Posted on 04/18/2007 5:35:28 PM PDT by jdm
Apr 18, 2007 — "Ismail-Ax." These two words were scribbled in red ink on the arm of Seung-hui Cho, the 23-year-old Virginia Tech student who killed 32 others and then himself in a bloody rampage Monday.Cho was an English major and poet whose writings had raised eyebrows in the past. But what could "Ismail-Ax" mean? Is the phrase spiritual, poetic or just a bizarre expression of a troubled student?
Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. EDT
One "Nightline" viewer recognized "Ismail-Ax" from a poem he had read by Drum Hadley, the 1960s beat poet. The poem is called the "The Goat Ranchers" and in it Hadley, under the pseudonym Yonder Ridgeline, writes about "Ishmael's Ax."
Here's the excerpt:
Went where they'd herded goats when they were kids,
Went where they were lovers,
Went where they were married here, those fifty years ago.
Traces of Ishmael's ax on the scarred trunks of the cedar trees,
Crossing the canyons and winding arroyos.Do you know the meaning behind "Ismail-Ax?" Let us know on the "Nightline" message board.
While some may see a parallel, this poem does not have a disastrous ending like the tragedy in Virginia. Hadley writes of a couple, married 50 years, reflecting on their time together.
Others recognize the name Ismail for its religious significance . A similar name, Ishmael, is widely known as the name of the eldest son of Abraham, father of the Israelites. He appears in the Christian, Muslim and Islamic faiths, and his character is both revered and criticized throughout all three religions.
According to Strong's Dictionary, the name "Ishmael" literally translates as "God will hear."
With the origin of "Ismail-Ax" still unknown, the Internet has erupted with people trying to decipher its true meaning. Perhaps they hope that unlocking the secret behind "Ismail-Ax" will explain how a troubled kid could commit an act so terrible.
If he was posessed by a Demon, He could not have been saved since the Holy Spirit takes residence in the body of a believer and will not tolerate a demonic presence.
Therefore I would say with a high degree of certainty that Mr. Hui went to hell. the only possibility that he could have gone to heaven, was if he repented and accepted Christ as Saviour.
But I find this unlikely from the testimony of the witenesees that said he turned the gun on himself immediately after killing.
This is waaaaaaaaay off to be sure.
I know this is out there... but on google I saw USA 88: and A. Revol is one of the researchers re: Genes, Bacteria Abortus, which looks to be something to do with Mad Cow Disease and is the cause of abortions in cattle and can infect humans.
One of you bioscience folks have to look at it.
First I thought it was Cooper’s writings since he was an English major or Beebesworth’s article on Slate on March 20th that dealt with children who killed (obviously she had travelled to Africa and other places on this... it matches, maybe he read that as well). Be back with link, found it googling Ismail X right after we found the gun dealer on gun forums), Koranic, Biblical, videos we found. Could be a combo, who knows. Doesn’t explain his training though.
May not be so far ‘out there’ since the perp speaks in his video ramblings of ‘you’ poisoning his brain.
What I thought Cho may have read as well:
http://www.slate.com/id/2162848/
The Beebesworth article has disappeared for some reason, digging to see if I copied the whole thing or if I can find the cache.
Interesting, thanks. I’ll see if I can find it too.
There is also some rigorous doctrinal arguments that once a person is saved with a regenerated human spirit, they are always saved and belong to Him. It still remains possible for the believer to backslide and fall into degeneracy, becoming susceptible to demonic influence (not possession), and in such a degenerate stage perform any number of criminal and insane acts, including murder and suicide. In such a backsliden state, the carnal believer simply fails to advance in sanctification, and scars their soul becoming more susceptible to sin and its consequences of evil and human good separate from divine good.
It isn’t fruitful to ask if a person is saved for heaven or lacking salvation, because that lowers Christ to man rather than man to Him via faith through Him. Instead we simply remain in fellowship with Him through faith in Christ by simply returning to Him and confessing any known or unknown sins to God through faith in Christ and He is sure and just to forgive us those sins, returning us into fellowship with Him again. (see 1stJohn 1:9)
The ‘Ismail Ax’ penname does suggest a common tendency amongst Muslims to attempt to have relationship with God, independent of faith through Christ.
This results in tendencies to confuse morality with salvation or sanctification. The person who refuses faith in Christ has nothing of righteous merit with which God in His immutable nature of righteousness may have relationship.
Perfect righteousness may only have relationship with perfect righteousness. Any association with even the slightest of unrighteousness demands perfect justice.
This manifests a difference between faith through Christ and any other attempt to have a relationship with God.
We know faith through Christ is considered righteous by the Father because it is the same as the faith if Christ on the Cross (Rom 3:22-24).
Many Muslims might attempt to have a relationship with God by attempting to perform some work or exercise a faith in justice rather than simple faith in Christ. If their faith is the same as Christ on the Cross, then they have a surety of a saving faith. Unfortunately, as one becomes mired in sin, and attempts to find justice without faith in Christ, there will be a strong temptation to promote justice of unrighteousness whereever it is observed.
IMHO, I suspect in the case of this murderer, he may have indeed observed unrighteousness in others. He may have allowed his thinking to begin judging that unrighteousness he perceived without faith in God by God’s method of handling issues. This led to a number of arrogant thinking processes, which when left unchecked simply consumed his thinking to the point of criminal behavior and ultimately leaving him good for nothingness.
I would go one step further.
I have always thought that Islam, as a religion, had its roots in Ishmael (Mohammed ‘s ancestor) still trying to be Isaac (Israel).
I have always thought that the parallels go back to Lucifer wanting to be God.
We are dealing with deep spiritual forces here, not that anyone in the MSM has the depth to understand such things.
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Amen Happygrl!! I agree wholeheartedly!
Thx, Happy. Good point and I cannot disagree; sounds good at first hearing and I'll prayponder your "theory." Isn't it amazing and fascinating how there are SO many layers to be discovered in the Bible?
BTW, have you ever read or listened to Chuck Missler? His ministry is awesome if you like peeling back the layers, seeing what's beneath the plaintext, etc.
MM
LOL
His Bible teachings have depths and depths.
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