Tag: Chinese

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Gog and Magog in Syria

       The announcement that Russia will send sophisticated weapons to the Syrian dictator has renewed interest in the Gog and Magog war described in Ezekiel, Chapters 38 and 39.

           

            Russia is often identified with Gog because of the description “Prince of Rosh” which appears in some Bible translations. In fact, “Rosh” is the Hebrew word for “head”, as in “Rosh Hashanna”, and so the better translation is “Chief Prince”. However, we know that Magog, as a tribe of Japeth, would have been in the areas north of the Middle East, and so Russia is a probable location for Magog. Additional northern Japethetic tribes of Gomer and Beth Togarmah, which are part of the nations joining Magog, could also be from Russian territory.

 

            Other aspects of the Gog and Magog war mentioned in Ezekiel do not fit so well with current circumstances. The attacking coalition of Gog, for example, includes the nations of Persia (Iran), Sudan, Libya, and Turkey, but only Persia supports Syria at present. In addition, the attack comes when Israel is at peace, a situation which does not exist today and probably will not exist for the foreseeable future. (See our Blog of 5/8/13 “The Peace of Jerusalem”). Thus, the Gog and Magog war does not seem likely to occur any time soon.

 

            The best place to look for the timing of the Gog and Magog war is in the other place it is mentioned in the Bible, Revelation 20:7-9. Here Gog and Magog are depicted as forming an army to attack Jerusalem, only to be defeated by fire from Heaven (see Ez 39:6). This war is, however, not part of the warfare surrounding the Second Coming of Christ and the battle of Armageddon, but occurs 1,000 years after Armageddon, at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ. 

 

            Knowing that the Russian arming of Syria is not a prelude to the post millennial Gog and Magog war can help us focus our prayers. The Syrian civil war is a threat to peace in the Middle East, a threat to Israel, and a plague on the people of Syria. Let us pray that this evil dictator will be overthrown, that the anti-Israel forces will also be defeated, and that peace and healing will come to Syria. Let us also pray that a door will be opened to the Gospel message in Syria.

 

            And, as always, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

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The Terror Tactic

            Last week America was delivered a sad reminder that terrorism continues to be a tactic of choice for Islamic extremists.

            The terror tactic has a long and tragic history. Military historians tell us that the worst terrorist of all time was Genghis Khan, whose armies destroyed the agricultural hinterlands of their enemies, drove the peasants into the cities, and then destroyed the cities without mercy. Second to the Mongolians were the Romans, who merely destroyed the cities without mercy. Modern examples abound, from the London Blitz to the 9/11 attack.

            As a military tactic, however, terrorism is a double edged sword. More often than not, it backfires on to the terrorists. Thus, the London Blitz steeled British resolve and in the end it was the cities of Germany that were reduced to rubble. Palestinian terrorist intifada attacks brought swift retribution and isolation behind the Israel wall. The 9/11 perpetrators were tracked down and their Afghan sanctuary was overrun by Americans. It turns out, according to military historians, that terrorism only works for militarily dominant powers like Genghis Khan and Rome. For weaker opponents the terror tactic only leads to destruction.

            Even so, terrorists inflict much suffering from their self destructive path. There is also a spiritual battle, as terrorists hope to paralyze their enemies with fear and goad them into overreacting in order to create more terrorists. This is truly spiritual warfare, and we must use our spiritual weapons to defeat the terror tactic of the ultimate terrorist, Satan.

            We must first learn to pray blessings on our enemies. Not blessings for their violence, but blessings that their eyes be opened and that they will be satisfied with good things and desire to live in peace. Judgment still belongs to God, and it is for Him to avenge, not us. At the same time, God wants our enemies to come into His Kingdom, and we must not let bitterness or unforgiveness set us against God’s purposes. Instead we must deploy the powerful spiritual weapon of love to stay in step with God.

            We must also turn back the spirit of fear which has been sent against us. We know from the famous 91st Psalm that our protection comes only from God, and that He will be with us in our trouble. Yet we also know that we can overcome the evil one if we do not love this life more than the next (See Rev. 12:11). Let us live fearlessly in faith as God intended, looking forward to the day when we will be called home to Heaven.

            Yes, we mourn for the victims of these cowardly terrorist attacks, and pray that God will comfort them. But we will not quit loving our enemies and living by faith.         

            And, just as the terror tactic is a losing strategy for weaker opponents in the natural world, so is the terror tactic futile against the most powerful kingdom on Earth, the Kingdom of God.        

 

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Celebrating Chinese New Year

On February 10 the Chinese and many other Asian peoples will celebrate the beginning of a new year on their ancient calendar.

 Like the Israelites and many other ancient cultures, the Chinese use a lunar calendar based on the phases of the moon, with the dark new moon constituting the first day of the month. Since twelve lunar months is 11 days short of the solar year, there are 7 years with 13 Lunar months for each 12 years of 12 Lunar months, and this 19 year cycle keeps lunar and solar years in sync. Unlike other cultures which, like us, start our new year near the winter solstice in December or, like the ancient Israelites, near the spring equinox in March, the Chinese located their new year so that the winter solstice would be in the middle of their winter and the spring equinox in the middle of their spring. Thus, the second lunar month after the winter solstice begins their year.

  The Chinese new year says a lot about the Chinese, who have always wanted to maintain their distinctiveness. Thus, while their historical records trace back to the Middle East like all humans, they chose neither the Egyptian winter solstice not the Babylonian spring equinox to start their year. Their early writing bears some striking similarities to Egyptian hieroglyphs and Babylonian cuneiform, but has diverged significantly from western writing systems since. Their lunar zodiac has also diverged somewhat from ancient Middle Eastern Zodiacs, although about 75% of the Star Bible message remains intact. Their religious traditions of emperor worship and ancestor worship also reflect distinctive Chinese elements even though they trace back to Babylon.

  The Chinese carried forward the knowledge of the Father God in the name of Shang Ti, “Emperor of Heaven”, which is linguistically equivalent to Hebrew “God Almighty” El Shaddai or Egyptian “Incomprehensible God” Shetai. Chinese pictographic writing preserves many elements of early Biblical history, as in the picture of “Ancestor” being made from pictures of “God”, “Two Persons”, and “Grounded”, (i.e. Adam and Eve) or the word “Boat” being composed of “Vessel”, “Eight”, and “Mouth” (i.e. the 8 on Noah’s Ark). Sadly, this ancient knowledge of God was lost as pagan religion and emperor worship took its distinctive Chinese course.

 Today many Chinese Christians are unearthing their Godly heritage, which has been hidden for centuries, in such books as Faith of our Fathers by Chan Kei Thong. And the Chinese cultural desire for distinctiveness been turned back to its Godly purpose as it has produced a vibrant and distinctively Chinese church.

 This Chinese new year let us pray for the distinctive Chinese Christian Church and the rediscovery of their ancient Godly heritage.