Those of you who read “The View” know that for several years know I have been beating the drum of “watch Iran.” The fast approaching Iranian nuclear missile crisis has far reaching impacts and major implications as it relates to the fulfillment of end-times prophecies. I am convinced that the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acts and will continue to act out of his deeply held Islamic religious beliefs that the Mahdi, a mystic and messianic figure known as “the 12th Imam” or the “hidden Imam” awaited by millions of Muslim faithful, is standing in the wings waiting to appear- a man who I believe is the Biblical Anti-Christ, and more ominously, that Ahmadinejad himself has been chosen to hasten his appearance by attacking Israel and the U.S. Yesterday, Sept. 27th, Iran successfully test-fired a Shahib 3 long-range missile capable of traveling over 1200 miles and hitting targets in Israel or Europe, including US military bases within that radius. Former President Bush was trying to combat this very threat by placing a missile defense shield in eastern Europe, a program that was scrapped last week by President Obama. Also this week, the U.S. and several key Allies at the G-20 summit revealed a secret uranium enrichment facility now operating in Iran, prompting military analysts to declare that there can be no doubt that Iran is fast approaching a time when it will be capable of creating a nuclear bomb, if it does not already have one! The Shahib 3 missile makes its delivery a very real threat and one which must be taken seriously, especially in light of Ahmadinejad’s comments at the UN last week. I believe Ahmadinejad fully intends to launch a missile strike against Israel as soon as the weapon becomes operational. Israel may act first to neutralize the Iranian threat, with or without American help. Any of these scenarios would create global panic and further havoc in the financial and oil markets and touch off a new full-fledged Middle East war with the survival of Israel at stake. These speculations of mine are not just wild imaginations, they are based on the words of Ahmadinejad himself. For several years he has plainly told the world what he intends to do. This year his U.N. remarks were couched in more subtle language, but to those who ”have an ear” the meaning was very clear. I invite you to read the full text of Ahmadinejad’s U.N. speech here: http://www.joelstrumpet.com/?p=2204 .
The speech is nothing short of a rambling theological justification for the elimination of Israel. He opens with a lot of religious talk about Allah and the purpose of man. I was struck by the number of times he references "obedience to Allah." His justification of what he is doing, and what he will do, will be out of his "obedience to Allah" and (in his twisted mind) "for the good of all"...by creating the environment which he believes will bring forth the Mahdi by attacking Israel and the west. Of course, the Iranian President closes the speech with a call and a prayer for the appearance of the Mahdi. He has closed or opened all four of his annual UN speeches since 2005 with a prayer for the appearance of the Mahdi. Near the end of his remarks he includes an “evangelistic” invitation to the world to embrace Islam. This, Of course sounds friendly enough, even noble - but what most do not realize is that the Koran commands that before an attack, the infidels must be “invited to Islam,” then if they refuse, they are to be destroyed without mercy. His anti-American, anti-Semitic and apocalyptic world view is clearly evident to those who have their eyes open. He has told us plainly what he intends and even the “why” behind it.
I close with 2Peter 3:3-17: “3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Two September Mornings Eight Years Apart
On a bright Tues. morning, eight years ago this month, an event happened that changed the world forever. Nineteen Islamic jihadists used box-cutters to commandeer four jetliners then used those planes as guided missiles to destroy iconic buildings, killing nearly 3,000 Americans in the process. No one in this country should ever forget that day; what we saw, how we felt, or the lessons we should have learned. I know I won’t and I have vowed to keep those lessons in front of my readers every year during this month. We all saw the same things. We all heard the same news. Yet many who experienced that day came away from it with different impressions and different lessons than I. Some blame the United Sates for arrogance and perceived imperialism that they think created conditions abroad that drove these men to such actions. Others blame then President George Bush, believing incredibly that attack was orchestrated by our own government to give a pretext for the Iraq war. Some blame it on extremist fanatics who were following some twisted cultish version of an otherwise peaceful religion. What were the reasons behind this attack? Political correctness often keeps our leaders from seeing or saying the truth. But unless we acknowledge the real reasons behind this attack we will suffer another. Former President Bill Clinton said that when he heard of the planes hitting the twin towers he immediately thought one thing: Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden had tried once before to take down the towers. In 1993 a truck bomb placed in the basement parking lot exploded causing damage but failing to destroy the towers. The enigmatic Al Qaeda leader had vowed to strike again, and this time he had succeeded. But why? Why did he do it?
Bin Laden himself explained it in a “fatwa” that he issued years before the attack. In the “fatwa” or Islamic religious decree, Bin Laden details his reason: simple obedience to the Koran. The actions taken by the 9-11 highjackers were not the result of some crazed, twisted, extreme, cultish interpretation of the sayings, teachings and examples of Muhammad. On the contrary they were the well thought-out reasoned responses of well-educated obedient Islamic followers who actually took the Koran at face value and practiced what it preaches. Many say that Islam has been highjacked; that it is a religion of peace and that true followers of Islam are not violent. Those who say such things are either being deliberately misleading or they obviously have neither read the Koran nor studied the life of Muhammad. Perhaps they are just scared.
Two mornings from now, on Sept. 25th, there will be a gathering in Washington, DC. For the first time in history, the “Jummah,” the Muslim call to prayer, will be blared over loud speakers on our National Mall and echo from the dome of the American Capitol. The event is being called, “Islam on Capitol Hill 2009 – A Day of Islamic Unity.” I urge you to visit their web-site and see what they are planning: http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/. The planners are hyping an expected attendance of 50,000 Muslims. Some might say, “So what! Isn’t that their right? The Christian Promise Keepers marched on the mall as did Louis Farrakhan’s followers in the so-called million-man march. Now these Muslims are just expressing their freedom of religion too. Isn’t that what makes America great?” Maybe so, but something bothers me about this event.
I am certainly not against any one in America expressing the precious freedom of religion guaranteed to us all in the first amendment of our Constitution. The chilling part of this “prayer” event is summarized in the words at the bottom of their web-page advertisement: “Our time has come!” Should “their time” ever come in America, (i.e. Islamic rule and Sharia law, which is the stated goal of Islam) it would mean the end of America, the loss of religious freedom and all other freedoms for everyone who falls under Islamic rule. This is what those who will attend on Friday will be praying for and seeking to establish. For their freedom to pray, and mine, I thank the One true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who gave it to us and all those who have vigilantly defended it. I am neither frightened nor offended by an expression of Islamic freedom…but by the doctrine that lies behind it, revealed in the desire and demonstrated capacity to deny that same freedom to others - the doctrine that gave rise to 9-11.
“Our Father’s God, to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing. Long may our land be bright with freedoms holy light. Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!”
On a bright Tues. morning, eight years ago this month, an event happened that changed the world forever. Nineteen Islamic jihadists used box-cutters to commandeer four jetliners then used those planes as guided missiles to destroy iconic buildings, killing nearly 3,000 Americans in the process. No one in this country should ever forget that day; what we saw, how we felt, or the lessons we should have learned. I know I won’t and I have vowed to keep those lessons in front of my readers every year during this month. We all saw the same things. We all heard the same news. Yet many who experienced that day came away from it with different impressions and different lessons than I. Some blame the United Sates for arrogance and perceived imperialism that they think created conditions abroad that drove these men to such actions. Others blame then President George Bush, believing incredibly that attack was orchestrated by our own government to give a pretext for the Iraq war. Some blame it on extremist fanatics who were following some twisted cultish version of an otherwise peaceful religion. What were the reasons behind this attack? Political correctness often keeps our leaders from seeing or saying the truth. But unless we acknowledge the real reasons behind this attack we will suffer another. Former President Bill Clinton said that when he heard of the planes hitting the twin towers he immediately thought one thing: Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden had tried once before to take down the towers. In 1993 a truck bomb placed in the basement parking lot exploded causing damage but failing to destroy the towers. The enigmatic Al Qaeda leader had vowed to strike again, and this time he had succeeded. But why? Why did he do it?
Bin Laden himself explained it in a “fatwa” that he issued years before the attack. In the “fatwa” or Islamic religious decree, Bin Laden details his reason: simple obedience to the Koran. The actions taken by the 9-11 highjackers were not the result of some crazed, twisted, extreme, cultish interpretation of the sayings, teachings and examples of Muhammad. On the contrary they were the well thought-out reasoned responses of well-educated obedient Islamic followers who actually took the Koran at face value and practiced what it preaches. Many say that Islam has been highjacked; that it is a religion of peace and that true followers of Islam are not violent. Those who say such things are either being deliberately misleading or they obviously have neither read the Koran nor studied the life of Muhammad. Perhaps they are just scared.
Two mornings from now, on Sept. 25th, there will be a gathering in Washington, DC. For the first time in history, the “Jummah,” the Muslim call to prayer, will be blared over loud speakers on our National Mall and echo from the dome of the American Capitol. The event is being called, “Islam on Capitol Hill 2009 – A Day of Islamic Unity.” I urge you to visit their web-site and see what they are planning: http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/. The planners are hyping an expected attendance of 50,000 Muslims. Some might say, “So what! Isn’t that their right? The Christian Promise Keepers marched on the mall as did Louis Farrakhan’s followers in the so-called million-man march. Now these Muslims are just expressing their freedom of religion too. Isn’t that what makes America great?” Maybe so, but something bothers me about this event.
I am certainly not against any one in America expressing the precious freedom of religion guaranteed to us all in the first amendment of our Constitution. The chilling part of this “prayer” event is summarized in the words at the bottom of their web-page advertisement: “Our time has come!” Should “their time” ever come in America, (i.e. Islamic rule and Sharia law, which is the stated goal of Islam) it would mean the end of America, the loss of religious freedom and all other freedoms for everyone who falls under Islamic rule. This is what those who will attend on Friday will be praying for and seeking to establish. For their freedom to pray, and mine, I thank the One true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who gave it to us and all those who have vigilantly defended it. I am neither frightened nor offended by an expression of Islamic freedom…but by the doctrine that lies behind it, revealed in the desire and demonstrated capacity to deny that same freedom to others - the doctrine that gave rise to 9-11.
“Our Father’s God, to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing. Long may our land be bright with freedoms holy light. Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
