The Rulers Of This Present Darkness

     Once again, the weekend finds me needing to break the pattern of blog posts.  The deaths of innocent people on the French Riviera, along with the martial law and military coup declared in Turkey compel me to make a short statement about how I view these world events.
     First of all, the fact that the Muslim murderer in Nice followed nearly step-by-step instructions posted on an Isis terrorist website, is evidence that this was a terrorist attack.  Secondly, I am writing this on Friday afternoon, and the news regarding the coup in Turkey is fluid; by the time this commentary posts on Saturday morning, more details will be known.  At first glance, it seems that the military is attempting to remove the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, and reestablish what they are calling "the rule of law and human rights".  Sounds good ... but then late last night the coup was declared "unsuccessful", and this morning's news states that civilians reclaimed Turkey from their own military after President Erdogan urged them to "keep on owning the streets".  We will have to wait to see how this all shakes out.
     Now, those opinions are based on my physical worldview. My Biblical worldview is another thing.  It has become increasingly clearer to me as I make the effort to study the multi-dimensional implications of Biblical history, that the actions of nations and their leaders are really spiritually dictated and determined.

     Take the familiar account in Daniel 10, when a heavenly messenger (likely the angel Gabriel)  explains to the prophet Daniel why he is so late in answering his prayer summons.  Gabriel tells Daniel he was on the way, "But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."  It is well understood by Biblical scholars that the prince of Persia is a reference to an evil spiritual entity that wielded authority over the ancient kingdom of Persia. And Michael is the archangel in charge of protecting Israel.
     Throughout the Bible we see nations and their leaders affecting what happens to the nation of Israel and God's chosen people.  But the Word also tells us that many times, it is God who is in control and using those leaders and nations as instruments of not only His blessings and discipline, but His severe Judgment.  In Habakkuk, Chapter 1, God relates His intention to raise up Babylon, a “ruthless” and “dreaded” nation, to achieve His purpose.  Keep in mind that God did not create the ruthlessness of Babylon, but He uses it and controls it to bring about His ultimate Glory.  Follow me one more step, and you see in Ezekiel, Chapter 28, an amazing description of satan as the Prince of Tyrus.  Then in Romans 13, we have Paul telling us that " the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer."
     Can you begin to see that these world events are not simply the random acts of bad people?  Can you discern that Satan is using his rulers and powers and spirits of wickedness to cause this present darkness we are seeing come upon the world?  We cannot hope to dispel such evil by human means.  We must pray and partner with God to battle the spiritual forces that are behind these nations and leaders.  The Prince of Persia in the Book of Daniel was not a flesh and blood man who was fighting with the angel Michael.  I believe he was one of the angels who fell with Lucifer, and had been given the nation of Persia to rule from the spiritual realm on behalf of satan.
     Without question, I believe that every nation on earth has been given such a ruler by satan, a prince to try and control the destiny of that nation, and move into the "win" column for the devil.  It is up to us to pray and ask God to send His heavenly armies, with angelic leaders like Michael, to thwart the enemy's plans.  As of this morning, the prince of France and the prince of Turkey are gloating over the chaos they are causing.  Let's be like Daniel ... the Bible said that he "mourned" what he was seeing happening in his world, and he began to pray.  It seemed like ages before he got an answer, and it was the angel Gabriel who told him,  "From the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words."
     Don't waste another minute trying to figure all this out yourself ... we need to appeal to God with fervent prayer and ask for Him to respond.  And then have the faith of Daniel, knowing that He will!

Colossians 2:15    "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross."

In Their Own Words: War Has Been Declared!

   

     This is a very difficult post to write.  My heartbreak over the terrorist attack in Florida comes from the depth of my human faculties.  And I will admit that my flesh and my spirit discern this tragedy from different perspectives.  I want to try to describe to you what is going through my mind, as well as what is being revealed to my spirit.  This is a convoluted and divisive situation, and my opinion is full of twists and turns.  I fully expect that my viewpoint will not be universally accepted, whether one is secular or Christian.  But this is an exercise of trying to figure out exactly where I stand on multiple issues, and I hope it will give you pause to think about your own faith and our shared humanity.
     I had a heartfelt discussion this weekend with a very dear friend who happens to be gay, and who came to this country from Israel as a teenager.  He told me that "it was the Constitution and Bill of Rights that inspired him to become a US citizen."  His maternal grandparents survived the Holocaust camps, and his father fought in the Israeli War for Independence in 1948.  Both his parents served in the Israeli military, fighting in the Six Day War in 1967 and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.  The spiritual war against God's chosen people has been imprinted on his DNA.
     My friend told me that his grandparents' experiences in the camps, along with their survival and the tenacity and sacrifice of his parents (to give him a better life) has given him both strength and conviction regarding his faith and our freedoms.  He told me that having survived Hitler's murderous regime, his grandfather "continuously warned that what happened with the policy of appeasement by governments, and that [the] hatred of Jews and Christians would happen again during my lifetime."  And now, we see evidence of that in Orlando, Florida.
     Coincidentally, you may have easily dismissed the killing of singer Christina Grimme in Orlando just one day prior to the travesty at the Pulse Club.  Allegedly, police now suspect that her murderer traveled from St. Petersburg to Orlando, a distance of some 107 miles, with the specific intent to kill the contestant from NBC's 'The Voice" -- possibly because of her outspoken Christian views.  Here is an excerpt from her webpage:   In the western world, especially American civilization, when asking for a person's religious standing, the most common response you will encounter is simply "I'm a Christian." Most people subtly just think to themselves "Oh, okay good. I was worried for second." But as I have traveled to Israel recently, fervently prayed and studied Scripture, and examined the culture around me, I have found that when someone says "I'm a Christian," I should be more worried for their soul than if they said "I'm an atheist."
     Before you stone me to death with your subconscious judgment, let me explain. If you will, come explore with me what it should look like when a person claims Christianity. Come with me, and let's take a look at the most overused word in the English language. What is this "Christian" stuff all about anyway? 
     Here was a young woman who obviously took her faith seriously, and was beginning to ask serious questions about what it means to be a Christian.  I suspect that she was becoming outspoken and challenging her generation to start recognizing their position in the Kingdom of God.  And the Enemy needed her silenced.  So can her untimely death be associated in anyway with a jihadist terrorist who slaughtered so many of the gay community in Orlando?  I think it can, and here is why.  It is time that we Christians understand the reality of a single Bible verse.  It is Revelation 12:7 and here is what it says:  Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back.  

     We must see the events of the past few days for what they are ... part of the devil's strategy in the ongoing spiritual war.  And this war is being conducted on multiple levels.  If we try to limit the scope of Christina's murder and the murders at the Pulse Club  by calling them hate crimes or a terrorist attack; or by calling for more gun control, then we fail to see the "bigger picture", if you will.  They must be seen from the viewpoint of the war being waged in heaven.  The men who committed these atrocities -- one who hated a young woman's Christian faith, and one who pledged allegiance to ISIS -- are both soldiers in that war, infected with the ideology of a false god, doing that god's will.
     I have heard news commentators saying that the nightclub murderer was "inspired by a foreign terrorist organization".  The truth is that he was inspired by a spirit commanded by the devil -- one of the ranks of the Enemy's army that Paul refers to in Ephesians, Chapter 6.  And being the Father of Lies, satan can use his influence to convince our leaders that this is a hate crime; or because of the easy availability of guns.  There are those who will say that we are losing this war because of political correctness.  That is only partially true.  We are losing this war because of our spiritual ignorance!
     As a nation, we are failing to connect the dots.  We need to see that these active shooters -- the one who attacked at the Gay Center in Tel Aviv, Israel; or the two in Orlando; or the one who attempted to attack the Gay Pride Parade in Los Angeles yesterday -- are soldiers in the army of satan.  They are demonized followers of a false god.  To get sidetracked with how to accurately "label" the atrocity is a distraction and part of the devil's strategy to keep us chasing our tails.  When a shooter shouts "Allahu Akbar" before beginning his deadly rampage, then it is crystal clear that he is glorifying his satanic master, and worshipping a false god in his holy war.
     As I said earlier, this spiritual war is attacking our faith on different levels.  I would be insincere if I did not address the facts that these attacks are coming against the gay community.  I'm sure there are those Christians who will determine that this is an act of God's judgment against the LGBTQ community.  That is a verdict that I, personally, cannot make.  God loves His creation, and desires that no one be lost. He "is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).  I have no doubt that He is grieved over the loss of those men and women in Florida.  And, as a Christian who has gay friends whom I love with a heart like Jesus's, I mourn those who have died because a false god is promoting "a month of conquest and jihad".
     That being said, hear me clearly ... I am not saying that I approve of a sinful lifestyle -- anymore than I excuse the sinful lifestyle choices that I have made in my past.  There is a common saying:  Love the sinner; hate the sin.  I know that the Bible does not say that in those precise words.  But it does say: And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.  I know that whoever does not love, does not know God, and I believe cannot show God to others.  So it is my belief that I am to show mercy for the sinner, while maintaining a healthy hatred of sin and its effects on a person.
     God, on the other hand, can perfectly love and hate a person at the same time. This means He can love him as someone He created and can redeem, as well as hate him for his unbelief and sinful lifestyle.  Therefore, I leave it up to Him to work that out, while I try to continue to show others the benefit of my salvation and redemption.
     But because our actions in this physical world (and the battles in the spiritual world) affect and influence each other, I am left wondering just how the flagrant defiance of those involved in the Gay Pride parade in LA will effect satan's allies in this world.  Make no mistake!  I do not believe God approves this rebellion against Him.  But I also believe that this month of Ramadan has special significance for those wishing to sacrifice their lives to their false god.  And demonic orders are being given in the spiritual realm to those responsible for carrying them out on the earth. Homosexuality is "illegal" in sharia law and according to Islamic law, homosexuals are subject to being thrown off the top of a building, then stoned.  It has been reported that anti-gay messages, attributed to ISIS followers, are now appearing on Twitter and other social media sites.
     So, as a final summation, my thoughts and emotions are still in turmoil.  I deplore the loss of human life, and I believe God grieves for all His creation.  But I see this heinous act from my spiritual consciousness.  This is part of something much bigger than what we see before our eyes.  It stretches beyond a single gunman in a nightclub in Florida.  It extends all the way to the heavenly realms where a war is being waged between God's angels and satan's demonic followers.  Jesus has defeated the devil, but the conquered enemy hates the presence of God, and will use his influence to command his generals and his soldiers to kill and destroy.  In history, Christian warriors used their weapons of faith in God's Truth, and perseverance in battle to overcome the power of pagan idolatry. We must do the same today.  But we must realize that we have access to the power that raised Jesus from the dead; and the Enemy's demonized soldiers are no match.  There is a war being waged -- and we better recognize the purpose and goals of our enemy; those both in this physical world and in the spiritual realm!  The war in heaven is being manifested on earth.  Our enemy has declared his intentions and, as Christians, we can no longer ignore him or neglect our responsibilities in God's Kingdom on earth.  Be courageous and stalwart!

Revelation 13:7     "The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them.  He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation,"

Brussels: It's Called War!

   

       I am really getting tired of all the semantics and political correctness that surrounds the present chaos in the world.  In an attempt to offend no one, political leaders in Europe and the West have bent over backwards to be "inclusive" to foreigners -- without securing the safety and well-being of their own citizens.  We have seen the results ... the November 13th attacks in Paris, which claimed 130 lives; 10 months after attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket left 17 dead. And now there are at least 30 more dead, and hundreds injured in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.  These latest attacks are seen as a direct hit at the heart of Europe.
     Here in the U.S., politicians are afraid to link murders to the religion of Islam.  Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she prefers to call such incidents "radical jihadist terrorism" rather than evoking the common characteristic, which is the Muslim faith.  She says it would be “dangerous” because it would imply we are at war with an entire religion.
     But what do you call it when you consider the following statistics:
•  14 dead, 17 injured in San Bernardino, CA when a 'very religious' Muslim shoots up a Christmas party with his wife. (12/2015)
•  5 Dead, 2 injured in Chattanooga, TN when a 'devout Muslim' stages a suicide attack on a recruiting center at a strip mall and a naval center. (7/2015)
•  A 74-year old man is shot several times in the head by a 'radicalized' ISIS supporter in Morgantown, NC (12/2014).
•  A Sharia advocate beheads a woman in Moore, OK, after calling for Islamic terror and posting an Islamist beheading photo (9/2014).
•  A 19-year-old college student in West Orange, NJ, is shot to death 'in revenge' for Muslim deaths overseas (6?2014).
•  Two homosexuals are murdered in Seattle, WA, by an Islamic extremist (6/2014).
•  A Muslim man in Port Bolivar, TX, shoots his lesbian daughter and her lover to death and leaves a copy of the Quran open to a page condemning homosexuality (6/2014).
•  A convert "on a mission from Allah" stabs a store clerk to death in Richmond, CA (8/2013).
•  Foreign-born Muslims describing themselves as 'very religious' detonate two bombs packed with ball bearings at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring over 260 more; causing several to lose limbs (4/2013)
•  A Muslim convert in Ashtabulah, OH, walks into a church service with a Quran and guns down his Christian father while praising Allah (3/2013).
•  A Muslim in Buena Vista, NJ, targets and beheads two Christian Coptic immigrants (2/2013).
•  A 30-year-old Christian convert in Houston, TX, is shot to death by a devout Muslim for helping to convert his daughter (1/2013).
•  Three Jewish men in Waltham, MA, have their throats slashed by Muslim terrorists (9/11/2011).
•  Nidal Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist guns down thirteen unarmed soldiers, and injures 31 others, while yelling praises to Allah (11/2009).
•  Muslim snipers kill three men and two women in separate attacks over a 15-hour period in Montgomery County, MD (10/2002).
•  2,976 people are killed by radical Islamists in the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, PA, on 9/11/2001. Over 300 more were seriously injured.
•  Islamic terrorists detonate a massive truck bomb under the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring over 1,000 in an effort to collapse the towers (2/1993).
•  And statistics go all the way back to 1972 when 10 members of a local mosque phone in a false alarm and then ambush responding officers, killing one, and injuring three.
     Believe me, these are not all of the statistics.  There are numerous cases where a single person was killed in a variety of isolated incidents; but all by Muslim converts, sympathizers, or self-declared jihadists.  Are these all the murders committed in the U.S. between 1972 and 2016?  Of course not!  The point of this enumeration is to show a pattern; a growing pattern of hatred and hostilities and bloodshed and attacks and atrocities on innocent victims.  And that, my friends, is just one of the definitions of war.
     When someone declares "war" upon 80 nations, as ISIS did in a November, 2015 video, then I submit to you that ignoring that declaration, or refusing to admit the intentions, is seen as weak by our enemy.  By refusing to recognize that the Islamic faith is a driving force behind the increasing attacks around the globe is to deny the obviousness of this statement in that same video:  “This is the source of our glory: our obedience to our lord. We are uncompromising in our call to Tawhid [Islamic monotheism]. We only call to Allah, unlike the countless deviant factions raising their false banners."
     How can leaders in Europe and the West continue to deny that there are Islamists who have made it their goal to force obedience to their god?  We can argue from here to Kingdom Come (and how I wish it would!) whether these are "radical" factions or not.  The Truth is that in a world filled with evil people, sometimes war is necessary to prevent even greater evil.  Trying to deny the perpetrators of evil, only allows the evil to grow.

     War is never a good thing, but sometimes it is a necessary thing.  In a world filled with sinful people, war is inevitable.  Sometimes the only way to keep sinful people from doing great harm to the innocent is by going to war.  We saw war as a necessary reaction to the atrocities of Nazi Germany. We are seeing war as a distinct possibility in response to the increasing attacks by ISIS.  And we will most assuredly see Jesus go to war against Evil upon His Second Coming.  This war will be the ultimate war on the earth, as Christ returns as the conquering commander who judges and makes war “with His justice”.  Because no matter what others might think, I do not believe He is a pacifist.  That label is reserved for a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable.  But Jesus, Himself, will come as a Majestic Judge, powerful in His holiness, and coming in wrath to judge all the living and the dead.  His will be a war against Evil and wickedness upon the earth, and He will be a Conqueror King.
     So, as the forces of Evil mount their attacks in Europe and the West, we must at least be honest in our assessment of them.  We cannot appease wickedness, nor should we call it by any other name.  It's time to defend ourselves and defeat the Enemy as best we can.  And that means with physical weapons of war as well as spiritual ones.  We need to realize that the enemy we face has a powerful force of evil behind it, and we will only win by calling on the Power of the Lord.  After witnessing this latest terror attack, I am seeking shelter in the shadow of the Almighty, and am eagerly awaiting His terrible swift sword of righteous judgment.  Come soon, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 19:11    "Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness."

Recommended: 13 Hours, The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

The real heroes and survivors of Benghazi

     I never would have thought that "the righteous acts of men" could be uttered in the same breath as "war".  Yet that is exactly what I saw in the movie, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.  Granted, the American public has been divided over this event since September 11, 2012, and the subject has become highly politicized... after all someone running to be the next Commander-in-Chief is being heavily scrutinized over her connection to the deaths of four Americans that night.  That alone makes this movie important to me.
     It's not because I want to slam one politician, or support one political party over another.  It's because I want to hear the truth from the men who lived the battle that night -- not the State Department's version, or the carefully-crafted script that plays out on the media outlets.  That is all for them to carry out their own agendas.
     No, I want to hear the human story of bravery and heroism; the kind that none of us are capable of; the kind that is willing to face death to try to save the life of a fellow human being; the kind that does the right thing, no matter the personal cost.  And that has nothing in common with presidential campaigns, political pundits, or congressional committees.
     And so I watched 13 Hours with a sense of awe and profound respect, mixed with an emotional anger that Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods had to die that night.  And this is the story of the men that were there that night.  It does not mention any of the big names in Washington.  It is the story of their personal struggles to stay alive during an assault by an enemy determined to kill them, while wondering why the military support that was readily available did not arrive.   Sadly, the deaths of those four men could have been avoided, but it was not the focus of the movie to lay blame for the disgraceful decision(s).
     Instead it was to focus on the incredible professionalism and dedication of the men who never gave up on each other.  Heroes is too common a word for them.  Yes, they found themselves in the middle of a war that they didn't want to fight, but they never wavered in the face of overwhelming odds or certain death.  They never put themselves first, before those they were there to protect.  And, even in the midst of such hell on earth, they never let go of family and God.  It is a story as told by the survivors, and it is their story, no matter how much the narrative doesn't fit someone's political ideology.
     For me, it is sad that this movie fell below expectations at the box office.  It just shows me that people in this nation just want to focus on the politics, and to debate on what went wrong and who is responsible.  What about those brave men?  Have we forgotten them?  I know that it is a cliché to talk about the cost of freedom.  But these men have paid it for us.  Shouldn't we at least honor them by focusing on what they endured that night?  Can we focus on the response of the security teams when Tyrone Woods gives them the assessment of the situation Ambassador Stevens and those were under at the diplomatic outpost, "None of you have to go, but we’re the only hope they have.”  And they went!
     Perhaps one of the saddest moments for me was the moment that Tyrone Woods and fellow Contractor and former SEAL, Jack Silva, discussed the seriousness of the battle in which they were engaged, and the possibility that help would not arrive.  Woods says, "What used to make this worth doin’ is gone."  When our patriotic military men recognize that what this country used to be and what it used to stand for is gone, yet they still answer the call, then I know that they are distinctly superior to any one of us... and I mourn them.  I mourn that their deaths can be so casually ignored by a portion of Americans who live safely and securely in America, precisely because there are men such as they.  I mourn because so many will never know them beyond their connection with an unpleasant moment in history.  And I mourn that both grief and anger will forever be associated with this event; that their heroism is overshadowed by the shameful actions of our government.  Please... see this movie, if for no other reason than they deserve to have you feel the last gut-wrenching hours of that September 11th night, and for the loss of their friends; and for you to experience what it looks like for one man to lay down his life for his fellow man.  And because ... it does make a difference!

Romans 12:10   "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."