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The Terror Tactic

            Once again, this time in Nigeria, the world 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 Israeli 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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The Peace of Jerusalem

            This week on May 6 the Nation of Israel will celebrate its 66th year as an independent nation.

            The rebirth of Israel after almost two thousand years stands as an amazing fulfillment of Bible prophecy.  Numerous scriptures refer to an end time role for the Nation of Israel. Even the date of Israel’s formation can be calculated from the scripture in Revelation 11: 1,2 which speaks of a “42 month”, or 1260 year, “Age of the Gentiles” which is  measured from the time the Temple Mount was lost to unbelievers. From the time the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount, 687, until 1947, the year the U.N. voted to establish Israel, exactly 1260 years had passed.

The survival of Israel against overwhelming forces is one of the greatest modern miracles of God. Israel has fought wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, and has emerged victorious every time. She has fought many smaller engagements and has endured sustained terrorist activities. The Hand of God has been evident, as described by The Prophet Zechariah, who speaks of Jerusalem as an “Immovable Rock” and a “Cup that sends the surrounding peoples reeling” (Zechariah 12:2,3).

Yet today Israel is still surrounded by its enemies. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are sworn to Israel’s destruction. Islamists are pushing for an end to their peace with Israel. For those who subscribe to a historical interpretation of Revelation, the situation is described in Rev 9:1-11, the fifth trumpet, as a 150 year war with the Arabs (See our special report “The Times We Live In”). We can expect not peace, but another 84 years of warfare in the Middle East.

The end will come after Israel is defeated by the Antichrist (Zechariah 14:2 and Rev 11:7). But Jerusalem will rebel against the Antichrist and he will gather the nations to fight at Armageddon (Megiddo, in Israel) (Rev 16:16). Then, when all seems lost, Christ will return to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11, 12) and destroy His enemies (Zechariah 14:3 and Revelation 19:19-21). Only then will peace come to the Middle East and the world (Zechariah 14:9 and Revelation 20:1-6).

Nevertheless, we must continue to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. When they have peace so will we.

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The Lesson of May Day

This week, on May 1, we mark a pagan holiday which has been celebrated from the most ancient of times until the present.

 The European Druids celebrated May 1 as “Beltane”, a holiday named after their god “Bel” and the word for fire, “Tane.” On Beltane all fires were extinguished except for the sacred fires of the Druids, which were then used to start new fires. The ritual actually traces back to Babylon, as does the name of the pagan god “Bel.”

 Another ritual of Beltane was celebrated by gathering around the “May Pole.” The pole actually represented the Cosmic Axis, or North Pole, and this type of celebration has been found as far away as the North American Indians. The pole is also a Phallic symbol, similar to the Egyptian obelisk, echoing the pagan claim that their god is the “Seed of Woman” (See Gen 3:15), a title which belongs only to Jesus Christ.

 Another feature of the May 1 celebration is its position 52 days, or one seventh of a year, from the Summer Solstice, an important pagan worship date and the focal point of the ancient Stonehenge monument. The day 52 days after the Summer Solstice, August 15, is also a Druid holiday known as Lughnasa. Interestingly, these dates are also celebrated by the Mayans, and form the structure of their 260 day, or five sevenths of a year, calendar. The Egyptians also built a 52 day period into the Great Pyramid, although their periods are tied to the Winter, not summer, Solstice.

 These amazing connections between Babylon, Egypt, the Druids, and the American Indians are merely one of many examples worldwide of common cultural practices. For those who understand that the Bible presents an accurate history of humanity, it is a simple matter to trace those beliefs back to the time when all humanity was gathered into one place: Babylon. It was the event we call the Tower of Babel, actually a civil war, which scattered the people and their practices across the earth. And it was God who sent Jesus to save humanity from the false religion born in Babylon.

 This week we can celebrate a May Day where we recognize the goodness and mercy of God as He has poured out his grace on our societies. The National Day of Prayer, May 1, gives us the opportunity to thank God for His mercies and humble ourselves to pray for our nation.

 The lesson of May Day is the provable reality of God’s word. Let us learn our lesson and pray that our nation will not go the way of the Babylonians, Egyptians, Druids, and Mayans who turned away from God on May Day.

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Carbon 14 and The Bible

              For years some scientists have been using Carbon 14 dating to undermine the Biblical timeline of History and attack the truthfullness of the Bible. Now they are having to rethink their arguments.

 

            The Carbon 14 dating method measures the amount of the radioactive Carbon 14 isotope in organic material and, comparing it with modern levels of Carbon 14, productes an age based on the radioactive decay of Carbon 14. This dating method is assumed to be good for 40,000 years, and produces very old dates for archeological sites.  However, it also produces dates which clash with historical dates derived both from Biblical information and other historical and archeological sources.

 

            The problem with Carbon 14 dating is simply that the current levels of Carbon 14 are much higher than past levels of Carbon 14, and this produces a much earlier date than the actual date.  Based on the more  accurate data about past Carbon 14 levels, one scientist documented 15,000 findings and found that none were over 7000 years old, and that many were about 4500 years old, the date of the worldwide catastrophe we call Noah’s Flood. Thus , for example, an American Indian artifact claimed to be over 11,000 years old may really be only 3,000 years old.

 

            Now archeologists are joining in the criticism of the Carbon 14 dating system. At a recent meeting, a noted archeologist observed that “In some circles it has been a crime to cast doubt on the accuracy of radiocarbon dating.” Nevertheless, this scientist showed conclusively that radiocarbon levels fluctuate from season to season and vary with location, providing erroneous age readings. When added to historical fluctuations in Carbon 14 levels, the whole Carbon 14 dating method becomes very suspect.

 

            The reason that some scientists cling to the inaccurate Carbon 14 system is simply that it produces results which are much older than actual. They fear that the real dates would be more in line with Bible history, and they would rather be wrong than give up their Anti-Biblical bias (See our Blog of 1/22/2014 “The Battle Over Biblical Archeology”). Their problem is that the more Science learns about the past, the more it supports the Bible (See our Blog 1/1/2014 “Looking Back to Look Ahead”).

 

            We salute the courageous Scientists and Archeologists who challenge the Anti-Biblical Orthodoxy of their peers. Let us pray that God’s truth will prevail and that proofs of the accuracy of the Bible history will continue to be discovered by truth seeking Scientists.

 

            And may the attempts to destroy the faith of believers by false, Anti-Biblical, Pseudo-Scientific theories be exposed. Let no weapon formed against us prosper.

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Celebrating Indestructible Life

This year as we come up to Resurrection Sunday, April 20, we will once again celebrate the power of indestructible life.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, brought death into the human family by following Satan into rebellion against God. People became slaves to Satan because of their fear of death, and Satan ruled the world by the time Jesus came. But Jesus came to destroy Satan and death, itself, and bring abundant life to His followers. Satan thought he could kill Jesus, but the empty tomb of Easter morning proved the life of Jesus to be indestructible. Jesus is alive!

 And not only Jesus. The indestructible life He had, He passed on to His followers. Infused with that life, they turned from quivering cowards into bold evangelists, turning the world upside down. Satan could kill their bodies, but the fear of death was gone, as the indestructible life given by Jesus continues forever. The indestructible life made an indestructible army to advance the Kingdom of God. And, from Roman Emperor Constantine’s surrender to Christ to the survival of the Church in Communist China, the power of indestructible life has prevailed over God’s enemies.

 Satan’s only success have come when he lured Christians into forgetting the indestructible life by focusing on the destructible fleshly life and the corresponding fear of death. Such Christians find themselves trapped in a joyless existence. Often they are tempted into joining Satan’s rebellion, believing that the world can bring back the life they have abandoned. History is littered with failed Kings, clerics, nations, and people who have lost their way.

 And yet, despite the many failures, the Church still stands as a testimony to the indestructible life of Jesus and the indestructible life He gave to His people.

 This Easter, let us give thanks for the indestructible life of Jesus who bought indestructible life for us. God knows our genetic code. He knows our thoughts and memories. When this fleshly body ceases to function, He has prepared an indestructible body for us.

Thank you Lord, for our indestructible life.

 And may we bless others who can find God and join us in our indestructible life.

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The Sword and the Spirit

The Sword and the Spirit

            On February 27th in 380 AD Roman Emperor Theodosius made Christianity into the official state religion. It was one of the most catastrophic events in Church history.

Up until the time Constantine legalized the church in 313 AD, the great strength of the Church was the fact that the Kingdom of God resided within the believers. Under Constantine the Church became “respectable” and began to attract the ambitious and worldly who would make a show of outward piety without an inward transformation. After 380 AD, the Church was swamped with unconverted Pagans and the outward rituals replaced the inner power for most Church members. And the Church adopted Pagan holidays and rituals to make the Pagans feel more at home.

The first to clothe themselves in the new mantle of the State religion were the emperors themselves. The major church Bishops at Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem also caught the power bug. Within less than a century the Jewish Bishop of Jerusalem was gone, the Antioch church was forced out to become the Nestorian Church, and the Egyptian Christians were forced out to become the Coptic Church. The Bishop of Rome was forced to trade Church recognition for military protection in Western Europe in order to remain independent of the Eastern Roman Emperor and the Bishops of Constantinople. In 1054 AD the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox finally split and went their separate ways.

The marriage between Church and State meant that religious questions would be solved with the sword instead of the Spirit. Early victims of the sword included the Arian Christian Visigoths and the Coptic Christians. Instead of sending missionaries, the State Church sent armies to forcibly convert the heathen and the heretics. When the European Church split between Protestants and Catholics the rulers forced their own views to be followed in their realms and millions of Christians were martyred. Sadly, only in recent history has the concept of religious freedom been accepted in Christian nation.

As we escape the long dark night of State religion it is good to remember Paul’s advice in the 14th chapter of Romans to tolerate the faith of our Christian brothers and Peter’s advice from his first letter to treat non-Christians with gentleness and respect. Finally, our Popes, Archbishops, Bishops, Pastors, and Elders have cast aside their swords and are (mostly) trying to follow Christ’s command to love their brothers. The Spirit has triumphed over the sword.

Let us pray for reconciliation of the Church and focus on expanding the whole Kingdom of God. Pray that the world will know us not by our swords, but by our love and unity in the Spirit.

 

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Looking Back to Look Ahead

Looking Back to Look Ahead

It has been said that those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it.

We at Corporate Prayer Resources have found that history and its cousin archaeology are invaluable resources for the Church to draw on. That is why we have made the book Babylon: A Spiritual Journey Through Time and The Nations available.

Over the past two centuries our knowledge of ancient history has expanded greatly. We can now verify some Biblical events with hard evidence, such as the fallen walls of Jericho. Evidence gathered from outside the Holy Land confirms the historicity of many Bible texts, such as Assyrian failure to take Jerusalem. Science has now found that all humans have a common mother (Eve), that there was a catastrophic decrease in the human population (Noah’s Flood), and that at one time humans spoke a single language (Tower of Babel). Thus, history teaches us that we can trust in the accuracy of the Bible.

History and the Bible teach us much about God’s dealings with humans. God judged the Egyptians by humiliating their gods, and He struck Assyria at its greatest point of pride, its army. The remains of sacrificed children found in Canaan have shed light on why God decreed the total destruction of the Canaanites. But we also find that God is merciful, as when he gave evil King Ahab a second chance after he repented. God’s ultimate act of mercy, sending us the Christ, echoes down through history as the Kingdom of God expanded throughout the Roman Empire and then throughout the earth.

Our knowledge of the past helps us to focus our prayers by revealing the spiritual roots of the forces acting against the expansion of the Kingdom. Some years back a group of intercessors went to Ephesus to confront the pagan “Queen of Heaven”, failing in their mission because Ephesus is now controlled by the Islamic spirit, not the pagan spirit. Others have mistaken the Freemasons for a pagan institution when in fact they are dominated by the secular spirit. On the other hand, we have seen breakthroughs on prayer journeys where we have understood the history of spiritual bondage in the nations.

Finally, understanding the past is a key to understanding Bible prophecy. For example, Daniel’s prophecy of the “70 7’s” can be traced with historical data to confirm the start of Jesus’ ministry in 26 AD. Many of the prophecies in the book of Revelation can be matched with historical events to help us understand the times we live in. One of those prophecies, The Woman Riding the Beast in Revelation chapter 17, is a picture of the history of the world from Babylon to the Antichrist, and forms the outline of our Babylon book.

So the past is indeed a key to the future, as it confirms the Scriptures, teaches us God’s ways, shows us how to pray for the nations, and illuminates prophecy.

Let us pray that the Lord will help us use the past to help guide our footsteps in the year to come.
And may you have a blessed New Year.