Now Abide in Faith, Hope and Love

HT:  4.bpblogspot.com

 

I read a really good post over at Truth 2 Freedom’s blog called: Christ’s Saving Compassion In fact, I could spend hours over there reading many of the posts.

Excerpt:

“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

Jesus felt compassion for the crowds as only the Son of God could feel. It is among God’s attributes to love and care because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

I have been thinking a lot about the fact that faith, hope and love are the three major components that we as Christians are to abide in. But in the end, the greatest of these is love.

Of course, all three are important and necessary!  But why is the greatest of these, “love?”

We are told in Scripture that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

 

Heb 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

The term and concept of “Hope” occurs 142 times in 134 verses in the NKJV.

One example from Scripture:

Col 1:3

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Col 1:4

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

Col 1:5

because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

 

It truly matters in Whom (or what) we place our hope. Our greatest hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ!  Christ is the gift to us from God’s grace!

We go on to discover why faith in Christ is imperative, and why hope in Christ’s promises is sincerely necessary (because it helps blot out fear – which is a lie from satan). Once we reach such conclusions, we now know why the greatest of these concepts is Love. It is precisely because Christ epitomizes the greatest love we could ever have faith in, could ever have hoped for; and fulfills the deepest desire of our souls.  Christ’s “laying down His life” for our souls to be redeemed and for us to be reconciled back unto God the Father is the greatest love act of all time.   While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Rom 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

There is no greater love than for a Man to lay down his life for his friends – as Jesus did for us!

 

Jhn 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

1Co 13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

We need to abide in all three – faith, hope and love.  However, only Christ could have fulfilled the greatest love for us all!

 

Why?

 

Because, as Jesus said to John in Revelation:

 

Rev 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

 

Rev 21:6

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

 

 

Praise His Holy Name!

 

Hat tip: Truth 2 Freedom

 

 

HT:  ImagesfineartsAmerica

CIA Expert: Obama Switched Sides in War on Terror [Add-on at 12:57 pm PT]

HT:  pacificrimcoins.com

Add-on:

Others may have already known about this, but a woman named “Kim” over at the Tea Party Community shared this eye-opening link regarding the historic reasons why radical Islamic terrorists choose 9/11/01 and 9/11/12 for their attacks.

Islam Watch: Why 9/11 Occurred on September 11

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I’m sure that  many other Americans, like me, (who are  paying close attention to the supposed “missteps,” “delays,” and most egregiously of all, the “we don’t have a strategy” against ISIS or ISIL  comment by pResident Zero during that shake-your-head-in-disbelief  news conference yesterday) have secretly wondered and surmised that all that Zero and his Muslim Brotherhood supporting BADministration have been doing over the past 5 1/2 years seems to have led America towards being on the wrong side of the war on terror.

Well, now we have a former CIA agent giving us FACTS as to why many of us SHOULD feel this way!

WND EXCLUSIVE
CIA expert: Obama switched sides in war on terror
‘America has moved toward its Muslim enemies’

It is a long article and I recommend reading it all at that link, however, here are some pertinent excerpts.

Excerpt:

She said Obama and his administration “have no excuse” for not knowing better, given the extensive investigation, research and studies done since Sept. 11.

Instead, Lopez maintained, it was the Obama administration “that actively purged truthful curriculum about the inspirational relationship between Islamic doctrine, law, and scripture and Islamic terrorism.”

In fact, she said, they were told what to purge by groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and even allowed some of those same groups to supervise the purge. All of that, she observed, “would seem to indicate certain knowledge about the Islamic threat, and a determined effort to ignore that threat.”

Lopez chastised the Obama administration for what she called beating a hasty retreat, under fire, out of Afghanistan and Iraq, knowing full well they would both fall to Islam, the Taliban and Iran, respectively.

“But we’d already written their Shariah constitutions, so the actual ultimate physical domination was already prepared with the legal precedent and foundation,” she observed.

By 2014, she maintained, U.S. leadership had purged all its training curriculum and official discourse of any terminology that would accurately identify the Islamic enemy, “and the time was right. Al-Qaida receded and [ISIS] arose. The U.S. couldn’t tell the difference between jihadist militias to save its life anyway, quite literally.”

The former CIA operative said, “as Israel fought enemies on all sides to remain free, secure and Jewish, America began to move away from Israel and toward its Muslim enemies. And, as Iran moved inexorably toward a deliverable nuclear weapons capability, America helped.”

WND asked Lopez: How did America help Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism worldwide?

She said the Obama administration “consistently has engaged with this Iranian regime, pleaded with it to engage, and continue to engage, in obviously fruitless negotiations over their nuclear weapons program. The administration extended deadlines repeatedly, refused to hold Iran to account meaningfully for its terror support, including involvement in Sept. 11, lethal support to Iraqi militias in the 2000s and continuing harboring al-Qaida operations cell on its soil.”

Furthermore, Lopez insisted the administration refused to even broach certain key topics in negotiations (such as Iran’s intercontinental ballistic missile program) and failed to insist that earlier U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding Iran halt all nuclear enrichment be implemented before any further talks. Instead, she said the administration explicitly signaled, in the November 2013 Joint Plan of Action agreement, it would allow Iran to continue enrichment permanently.

[…]

Excerpt:

ISIS crisis

After the ISIS threat first burst into public view, as the terrorist army sprang from Syria and shockingly began capturing great swaths of Iraqi territory with a savagery evidenced by its many massacres and beheadings, Lopez urged caution before the U.S. re-engaged in the area militarily.

She told WND the U.S. should protect its interests and those minorities facing genocide, but otherwise, let the warring parties sort it out, for the time being.

Obama briefly spoke to reporters Thursday about his options in dealing with ISIS, and sounded, at least on the surface, very much like he is doing as just Lopez has recommended, but with one big difference.

The president resisted calls to escalate airstrikes and destroy ISIS, emphasizing the U.S. is currently engaged in only limited efforts to protect American personnel and consulates, as well as providing humanitarian relief and protection of minorities where possible.

He also, like Lopez, said a broader strategy for the region was needed, but notably, he did not state what the goal should be.

The goal of the global war on terror, or GWOT, launched after Sept. 11, was understood to be the defeat of jihadism both in the Mideast and globally.

Obama articulated no such goal, and has, in fact, declared there no longer is a global war on terror.

That is where Lopez and Obama veer in entirely different directions.

She names the enemy as jihadis and states the goal should be their destruction.

“Above all, we must acknowledge that the enemy is supremacist forces of Islamic jihad,” Lopez told WND. “We must name, acknowledge, confront the enemy as he is – not as we wish him to be.”

She scoffed at the notion that what others call radical Islam was a “defeated ideology.”

“Oh? What ideology is that? The 1,400-year-old one that’s already made mincemeat out of six or seven major world empires? That one?”

[Ever] since the video of the ISIS beheading of American journalist James Foley appeared last week, numerous military experts and political commentators have called upon the administration to wipe out ISIS before it makes good on its threat to attack the U.S. homeland.

There is much more in the article (remember, these are only excerpts) but it was good to read that she backs helping the Kurds.

Furthermore, she recommended arming the Kurds and declaring them U.S. partners in the region, who should be supported in their national aspirations.

As for the terrorist army, “If [ISIS] makes one move against our regional partners – Israel, Jordan, the Kurds – we clobber them, then leave. If we determine that [ISIS] is plotting by itself or in conjunction with a nation-state, or other sub-national terror organization like Hezbollah, again – like Iran did with al-Qaida and Hezbollah – we clobber both of them, all of them, then leave. No nation building. They pick up the pieces, not us.”

 

I have often thought it strange that Zero NEVER mentions that the Kurds are  Christians.  How does someone (who claimed to be a Christian when he ran for president in 2008) not even care to mention that “fellow Christians in Iraq” are being targeted and slaughtered with their numbers dwindling because of the radical Islamic terrorists?  Hmm…maybe it has something to do with this quote:

In “Audacity of Hope” he writes: “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” The quote comes from page 261 of the paperback edition of “The Audacity of Hope.

Quote HT: Conservative Crusader

I ask you…CAN IT GET ANY UGLIER THAN IT ALREADY IS???   Answer:  Yes it could (and probably will).  So many people are saying that there will probably be another attack against Americans, somewhere, on Sept. 11th.  Our homeland is highly vulnerable because of the LACK OF FOLLOWING THE LAWS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AT THE BORDER!  If unaccompanied children can get in by the tens of thousands, why couldn’t ISIS terrorists?  Perhaps the ISIS terrorists are very busy over in Iraq and Syria right now, but who can guarantee that Americans (with U.S. passports!) who have been radicalized (like the 3 that were recently killed over there) and/or ISIS terrorists who illegally enter the U.S. through our vulnerable southern border won’t launch an attack (or several attacks at same time) here in America?

 

Excerpt:

Lopez pointed out how ISIS is also fighting at least six adversaries on multiple fronts at the same time: against the Iraqi and Syrian governments; al-Qaida militias in Syria, non-al-Qaida militias in Syria; the U.S. and U.K. airstrikes; the Kurds; and maybe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or Qods Force, too.

And, she previously told WND, while countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey may have initially instigated and bankrolled ISIS, those regimes and others, such as Iran and Qatar, “play all sides of the jihadi game” and have “enabled a monster in ISIS” they can no longer control, and “they should be allowed to reap what they’ve sown.”

Furthermore, she maintained, U.S. leadership has proven incapable of sorting out who’s who or who’s backing whom.

“Right now, I think the most serious threat to the homeland comes from individual or small groups of individual jihadis carrying U.S. or other Western passports, who return home or can easily cross borders, including our own collapsed southern border, and mount attacks in the West, including America.”

Lopez said she would like to see more consideration given to exactly who and what ISIS is, where it came from and what it represents. She wants to know if it is the leading edge, “the current violent vanguard,” of what she called the 1,400-year-old supremacist forces of Islamic jihad.

“In many ways, al-Qaida prepared the ground for the Islamic State. Al-Qaida, which means, ‘the base,’ did its job, which was to awaken the Muslim masses, to prod the ummah to action against the infidel after a long hiatus. It spawned off-shoot franchises across the globe, not to mention in the virtual spaces of the Internet. It did its job and may now be superseded by [ISIS]. We shall see about that.

 

It was REALLY REFRESHING to hear a GENUINE LEADER from Great Britain, David Cameron, state what many Americans have been WANTING to hear from our feckless pResident.

 

Go to that link the link [above] to view the video that contains portions of Cameron’s comments.

 

Here is what is written there:

British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to confront radical Islam “at home and abroad” and the United Kingdom raised its terror level to “severe”  in the wake of new revelations about Islamic State’s butchery in Syria and Iraq.

Cameron, speaking from 10 Downing Street, said Britain’s problem with homegrown radical jihadists joining the bloody battle engulfing the Middle East and threatening attacks on the west must be addressed with tough action.

“This is not some foreign conflict thousands of miles away that we can hope to ignore,” the Conservative Party leader said. “The ambition to create an extremist caliphate in the heart of Iraq and Syria is a threat to our own security here in the UK. And that is in addition to the many other Al Qaeda-inspired terrorist groups that exist in that region. The first ISIL terrorist attacks on the continent of Europe have already taken place.”

“We cannot appease this ideology,” the Conservative Party leader said. “We have to confront it at home and abroad. To do this we need a tough, intelligent, patient, comprehensive approach to defeat the terrorist threat at its source.

“We cannot appease this ideology.”- British Prime Minister David Cameron

Cameron’s words came one day after U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. is not contemplating imminent action against Islamic State in Syria because ” we don’t have a strategy yet.” International outrage at Islamic State continues to grow with daily reports and images of the terror group’s savagery against Syrians, Iraqis and Kurds. On Thursday, video of Islamic State fighters marching more than 100 underwear-clad Syrian soldiers in the desert before summarily executing them appeared on the Internet. On Friday, Islamic State released photos of Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers captured ion Iraq, one of which was beheaded.

The UK government raised its terror threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” the fourth highest of five levels, in response to events in Iraq and Syria. The move means a terrorist attack is highly likely, although there is no intelligence to suggest one is imminent, Home Secretary Theresa May said. Cameron noted it was the first time in three years the level was raised to severe by the U.K.’s Joint Terrorist Analysis Center.

“My first priority as Prime Minister is make sure we do everything possible to keep our people safe,” Cameron said.

While a White House spokesman went to great lengths to say the U.S. is not “at war” with Islamic State and the Obama administration has been criticized for not addressing the issue of Islamic extremism explicitly and decisively enough, Cameron said the “root cause” of the terrorist threat in his nation is “Islamist extremism.” hundreds and possibly more than 1,000 Britons have gone to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, which claims to have established a caliphate, or nation of strict Sharia law, in Syria and Iraq.

Cameron said plans are being developed to stop British jihadists from traveling to Syria and Iraq and to make it easier to revoke their passports. He also said the nation will work to bar current fighters from returning from the Middle East.

Cameron distinguished between the religion of Islam and the “poisonous” political ideology of extremists.

 

*SIGH*

I long for the day when America will have a new, REAL AND GENUINE leader (similar to President Ronald Reagan) who won’t “side with the Muslims” when THEY are the perpetrators of such terror, atrocities, murder and evil; all in the name of their false god allah.

HT:  pilgrimpassing.com

Please read: Why Muslims Don’t Worship the Same God as Christians  [Reposted below from former blog].

 

Hat tip: WND

Also see: WND: CIA Expert – Obama and Osama Share Mideast Goal

Hat tips to all links.

 

*******

Reposted from former Talk Wisdom blog:

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Why Muslims Don’t Worship the Same God as Christians

While sharing comments at Sarah Palin’s Face Book page, I pointed out to a young man who had written that “Muslims, Jews, and Christians all worship the same God” that he is incorrect. I referred him to an essay I had written back in 2006 at my Talk Wisdom Discussion Forum. I thought that it might be a good idea to share it on this blog so that when you encounter people (even some Christians!) who state that “we all worship the same God,” you can be armed with the truth.

Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

The short answer is no! The bottom line is this – Hal Lindsey does not believe that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews and I agree with him and his reasoning on the subject.

However, I also realize that some Christians do differ on this issue. In fact, President Bush once stated (incorrectly, IMO) that Islam worships the same god as Christians and Jews. I disagree and I will share many reasons that will explain to you why this is not possible.

First, a summary:

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heavens glory and will return again, to earth, to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; John 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13.)

The Koran denies that Jesus is the Son of God although it describes the virgin birth in a passage similar to Luke 1:26-38 (Surah 3:45-47) (Note: Surah is in the Koran).

The Koran calls Jesus a prophet, equal to Abraham, Jonah and others, but places Him in rank far below Muhammad. Surah 4:171 says that “Jesus…was only a messenger of Allah…Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.”

Muhammad totally ignored the claims that Jesus made about Himself. Jesus said, for example:

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
“Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58).

The Bible also states that God Himself called Jesus His Son (see Matthew 17:5).

Demons trembled as they recognized the Son of God (see Matthew 8:29).

Doubting Thomas acknowledge Him as “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

John identified Christ as the author of creation (John 1:1-5); so did Paul (Col. 1:15-17) who also said, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9).

The only way to deal with this kind of evidence is to do what Muhammad did – simply ignore or deny it. Islam denies Jesus Christ’s Deity so they do not worship the same ‘god’ in their god of Allah.

Next, a response to someone who thinks Allah and Yahweh are one in the same.

In response to an individual who was attempting to equate Allah with Yahweh, I wrote the following response and included some comments from others who agree with my stance:

What Muslims believe:

“Christ, the son of Mary [note: not as the “son of God”], Was no more than A Messenger; many were Messengers that passed away Before him [here, equating Jesus with mere Messengers, or perhaps prophets, but certainly not the Son of God]. Sura 5:75, Abdullah Yusef Ali, 10th ed. reprint, 2001.

“The similitude of Jesus Before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust . . . “. Sura 3:59. A subsequent “created” man, like Adam. Not God.

What Christians believe:

However, “And the angel [being Gabriel, the same angel that allegedly dictated the “Holy Koran” to Muhammad] answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, KJV).

The Scriptures refer to Christ as “the seed of the WOMAN,” knowing that no woman has any seed. The seed has to come from the male; Christ, as the Word incarnate (John 1:14), in an INCORRUPTIBLE SEED (1 Pet. 1:23) not like unto “corruptible MAN” (Rom. 1:23). Not like Adam, a created man who was not the son of God.

Thus, it comes down to a choice between these two disparate positions.

Either God showed up in the flesh, or he did not.

At this point in history, that makes you either believe God’s inspired Scriptures testifying of himself in the flesh, or Allah’s declaration that he did not visit in the flesh nor will he return once again.

The Koran indicates there WAS AND IS NO SON OF GOD in the flesh at any time. Muhammad thus cuts off the Isaac line through David to Jesus by God acting through Mary, and substitutes the illegitimate Ishmael to substitute himself for Jesus Christ as the New Testament “Comforter”.

Jesus would then have been the son of Joseph (a corruptible man, dead and buried without resurrection), and therefore could not be the Son of God.

What does that make Muhammad?

I realize that some readers will regard this as harsh. I am just sharing the truth of the matter.

We are warned about such non-scripture by Paul when God cursed Muhammad (and any angel with whom he was consorting) for preaching “another gospel” (Gal. 1:8-9).

Below, are more differences that I have gathered through other’s postings. (I will include first names or screen names only)

1. Muhammad sought earthly power and riches, including women from conquest. Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not of this world, and he gave up His life, via a gruesome Roman execution, so that we all might live again in the Kingdom of heaven, with all the angels and saints. And a final human act of murder and self-destruction will not gain one access to that Kingdom of Heaven, much less 72 dark-haired perpetual virgins. No, allah and God are quite different beings, with different requirements for believing in them. (contributed by John)

2. No Muslim believes that Jesus Christ in the trinity is one with God and God. Therefore they do not worship the same God. Allah does not reflect John 1:1 at all. Hence the reason one can not preach the teachings of Christ around Mecca. (contributed by Merle)

3. It is TOTALLY ILLOGICAL to say the god of Islam and God of the Jews and Christians are one and the same. Islamic scripture KORAN and Hadith is rife with Allah’s disdain and hate of the the Jews and Christians. It is IMPOSSIBLE for God to hate the people (Jews and Christians) He created. Therefore Allah of Islam and God are not the same. (contributed by Paul)

4. To base arguments on the superficial use of the word ‘God’ misses the mark entirely. Even cults use the word ‘God’. It is true that Judeo-Christian and Islamic beliefs have Abraham in common. From there though, Islam takes every Judeo-Christian belief and turns it upside down. (contributed by Terry)

5. Perhaps I can fill you in on some key points as to why I have trouble (with anyone who holds the opinion) that Allah is the same God of the Bible – God of Christians and Jews. First we need to be careful to resist our natural urge to claim common ground for the sake of unity and peace. Instead we need to look at historical facts and religious aims to see whether such commonality is possible. And we need to proceed LOGICALLY. The question we are asking is : Who is Allah? Here we are asking who Allah, the God of Islam is. We are asking who is the Allah god muslims worship to?

The Koran points out that Allah is the same as the God of Jews and Christians ( “the People of the Book”) And muslims claim their faith as “the faith of Abraham” in one Creator God. So the question is settled? Well, not so fast!

As well meaning religious people, we like to see unity and peace. And we like to establish commonality with our neighbors. However to answer this key question, we need to be more objective. So let’s clear up our mind and approach this question from the standpoint of a new muslim convert who is being introduced to Islam. What is the most important statement of Islam? It is the Shahada: That there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. This all important pledge states that Allah is the only God there is and Muhammad is his prophet. If you say this before two witnesses, you become a muslim. This all important claim of Islam DEFINES Allah.

Note that there are two parts to Shahada – “Allah is [the] only God that exist[s]” and “Muhammad is Allah’s prophet”. In other words, Shahada states “There is only Allah” but who is this god, Allah? “Allah is Muhammed’s God” because Muhammad is his spokesman (prophet).

So the fundamental axiom of Islam DEFINES who Allah is. Allah is the God Muhammad worshipped! And this is a point that ALL MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, AND JEWS CAN AGREE ON.

Allah is the god Muhammad worshipped. This is how we should clarify who Allah is. This statement: “Allah is the God Muhammad worshipped daily” is a statement we all agree on.

Now we examine cold and hard historical facts.Was Muhammad ever a Jew? Nope. Was Muhammad ever a Christian? Nope. In fact, historians would agree that Muhammad was an Arab pagan who worshipped at Kaaba temple of Mecca. And he worshipped the supreme deity of Arab paganism – Allah of Mecca. We know that there is connection between the God of Christians and the God of Jews BECAUSE JESUS HAS BEEN A JEW AND SO WERE ALL EARLY CHRISTIANS. We can safely say that Christianity is a branch, if you will, out of Judaism because all early Christians were Jews and Christians accept Jewish Old Testaments VERBATUM.

By the same key criteria, we cannot say that Islam is a growth out of Judaism nor Christianity. Muhammad had never been a Jew nor a Christian and muslims do not accept the Bible verbatum. Instead Islam AIMS TO REPLACE THE BIBLE WITH THE KORAN. Because they believe that the Bible is full of errors while the Koran is the perfect book from the Heaven.

So let us summarize the above point why Allah is not the same as the God of Christians and Jews.

a. “Allah is the God Muhammad worshipped.” If you want to talk Islam, you have to start from the Shahada. If you are unwilling to see the meaning of Shahada, we are talking at cross purpose. Shahada says that Allah is the God Muhammad worshipped and he is the only God there is. All other deities are idols to be denied and oppressed. (This is a point that all muslims, Christians, and Jews can agree on. )

b. Muhammad was an Arab pagan who worshipped at Kaaba temple of Mecca. (This also is a point that all can agree on. ) He was and never had been a Christian nor a Jew.

c. Therefore, Allah is NOT the God of Christians and Jews. (contributed by Jay)

I am very politically aware of what is going on in the world today. In fact, here in America, as long as your god is just a word, the world has no problem with you. However, mention the name of Jesus Christ and they do have a problem. Why is that? Why is Jesus so offensive to those who do not believe in him?

Perhaps you already agree that we Muslims and Christians do not worship or serve the same God.

Christians believe in the Trinity (I John 5:7). God the father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

“If you have seen me you have seen the Father” (John 14:9).

In non-theological words, Jesus is God revealed to us in the flesh. Muslims do not believe in the same god, that is the God of the New Testament Bible. Let’s just call it like it is. People must not try to trivialize our differences for the sake of peace.

When I was debating an individual about this topic, at the very beginning I had stated, “Since you are using a book – Koran – that I view as an improper addition to the Bible, anything I might say to rebut your allegations will probably not be accepted by you.

I do not say that the Koran is an improper addition to the Bible with a mean-spirited goal, it is just the truth as I see it being a born-again Christian. The Bible gives us a double warning in Revelation 22:18,19 not to add nor subtract from what is written, therefore, any book written after Revelation would be adding (and, in some cases subtracting, according to what is written in them) to God’s Word which we are told not to do according to these verses.”

With that said, I will share a few points regarding his dismay when I called Ishmael illegitimate.

I am currently in the middle of a Bible study on the book of Genesis. Here is a partial recap of chapter 16:

Here we find Sarai and Abram frustrated by the passing years without a son. So they devise their own strategy for “fulfilling” God’s promise–and reap the consequences. Read Genesis 16.1.

It has been ten years since Abram and Sarai entered Canaan. What action does Sarai how suggest (16:1-2)?

Suggested Abram sleep with her maidservant to build a family through her.

2. What do you think this indicates about their trust in God?

They doubted that His promise would be fulfilled without them stepping in and “helping it along” the way. Sarai influenced Abram to commit adultery. (Another point to recognize is the name changes of both Sarai and Abram to Sarah and Abraham before Isaac was born; but even more significantly this occurred after Ishmael was born. A name change in Scripture is quite significant in that it indicates a great change in the path of the person. We see this in the New Testament when Saul was renamed Paul after his encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and thus his conversion from not only just Judaism, but from being a persecutor of Christians to becoming one of the greatest apostles for Christ!)

3. How can our impatience with God’s timetable lead us into unbelief and even disobedience?

It led to the sin of adultery in order to get the child they so desperately wanted. In fact, God did come through later with the conception and birth of Isaac.

7. Ishmael means “the God who hears.” What does that reveal about the outcome in 16:15-16?

The Lord heard the child and Hagar’s misery. Even though He told her the good news that He would increase her descendants so that they would be too numerous to count, He also told her the bad news; that Ishmael would be Gen 16:12- “And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

This is indicative of the hostility we have seen between Arabs and Jews throughout the centuries. We also see it in the radical fringe of Arab/Muslim terrorism going on around the world. (This is not to say that ALL Arabs/Muslims are terrorists because of course they all are not, but to point out that the hostility predicted in this Biblical account has come to fruition down through the generations and can be seen today as a result of this prophetic description of Ishmael in Genesis 16:12.)

I WILL REPEAT FOR ABSOLUTE CLARITY. I AM NOT SAYING THAT ALL MUSLIMS/ARABS ARE TERRORISTS!

In Chapter 17 we see that God’s one and only covenant is revealed through Isaac. I have already included the Bible verses in previous posts.

Lastly, at my Bible study this past Tuesday, we ran across the following verse that reveals an astonishing truth about which son God Himself recognized as Abraham’s “only son.”

In Genesis Chapter 22 verse 2 we read:

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Of course, we know that God provided a substitute for Isaac at the last moment by providing a ram caught in in a thicket by its horns (verse 13). This was a foreshadowing of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind at the cross.

But notice also that God said that Isaac was Abraham’s only son. Thus, we recognize Isaac’s line in succession to Jesus Christ, not Ishmael’s line of descendants.
__________________
Christine

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong to those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

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Update:

My Face Book friend, who happens to be a Christian biblical scholar from Australia – Bill Muehlenberg – has written two excellent essays on this topic. Please read them and be educated on this issue!

Culture Watch Blog: No, We Do Not Worship the Same God

Culture Watch Blog: What to Make of Allah

 

Coming Soon! Agents of the Apocalypse

Coming This Fall from Dr. David Jeremiah You’re invited to a front-row seat to watch the cataclysmic clash of heaven and Earth as the mysteries of the Book of Revelation unfold before you and come face-to-face with the key players of the End Times drama…

The Agents of the Apocalypse

Dr. Jeremiah’s riveting look at the key players of the Book of Revelation will give you insight into Bible prophecy as perhaps you’ve never experienced before!

I can only guess that perhaps one or more of the “agents” discussed in Dr. Jeremiah’s book might very well be radical Islamic jihadists.   The number of terrorists around the world has doubled since 9/11/01!

I have been reading two books lately – one about angels and the other about the book of Revelation.   Reading and studying what the Bible reveals regarding the end times is something that I think all people should do!  It really helps us  to understand why all the turmoil that is going on in the world – especially as it relates to Israel and the Middle East terrorism surrounding Her – is happening and how prophesy can uniquely inform and warn us.  Prophesy is happening right before our very own eyes theses days!  Yet, many people are either  completely oblivious (or, in some cases purposefully ignorant) of such facts!

Sometimes I find that people (who are either uninformed or critical of any discussion regarding end times prophecy) REALLY don’t want to know what is going to happen!  For some, it is fear of the future.  For some, it is fear of not being right with God.  For some it’s not being able or willing to  admit that they are in the same boat as all of us – a sinner in desperate need of the Savior – Jesus Christ!  These days, that’s just not politically correct to say out loud anymore.

Even some Christian pastors refuse to do sermons or studies about the book of Revelation.  Excuses for why they don’t want to cover that book run the gamut!  It does take a lot of effort and work to read the book and to also seek out the scholars (who may not always agree on every detail) who have helped interpret what is written in the book of Revelation.  There are some books about it that are better than others.  I find that the best writers on the subject use the techniques of Scripture interprets Scripture as well as the art of linking Old Testament prophecy verses with New Testament fulfillment verses.

My former blog has many articles about prophesy being fulfilled right before our very own eyes! [Note: be sure to click on additional links at end of that one blog post.] In David’s incredible prophecy of Israel’s enemies today, we see just one example of prophecy coming to fruition in our day!

Excerpt:

Three thousand years ago God inspired King David to predict that the reborn nation of Israel would be immediately surrounded by enemies, including the Arab nations of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.

“For lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken craftly counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Hoab; and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah” (Psalm 83:2-8).

In this incredible prophecy, David described the modern states of the Middle East by naming the ancient nations that have now joined with the Palestinians in their attempt to destroy the Jewish state in the last days.

This ancient prophetic list of nations is fascinating, as it enumerates virtually every one of the nations in the Arab confederacy that oppose Israel’s existence today:

Edom………from Esau, brother of Jacob (Jordan)

Ishmaelites…descended from Ishmael, son of Hagar (Arabs)

Moab………son of Lot, (Jordan, east of Dead Sea)

Hagarenes….descended from one of the 12 sons of Hagar

Gebal……..ancient Byblus, (north of today’s Beirut)

Ammon……..son of Lot, (capital of Jordan)

Amalek…….descended from Esau (southern Jordan)

Philistines..from Ham, (throughout Palestine, Syria)

Tyre………a Phoenician city (Lebanon)

Assur……..founded Assyria; (Iraq – Iran)

Children of Lot, Moab, and Ammon, (Jordan)

 

Dr. David Jeremiah is coming out with a new book (and sermon series on TV) soon called “Agents of the Apocalypse.”  Should be interesting!

All the things that are happening in the world now (like the Islamic Caliphate wannabes) and the Hamas attacks against Israel certainly show us how one day, the apocalypse prophesied in Scripture will come about! I have been watching “Israel Now News” on the Daystar channel. In one news report and commentary, a reporter – who witnessed a Jewish man get out of his car, kneel down and pray for God’s protection (just as a missile from the terrorists in Gaza was heading in his direction) – told the story of how that 15 seconds of warning isn’t much time to take cover. Right after the man’s prayer, the Iron Dome defense system shot the missile to smithereens in the sky above them. My question: why aren’t such miraculous stories told in the MSM? Possible answer: because many in the media of mass deception are secularists who either side with Hamas or just hate the Jews anyway? The ratcheting up of anti-Semitism across Europe is disturbing, too. How can ANYONE think that siding with terrorists like Hamas is a good thing?   I think I know some reasons why.  Such people do not know God’s Word and, unfortunately, they are doubly blinded by news media propaganda and willful ignorance.

The hatred against the Jews (and Christians, for that matter) is rising up again and becoming even more apparent.  When radical Islamic terrorists (like ISIS, ISIL) vow to “kill the infidel” (which includes anyone who doesn’t believe in their allah false god) and such actions are allowed to go on without  strong American military action; then we are in grave danger.  What’s more, don’t be fooled into complacency regarding the connections between The Muslim Brotherhood AGREEING in the end times Islamic Caliphate – just like the “crueler” jihadists called ISIS (Islamic State [of] Iraq and Syria) or ISIL (Islamic State, Islamic Levant). What’s even worse, is when we have a pResident in the White House that is obviously in league with the Muslim Brotherhood.

They all will be battling amongst themselves; that is, all of the factions of radical Islam with the goal of claiming that their particular sect is the genuine article that will bring about the Mahdi of their evil religion.

The fact is that ALL the radicals want this Caliphate – so that their Islamic “messiah” [who could end up being the False Prophet predicted in Revelation] will ultimately be revealed. You see, they think that they can “hurry it along.” The truth is, it’s all in God’s timing. The only safety that there will be left in the end times is true faith in God.

Psa 109:3

They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.

 

Psa 25:19

Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.

 

We can refer back to Psalm 3:1 (NIV) – where David writes:

 

1O LORD, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.

3But you are a shield around me, O LORD;

you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

4To the LORD I cry aloud,

and he answers me from his holy hill.

The message in such Scripture is clear!  We are to seek God – even when it appears that so much is going against us!  God is still for us!

Isa 26:4

Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.fn

Pro 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;

 

Pro 3:6

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct [fn] your paths.

 

Hat tips to all links.

To Ruin Without Any Reason

H/T for graphic:  consecratedtohim.com

Hello dear readers! I apologize for my long absence from blogging. After a week of camping, then a week visiting family, then a weekend attending a wedding, I ended up with a nasty cold. I always seem to get colds after plane travel. Took vitamin C and Echinacea before and after the four plane rides in order to boost my immune system. Unfortunately, I still ended up sick.

The title of this post is taken from Job 2:3 NIV:

Job 2:3

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

That is what evil  (and the father of it – satan) does – to ruin without any reason.  The Word Origin meaning of “reason” applies well, here:

Word Origin & History

reason

early 13c., “statement in an argument,” also “intellectual faculty that adopts actions to ends,” from Anglo-Fr. resoun, O.Fr. raison, from L. rationem (nom. ratio) “reckoning, understanding, motive, cause,” from ratus, pp. of reri “to reckon, think,” from PIE base *rei- “to reason, count” (cf. O.E.

Jesus called satan the “father of lies” :

Jhn 8:44

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

 

In the comment section of a previous post, commenter GMPilot challenged the account concerning Job in the Bible. His final sentence there sums up the reason for his disdain against God:

I never said I didn’t like it, but the whole Job affair does show the Master of the Universe as a player of pawns. Better no god at all than a god like that.

 

Before I finished this post, I needed to let the dogs out in the yard. I’m “dog-sitting” my daughter and her husband’s dog, so I have 3 dogs to care for.   In an attempt to keep the one-year old in the house so that he wouldn’t run out the door a second time while I let the two older dogs in  I didn’t give myself enough room to come back in through the door. Therefore, I banged my knee (hard!) against the closed double door side. It was very painful! My husband got a gel icepack for me to sooth the pain. Next, my puggle ran in front of me as I was sitting on the couch holding the gel pack and she stepped right on my ingrown toenail!

Now, the question is…who or what can be held responsible for these types of incidences?  Satan, chance or my clumsiness? I’ll let you decide.

Back to this post.

The following is the comment that I wrote in response to GMPilot:

GM –

You miss the point regarding both the book of Job, as well as the person Job.

When God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” He was challenging Satan to take away one of His most loyal servants; with the instructions that Satan could not kill him.

Despite all that Job endured, he remained faithful to God the end.

Job was certainly tested. His life had been filled with prestige, possessions, and people. Then, he was suddenly assaulted in many ways, devastated, and caused to suffer. Even his own wife told him to “curse God and die.”

No matter what Satan did to Job, this loyal servant continued to trust in God.

This account in Scripture is extremely important. Satan, the accuser, came to God claiming that Job was trusting God only because he was wealthy, healthy, and all was going well for him. And so, the testing of Job began.

Look at the end of the verse (Job 2:3):

There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

 
Read the chapters HERE, Chapter 3 HERE, Chapter 4 HERE, Chapter 5 HERE, Chapter 6 HERE, Chapter 7 HERE, Chapter 8 HERE, Chapter 9 HERE, Chapter 10 HERE, Chapter 11 HERE, Chapter 12 HERE, Chapter 13 HERE, Chapter 14 HERE, Chapter 15 HERE, Chapter 16 HERE [Note that Job calls his “friends” – “miserable comforters”.] Chapter 17 HERE, Chapter 18 HERE, Chapter 19 HERE, Chapter 20 HERE, Chapter 21 HERE, Chapter 22 HERE, Chapter 23 HERE, Chapter 24 HERE, Chapter 25 HERE.

 

Granted, there are weeks, if not months worth of study that could be done on the book of Job! However, note that God’s servant Job was a sinner just like all of us! Chapter 25 reveals our need for the Savior, Jesus Christ!

Job 25:1

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

Job 25:2

“Dominion and fear belong to Him;
He makes peace in His high places.

Job 25:3

Is there any number to His armies?
Upon whom does His light not rise?

Job 25:4

How then can man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?

Job 25:5

If even the moon does not shine,
And the stars are not pure in His sight,

Job 25:6

How much less man, who is a maggot,
And a son of man, who is a worm?”

 

When we look at the book of Job in the light of the New Testament and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we see the ultimate goal and purpose of God’s redemption of sinful man through the shed blood (without the shedding of blood – there is no remission of sins) of the God-man, Jesus Christ!

God is ultimately in control and only He understands why the good are allowed to suffer. This only becomes clear when we see God for who He is. We must courageously accept what God allows to happen in our lives and remain firmly committed to him.

Job learned that when all else in his life is gone – God is enough. God is enough for all of us in our lives and in our future. We must love God although _______ (fill in the blank). I look at my life and see the pain and suffering that I and others have endured. In the end, I must admit that it made my faith stronger. In some cases, strengthened faith did not occur to me at the time the pain and suffering was happening!  In some cases, despite my cries and mourning, I had seen much worse happening to other people.  In fact, many instances of suffering ended up making my faith stronger…even more so than the times of blessing.

Jesus himself was tempted by satan after 40 days of fasting. Jesus used Scripture against the accuser:

Mat 4:10

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, [fn] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” [fn]

 

Luk 4:8

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! [fn] For [fn] it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” [fn]

 

There is a Bible verse that tells us, “all of creation groans for redemption.”

 

Rom 8:22

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

 

Redemption is the purpose of God’s Word – and Jesus Christ is the living Word who achieved it for us.

 

Psa 130:7

Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

 

This verse links the purposes of the  Old and New Testament:

Heb 9:12

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining [fn] eternal redemption.

 

Jesus is the wisdom from God!

1Co 1:30

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

 

Those who suffer should look at the story of Job and understand that those who endure the testing of their faith will experience God’s great rewards in the end.

 

 

 Hat tip:  Blue Letter Bible