I love the pre-dawn. It is quiet and cool and dark but the light is coming, and already is.
I live in an area which is fairly rural, and there is not much traffic. Though I live on a major artery in the county, there isn’t enough traffic even during the day to really bother me. However, in the pre-dawn, there is none at all. I can hear from afar off the dogs bark, cows moo, occasional owl screech, an early rooster…
At about 6 am there is always one bird. From out of the darkness, suddenly, there will be a happy series of chirps. He is loud, and the sound is joyous to me. Not to anthropomorphize too much, but the bird really does sound happy. The piercing, lengthy call sounds like he is waking up his brethren. Perhaps it is an ovenbird.
After the first bird goes first, then in a few moments the dawn chorus begins. The dawn chorus is a worldwide event. At Cornell, they wrote, “The dawn chorus is one of the most conspicuous vocal behaviors of birds, and one of the least understood. Near sunrise, birds often sing more loudly and vigorously than they do at other times of the day.”
I like to think they are thanking their Creator. He knows them, and I like to think they know their Creator back. God says, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” (Psalms 50:11). We know that all creation groaneth in travail until now, (Romans 8:22). They groan…do they sing in joy as well?
Birds suffer for man’s sin, (Genesis 6:7; Jeremiah 12:4; Ezekiel 38:20;Hosea 4:3). The bible says they flee away when calamity comes as well. (Jeremiah 4:25; Jeremiah 9:10)
Yet they sing:
10You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. (Psalm 104:10-13)
Imagine the ‘dawn chorus’ in heaven! Birds will sing all the time because there is no dusk and no dawn, only day! (1 John 1:5, Revelation 21:25).
I believe that in heaven when He brings His bride to her place and presents our dwelling place to us, our rooms will not have screens on the windows. Because why would they? No biting insects or animals will creep in and harass us. All creation will be reconciled to its Creator and there will be no reason to have bars or screens to keep things out, or in. Maybe a bird will swoop in to my room and sing in joy at the perfection of the Creator and gladness to be part of it, and I will join. Together we are all groaning now, but the Day will come when we will all sing in joyous praise to the One who made us. Birds too.
In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the first bird each morning, knowing that before the day’s groaning begins, there is joy in creation among the created.
“It turned a small church in Spain into an international laughing stock: a badly restored fresco of Jesus Christ that ended up looking like strange-looking monkey. But the awful work of art also did something else: it turned the Misericordia church into a tourist attraction, with hundreds of tourists flocking to Boria, a small town in Spain, to see an artwork gone wrong. And the church has even tried to cash in on its new-found infamy – it charges visitors 1-Euro to see the botched painting. The distorted image then began appearing on T-shirts and cellphone covers, coffee mugs and wine labels. It became an icon used to sell products around the world.”
“Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), completed in 1930, made headlines last month after Gimenez, a parishioner of the church, decided to restore it to her former glory. The 80-year-old parishioner instead turned the fresco of Christ wearing a crown of thorns into a disfigured, overweight she-man with a double chin and no beard.”
Now she has hired lawyers to see if there is copyright infringement on “her” work. “If she has rights, said lawyer Antonio Val Carreras Rivera, Gimenez could pursue payments from those using the image to sell products, although whatever she earns would go to charity.”
Call me skeptical, but if she wanted the money to go to charity she could refrain from hiring lawyers and do without the entire legal brouhaha altogether and let the church simply donate directly from what they take in.
This is the kind of thing I’d mentioned last night about people going C-R-A-Z-Y. The human behaviors of sacrifice, humility and others-centeredness has turned into ‘I want to make a buck and I’ll run over the next guy to do it. I have rights ya know!’
Paul warned Timothy that in the last days there would be godlessness. When a society is without God there is a demonstrable decline in human behavior. That is just how it is. Jesus said so in Matthew 24:12, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” It is a causal relationship. The word lawlessness in Greek means both illegal, and sinful behavior.
Godlessness in the Last Days
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
Paul said “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). In lauding Timothy, Paul said of others, “For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21). The Pharisees loved money. After they heard Jesus tell the parable of the dishonest manager, they sneered at Him, and the verse in Luke 16:14 directly says they sneered because they loved money.
Instead of being grateful for the unexpected windfall, instead of using the attention to talk of charitable needs in the community, instead of simply pointing to Christ and sharing the Gospel, the issue has become a fight over personal rights and money.
The fresco fight reminded me of the times, because it is prophesied we will be constantly tempted to act in our own interests. We need to always put Christ first. He came to serve, not to be served. (Matthew 20:28). I need to remind myself of that frequently, so I am not making myself an exception in this post. If we are slaves in Christ, and we are, (1 Corinthians 7:22) we have no rights- except the privilege to fulfill what He gives us to do. This is loving others, even our enemies, humility in thought and deed, and selfless service.
Volcanoes are completely fascinating. Of all the hits I receive on this blog, by far the highest are always earth-related. An earthquake, volcanic explosion, or unusual geo-physical event like a ‘river turning to blood’ will draw the most people the quickest. They are looking for answers I suppose. And why not? We feel in our human puniness that the earth is large and stable. When the earth is shook in some way, demonstrating that it is not, people scurry to find answers that will offer some kind of stability.
I hope that they find the true answer, which is Jesus. He is the stability.
“my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.” (2 Samuel 22:3)
“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,” (Isaiah 25:4)
“To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
I’m fascinated by volcanoes. As an elementary student I remember reading about the Volcano in the Cornfield (Paricutin) that was suddenly born almost under a Mexican corn farmer’s feet. Paricutin is our continent’s youngest volcano. LOL, that was the first time I got a clue that the earth is not solid nor stable, and that anything could happen at any time.
They will play an important role in the UN-creation during the Tribulation. If you see the 7 days of Genesis 1 as God creating the world, then view the 7 years of the Tribulation as His orderly uncreation, a dismantling as it were. Genesis and Revelation are bookends of God’s human and heavenly creation and the story of our capacity to sin and His response.
I’ve mentioned before that the sun becoming black as sackcloth in Rev. 6:12 is from the ash spewed into the atmosphere from one or many volcano eruptions.
This week there has been a lot of interesting volcano news.
UK Telegraph caption- “An image taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) of a large plume of smoke, steam and ash erupting from the Sarychev volcano on the Kuril Islands, Russia. It is thought that the eruption has caused a hole to form in the cloud layer above it.”
Tim Challiesand others have remarked on a video making the rounds, with Challies commenting “The Lake of Fire – This is an nearly unbelievable video (more information here). “Photographer Geoff Mackley and his crew descended 1,300 feet to the ‘lava lake’ in Marum Volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambrym Island.” I can’t help but think of Revelation 20:15.”
Mike Leake at Borrowed Light had some eloquent thoughts on the volcano video. HT to Challies for pointing us to it. I’ll excerpt a few of Mike’s thoughts.
“In response to that video Tony Reinke shared this quote from Jonathan Edwards, “”The torrents of liquid fire that are vomited from the belly of hell, by the mouths of volcanoes, shadow forth what is in hell. … If the Almighty can create something this fierce who can stand when he is bent on destruction? Only those who find refuge in the strong tower that El Shaddai has hoisted, namely the all-powerful Jesus, will find safety on that day. “
As I was headed ot bed last night, the last piece of news I saw coming across theinternet, was that an enormous fireball was seen over the UK, mostly Ireland. Twitte rlit up with it and no one was quite sure what it was. Man-made space debris was suspected, but it was also possible that it was debris from a natural astronomical event, too. I’d posted the first news article about it, but there were not too many facts, just a reporting that it had happened:
“I’m going to link a bunch of videos so you can check out the event from multiple angles, but I want to make a completely unscientific judgement: it kind of looks like a re-entering spacecraft. Take a look at what the Jules Verne spacecraft looked like when it came back into the Earth’s atmosphere. See how it broke up into all those pieces? And don’t let anyone fool you with this picture. It was taken about 3 years ago in the Netherlands. Phil made a similar observation, but he’s still on the fence. We’ll have to wait for someone official to tell us what it was. Did you see it? Did you get a video? I’ll give you an update as soon as I know anything else.”
more at link, plus videos and photos
Then I went to bed and hope that the issue would have more facts surrounding it this morning. I found this article I’ve posted below. It doesn’t answer the questions as to what it was, but it does speak to the unusualness of the event and its magnitude:
Freak fireball lights up Irish skies “A massive fireball was seen right across Ireland last night which may be “one of the best ever seen” in Europe and was a “huge event”, according to Astronomy Ireland. The trail of fragments passed across the sky at about 10.55pm with sightings reported from Dublin, to Donegal, Cork, Sligo, Carlow, Longford, Antrim and across the UK and as far as the Netherlands. It was “very unusual to see it in multiple countries,” David Moore of Astronomy Ireland said. “I’ve never seen one fragmented like that and streaked across sky,” he said. The fireball exploded into fragments, passed below the plough and all the way to the horizon. Mr Moore said the cause of the fireball was not yet clear. “It’s a piece of space debris, but whether it’s manmade or natural is not known,” he said. He said it was too slow for natural debris and was going the wrong direction for manmade debris. “It’s probably a space rock that has skidded across the atmosphere”. Witnesses described a trail of seven to 12 fireballs in a straight line across the sky. No sound was to be heard either by witnesses in the city or the countryside.”
Fireballs (meteors, bolides, meteorites) are not unusual. The fact that one was seen, by itself, is not an indicator of the end times. But notice the language in the article.
–massive –best ever (there’s that superlative language again) –huge –unusual –never before seen –unknown
The signs and warnings and events the Lord is sending are a process. He chose the process of childbirth as the metaphor. Like the plagues He sent to Pharaoh that increased in intensity and impact, so are the signs of the end times. We have been in the end times since Jesus ascended in a cloud, and will end when He returns in like manner. However, the end of the end times, like the end of pregnancy, is more uncomfortable as each day goes on, and when the water breaks and childbirth actually begins, it gets painful and bloody real fast. My opinion is that the rapture will be like the water breaking.
The signs that He sends during the end time swell in an upsurge from a natural occurrence to an unnatural occurrence over the course of the process. By ‘natural’ I mean either able to be withstood or able to be explained in man’s thinking and philosophy or science. Because all the events, weather, and earth happenings are all from God, technically nothing is “natural.” Anyway, more and more frequently these days we encounter an event which science cannot explain, which are out of bounds of normal thresholds of rationality or pattern, and are increasingly unable to be withstood. In other words, the pain factor is increasing while at the same time the ability to explain the pain is absent.
Keep your eyes open for superlative language in news reports. A superlative is “Of the highest order, quality, or degree; surpassing or superior to all others.” Each day we read something happened that was the worst ever, most daring, strangest, biggest, highest, …until the next day when something happens and that event becomes the worst ever, most daring, strangest, biggest, highest … Every day the news tops itself.
Was this the most unusual fireball ever? Breaking into the most pieces? Displaying the most colors? Being the most visible across the most countries? Maybe. Until the next one comes along. And because it is the end of the end times, we won’t have long to wait until this fireball is surpassed in all aspects by another.
Some news for you at this week’s end. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Our home is in heaven, and what a day that will be! Meanwhile, there’s kids to feed and a dog to walk!
Iran’s Supreme Guide orders Quds Force to focus on neighboring states: source “Iran’s Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei gave his instructions to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, and all its affiliated units, especially the Quds Force, to stop their activities worldwide, especially in Africa and Latin America, and to focus on the neighboring countries, Al Arabiya reported on Friday, citing a source at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The Quds Force, an elite special operations unit, is an arm of the Guard that is active abroad. The Quds Force is tasked with carrying out operations outside Iran — official and clandestine. It has several thousand members, and it is especially active in the Middle East, according to Western analysts. The source, who talked to Al Arabiya on the condition of anonymity, explained that the Supreme Guide fears a possible military strike against Tehran by Israel, on the one hand; and the grave financial effects of the international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, especially regarding the funds provided to the Revolutionary Guard and its affiliated units.”
Deep-focus quakes at Fiji:
Two quakes occurred at Fiji that were of the deep-focus variety. Deep focus quakes are earthquakes that occur at depths where they should not be able to occur. Geologists didn’t even know deep-focus quakes existed until 1922 until HH Turner of Oxford England provided evidence that they do indeed occur. Confirmation came in 1931. It was only in the lifetime of a person in one generation that seismology was turned upside down with the evidence that quakes are occurring “in diverse places,” lol.
I’ve written about deep-focus quakes before, when several happened in quick succession in the Philippines in 2010. I’d quoted then from a scientific article:
“Geophysicists are really not certain what causes the very deep quakes, because at 640 kilometers rocks are so hot that they flow rather than snap under geological stresses. The more common, shallow earthquakes are generally created when rocks snap and fracture.” (source)
Wikipedia explains the depth levels,
The majority of tectonic earthquakes originate at the ring of fire in depths not exceeding tens of kilometers. Earthquakes occurring at a depth of less than 70 km are classified as ‘shallow-focus’ earthquakes, while those with a focal-depth between 70 and 300 km are commonly termed ‘mid-focus’ or ‘intermediate-depth’ earthquakes. Deep-focus earthquakes may occur at much greater depths (ranging from 300 up to 700 kilometers).
Here is the quake data- Friday: magnitude 4.7, South of the Fiji Islands, 572.0 km deep Thursday: magnitude 5.7, 35km ESE of Ndoi Island, Fiji 544.2 km deep
The sinkhole in Louisiana is still percolating and expanding. Concerned residents met last night. The emergency has been going on for four months.
Assumption group still seeks answers “PIERRE PART — Residents and evacuees along with environmental groups and others worried about a large sinkhole, tremors and natural gas releases in the Bayou Corne area detailed on Thursday their concerns about the emergency dating four months with the appearance of mysterious bubbles in waterways.”
The movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked violent protests his week all over the world. The subsequent publication by French media of Muhammad cartoons fueled it. Did you know that for several years now, Muslims have been pushing for a Global Blasphemy Law? Well it died (again) last year but the notion has again been revived.
The Muslim News has the story:
Saudi Arabia: World Islamic body pushes global blasphemy law The world Islamic body signaled on Wednesday that it will revive long-standing attempts to make insults against religions an international criminal offense. The bid follows uproar across the Muslim world over a crude Internet video clip filmed in the United States and cartoons in a French satirical magazine that lampoon the Prophet Mohammad. But it appears unlikely to win acceptance from Western countries determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and already concerned about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said the international community should “come out of hiding from behind the excuse of freedom of expression”, a reference to Western arguments against a universal blasphemy law that the OIC has sought for over a decade. He said the “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse of this freedom” were a danger to global security and stability.”
A crazy thing is happening now in a small town of Haren in the Netherlands. A 16-year old girl organized a party, posted the invites to Facebook, but forgot to turn it to private. Thousands showed up to her party and a riot ensued. At least 20 people are hospitalized and riot police had to be called in from all environs to quell the violence. Even the journalists covering the riot were in turn attacked by the attackers. It still isn’t under control, the Haren mayor says. More here, and it is a really weird story.
A man has ended up in a tiger’s den in the Bronx Zoo. He had jumped the zoo’s monorail ride. No one knows why he jumped. He got his leg eaten off for his troubles.
People are acting C-R-A-Z-Y! Really! I don’t want to do a ‘back in my day’ kind of speech, but man, back in my day…people didn’t riot when they turn up uninvited to some teenager’s party, jump off a zoo ride and hurl themselves at a tiger, and riot when a cartoon is published. I never thought I’d say it but the 1960s are starting to look tame compared to all this.
Here are some recommended essays:
Ask for Tolerance “If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables. When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question…”
Michael Raiter at The Briefing has a very good and interesting essay on the state of congregational singing. He wrote it in 2008 and I think the situation he raised is even more evident now. I’ll post the first third of the essay but I encourage you to read it fully. After this excerpt Mr Raiter goes on to a good biblical exposition of congregational singing. I recommend the piece.
So, how is the singing at your church?
———— It seems like genuine, heartfelt congregational singing is experiencing its dying gasps. But why does it matter and why should we care? Mike Raiter brings us back to the Bible to inject our singing with new life.
I was at a convention recently, seated near the rear of the auditorium. The music team at the front were ‘leading’ (and I use that word advisedly) and we were singing. Well, we were meant to be singing. And so I did what I’ve done quite often lately: I closed my eyes and listened to the singing. The song leaders with their microphones were clear and distinct. I could identify each of the several instruments accompanying the singers. But if you blocked out the ‘worship team’, all that was left around the building was a barely audible murmur. I opened my eyes and looked around. Most folk were either standing silently, not even making a pretence of singing, or were little engaged in the activity.
I turned to a friend next to me and commented, “No-one’s singing”. He looked at me as if I’d just observed that no-one was flying. Of course they’re not singing; we haven’t really sung here for years. Whatever was happening that morning, it was most decidedly not congregational singing. In many churches, genuine, heartfelt congregational singing has been in its death throes for some years now. So I feel motivated to write about it. Surely we should be concerned that we’ve allowed our congregational singing to come to this.
Now, I know I’m not talking about every church. And I may not be talking about your church. But I travel around a great deal. In fact, I’m in a different church on most Sundays, and it’s true of virtually everywhere I go. I can’t remember ever coming home to my wife after church on a Sunday and saying, “Now, honey, that church really knows how to sing”. What’s it matter?
But more about that later. What’s the big deal about singing, anyway? Does it really matter if we sing well, poorly or not at all? Singing is yet another one of those topics about which Christians disagree—sometimes quite passionately. Focusing on the Old Testament, one writer concludes that “it is evident … that music played an important part in Hebrew culture”.1 His implication is clear: music was an important part of the life of God’s people before the coming of Jesus, and so it should also be important for us who live after our Lord’s first coming.
Another Christian leader, preferring to focus on the New Testament, concedes that there is a place for music in the life of the church but “it is in no way a major place”.2 He argues that singing was peripheral to the life of God’s people back in the early church, and therefore there is no basis for making it any more important in the life of the church today.
It is evident that the Old Testament gives a significant place to music. Three of its books are songs, or collections of songs (Psalms, Song of Solomon and Lamentations). In fact, one scholar claims that as much as one half to two-thirds of the Old Testament is poetry! Does this emphasis give us some clues about the place we ought to give to singing and music in church today?
But on the other hand, perhaps music and singing is like circumcision, temple attendance and Sabbath observance: it’s commanded in the Old Testament, but fulfilled by Jesus and the apostles in the New. They broadened and reinterpreted the definition of ‘worship’ to embrace a life of faith and obedience. Can we say that those who want to emphasize the importance of music for the church today are still stuck in an old covenant view of worship? Are all these things matters of Christian freedom? In Christ, you’re free to sing or not to sing, but what you are not free to do is bring music in from the margins.
Joel Osteen, America’s most famous false prophet, has a new book out. As most of his books do, it features a smiling Joel on the front.
The blurb reads, “Broken into thirty-one parts, this book will help readers reach the truth of God’s word, and how speaking God’s promises can bring about His blessings.”
Joel says that “declaring it” will bring it.
Joel says he wrote the book because, “I think its principles that help you to have a good self-image and feel right about yourself,”
Joel writes that we should speak and declare these things because God has “explosive blessings coming your way. I will increase you beyond your salary.” (pp3-4). That is a direct quote.
In Day Two’s declaration there are 55 words. I, me, or my is referred to 9 times. God is referred to 5 times. Part of it states, “I will give birth to every promise God put in my heart and I will become everything God created me to be.”
On another day’s declaration, we read, “This is my time! This is my moment! I receive it today! This is my declaration.”
Wow, that is some power. Kind of like another guy I know who declared stuff. That guy has some stiff competition now in Mr Osteen. That guy ought to watch out! The original declarer, you know, GOD, said,
“I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.” (Isaiah 48:3).
If we can declare all these things into being, what do we need God for? Oh, wait…
The Australian Herald Sun reports this morning of a Muslim conference where an 8-year-old girl wants children of her age to join jihad.
“This is a recording of 8-year-old Ruqaya urging other children to join the fight for a global Islamic state. As she sees it, “nobody is too young”. Ruqaya delivered her speech to an audience of 600 at a conference called Muslims Rise, hosted by an Islamic group called Hizb ut-Tahrir. It was held in Bankstown in Sydney’s west on Sunday. Muslims Rise advocates the restoration of the Islamic caliphate – a global government for all muslims, operating under strict sharia law. Ruqaya was one of nine speakers in a considerable line-up, which included a controversial keynote from Taji Mustafa, described by the Opposition as a “hate preacher”. … “Children as young as myself can be seen on the streets joining the uprisings, risking their lives to bring food, water and medicine to their wounded family members, some of them never returning to their mothers … Nobody is too young, she said.”
2-minute video below.
Oh, Islam! ‘Appeasing the unappeasable’ is what the world did with Hitler. Though Hitler unleashed much evil, God used it for His good and in His plan & timing. That generation was horrified as they watched the evil Nazi stain march across the continent. Those carted off to the Camps cried out, “Why?” Those imprisoned and tortured by evil men struggled to understand what good could ever come. However, the Lord does use evil for His good and for His glory.
The distance of time has showed us what the good was. In 1948, Israel was reborn according to scripture. God is mighty. His word will come to pass. ‘I have declared it, saith the LORD.’
Now we have another evil stain, Islam, marching across the globe. The Muslims believe themselves to be the prophesied vehicle to bring about holy jihad. Their commitment to jihad supposedly demonstrates to Muhammad how serious they are for His name. Thus endearing themselves to him through blood and killing, Muhammad will return and take over the world. This in turn will please their false god ‘Allah.’
This isn’t the first rise of Islam. I do feel it will be the last, however.
It all stems back to Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau.
Though God had promised a son to Abraham and Sarah, ten long years had passed and they weren’t getting any younger. Sarah and Abraham took matters into their own hands and in the custom of the day, Abraham went to Sarah’s handmaiden and conceived a child with her. Culturally, the child would be considered his and Sarah’s. That child was Ishmael. Later, Isaac was born of Sarah, just as God had said.
Though Ishmael was not the covenant child God promised to the patriarch, the child was promised to receive blessings.
“As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” (Genesis 17:20-21).
“And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” (Gen 21:13, 18)
Unfortunately it was also prophesied by God that Abraham and Hagar’s son Ishmael would be contentious.
“He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” (Genesis 16:12).
Ishmael became the father of the Arabs, many of whom today are Muslim. Ishmael, Hagar, and Abraham are all part of Muslim tradition.
The conflict continued with Ishamel’s sons… “His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” (Genesis 25:18)
Back to Abraham. Abraham’s son Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Jacob and Esau. God determined that His covenant would continue through Jacob, later named Israel. Though God did not choose Esau to be the recipient of the covenant promises, He still blessed Esau in many ways.
Unfortunately, Esau had issues, too. The bible says that we pray “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. (Hebrews 12:16-17, also Genesis 25:33).
Esau became the father of the Edomites. God hated the Edomites (“Jacob I have loved, but Esau have I hated,” Malachi 1:2-3). Obadiah and Malachi tell the story of God’s constant hatred of the Edomites and why. “For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever,” (Obadiah 1:10)
So while the Muslims say they will bring about the jihad, they are just about right, but they don’t know it. God planned a series of Islamic wars in the very last days which have not yet been fulfilled. Edom (Jordan) has not been cut off forever. Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 37-38 and other chapters and verses describe that the old enmity between Ishmael, that wild donkey of a man, and his brothers is almost fully here. War from the Muslim world has arrived. My opinion is, when I say that the coming Muslim wars will be the last is because those books and chapters I mention will break Islam. It will not be a contender for much longer. This is my opinion,based on the wars Israel will win and by definition the Muslim states will lose.
Islam began when Muhammad allegedly received divine revelations in 610AD from an unholy angel alleging to be Gabriel. He started preaching these revelations and at first had few followers. Muhammad encountered hostility from Jewish sects and Meccans. Eventually what has come to be known as Islam gained traction. It is the fastest growing religion today.
But what of Islam as a nation? Or an empire?
The Byzantine Empire (remnants of old Roman Empire) fell when Constantinople (Istanbul) fell in 1463. This began the rise of the (Muslim) Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak in 1683 and fell in 1922. The caliphate was disbanded in 1923 and its authority was given to modern Turkey’s Grand National Assembly.
The Ottoman Empire encompassed the following lands (Source, Wiki).
It was a big empire!
People today have no idea how large and powerful the Ottoman Empire was. Many dismiss Turkey today as a backwater nation of little consequence. Not so! Turkey is the seat of the presently disbanded caliphate power. Turkey has the second largest military in NATO- after America. 99.8% of Turks are Muslim, according to the government anyway. Turkey will be an ally with Russia and Iran in the Gog-Magog surprise attack against Israel, as described in Ezekiel 37. As a matter of fact, some think the Ottoman Empire may be the 7th kingdom mentioned in Revelation 17:9-11.
While some say that the 7th kingdom will be a revived Roman Empire, the Romans split their empire at the time of the Byzantines, as illustrated by the two legs Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (Daniel 2:31-35). The capital of the empire at that time was Rome and Constantinople, now Istanbul. So the horn mentioned in the Revelation verse could easily be Ottoman, if I’m wrong and the Muslim world does survive the Psalm 83/Isaiah 17/Isaiah 19/ Ezekiel wars.
As for all this history and biblical prophecy and Ishmael and Esau and the Muslims…perhaps it will make it easier to love them knowing God has a plan for them. His plan for them is just as valuable to Himself as His plan for His people the Jews.
I get caught up in hating their violence done in the name of a false God. I strive to pray and remember that God will take His vengeance on those who blaspheme His holy name and who bow to idols and then I feel calm again.
I have a harder time with their abuse of their children. Molech sacrifice is alive and well. That little girl calling for children to be used in a violent jihad is just as surely being passed through the belly of Molech as a sacrifice as those idolaters did in the ancient days. (1 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35; 2 Kings 16:3;21:6; 2 Chronicles 28:3; I). I can’t imagine the children there being indoctrinated into a hate religion in the name of a false god or even sacrificed. If they aren’t now, they will be. Remember, that little girl was in Australia, not Jordan and Not Turkey. I can’t imagine life for a Turkish daughter…
Our God is a good God. If not a sparrow falls without Him knowing about it, how much more will he take the precious children to His bosom. Their eyes will be cleared of the hate and they will see only love. Little Ruqaya, you may love Allah and hate Christians, but hopefully soon you will meet God. God IS love.
“but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14).
the-end-time.org 