ISIS (War In The Middle East)
A friend of mine asked me to explain in my own words, how I felt about what was going on in the Middle East with Isis.
So I did. "I said" well Joe, it's like this.
These folks paint a pretty horrific picture for God and the entire world to witness. I’m not God, so I don’t decide their fate. However; when the smoke clears and the dust settles, I'm sure God will deal with them in His own way.
I pray for the families of loved ones that have lost their lives at the hands of these extreme radicals. I pray for strength to find forgiveness within my heart.
God tells me that I must forgive my enemies, so that He may also forgive me. He tells me to Love my enemies, and to do good to those who hate me.
God says I will be tempted… and believe me Joe; I’m tempted beyond all temptation to hate everything about these folks called ISIS. “But,” the Lord tells me, that He is faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond my ability and when temptation comes, He will provide a way of escape, so that I would be able to endure it.
The Gospel of Luke clearly provides Gods favor for each of our lives; Chapter 6 verse 37
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.
The ongoing events in the Middle East sadden my heart and stir my emotions deeply. Leaving many to ask the question, why does God allow barbaric acts and the killing of innocent people? Why does God not intervene?
God’s favor and love is the highest value in the universe
God is not the creator of tragedy, evil or death. God has existed from all eternity as the Father, Son and Spirit, together in a relationship of pure and perfect love. So love is the highest value in the universe. When God decided to create His children, he wanted us to experience this love.
So in order for us to experience love, God bestowed free will upon us. But unfortunately, we humans have abused our free will, by rejecting God and walking away from Him. And by doing so, we introduced two kinds of evil into the world: moral evil and natural evil.
Moral evil is the immorality, pain, suffering and tragedy that come because we choose to be selfish, arrogant, uncaring, hateful and abusive.
Romans 3:23
Says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
So much of the suffering within the world is the result of sinful action or inaction by us, not God. For example; people look at famine and wonder why God won’t feed the hungry, yet the world produces enough food for each person to have 3,000 calories a day. It’s our own irresponsibility and self-centeredness that prevents people from getting fed. Not God.
(God gives us free will) to express our love, compassion and humanity by caring for one another, setting the example for others to follow. God wants us to choose his will, not ours. God wants us to be well-centered. Not, self-centered.
The second kind of evil
this evil is called, natural evil. These are things like wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes that cause people to suffer. But these too, are the indirect result of sin being allowed into the world.
When we rebel against God, or don’t honor Him within our daily lives, and ignore His very existence. We are in danger of breaking the bond, the seal, and the relationship of God’s pure love, and allowing sin to control our way of life.
When we choose our will over the will of God, we basically break our bond with God and go our own way. It’s like telling God to shove off; we don’t need Him or his help. He partially honored our request, and when He did, nature revolted, and the earth became poisoned. Genetic breakdown and disease began to spread throughout the land. Pain and death became part of our human experience.”
In Genesis 3:17-18
God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.”
It’s because of sin that nature becomes corrupt and “thorns and thistles” entered the world. So, man’s sin is the source of disorder and chaos.
We clearly unveil the truth; the source of sin is caused by man. Not, God. Notice how God, said; man’s sin is the source of disorder and chaos. Look in all four corners of the world, what do you see?
Man’s Free Will
since all evil acts come down to disobedience against God, are all evil acts equivalent? Is no sin worse than any other sin? If one sin is worse than another sin does that imply that one act can be more disobedient than another act? Is sin and/or disobedience absolute or does it have degree?
Another question would be:
What fuels the aggression of the aggressor to commit such heinous and horrific acts of violence? How does one seem to become so isolated and departed in faith?
Islam is a religion
Islam is a religion and it formed along with all others that sprang from ancient Babylon, but it began in 622 A.D. In Revelation 17 we see that the Antichrist will persecute and seek to destroy all religion and its followers because he is going to be a dictator and allegiance is going to be to him and his police state.
We saw this happen in Communist dictatorships. This is what is forecast during the Tribulation. Islam will not be tolerated under Antichrist’s dictatorship any more than any other faith that is not in him. He will especially hate Christians and Jews.
Brainless Ideology
I’ll tell you what fuels the aggression of the aggressor; Moral evil, in its rawest and rankest form, ever seen by all mankind.
However; them that have been struck down by the sword of their enemy reside within the place of the almighty. In the second coming of Christ, the enemy will come to know pain in all its glory, an immeasurable pain. They, who follow evil, will come to know pain for all eternity.
Read Revelations, for it is there, where you shall find the answers of what is to come. Just as a river flows and empties into a larger body of water. So are things set into motion, for God’s greater plan.
There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your head, because redemption is drawing near.”