Revelation
13:5 KJV And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and
two months.
“There was given ...”
The
word given is the Greek word didōmi; reduplicated from the
root δο- do-; to
give(in various senses lit. or
fig.): - add (1), allow (2), bestowed
(4), cause
So
one might say the beast was:
given
allowed
bestowed
with
or
caused to
To
what? We will get to that.
If
the beast, in this passage, is not a man, then who or what is being
given a spokesman/mouth? Think about it. The dragon gives the beast
not only power, but now either the beast or some aspect of the beast
is given a spokesman.
In
one of my recent posts we gained a strong visual description of a
beast. I believe that though not defined, this is the same beast, and
it looks nothing like a man.
Revelation
13:1-2 KJV And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and
upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of
blasphemy. (2) And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and
his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him
his power, and his seat, and great authority.
If
this beast, in its original state, has multiple heads (ruling bodies)
and is shaped like something that looks like it could be interpreted
as three different animals, then where could God have gotten
something that matches that image?
As
I read Daniel one day it occurs to me that Daniel was shown in a
vision a modern map with the nations marked out that matched that of
the Babylonian empire, the Medo-Persian empire, Alexandrian empire,
and the Ottoman empire. The Roman empire may have been there but out
of context, for the angel did not speak to Daniel of the Roman
empire, but he did speak of a mystery empire and said, it is not like
the others.
Try
describing the outline of what you see when you look at the
territories these nations embodied. Something that should catch your
attention is that they are all heavily, if not primarily Muslim. Two,
they, if you use your imagination, look like they could easily
represent the three animals that Revelation 13:1-2 describes. I can
hear many of you scoffing and laughing; really? I have never been
able to look up at a sky full of stars and say, oh! I see Capricorn,
or Sagittarius. I think you get the picture, and yet you are far more
agreeable with that line of thinking. Sadly many of you follow
Astrology more closely than you follow God.
“unto
him...”
We
have not changed subjects or context. The “him” is the same as in
verse 2 of Revelation, and the him is not identifiable as a man as
yet. It is however an authoritative body or an angel with a distinct
name, and yet that name is not given. I can make a huge assumption
here with the name Allah.
If
this beast is the demonic/fallen angel whose name is Allah, then it
makes all the sense in the world for Satan/the dragon to transfer his
power to him. No one is looking in the right direction, they all have
their attention turned to Satan, the deceiver, while this whatever
gears up the Muslim world against anything that looks like God, and
obtains a spokes person that is so charismatic, handsome, and
authoritative that no one challenges him.
Consider
this. Islam is founded upon Mohammed relating what an angel, an angel
which tried to kill him, told him. No one in Islam, in comparison to
men like Moses or Abraham, has ever heard from God and yet they call
him Allah and anxiously await his two representatives, the 12th
or hidden Imam, and his deputy Jesus.
What
did Paul tell us believers?
Galatians
1:8 NASB But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to
you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be
accursed!
Sadly
Mohammed did not hear this message, but we have, and we should have
our eyes wide open so that we are not deceived.
If
you're a believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the risen one from
the dead, then this detailed description of the Islamic Jesus should
be an eye opener.
Isa
( Arabic:
عيسى, Transliteration:
ʿĪsā
), known as Jesus
in the New
Testament
is considered to be a Messenger
of God
and the Masih
(Messiah)
in Islam[1]
who was sent to guide the Children
of Israel
(banī
isrā'īl)
with a new scripture, the Injīl
or Gospel.[2]
The belief in Jesus (and all other messengers of God) is required in
Islam, and a requirement of being a Muslim.
The Quran
mentions Jesus by name twenty-five times, while it only mentions
Muhammad
by name four times.[3][4]
It states that Jesus was born to Mary
(Arabic:
Maryam)
as the result of virginal
conception,
a miraculous event which occurred by the decree of God
(Arabic: Allah).
To aid in his ministry to the Jewish
people, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles
(such as healing the blind, bringing dead people back to life, etc.),
all by the permission of God rather than of his own power. According
to the Quran, Jesus, although appearing to have been crucified, was
not killed by crucifixion
or by any other means, instead, "God raised him unto Himself".
Like all prophets
in Islam,
Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim
(i.e., one who submits to the will of God), as he preached that his
followers should adopt the "straight path" as commanded by
God. Islam rejects the Trinitarian
Christian
view that Jesus was God
incarnate
or the son
of God,
that he was ever crucified
or resurrected,
or that he ever atoned
for the sins of mankind. The Quran says that Jesus himself never
claimed any of these things, and it furthermore indicates that Jesus
will deny having ever claimed divinity at the Last Judgment, and God
will vindicate him.[5]
The Quran emphasizes that Jesus was a mortal human being who, like
all other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God's message.
Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God (shirk),
emphasizing a strict notion of monotheism
(tawhīd).
Numerous titles are
given to Jesus in the Quran and in Islamic
literature,
the most common being al-Masīḥ
("the
messiah"). Jesus is also, at times, called "Seal of the
Israelite Prophets", because, in general Muslim belief, Jesus
was the last prophet
sent by God
to guide the
Children of Israel. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to
Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter's
coming.[6][7]Jesus
in Islam From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I
am not speaking this way, nor sharing this information with you to
berate Islam. I am trying to get believers in Jesus Christ and God's
word to open their eyes and their minds to something outside of
persistent tradition. It is this tradition that has kept your
understanding clouded and darkened, and prevents you from seeing the
truth.
Let
me just add that scripture tells us that God will awaken the people
of Iran and Egypt to revival. He will pour out his spirit upon them
and pull them into the kingdom. It is happening as we speak. Stand in
the way and you will get run over. Join me in prayer for the people
of the mid-east as God invades their lives with dreams and vision,
and awakens them to life. Jesus Christ, the son of God is life and
life cannot be found in any other.
“ a
mouth ...”
If
we had talked about a man he would have already had a mouth. I
believe that this is telling us that whoever or whatever this is
suddenly has spokesman. If the beast is Allah then the spokesman
becomes the coming Mahdi who is supposed to speak for Allah. Makes
sense doesn't it?
If
this is an authoritative body such as Islam, then someone has to
speak for it. Currently many seem to be speaking for Islam. Their
stories are not that much different, but this passage clearly
indicates that one person will step forward.
As
I was writing on my notepad I could not pull my mind away from a
video I watched of Ken Peters as he told of a dream he had about the
time immediately after the rapture. As I began to search the Internet
to find it again so many had been removed due to copyright
infringements. I found this link and it is still up.
What
I valued about this man was his humility. What I remember was the
imagery that I saw in my spirit as he described the image of the
smooth talking Antichrist that showed up on every large screen.
Somehow I could see this face on an electronic billboard next to the
freeway. Keep in mind that Ken would not have known of video images
of that size even being capable at that time, and besides that we did
not even have cell phones in 1981. I do not think that most people
comprehend the confusion and terror that will ensue immediately after
the rapture of the church. Those who have been on the edge of truth,
such as cult religious groups, will be wailing as they realize that
they had been deceived.
“..speaking great things.”
The
old standard, The King James version says it well but does give us
the depth I feel we need to understand what this spokesman is doing.
Revelation
13:5 KJV And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months.
Read
this version which still does not translate the seriousness and
nature of the this spokesman but is taking us more toward the right
direction.
Revelation
13:5 NIrV The beast was given a mouth to brag and speak evil
things against God. The beast was allowed to use his authority
for 42 months.
We
tend to apply great
to ball players that get inducted into the hall of fame, and if that
is the connotation God intended for us to apply then this must be a
great guy and we need to listen to him.
I
referred you to a Ken Peters video in which he described a spokesman
who comes on the scene after the rapture of the church. This
spokesman in his 1981 dream was handsome, smooth talking, and no one
contested anything he implemented.
If
I were to analyze the word based upon what I think or understand then
I would say the first word that comes to mind is boastful. I
associate that term with sports “jocks”, even if they are
incapable of competing themselves they are self-enamored and
arrogant.
Suppose
that this spokesman's talk pertains more toward the plans he has.
That becomes scary if it involves the loss of more of my rights at
his pleasure.
The
Greek word for great is MEGAS. Does Great White Shark ring a bell.
megas;
a prim. word; great:
- abundant (1), all
the more (1), arrogant (1), big (2), completely *(1), fierce (2), -
From New American Standard(r) Updated Edition Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, has spewed forth great things
such as how his nation will wipe Israel off the map. President Morsi
of Egypt has also been saying great things, again directed at
Israel's destruction.
As
a side note: Moses was asked to be God's spokesman, a mouth so to
speak to Israel. The oddity is that he complained that he could not
speak. A strange statement having been raised in the Egyptian courts
where he may have been trained to be a Pharaoh.
“and blasphemies..”
Focus
on the word blasphemies for a moment. Christians have spoken in fear
of this word since Christianity began, mostly because they were not
solidly fixed on the hope we have in Christ, and they did not have a
confidence and trust in God; fearing that they might have said a
blasphemous thing that would exclude them from God's presence. It is
sickening what we have done to ourselves. The other side of this fear
comes from preachers and people using the word to control and
manipulate people.
Do
you not understand that Christ's death was enough, and that he paid
the price for sin, ONCE, for all.
Jesus
Christ defined blasphemy for us as he accosted the Pharisees for
attributing the things of God to the devil.
Mark
3:22-30 NASB The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out
the demons by the ruler of the demons." (23) And He called
them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can
Satan cast out Satan? (24) "If a kingdom is divided against
itself, that kingdom cannot stand. (25) "If a house is divided
against itself, that house will not be able to stand. (26) "If
Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand,
but he is finished! (27) "But no one can enter the strong man's
house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man,
and then he will plunder his house. (28) "Truly I say to you,
all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies
they utter; (29) but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never
has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- (30)
because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
What
did this spokesman say that caused him to be labeled a blasphemer?
The passage at hand does not tell us, but the next one might give us
a clue.
Revelation
13:6 CEV The beast cursed God, and it cursed the name of God. It
even cursed the place where God lives, as well as everyone who lives
in heaven with God.
So
he talks big and has the support to carry out what he says, but in
addition he speaks against God. It almost seems that the mouth
attributes anything we would consider Godly to another god, a satanic
empowered entity. Remember – the dragon/Satan empowers the beast
which can be an individual or a character, perhaps demonic, with a
name like Allah.
Odd
how silent Dake's is on this blasphemy aspect. The concept of
blasphemy is huge in religious circles. Many are quick to point out
what they feel is blasphemy on our part, while others worry if they
have committed the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit.
If
Jesus defined blasphemy as attributing his good works to the devil
then what does it look like when the emissary of the dragon, the
Antichrist does it. As a representative of Satan, empowered by Satan,
his statements feel like truth to him. Therefore the words of Jesus
Christ, the truth in the flesh, the man Islam calls the Dijal, would
be the words of evil and the Antichrist should feel compelled to
denigrate the name of God and his son.
“and there was given to him
authority to go on for forty-two months.”
Revelation
13:5 KJV And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty
and two months.
42
months; that equals three and one half years. That should register
loudly for that takes us half way through the time of wrath or the
tribulation years.
Hang
on, let's talk about the tribulation for a moment. I have held that
the tribulation comes after the rapture. I feel as though I have a
solid foundation for believing that, and it has to do with Jesus'
statements in Matthew 25. In Matthew's gospel he relates how Noah and
Lot were rescued just prior to the judgment that fell on the people.
(I have a friend who is adamant that judgment is merely specific
periods and not the entire time frame.) Apply some logical thought
based upon context. Part of our context comes from Matthew's gospel
as well as the Old Testament prophets. If you read both of those
stories from your bible you will find that trouble was all around
these two heroes of the bible.
To be
painfully honest and a little sarcastic, some people think
tribulation is not being able to upgrade your car so that it excels
your neighbors. This sickens me, and I suspect it sickens God as
well. Folks, unless you have lived under a rock, there are many of us
that are surrounded by trouble. Some are being killed and others
suffer through constant stress and threats of physical harm in their
daily lives. Tribulation comes in many forms, but do not tell me that
the Christians of Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, India, Egypt, Iran, Syria,
etc., are not facing hard tribulation as we speak.
Be
clear on this. The tribulation that is coming will make these daily
tribulations look like a trip through Disneyland.
“And he opened his mouth”
Revelation
13:6 NASB And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to
blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in
heaven.
“The
beast cursed God, and it cursed the name of God.”
The
rapture comes and almost simultaneously the Mahdi of Islam shows up.
We have called this man who is to come the mouth/spokesman, but Islam
calls him the Mahdi.
In Islamic
eschatology, the Mahdi
(Arabic:
مهدي
/
ISO 233: mahdī /
English: Guided One) is the prophesied redeemer of Islam
who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years- (according to
various interpretations)[1]
before the Day of Judgment (yawm al-qiyamah / literally, the
Day of Resurrection)[2]
and will rid the world of evil.[3]
Isa
will return to aid Mahdi,
or the guided one, against Masih
ad-Dajjal, the false messiah, and his
followers.[5]
He will descend at the point of a white arcade, east of Damascus,
dressed in yellow robes with his head anointed[citation
needed]. He will then join the Mahdi
in his war against the Dajjal.
Isa will slay Dajjal,
and unite humanity.Sahih
Muslim, 41:7023
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi)
Do you
find any correlations in here?
If the
rapture has comes and almost simultaneously the Mahdi orchestrates a
seven-year peace agreement with Israel and almost immediately they
begin building the temple once again.
Whoa!
How and where did Israel get the temple mount land back? Islam is not
going to give that mosque up for a second, so something else
cataclysmic happens that makes it possible for Israel to rebuild the
temple. (Read Ezekiel 38, 39) A war in which God steps in and
intervenes, and it sounds like it has a nuclear aspect to it for
God's fire falls on a multitude of Muslim nations.
We
tend to assume that the Antichrist gives Israel the freedom to take
back what they need to build their temple. Don't plan on it.
What
else is happening at the same time?
The
two witnesses from God show up. I strongly suspect they will take an
active role in the protection of the temple during the time they are
on the earth. How would I know that? Because they spew fire out of
their mouths at anyone that attempts to harm them. Take this thought
one step farther. The first attempts to kill the witnesses might be
with bricks thrown at them. Those men will be burned up and will not
get the opportunity to throw their bricks. Seeing that men cannot get
close them they will bring out the guns. Obvious frontal attacks will
not work and those men will be toasted. Snipers will be brought in to
kill them, and they will be killed with fire from the mouths of the
witnesses. You are not even going to take them until God says so,
just like Jesus who told the Romans that they could do nothing if he
had not permitted it.
The
two witnesses stand in Jerusalem for how long? The same amount of
time that it takes for the Antichrist/mouth/spokesman to break the
treaty with Israel. So three and one half years after the rapture all
hell breaks loose. The Antichrist may not wait until that time frame
to speak against the tabernacle of God, and it is purely conjecture
to assume that the tabernacle would be the new temple, but it is a
logical choice.
Who is in heaven at this point?
The
rapture has come and gone, so who is in heaven at this point?
What
purpose does it serve to blaspheme God and those who cannot hear you,
and you cannot harm? None, unless you believe that what you are
saying is true, and wish to convince others.
Islam
believes in one god, theirs, and his name is Allah. The devout, they
are called Twelvers in Muslim circles, those who anxiously await the
last prophet, Imam al- Mahdi, also await their Jesus/Isa. This Jesus
is not the same as the Son of God who is returning for his church.
Their Jesus fits precisely into the mold of the false prophet of
scripture.
If you
awaited someone who was in complete opposition to God what do you
expect him to say. For one he will demand that the people of the
earth worship no one but the image of the beast that is made to
speak.
We are
not there yet but the beast of Revelation 17 looks remarkably like
the beast of Revelation 13. One is Satan, the other looks like Satan
and obtains his power. The Antichrist is Satan's representative on
earth.
“..to make war with the saints and
to overcome them..”
Revelation
13:7 NASB It was also given to him to make war with the saints and
to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and
tongue and nation was given to him.
Again
we see that part of his empowerment is to make war with the saints.
We
should already know the answer to this but who are the Saints? Anyone
who comes to Jesus Christ after the rapture and lives out this
testimony by their words and actions. The majority will lose their
heads as martyrs and some will be imprisoned. Revelation 13:10 is
rather cryptic in the King James but look at some of the other
translations and you get a clear picture of saints taken prisoner.
Revelation
13:10 CEV If you are doomed to be captured, you will be captured. If
you are doomed to be killed by a sword, you will be killed by a
sword. This means that God's people must learn to endure and be
faithful!
If
you think going through the tribulation as a believer will be easy
you are wrong. Though it is possible that it is all just a nasty
rumor the Department of Homeland Security is buying 2700 tank like
vehicles and enough bullets for a 24 year war. Why? Internal
security.
Why
is this important in light of the Antichrist's making was on the
saints? Because though some might feel secure in saying that the
influence of the Antichrist will only be in the middle east, there
are clear signs that even in the United States of America
preparations are being made to apprehend and inter anyone that speaks
out against the government or fails to comply. FEMA already has the
pow camps ready. So do not be oblivious to the signs around you.
What
is it that scripture calls on us to do about it? Not to panic, PRAY.
We who pray are holding back the enemy until we, the church, are
returned to the Father's arms.
I
falsely thought that once Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth,
that he no longer had any place in heaven, but then in my studies I
am reminded of Job's episode where Satan presents himself before God
and discusses Job in particular. Obviously I was wrong, but in
Revelation 12 we have Satan finally excluded from the presence of God
where he has been busy pointing out our failures before God.
Revelation
12:13 KJV And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Finally
thrown out he goes after the woman, Israel. Is that happening as we
speak? You bet it is. God protects Israel who escapes out of the
grasp of the enemy. Angered the dragon, now empowering the
Antichrist, goes after those left on earth who belong to God.
Revelation
12:17 KJV And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make
war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
It
is obvious that there is a timing here and it primarily happens
within the 7 years of wrath. The idea of the beast making war against
the saints indicates an active pursuit.
Concerning power over all.
Again,
to those who cling to a strict middle eastern conflict, there is the
aspect of Revelation 13:7 KJV which states:
“and
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
The
word kindred
in the Greek is phulē
and means tribe.
When dealing with the Middle eastern people what is their identity
wrapped up in? Tribes. For the scripture to say that the beast has
power over kindred, then is it not saying that he has power over his
own?
There
is a common thread, almost like DNA, that runs through the nations
involved in gathering against Israel and are represented by the
beast. Since I believe that our last beast is the Islamic empire, but
explicitly starts with the Babylonian empire, from where? The
birthplace of Abraham. Challenged, Muslims will quickly trace their
heritage back to Abraham. This tends to enforce the idea of having a
global effect as you look at all the nations in which Islam has
grasped a solid hold.
Dake's
goes to great lengths discussing 15 proofs that the Antichrist will
not be world-wide. I have pondered these ideas and a few of my own
and I can definitely say I am not sure.
The
idea that everyone must take a mark to buy or sell.
Even
with the advanced technology in the world there are still places in
the world that run on the barter system and do just fine.
I
listened to Walid Shoebat speak about the mark of the beast and he
says this concept is strongly an Islamic practice.
Jizya
- From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
“
Under Islamic
law, jizya or
jizyah (Arabic:
جزية
ǧizyah
IPA: [dʒizja];
Ottoman
Turkish: cizye;)
is a per
capita tax
levied on a section of an Islamic
state's non-Muslim
citizens, who meet certain criteria. The
tax is and was to be levied on able-bodied adult males of military
age and affording power[1]
(but with specific exemptions).[2][3]
From the point of view of the Muslim rulers, jizya was a material
proof of the non-Muslims' acceptance of subjection to the state and
its laws, "just as for the inhabitants it was a concrete
continuation of the taxes paid to earlier regimes."[4]
In return, non-Muslim citizens were permitted to practice their
faith, to enjoy a measure of communal autonomy, to be entitled to
the Muslim state's protection from outside aggression, and to be
exempted from military
service and the zakat
taxes obligatory upon Muslim citizens.[5][6”
This
idea of subordination that allows to you continue living as you are
without complying with the demands of worship sounds so benign. To
bad it won't happen that way during Antichrist's war against the
saints. While we made it clear that many will be captured and
probably tortured, most will be killed as they refuse to comply.
According
to Walid Shoebat the idea of taking a mark is not a new idea either.
He noted in the movie, The Kingdom of heaven in which the
crusaders were beaten down and captured by Saladin, the one thing
that the movie captured well, according to Walid Shoebat, was that
the armies of Saladin
had arm bands and head bands that had the same words found in the
Arabic translation of the bible, which the early bible translators
interpreted as 666. Those words in Arabic convey, “There is no god
but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger!” You will be forced to
identify as one who complies with the demands of Allah and false
prophet.
I
tried to find a photo of this armband. Many wear alternate versions
that state the same things. The except below is from an Islamic
website. Note how they define what you do to become a Muslim.
There
is no god except Allah and Muhammad is a messenger of Allah.
This
is the statement that qualifies someone as a Muslim. If you are
convinced of this at some point then you are a Muslim.
Formally
someone becomes a Muslim by saying - in front of witnesses - "I
witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is a
messenger of Allah."
To understand this
statement fully some explanation is needed of the word 'god'. A god
is understood to mean anything or anyone who you use to set your
values in life; to determine how you judge a matter as good or bad
and how therefore you live your life. A god is also someone or
something that people try to keep happy so that it may be able to
change their lives and make those people happy. Since every human
being by nature forms value judgments everyone has at least one god.
What is your god? Is
it your desires? - Is it your work? - Is it fashion? - Is it your
family? - Is it your nation? - Is it your church?
Whatever
your gods may be, becoming a Muslim frees you from the service of
them and brings you to the service of Allah and only Allah.
http://www.islamic.org.uk/shahada.htm
Think
about where else you might have seen something like this marking.
Under Nazi occupation the Jews were forced
to wear a yellow star of David and beneath it was the word Juden.
That way they were easily identified.
Scripture
makes it clear that taking the mark and worshiping the beast will
exclude you from God's presence for ever.
There
is no country in which Islam is not a growing concern.
Given
that “the prince” or the “mouth” comes out of the people who
destroyed the temple, then that tends to make him a middle easterner
and most likely a Muslim.
Dake's
states, “all these passages is simply a figure of speech –
synochdoche in which a whole is put for a part..” Do we have an
example of this? Absolutely. When Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to
bow before his statue scripture tells us that everyone did except
the 3 hebrew children (It is specific about noting them for they are
an part of God's influence on Nebuchadnezzar and an aspect of
Daniel's life.) and yet Daniel was not there. Clearly the words
everyone did not work here.
Dake's
also points out that Revelation 13 itself limits the kingdom of
Antichrist to the 10 kingdoms.
This
idea makes sense but here are a couple of problems I have with it.
Even without the unity of the 10, Islam and Jihad is being felt all
over the world, directed at those that fit the group of the big and
little satan.
Where
are these ten nations? Algiers, Tangiers, Libya, Chad, Sudan,
Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Turkey, and the southern nations of
the former Soviet Union. Many are not typical and though Islam's
hatred is dispensed from many other places I have already exceeded
the 10.
As
always I implore you to turn your life over to the risen Christ,
Jesus. Only through him can you obtain salvation from the wrath that
is to come, and a hope of life within the Father's arms. Paul tells
us that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye all will be changed;
all the pain, torment, anguish, fear, and hopelessness of this
damaged life. That hope begins in Jesus Christ. All creation is
damaged by the fall of the original man and everything in you cries
out to mask the pain and fix it. There is only one fix and that was
the blood of Jesus poured out upon the cross. He died that we might
live. Should you come to him will your life become roses and fairy
tales? No, but you will have a peace in knowing that life himself
resides in you. Turn your life to him, the Father awaits you.
