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The two world wars in the twentieth
century were unique in history. In 1979, when Iran came under the grip of Islamic
fundamentalism, the Biblical scholars knew the impending danger to the world community.
The book, Capitalism, written by this writer warns of the great future world disorder by
Islamic fundamentalists. Let me quote from Capitalism a Panacea for Socio-Economic Woes
(published in 1994/ Page XX11)
"We cannot predict the future of the world
accurately. The twenty-first century and the third millennium begin on January 1, 2001.
The rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran sowed the seed for world wide resurgence of
religious fanaticism, terrorism, anarchy, and disregard for human life."
“Many of the fanatical groups focus their fury on
the Western, industrial and democratic way of life. They want to turn back progress that
threatens their traditional values and their particular version of "the truth".
After the fall of communism, the primary ideological struggle in the future will no longer
be between capitalist democracy and communist totalitarianism, but between twenty-first
century democracy and eleventh century darkness.”
“There
is already in many parts of the world, the beginnings of religious revival and revolution.
Some of the faster growing religious movements are determined to seize power over the
lives and minds of whole nations, continents, and the whole world itself. They want to
roll back the freedom that democracy creates. They are the agents of the Dark Age.”
The
Taliban party, Bin Laden, and other extremists Muslims, have declared their intention to
enforce their brand of Islam throughout the world. The destruction of the World Trade
Center is the beginning of their worldwide campaign. In the future, they may kill
thousands of innocent people in the West to enforce their faith. In addition to suicidal
attacks these extremists plan to use chemical and bacteriological agents to achieve their
wicked goals.
Some leftists in the West want to start a dialogue
and come to an understanding with these groups. They are ignorant of the Islamic religion
and culture. Islamic religion itself is being hijacked by extremists throughout the world.
A dialogue and understanding with Islamic fundamentalists are impossible. The reason is
given in the Bible. |
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Origin of Islam
Muslims are the descendants of Ishmael. Ishmael was the son of Abraham and
his Egyptian wife, Hagar. (Jews are the descendants of Isaac the promised son of Abraham
and Sarah). Genesis 16:11,12 records the angel of the Lord saying to Hagar, "You are
now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael. He will be a wild
donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he
will live in hostility toward all his brothers."
Can anyone make a wild donkey, work like a tame donkey? A wild and
unreasonable nature makes it impossible for any normal communication and interaction.
According to the Koran, Jews and Christians are considered better than idol worshippers:
But if they treat Christians and Jews with extreme brutality, how much hatred and derision
might they have toward others? They are against everybody. Because of the terrorist attack
on the World Trade Center, which housed offices of businesses from over 100 different
countries, and the Pentagon, the world will be forced to unite and curb their influence.
It is interesting to note the
character of Hagar in Genesis 16:3,4: "So
after Abraham had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian
maidservant, Hagar, and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar and
she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress
(Sarai)". Hagar's attitude was ungrateful, prideful, and unreasonable. Abraham was 86
years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was
born to him.
Unlike other religions, Muslims believe in the consistent jihad ("holy
war") being fought for conversion and domination. Islam is the fastest growing
religion in Europe and America. Western countries have been ignorant about the culture and
fanaticism of the fundamentalists, which are threats to the way of life in the West.
American President George Bush with great ability built a great coalition of civilized
nations against terrorism. Although he proclaimed that Islam stands for love and peace,
that statement cannot be corroborated from history.
Is there a record of a democratic Muslim nation that allows freedom to
its citizens? Conversely, we can see Christians murdered in thousands every year in many
Muslim countries. They do not grant freedom to their own citizens. Has anyone seen a
Temple or a Church in Saudi Arabia? It is important to know that Islam has no doctrine of
the separation of church and state. The fundamental tenet of democracy is the government
of the people by the people and for the people. The tenet of Islam is diametrically
opposed to these principles. Muslims believe in theocracy; that means a government by a
person or persons claiming to rule with divine authority. Islamic clerics interpret the
Koran and enforce Shariah laws. Shariah laws deal with the total religious, political,
social, domestic and private life of those who profess Islam. By different interpretations
according to their whims and fancies, Muslim Clerics use their interpretation to kill
other Muslims who don’t follow a particular version.
Today, America has between seven to nine million Muslims. Many of them are
also anti-American. Not only Muslims, but most immigrants from South Asia, even many so
called Christians are also anti-American. These jealous and ignorant people blame America
for all the ills of the world. They never criticized Communist atrocities and the death of
millions under Stalin, Mao, and savagery in all other Communist countries. This writer
believes that demonic forces control those who criticize America only. Although America
has helped almost all countries in the world these recipients are not grateful. Third
world countries blame America for its successes. Third world countries are poor only
because of either socialism or dictatorship.
"Because of close identification with one
culture and the need to maintain that culture as an impression of Islam, religion and
society are merged" says Michael Youssef, author of “America, Oil and the
Islamic Mind.” Today there are political and religious struggles in more than twenty
countries by the Muslim population. There are daily murders in the Middle East, Nigeria,
India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Chechnya, just to name a few.
Even today foreigners are living in peace in America. Contrast the following incidents:
One Sikh who was mistaken for a Muslim was killed by a person after the attack on the
world trade center. The killer had a criminal background and he was a descendant of
Lebanese immigrants. There were isolated attacks and verbal abuses against some
foreigners. But when comparing them to the people all over the world, Americans are far
more restrained and better than anyone else in the world. When Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by a Sikh, thousands of innocent Sikhs were murdered in
cold blood in Delhi and different parts of India. A person who has high morals will be
able to evaluate history correctly and can come to a balanced view of all things.
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The Plan of
God
The history of man is written in the
Bible. It is the story of God unfolding His purpose for the nations. God gave man freedom;
nevertheless, human destiny remains in the hands of God.
The plan of God for this
world is found in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God chose Israel to be the principal
agent and used them as a vehicle of divine revelation. God expected Israel to be His
torchbearer and lead the whole earth to light, but Israel failed in their responsibility.
In the New Testament, God revealed His plan for the Church, composed of Jew and Gentile
alike, who would receive by faith the Son of God. Thus everyone who believes in Christ has
the right to become His son or daughter.
Today the world faces an international crisis unparalleled in all of man's
history. The world is aflame with violence and demonic power. The whole world lives in
fear. Every morning people awake with fear of what will be the horrible news today. The
fear of the unknown is paralyzing the world.
Apart from the Bible, this world does not have a ray of hope. Whatever the
future holds, it is going to be dramatically different than the past. However, the Bible
explains how this crisis is going to end and what will be the fate of man.
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The Importance of Biblical Prophecy
Most people do not care about prophecy today. The
apostle Peter instructs believers to be aware of the importance of Biblical prophecy. II
Peter 1:19 states: "We also have the prophetic Word made more sure, which you do well
to heed as the light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star
(Christ) rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that
no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the
will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
About one-fourth of the Bible, when it was
written, was about unfulfilled prophecy. We can see major Biblical prophecy in the books
of Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Zechariah in the Old Testament, and I & 11
Thessalonians and Revelation in the New Testament. If God gives so much focus on prophecy,
we should not neglect it.
Prophecy is a statement or vision about some
future events. The Bible contains numerous prophecies, which have already been fulfilled
and are now history. There are many more Bible prophecies still to be fulfilled, and it
will happen exactly as predicted.
Rapid changes in social, political, and economic
areas do not happen by chance. The events in history lie in the sovereign hands of God,
and He is executing His plan for the world according to His predetermined purpose. The
book of Daniel declares these facts, "And He changes the times and the seasons; He
removes kings and raises up kings" (Daniel 2:21).
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The Middle East in History and Prophecy
The Middle East, which was the center of human
beginning, was also the center, on which great empires of the world came and went. Egypt,
the first of the nations, was the cradle of Israel, which grew from a family of seventy
people, to a nation of approximately three million before the exodus. Assyria, the next
empire, with Ninevah as its capital, followed Egypt and was the empire that led the ten
tribes of Israel into captivity in 722 B.C.
Chapters 2 & 7 of the book of
Daniel describe four successive empires from the time of Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon, to the
Second Coming of Christ. The names and number of four empires are given in the book of
Daniel. We can see the end of three empires, but not the end of the fourth, the Roman
Empire. The end of the Roman Empire is connected with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,
which is predicted in Daniel 7:13-14. Young Daniel was brought to Babylon in 605 B.C. His
predictions of Babylonian, Medo-Persia, Greek, and Roman Empire fulfilled accurately.
Daniel also predicted a fifth Empire that would succeed the Roman Empire a kingdom that
would come from heaven. (The reign of Christ).
“I was watching in the night visions, and
behold, one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient
of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory
and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is
an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall
not be destroyed.” ( Daniel .7: 13 &
14.)
Revival of the Roman Empire
The
prophecy of the Roman Empire is fulfilled in part up to the time of Christ, but fades from
view in the centuries following, but resumes in the days just before the Second Coming of
Christ. Although the Roman Empire does not exist now politically, the whole world still
follows Roman laws and systems today. Dramatic and rapid political and economic
realignment is shaping the new millennium.
Russia and the United States controlled the
destiny of the world for many decades, but now the Soviet Union is gone and Russia is
weak. The United States also has to decline before the emergence of a world leader. In
describing end time events, the Bible makes it plain that the world crisis will eventually
result in a world government headed by an evil world dictator (Revelation 13:1-10). The
United Nations of our present world, built on the assumption that world government is the
only way to world peace, well may be a part of the preparation for world-wide acceptance
of a world dictator as the only way out. In preparation for the formation of this world
empire, the Bible anticipates a revival of the ancient Roman Empire, a federation of ten
countries in the Mediterranean area. The European Common Market is a forerunner of the
future Mediterranean confederacy that is going to be established at the beginning of the
Tribulation, just after the Lord has taken out all true believers. (I Thessalonians
4:13-17). The leader is referred to as the “little horn” in Daniel 7:8, and the
“prince that shall come” in Daniel 9:26. Apostle Paul calls him the “man of
sin” in II Thessalonians 2:3, and apostle John refers to him several times as
“the beast” in Revelation 11:7, 13:1, 17:11, and 19:20. From this will come a
temporary solution of the Israel-Arab conflict by means of a covenant with the people of
Israel. (Daniel 9:27.) This world ruler is commonly referred to as the Anti Christ.
This preliminary stage is a shadow of a final
world government in which the world dictator assumes supreme control and demands that all
worship him (Revelation 13:8). Jews and all who will not submit to this world ruler will
become the objects of terrible persecution. Divine judgment in an unprecedented way will
fall upon the earth (Revelation chapters 6-9). These and many other events will make this
period a time of great tribulation. Prophet Jeremiah calls this Jacob’s trouble.
Jeremiah 30:7
The significance of the present crisis is that it
contains all elements that are a natural preparation for the end of the age. Let us look
closer at the characters playing in the final act.
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Israel
Israel’s future is predicted in
the Bible accurately. Those who tried to exterminate Israel were buried in the ash heap of
history. The Roman Empire, the Russian Czar and the third Reich went in to oblivion. Jews,
Muslims and Christians revere Abraham. Through Abraham came all Jewish prophets and Jesus
Christ. Abraham means the father of nations. God promised to make Abraham’s posterity
a great nation. The same promise was repeated to Abraham’s son Isaac and his son
Jacob who was the father of 12 tribes of Israel. The nations that blessed the descendants
of Abraham have been blessed. The judgment of God has fallen upon Israel’s enemies.
Genesis12: 2 & 3.Jeremiah 30:16 & 17.
The land that promised was Palestine,
stretching from Sinai desert north and east to the Euphrates River. This would include all
the lands of present-day Israel, Lebanon, and West Bank of Jordan and portions of Syria,
Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Genesis 15:18 -21.This promise has not yet been fulfilled but will
be when Christ returns. The Jews had been living in Palestine for thousands of years.
Before 1948,Middle East didn’t see
great conflicts. The United Nations after Second World War created a Jewish state.
Palestine was divided in to a Jewish state and Arab State and five thousand square miles
were given to Israel. The Jews had been scattered all over the world and faced centuries
of persecution. The creation of Israel fulfilled the long aspirations of the Jews all over
the world. The moment Israel came to existence great turmoil started and it continues even
today .As soon as Israel came to existence it was attacked from all sides by Egypt,
Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. Israel valiantly and miraculously defeated
all her enemies and enlarged her territory from five thousand squares to eight thousand
square miles.
In 1967 all the Arab nations gathered
together against Israel to erase the name of Israel from the map of the world. Again
miraculously in six days Israel vanquished her enemies. As a result Israel enlarged her
territory from eight thousand to thirty four thousand square miles.
Muslims hate Israel and they want to
destroy Israel. The Middle East can enjoy peace if Muslims cease their hatred and accepts
Israel as their neighbor America is Israel’s best friend and helps Israel
consistently. Israel is ruthless and harsh in dealing with Muslim extremists because
Israel understands the language of the extremists. Because of religious fanaticism and
hatred Muslims have conducted numerous terrorist acts such as hijacking planes bombing
civilian targets and murdering innocent civilians. So Israel adopted the same harsh
tactics to suppress Palestinian extremists. Since America supports Israel, the Muslim
world hates America also. Americans are amazed and baffled by this attitude.
It is interesting to know that through
out history two branches of Islam fought each other. This killing started just after the
death of Prophet Muhammad. The Shia and Sunni division is prevalent all over the world.
For 8 years Ayatollah Khomeni of Iran fought Saddam Hussein a Sunni Muslim of Iraq.
Thirteen-year-old boys to seventy-year-old men participated in the battle. Both countries
were fighting Jihad (holy war). Iranian people had been told Iraqis were all heathens and
that it was their divine duty to fight the infidels. Muslims have killed other Muslims
more than any other group. In the future when Muslims conduct worldwide attack and cause
great destruction America will be forced to give up support to Israel. At the end Israel
will be left alone without any friends.
The Lord will bring all nations against
Israel for the final conflagration. There are two purposes for that gathering: judgment upon the nations and salvation for
Israel. Prophet Joel speaks about this final battle in chapter 3: 2.”I will also
gather all nations, And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat: And I will enter in
to judgment with them there On account of my people, My heritage Israel, whom they have
scattered among the nations.” Prophet Zechariah predicts the same event in Chapter
14: 2. “ For I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem. Verse 12 of the
same chapter describes the fate of the enemies of Israel “ And this shall be the
plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their
flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their
sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” The effects of the atom bomb at Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were the same. Their flesh
dissolved instantly. This portion describes about the great nuclear holocaust going to
take place in the future.
Jesus
Christ is going to intervene and fight for Israel. Prophet Zechariah describes future
battle by Christ to protect Israel. (Zechariah 14: 3 & 4.)
“Then the Lord will go forth and
fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet
will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of
Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, making a very large valley; half of the
Mountain shall move toward the North And half of it toward the south.” This will be
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to rule the world.
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Russia
Just before the Great Tribulation, Russia will
attempt a final bid for power in the Middle East. After the collapse of the Soviet Empire,
Russia is on the sideline like a wounded bear. Russians will dream of recapturing the Old
Glory, and once again out of frustration will attack Israel to establish her hegemony in
the world. (Ezekiel 38 & 39.) The
prophet, Ezekiel, in his book Ezekiel chapters 38-39, explains Russia’s final assault
in the Middle East and its failure. Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, and other Muslim countries will
be allied with Russia. Egypt is the leader of the southern confederacy (Daniel 11:5) and
Islamic nations belong to the southern alliance. The Bible points out that the Middle East
will be the focus of world attention during the last days, due to their abundance of oil.
Islamic Alliance
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Libya,
Morocco, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates are countries that will likely fall into
the hands of extremists very soon. Muslim
extremists all over the world may slaughter thousands of people. As a result the world
will unite and reduce their power, and in the Tribulation, Muslims will not be a major
factor.
The conflict between the children of Abraham
(Isaac and Ishmael) started from their existence and it still continues to dominate world
history. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Jacob had twelve sons, which represented the twelve
tribes of Israel. Like Jacob, Ishmael also had twelve sons. (Genesis 25:13-16)
“These
were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements,
twelve princes according to their nations.” (Verse 16)
Israel was established as a nation in May 14,1948.
Since then, they have been on the brink of a Great War, and the events in that area appear
in the news daily. The prophet, Zechariah, explains why everyone is against Israel.
Zechariah 12: 2-3: “Behold, I will make
Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against
Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very
heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces,
though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”
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India and China
Eastern countries, especially China, have an
important role in the final conflict. “But
news from the east and the north shall trouble him; (the Antichrist) therefore he shall go
out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.” (Daniel 11:44)
The book of Revelation also predicts that the
kings of the east will move across the Euphrates River, the ancient boundary between the
Middle East and the Orient. According to the Bible, the Asian army will number two hundred
million soldiers. Revelation 9:16 states: “Now the number of the army of the horsemen
was two hundred million.”
When we study history, it is very clear that China
and India had great civilizations but which fell in to sad decline for centuries. In 1949,
Chairman Mao established a communist regime in China. In 1979, the visionary leader, Deng
Xiao Ping, introduced the primitive beginnings of market mechanism. China maintains
communism only on a political level. Communist economic policy is being dismantled in
China today.
India has been traditionally more anti-western
than other Asian countries. India was forced to liberalize its archaic economic system in
1991. India had been following the Soviet style five-year Plan, which was a disaster to
her economy. The B.J.P. government has started a more vigorous liberalization program.
India’s population today is one billion, and it will surpass China within a few
years. So India, like China, is going to be a super power. India and China will easily be
able to send a two hundred million army to the Middle East.
The eastern forces will be attacking Israel at the
end of the Russian and Islamic alliance’s failure. The world is going to become
insane for the control of oil. The army of the Orient will also be drawn into the conflict
by satanic power (Revelation 16:12). All
these forces will be decimated by supernatural intervention.
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