER THEM, He is going to DESTROY EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING THAT OPPOSES HIM and He is going to establish HIS KINGDOM forever. This prophecy is described in King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and in its interpretation:
(King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream =)
“You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
“The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
“You continued looking UNTIL A STONE WAS CUT WITHOUT HANDS, AND IT STUCK THE STATUE ON ITS FEET OF IRON AND CLAY AND CRUSHED THEM.
“THEN THE IRON, THE CLAY, THE BRONZE, THE SILVER AND THE GOLD WERE CRUSHED ALL AT THE SAME TIME AND BECAME LIKE CHAFF FROM THE SUMMER THRESHING FLOORS; AND THE WIND CARRIED THEM AWAY SO THAT NOT A TRACE OF THEM WAS FOUND (indicates TOTAL and UTTER destruction). BUT THE STONE THAT STRUCK THE STATUE BECAME A GREAT MOUNTAIN AND FILLED THE WHOLE EARTH.
(The Interpretation Of the Prophecy = Babylon the First Kingdom)
“This was the dream; NOW WE WILL TELL ITS INTERPRETATION before the king.
“You, O king (King Nebuchadnezzar), are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
(Medo-Persia and Greece =)
“AFTER YOU there will arise ANOTHER (a second) kingdom inferior to you, THEN ANOTHER THIRD kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
(Rome =)
“THEN there will be a FOURTH kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
(The Revived Roman Empire =)
“In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be A DIVIDED KINGDOM; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.
“As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.
“And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
(Christs Kingdom Established =)
“In the days of those kings THE GOD OF HEAVEN WILL SET UP A KINGDOM WHICH WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED, AND THAT KINGDOM WILL NOT BE LEFT FOR ANOTHER PEOPLE; IT WILL CRUSH AND PUT AN END TO ALL THESE KINGDOMS BUT IT WILL ITSELF ENDURE FOREVER.
“INASMUCH AS YOU SAW THAT A STONE THAT WAS CUT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN WITHOUT HANDS AND THAT IT CRUSHED THE IRON, THE BRONZE, THE CLAY, THE SILVER, AND THE GOLD, THE GREAT GOD HAS MADE KNOWN TO THE KING WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE FUTURE; so the dream is TRUE and its interpretation is TRUSTWORTHY.” (Daniel 2:31-45, Emphasis mine)
The Lord Jesus Christ is God, He is the ONLY person who can save men and mankind from their sin: " And there is SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE; for there is NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN that has been given among men by which we MUST BE SAVED.” (Acts 4:12). HE is the ONLY WAY, the ONLY TRUTH, the ONLY LIFE and NO MAN comes to God the Father EXCEPT THROUGH HIM (John 14:6).
This same Lord Jesus Christ is going to completely destroy this world of wicked, godless men, along with the Satanic spiritual forces of evil and darkness that are arrayed against Him and The Lord Jesus Christ is going to ultimately triumph over them all and He is going to establish His Kingdom.
Mankind perversely supports Islam and is "fine with" promoting ISLAM over Christianity because mankind refuses to bow the knee to Christ, because they HATE and REJECT The Lord Jesus Christ, and everyone and everything that believes in and honors Him.
I don’t think so.
Some of us remember growing up under the shadow of The Bomb ...
Sadly, the fortune-tellers, prognosticators, and predictors seem to be blind to the very real and amazing advances God's Kingdom is making through the world. They, like all of us, have their presuppositions. In their case, the fortune tellers, those who try to create maps of the future from God's Word, assume "as gospel" some things that "ain't necessarily so" -- such as, the inevitable global triumph of evil.
Now, if Jesus is Lord, why should we assume that evil doers must triumph? Psalm 2 represents God a giving human plotters just enough rope to hang themselves, then laughing derisively at their self-important impotence.
Those who are emotionally and spiritually committed to, and invested in, the global triumph of evil read their newspapers with those filters in place, cherry-picking the news for the factoids that support their expectations. The sudden fall of the Soviet Union, for example, caught them flat-footed. Their world view did not have room for a whole society, governing hundreds of millions of people, to suddenly and openly repudiate messianic atheism.
It almost seems racist. Those who have decided to serve as unpaid cheerleaders for the other team, those who delight to ballyhoo signs that antichrist is rising to power, are unable to see, appreciate, or applaud God's work in the "global south." Uganda applied the Bible to sexual morality, and the AIDS rate went from more than 30% of the population to single-digit percentiles in a decade -- but Ugandans are not white Americans, so obviously, their experience has nothing to teach us. Chinese Christians increased quietly from a few tens of thousands to nearly 100 million -- but the Chinese are not white Americans, so obviously, their experience has nothing to teach us.
Closer to home, none of the prognosticators seem to be aware of a quiet reformation underway today, one that has transformed millions of families. Good news simply does not register on their radar screens.
And some of these home school families are studying Arabic, Turkish, and Persian, with the goal of evangelizing Muslims. I mean, if Soviet Communism turned out to be a house of cards, that crumbled almost overnight, could God not do the same to Islam? Another question: will we be ready if a billion of our neighbors suddenly lose faith in Islam, and seek credible alternatives? Well, we won't be ready if we're playing fortune-telling games, and assuming our God is powerless to deliver.
Being a fortune-teller must be an awfully sad way to live. May God grant us deliverance from the doomsayer's influence.
Wow. This is one of the most profound questions I've seen around here in a long time.
Thank you very much! I appreciate your support of my article.
:-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.