Islam

The news media in New Zealand are developing a fascination for Islam. Most don't know much about the religion of Islam, apart from what they have seen on television. In the past, they have only seen Islamic terrorists bombing crowds and Islamic State soldiers beheading people. So the graceious response of Moslems to the Mosque shooting in Christchurch has surprised people who knew very little about the religion. Most don't want to sign up to a religion, but they have become curious about what is going on.

One reason for the confusion is that there are different streams to Islam, just as there are different streams in Christianity. Humans love factions. The historic split between Sunni and Shia streams is, like the Catholic-Protestant distinction in Christianity, very important to the people involved, but from the outside looks fairly trivial.

More importantly, there are large numbers of Moslems around the world whose faith is fairly nominal, just like the large numbers of nominal Christians, who take the name of Jesus, but not much more. They call themselves Moslem because their parents and grandparents were Moslem, but their religion has very little effect on their day-to-day lives, apart from a few cultural practices.

All of the world, more radical groups of Moslems want to take their religion more seriously. These are a bit like the Pentecostal movements, who see themselves as challenging their wider religion to become more serious in their faith.

A few really hard-core groups have focused on the violent parts of the Koran and made Islam violent. They have taken up weapons to fight for the advance of Islam. Al Qaeda and Islamic State are the two most prominent of these groups in recent years. These are the groups who have had the most attention on the television, so they are not representative of most Moslems, just as the IRA was not representative of most Catholics in Ireland.

The more cultural form of Islam has two things about that make it appealing for some people.

1. Cultural Islam is an easy religion because its rules are simple, and relatively easy to follow. There are five pillars: things that a good Moslem should do.

   1. Profession of Faith (shahada) – declaring with conviction that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God". This really only has to be done once, but most will recite the words more frequently.
   2. Prayer (salat) - pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark.
   3. Alms (zakat) – giving generously to the poor.
   4. Fasting (sawm) – fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
   5. Pilgrimage (hajj) - every Muslim whose health and finances permit it should make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia.
   The hardest of these is the daily prayers. The rest only have to be done if and when circumstances allow.

   These five pillars contrast with Judaism which has 613 commandments that adherents must obey. And of course, Christianity has thousands of rules that must be obeyed by people who have mistakenly turned their faith into a system of rules. So if you have chosen to live by religious rules, as many people have (I have not), Islam is a good option, because its rules are less demanding than any other religion.

2. Islam is an extremely fatalistic religion. Moslems submit to the will of Allah and just accept whatever happens as his will. This makes them very stoic and strong when they go through evil events, because they believe it is god's will, and they just resign to it.

   In contrast, most Christians see life as a spiritual battle between good and evil, so life is a challenge to understand what God is doing and be part of it, and to see what the spiritual powers of evil are doing and stand against them in faith. If we make the wrong choice, then we can be harmed by the enemy. So troubles often come from him, rather than God. This makes life challenge.

   Christians who have blind faith that God is in control of everything and just accept it as God's will are behaving more like Moslems. Fatalism more common amongst Christians than it should, given our world view.

   I presume that it was the fatalistic stoicism of the victims and their relatives that appealed to the news media after the Mosque attacks in Christchurch. They saw these terrible events as God's will, so they just had too submitted to him and kept going. Their god is not always rational, so what happens does not always make sense, but just accept it anyway.

   The problem with this fatalistic stoicism is that it makes people passive. This is an enormous obstacle to economic and social development, because people just accept what happens, and don't try to change their situation, because that would be fighting against Allah.

When Christians encounter Islam, they should seek to understand which type of Islam they are dealing with.

Spirit of Islam

Islam is not a single spirit. It is a cluster of spirits working together for a common purpose. The relative strength of these spirits differ from place to place, and they sometimes fight against each other. That is why the situation in Asia is quite different to the Middle East.

The main spirits that work through Islam are:

• rejection
• fear of death
• religious spirit
• good works
• spiritual deadness
• violence
• fighting and war

Several of these spirits have a stronghold in the United States, too.

• religious spirit
• good works
• violence
• fighting and war

Wherever freemasonry has a hold, the following spirits are free to work.

The main spirits that work through freemasonry are:

• fear of death
• spiritual deadness
• violence
• religious spirit.
• good works

Because Freemasonry is strong in many parts of the United States, these spirits are strong in that country too. This means that all the spirits that work through Islam are also strong in the United States. That leaves the the nation spiritually vulnerable.

Belloc on Islam

Although born in France, Hilaire Belloc was was a prolific writer in England during the early twentieth century. His Catholic faith had a strong impact on his works. One of his most important works was the The Great Heresies, published in 1938. One of the heresies that he discusses is Islam. His unique perspective was seeing Islam as a Christian heresy.

Mohammedanism was a heresy: that is the essential point to grasp before going any further. It began as a heresy, not as a new religion. It was not a pagan contrast with the Church; it was not an alien enemy. It was a perversion of Christian doctrine. Its vitality and endurance soon gave it the appearance of a new religion, but those who were contemporary with its rise saw it for what it was— not a denial, but an adaptation and a misuse, of the Christian thing.

Belloc suggests that Islam teaches the main Christian doctrines in an oversimplified form.

The very foundation of his teaching was that prime Christine doctrine, the unity and omnipotence of God. The attributes of God he also took over in the main from Christine doctrine: the personal nature, the all-goodness, the timelessness, the providence of God, His creative power as the origin of all things, and His sustenance of all things by His power alone. The world of good spirits and angels and of evil spirits in rebellion against God was a part of the teaching, with a chief evil spirit, such as Christendom had recognized. Mohammed preached with insistence that prime Christian doctrine, on the human side— the immortality of the soul and its responsibility for actions in this life, coupled with the consequent doctrine of punishment and reward after death.

He gave to Our Lord the highest reverence. On the day of judgment, it was Our Lord, according to Mohammed, who would be the judge of mankind, not he, Mohammed. But the central point where this new heresy struck home with a mortal blow against Christian tradition was a full denial of the Incarnation. Mohammed did not merely take the first steps toward that denial, as the Arians and their followers had done; he advanced a clear affirmation, full and complete, against the whole doctrine of an incarnate God. He taught that Our Lord was the greatest of all the prophets, but still only a prophet: a man like other men. He eliminated the Trinity altogether.

Mohammed never dealt with the inconsistencies that this produced.

Mohammed’s teaching never developed among the mass of his followers, or in his own mind, a detailed theology. Simplicity was the note of the whole affair. But the resemblance to Christianity was one of the reasons for its success.

Belloc’s Prophecy

Most people in the West assume that the struggle between Islam and Christianity is one that has to be won by force.

Joe Sobran explained in an article about the Catholic polemicist Hilaire Belloc written in 2001 why that is not so. In his book called The Great Heresies, written at time when Islam seemed backward and irrelevant, Belloc predicted that it would one day challenge the West again. He believed that a great Islamic revival, even in the twentieth century, was altogether possible.

Belloc saw Islam not as an alien religion, but in its origins as a Christian heresy, adopting and adapting certain Christian doctrines (monotheism, the immortality of the soul, final judgment) and rejecting others (original sin, the Incarnation and divinity of Christ, the sacraments). Its simple, rational creed had a powerful appeal to Arabs who had known only the arbitrary gods of grim pagan religions. It swept the Arab world, then made converts — and conquests — far beyond Arabia.

Christians had good reason to fear Islam… but because Islam has little attraction for Christians, the West has generally failed to grasp its appeal for others, its profound and permanent hold on the minds of believers...

Islam is a simple religion, easily understood by ordinary people. Its commandments are rigorous but few. When it conquered, its subjugated people often felt more liberated than enslaved, because it often replaced burdensome old bureaucratic governments with relatively undemanding regimes — and low taxes. As long as its authority was respected, Islamic rule was comparatively libertarian. It offered millions relief from their traditional oppression; for example, no Muslim could be a slave.

Belloc distinguishes sharply between Islam and such barbarous conquerors as the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan. The Mongols were purely destructive; they were known for slaughtering whole cities and making huge pyramids of severed heads. Such savagery was alien to the Muslims. Where they conquered, daily life usually went on much as before and culture thrived.

Man, especially irreligious man, is apt to equate power and progress. Many of those who say America is “the greatest country on earth” really mean only that America has fantastic military might, capable of annihilating any other country — and some of them, at the moment, are in the mood to do some annihilating. To the pious Muslim this attitude seems crass and barbaric. He may conclude from it that the decadent West understands only one thing: force.

And would he be far wrong? Belloc admitted that the idea of a new Muslim challenge to the West seemed “fantastic,” but only because the West was “blinded” by “the immediate past.” Taking a longer view, he saw Islam, though inferior in material power, as having a great advantage: its religious faith was still strong, while the West was losing its religion and consequently its morale. He thought it entirely possible that Islam would catch up technologically, while he doubted that the West would undergo a spiritual revival.

Joseph Sobran noted back in 2001 that the West is still strong, but it is dying. Islam is still weak, but it is growing.

Most Christians learn about Islam from the ugly caricature that is presented on Western television news, so they do not understand it's appeal in many parts of the world. This is unfortunate, because you cannot beat something that you do not understand.

Fighting Against God's Plan (4) Violence

The Western media have frequent discussions about whether Islam is a violent religion or not. Even Barack Obama has been drawn into the debate. As usual, the media are asking the wrong question.

Religion is not the cause of violence. The cause of violence is the spiritual powers of wickedness. They love violence and death.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

The spiritual powers of evil love to steal, kill and destroy. When humans sinned, the spiritual powers of evil gained authority on earth. They are the cause of violence in the world.

No religion can protect its adherents from the spiritual powers of evil. Religion does not provide spiritual protection. The only protection from the spiritual powers of evil comes through Jesus. He defeated them on the cross. Those who believe in Jesus and walk in the Spirit have full spiritual protection. If they are part of body of believers with discernment and authority, the powers of evil cannot touch them.

If you visit Moslem people in Iran or Indonesia, you will find them just like other people. Most will just be getting on with their lives, earning a living and caring for their families. They are created in the image of God, so they naturally tend to be peaceful. A proportion of the population will have come under the influence of the spiritual powers of evil and becomes violent. Some will beat their wives and others will get violent if provoked. A few will come under intense attack by the spiritual powers of evil and becomes extremely violent and evil, just like in any other culture.

Some cultures seem to have times when they are more violent than others. This is not the consequence of their religion. It is the consequence of the way that the spiritual powers of evil have chosen to attack them. Sometimes they choose to use violence exert their influence in a culture. At other times, they are more subtle and use more deceptive methods for controlling the society. They are free to choose how they will attack, and the consequences will be different. You do not want to be living in a society where the spiritual powers of evil have decided on the full-scale use of violence.

I am not surprised that some Moslems are violent. Islam does not provide spiritual protection against the powers of evil, so whatever the influence of their religion, some Moslems will be violent. They have no tools for getting free from the influence of evil spiritual powers, so it is not surprising that they can be violent.

What surprises me is that Christian cultures are so violent. Those following Jesus have been set free from the spiritual powers of evil. These powers still attack us, but we have the spiritual armour to deal them. Christians have access to spiritual protection. Yet there is not much evidence of this in Christian cultures. During the twentieth century, millions of people were killed in Europe in two wars between the main Christian empires.

The United States is the most Christian country in the world, yet it also seems to be the most violent nation. It is constantly at war. In this century, American fiascos in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have killed more than a million people, without counting, or caring. Violence permeates its culture and society.

I am not surprised that some Moslem cultures are violent, because they have no spiritual protection. What really surprises me is that America is so violent, given that so many American people do have access to spiritual protection. Maybe it’s spiritual protection is not working, because the people of the United States are so committed to the use of military force and to violent entertainment.

Fighting Against God's Plan (2)

The advance of Islam, together with the other three horsemen of Revelation are events that God allows in order to expose the hubris of political and military power. The powerful nations of the world respond to these events by seizing immense political powers for themselves. By gorging on political power, they allow the Terrible Beast described in Revelation and Daniel to emerge.

The Roman Empire was not something odd. It was just a typical empire from that time, but more effective, more ruthless and more powerful than others. The Beast of Revelation will not be something different or unusual in its time. It will not be something totally new and different, like in the in the Left Behind series. The Beast will just be a very powerful nation that uses military, economic and political power to control events all over the world. It will gather an alliance of smaller nations to assist it accomplish its purposes.

Christians who understand what is happening will oppose the Beast, but they will not fight it with military or political power, because that would be playing into its strength, because in a political contest, power will always win. They will speak against it prophetically, and the response will be savage. Many Christians will be martyred for challenging the militaristic and political heart of the Beast.

These prophetic Christians will be among the martyrs John saw under the altar, crying out for justice, when the fifth seal was opened (Rev 6:9=11). The first four seals cause trouble that allows Beast to emerge. The opening of the fifth seal allows it to persecute Christians.

A state of Israel based on political and military power is not God’s purpose for his people. He wants Israel to export wisdom, peace and law (Is 2:2-4), not military hardware. The current militaristic state will have to be swept away before God’s purposes can be fulfilled.

The Israeli people who have chosen military and power for their salvation will get what they want. The Beast of Revelation, which is the ultimate political and military power will invade Israel, and they will get such a dose of extreme military and political power that they will hate it forever (Dan 11:13-16).

God has allowed ISIS to emerge in the Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria, so that the Beast will invade the Middle East. This will take a while to happen, but the identify of the Beast will be revealed, when it invades the Middle East to try and destroy ISIS. American Christians who want to send the marines in against ISIS, are implicitly wanting America to the Beast of Revelation.

Christians who are advocating military force against Iran and ISIS will find themselves operating as cheerleaders for the Beast as it emerges. They will find themselves operating as horned prophets, advocating their enemy and opposing the purposes of God. Many will get sucked into deception and will not realise until too late that they cannot escape.

Fighting Against God's Plan (1)

Many American Christians see Islam as a threat to their peace. They want to engage in war against the forces of Islam in the Middle East. Some are keen to bomb Iran. Others want to send the marines against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. They do not understand that they are fighting against God’s purposes.

God has allowed the revival of Islam as part of his plan for history. The seven seals of Revelation mark a transition from an old season to a new one. When Jesus opened the first of the seven seals, a man on a white horse carrying a bow rode forth (Rev 6:1-2). This horseman represents the revival and advance of Islam. (I explain this more fully at White Horseman).

The advance of Islam got underway with the Islamic Revolution in 1978 that overthrew a dictator that had been put in place by the CIA. This was also a fulfilment of Daniel’s vision of the two-horned ram (Dan 8:1-4).

Although this transitional event was part of God’s plan, the United States continued to engage in economic and political wars with Iran, but unsurprisingly they all failed. Jimmy Carter sent an invading force in attempt to rescue some hostages, but it crashed in the desert. In 1980, the US encouraged and supported an Iraqi invasion of Iran, but this failed too. Since then the US has continued a trade war against Iran but without success.

The US is currently using economic sanction to prevent Iran from refining uranium for nuclear power, something that they are entitled to do under international law. The US will fail in this effort too, because it needs Iranian support against ISIS in northern Iraq.

Each attempt to exert military power in the Middle East has strengthened the very forces that it has opposed. The reason that has happened is that they are fighting against God’s purpose. That will always end in failure, no matter how strong the military power.

The disastrous US invasion of Iraq not only destroyed the country, but established Iranian political influence in Iraq. The US did the dirty work to allow Iran to expand its power.

The US drone war against Yemen has brought Houti people to power in that Nation. They are a Shia group, which will more naturally align with Iran.

The persistent pointless US-supported, Israeli invasions of southern Lebanon lead to the emergence of Hezbollah as the most powerful political force in Lebanon. It is a Shia group sympathetic to Iran.

The US fight against Iran has failed, and actually made Iran into one of the most powerful influences in the Middle East. Fighting against a force that was released when Jesus opened a seal was a mistake. Fighting against God’s purposes is always unwise.

Iran will not invade Israel. It simply does not have the military capability to invade a country 3000 kilometres away across a desert. The possibility is only taken seriously by political leaders who need a bogeyman to justify their own political power and military expansion.

Iran will join with a military coalition that attacks the Beast in Israel in a battle that will be so bad that it will destroy the military and political power as a moral force forever. But that is well in the future.

Christian nations will not defeat the advance of Islam by engaging in a military war against it. The best defence against militant Islam is the gospel of Jesus preached in the power of the Spirit. The gospel will win whereas military and political power will lose with unexpected consequences.

Spiritual Shift (10) Islamic Spirit

Many American Christians are afraid of Islam. They are scared that sharia law will be established in the United States. This fear seems to be absurd at two levels. American military power far exceeds all of the Islamic nations combined, so they could never be a serious military threat even if they all joined together. The Christian gospel is far superior to the Islamic religion, so it should be winning the evangelism struggle hands down.

At the spiritual level the situation is much more dangerous. The main spirits that work through Islam are:

• rejection
• fear of death
• religious spirit
• good works
• spiritual deadness
• violence
• fighting and war

Several of these spirits have a stronghold in the United States, too.

• religious spirit
• good works
• violence
• fighting and war

This leaves the nation spiritually vulnerable.

Time of Distress (2) - White Horse

The White Horse is released first.

Before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest (Rev 6:2).

The rider looks like Jesus, because he rides on a white horse, but Jesus is armed with a sword, so this is not him. This horseman represents a false messiah or a false religion making a powerful advance (Ps 46:9).

Several Old Testament nations are described as bowmen. Elam, which was situated in the western part of modern Iran, is described as armed with a bow (Jer 49:34-39, Is 22:6). The Persian army which came from the same area is described as being armed with bows (Jer 50:14,29,42). Ishmael, was an archer (Gen 21:20). He was the father of the Arab nations, so there are bowmen in Arabia (Is 21:13-16).

The people of Libya are also described as bowmen (Isaiah 66:19). In fact the Hebrew word for Libya, "Put", could come from an Egyptian word meaning bowman. In Jeremiah 46:9, men of Lydia are said to be bowmen. Lydia was situated in modern Turkey. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Turkey are all countries in which the religion of Islam is strong.

Islam claims to be based on the Bible. Mohammed is a false prophet who claimed to be a successor to Jesus, so a bowman on a white horse is a good description of the Islamic religion. The white horse going forth "conquering and to conquer" represents the revival of Islamic fervour and political power that has been sweeping the world since the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978.

The Islamic revival has touched the entire Moslem world is one of the most powerful movements in the world today. It is very powerful at a grass roots level, and even secular rulers are coming under its influence. Islam is even gaining influence in the west. This ties in with Zechariah, who saw the white horse advancing to the west (Zech 6:6).

Islam and Freemasonry

After both world wars, freemasonry received a huge boost in New Zealand. It was popular among men who missed the camaraderie with other men they had experienced why serving overseas.

The main spirits that work through freemasonry are:

• fear of death
• spiritual deadness
• violence
• religious spirit.
• good works

During the first war, New Zealand soldiers fought in Turky, Egypt and Palestine. In the second war, they fought in North Africa. These countries were all Moslem countries.

Islam is not a single spirit. It is a cluster of spirits working together for a common purpose. The relative strength of these spirits differ from place to place, and they sometimes fight against each other. That is why the situation in Asia is quite different to the Middle East.

The main spirits that work through Islam are:

• rejection
• fear of death
• religious spirit
• good works
• spiritual deadness
• violence
• fighting and war

The New Zealand soldiers were engaged in an immoral war, so they had very little spiritual protection. The fear and terror of war made them vulnerable and their formal religion left them without discernment. They picked up the spirits that are carried by Islam and brought them back to New Zealand where they manifested in Freemasonry.

In 1977, when the New Zealand Meat Board came under pressure from Moslem countries to introduce Halal Slaughtering of meat (see Dangerous Meal Deal), they were unable to resist, because some of them were freemasons, who had already submitted to the Islamic spirits.

Freemasonry has been going downhill fast over the last few decades, but the spirits are still here. They now manifest in a rejected generation.

Islam against the Holy Spirit

On the 15th of April, 2010, the Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Combating the Defamation of Religions (A/HRC/RES/13/16). The resolution was sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Some Christians are concerned about the impact of this resolution on our ability to spread the gospel.

Islam and Christianity are both imperialistic, in the sense that they both want to take over the world. Islam is at a disadvantage in his struggle, as it does not have the Holy Spirit and its gospel is mediocre (five key rules is easier than many religious systems, but not much better). Therefore it is not surprising that it attempts to use state power or military force to advance its cause.

Unfortunately, the church has often forgotten its advantages and gotten into the use of political power and force to strengthen its position. The so-called Christians nations have frequently used the United Nations to justify its interventions in Moslem countries (invading Iraq, sanctions against Iran), so I am not surprised that Islam is attempting to use the United Nations to support its side.

The truth is that the United Nations cannot stop the spread of the gospel, because it would be opposing the Holy Spirit, and he is impossible to overcome. Some Christians might suffer and some might lose their lives, but that is normal. The Roman Empire tried to put the lid on the gospel, but it failed and was eventually destroyed by it. I doubt that the United Nations can do any better.

The best approach for a group of Christians that are prohibited from sharing the gospel is to follow the example of Peter and John. When the Jewish authorities banned them from preaching, they got together and prayed that they would be filled with boldness, and that God would “stretch out his hand to heal and to perform miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:30). If sick people are being healed for the gospel, the United Nations would not be able to stand against it.

Fear of Islam (5) - Better Gospel

American Christians stirring up a fear of Islam are worried about something that will not happen. The great irony is that by building up fear and dread, they are paving the way for the Beast to emerge in their nation.

The other irony is that influence of Islam has grown because we have failed the task of evangelism. People are turning to Islam because they do not see Christianity as a relevant alternative. There reason is that the Christian nations has been better at invading the Middle with guns and bombs than going amongst the Islamic people to heal the sick and proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God in the power of the Spirit.

When people with the Gospel do not take it out to those whom God wants to reach, he brings the people without the gospel to those who have it. Therefore, it is not surprising that Moslem people are migrating in large numbers to Europe and the United States. God is bringing them to the gospel. When Christians react with anger or hatred, they are opposing God’s purposes.

Christians have a far better gospel than Moslems. They have requirements, whereas we have good news. Jesus is the Son of God, whereas Mohammed is just a “prophet”. Christians have the Holy Spirit, Islam just has strength, at best, and demonic power, at worst. Christianity should win against Islam hands down. If Christians are afraid of Islam, their faith in the gospel and the Holy Spirit must be weak.

When Christians come against it with guns and power, this strengthens the hand of Islam. If Christians went healing the sick and proclaiming good news for the poor, Islam would fold against it.

If Christians are afraid of Islam, their gospel must be lacking.

Fear of Islam (4) - Impact on America

Some Christians are afraid that Islam will take over the United States. While, the scriptures warn of a struggle between the Islamic nations and the United States, there is no indication that America will be invaded or forced to convert to Islam.

The danger to America comes from a different source and most Christians seem to be totally unaware of it. The Seven Seals of Revelation are a series of tumultuous events that release terrible fear on earth. The people of the world will look for to human governments to rescue them from them these tribulations. This will lead to the emergence of the most powerful human government that has ever existed on earth, referred to later in the book of Revelation as the Beast.

Most Christians believe that the Beast will emerge in Europe, but this is wrong. The Beast develops in a place where a number of states join together to form one. That has already happened in America in 1787 and was confirmed in 1865.

The threat from Islamic terrorism has already produced an amazing aggrandisement of power in the United States. As the fear of Islam increases, especially if it is stirred up by some frightening incidents, the government will demand more and more power to expand the American empire. Americans will wake up one up one day and realise that Islam is still just a threat, but America is actually controlled by a terrible Beast.

The Beast will eventually collapse, not defeated by an external enemy, but torn apart from the inside. The death struggles of the Beast will wreak terrible evil on America. The peace and security that the people are seeking will disappear into chaos and darkness.

Fear of Islam (3) - Iran

The bowman on the Whitehorse is the key to understanding modern Iran. Jeremiah described the nation of Elam as being armed with a bow (Jer 49:34-39). It was situated in the western part of modern Iran. The Persian army which came from the same area is also described as being armed with bows (Jer 50:14,29,42).

The resurgence of Islam took off in a big way in Iran, when a cruel secular ruler, the Shah of Iran was overthrown by militant, fundamentalist Moslems loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1978. The Islamic revolution revival radically changed the nation and Iran is now a major power in the Middle East.

The Islamic Revolution in Iran is also described in Daniel 8. This chapter records a vision that Daniel received while the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon.

I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great (Dan 8:3,4).

After the vision the angel Gabriel appeared to explain its meaning to him.

The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia (Dan 8:20).

The people of Media and Persia now make up the nation of Iran. Daniel saw a future ruler of Iran, who would rise to power. He warned that no nation would be able to stand against this power and win. No nation would be able to rescue others from its power.

Daniel was told that his vision was not for his time. It seems to being fulfilled in our time. Over the last two decades, the Islamic revival has spread right across the world and Iran has been at the spearhead of this growth in fervour. The other more secular Moslem nations are frightened by what has happened.

Daniel warned that the Iran would become a problem for the United States.

Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece (Daniel 11:2).

Persia is now called Iran. The heir of the kingdom of Greece in the modern world is the United States. Daniel was warning that Iran would stir up the Middle East against the United States.

Fear of Islam (2) - Bowmen

Islam claims to be based on the Bible and Mohammed was a false prophet who claimed to be a successor to Jesus, so a bowman on a white horse was a perfect description of the Islamic religion. It has certainly been conquering in recent times, as the modern Islamic revival has touched the entire Moslem world. It is very powerful at a grass roots level, and even secular rulers are coming under its influence. Islam is one of the most powerful movements in the world today.

The Old Testament describes a number of nations as bowmen. Ishmael was known for being an archer (Gen 21:20). He is the father of the Arab nations, where Islam is strong. There were bowmen in Arabia (Is 21:13-16) and Islam is a powerful in most Arab nations.

Zechariah saw the white horse advancing to the west (6:6). This describes suggests Islamic power will challenge the west. Since I wrote the words above, the rapid advance of Islam has continued. The secular magazine, The Economist recognised Islam as one of three major cultural movements shaping the modern world (6 Aug 1994).

Fear of Islam (1) - Gods Plan

A dread of Islam is spreading ominously across the United States. A number of Christian writers and bloggers are feeding this fear.

Islam is a false religion. The spiritual forces of wickedness have used Islam to wreak serious evils on earth. However, all Moslems are not evil and Islam is not the only source of evil in the world. Evil works in many and various ways.

Gods Plan
Christians who fear Islam should understand that God has allowed the resurgence of Islam to take place for a reason. The Islamic revival is actually a pivotal event in history.

The seven seals described in Revelation 6 are the birth pangs of a time of distress that marks the transition to a new season in which the Kingdom of God is released into reality on earth. The opening of the first of the seven seals releases the rider on the white horse.

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest (Rev 6:1,2).

Some commentators see this as a picture of Jesus Christ and the victories of the gospel. The problem with this view is that this horseman is armed with a bow, and the Messiah is never use a bow. Bowmen are usually the enemies of God (Ps 46:9).

The rider on the white horse represents a false messiah or a false religion. He looks like Jesus and could be mistaken for him, because he rides on a white horse. But the fact that he has a bow shows that he is really an enemy of God. John is describing a false religion making a powerful advance and going forth "conquering and to conquer".

Halal Food (2)

Meat that is halal killed meat has been offered to idols. The Bible teaches that, while offering meat to false gods is wrong, it is not wrong for Christians to eat this meat if it is available for sale in supermarkets. The clearest statement is in 1 Corinthians 10:25:

Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,
for the earth is the Lord’s, and everything it.

This statement is very clear. Christians can eat any meat that it available in their supermarket, regardless of where it comes from. Christianity is not an external religion, where we get closer to God by doing or not doing things. We are saved by faith and get close to God by having a pure heart. (Islam is an external religion, which places an emphasis on external actions like going to Mecca). The only reason for not eating meat would be to avoid offending the conscience of another Christian and causing them to stumble. We must have the right heart-attitude to our brethren.

The same message is repeated in 1Corinthians 8. There is one God and one Lord in whom we live. We cannot be contaminated just by eating meat.

Food does not bring us near to God.We are no worse if we do not eat,
and no better if we do (v.8).

Food cannot separate us from God, if our heart is right.

Paul warns believers to be careful about how they exercise this freedom.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge (1Cor 8:9-11).

They should not eat meat in an idol’s temple, if this will be a stumbling block to someone with a weaker conscience. Building up another Christian is more important than exercising our freedom.

These clear statements that eating meat offered to idols is not wrong raise the issue of the meaning of scriptures that appear to contradict them. I will discuss these in the next few posts.

Islam

When one group sees the world as Moslems at the gates if Vienna, while another group sees the world as Christians at the gates of Teheran, this leads to fear, hatred and misunderstanding on both sides. God sees the situation differently.

Islam Resurgent (5) - Butting to the South

Daniel saw the ram (Iran) charging to the west, the north and the south.

I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great (Dan 8:4).

The first two of these charges have already taken place. To the west of Iran is the nation of Iraq. In 1980 Iraq invaded Iran, and military strategists said that Iran would soon have to surrender. To their surprise the Iranian troops forced the invading army back across their border. Iran then attempted to invade Iraq and topple its Baathist socialist government of Saddam Hussein. (He was a client of the US back then, before he was bitten by the hand that fed him).

More recently, since the US invasion of Iraq, the Iranians have been supporting the Shiite people in Iraq.

The nations to the north of Iran are Syria and Lebanon. There are already strong links between Iran and Syria, and Iranian power has been influential in Lebanon. Iran also established Hezbollah, which led the resistance against Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

The butting to the north and the west is easy to understand, but I have never got what Daniel meant by butting to the south. There is nothing to the south of Iran but sea. Recently I have realised that this is Daniel's point.

To the south of Iran are the Strait of Hormuz, which mark the entrance to the Persian gulf. The Strait of Homruz is about twenty miles wide at its narrowest point. Most of the oil from Iraq and Saudi Arabia is carried through this narrow gap in massive supertankers. This is about twenty percent of the total supply of oil available. This means that if Iran "buts to the south" and closes this waterway, the United States will powerless to prevent it. The price of oil could shoot up to $200 a barrel.

George Bush shuld be careful before having a go at Iran. He might bite off more than he can chew.

More here.

Islam Resurgent (4) - Powerful Iran

Daniel saw a ruler in Iran who would become great and do just as he pleases.

I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great (Dan 8:4).

This would be a good description of recent leadership in Iran. More interesting still, Daniel says that no nation would be able to "rescue from his power".

When the Islamic revolution took place, over one hundred American hostages were held in their embassy. The United States, which is the greatest military power in the world, devised a plan called "Eagle’s Claw" to rescue them. Despite elaborate planning and the best equipment that modern technology could provide, the rescue attempt ended in disaster. Helicopters encountered unprecedented head winds and unexpected dust storms. A helicopter crashed into a plane during refueling in the Iranian desert and eight servicemen were killed. The United States was not strong enough to rescue its people from Iran, and had to beg for their return (see Desert One.

Before having a go at Iran, George Bush should think about Daniel's words and what happened to Jimmy Carter.