Playing the Devil’s Advocate for a Moment!

{Jesus continued,} “I have said these things to you so that you won't lose your faith. You will be thrown out of synagogues. Certainly, the time is coming when people who murder you will think that they are serving God.” [John 16:1-2 (God’s Word)]

They are referred to as “extremists” and “terrorists” with the references intended to separate them from the main body of those who practice the religion of Islam. In recent times the group known as ISIS has been labeled in such terms. They have killed quite a large number of non-Muslims and this includes Christians. They have beheaded individuals, and recorded these “executions” on video. Outrage has been continually expressed and world leaders scramble to put together a plan and muster military groups to combat what is perceived to be a threat to the peace and well-being of people in many different places in this troubled world.

But stop and think this through as well as doing some reading in the holy book of Islam known as the Quran. These persons so vilified and threatened by leaders such as the present resident of the White House in Washington DC are actually among the most dedicated Muslims you will find anywhere in the world! They are simply attempting to purge the world of infidels (a term used frequently in the Quran) and to usher in an age in which Islam dominates and controls the entire world! The laws as outlined in the Quran which are regarded as extremely harsh by non-Muslims will be the standard for all living persons. And of course, all living persons will either have converted and become Muslim or will be put to death as infidels. Infidels have no legitimate right to existence in a purified Muslim world! One command given in the Quran is that Muslims are not to take Christians or Jews for friends. The reason is simple – Christians and Jews are among the infidel crowd and they are a corrupting influence.

But there is a problem among Muslims just as there is a problem among Christians. There are Muslims who are willing to compromise their faith and do not have the degree of dedication that the ISIS bunch has. A Muslim “scholar” presented his interpretation of the statement about taking Christians and Jews for friends – he would be regarded as a “liberal” – actually a traitor to the faith! Just as in Christianity we are plagued with “scholars,” teachers, church leaders, and pastors who do not believe the Bible is actually truthful in what it says! This is seen especially in denials that Jesus Christ is God revealed in human form, and performed many miracles during His ministry here on earth. The worst is the denial that He is exclusively the only way of salvation and reconciliation to God! Further that He did not really come back from the dead 3 days later following His crucifixion!

A Christian truly dedicated to his/her Lord takes the position that Jesus is indeed the only way of forgiveness and salvation. Such a Christian becomes involved in efforts to see the world converted to Jesus Christ and envisions a world in the future as being ruled by Jesus Christ and His resurrected saints.

So also the dedicated Muslim sees a future world in which Islam is in control and all infidels have been eliminated or have been converted and are devoted now to serving Allah!

The means by which the “mission” is carried out stands in sharp contrast – as much difference as there is between the brightest day and the darkest night. Dedicated Muslims are given sanction to use violence to advance the cause. Christians, however, in following the New Testament are motivated by love and are never to resort to violence – if a person rejects the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that is their choice and nothing by way of retaliation is to be done to them. True, the history of Christianity is not without blemish – some horrible things were done in times past in the name of Christianity, but it cannot be supported by an honest and open-minded interpretation of the New Testament which stresses that love is one of the fruits of a loyal Christian!

Here in the United States in recent decades there has been the growing problem of compromise regarding various religious expressions. For a number, when it comes to religion, it is a bit like a popular buffet experience. You simply look at the table and select which “faith” appeals to you and that will be just fine. All religious “faiths” are on a level playing field and all have a legitimate claim to addressing issues such as life, human relationships, responsibility, accountability, final judgment (if such a thing exists), death and life beyond!

When it comes to Christianity and Islam, these two are totally incompatible if you take each of their holy books seriously. But if you take the view which a growing number are taking then you reject the radical parts and adopt the common approach of “in order to get along, then go along!”

If you want to see an example of true dedication then look at Muslims that make up a group known as ISIS! And here and there you may find a Christian also dedicated who says, “There is no way to Heaven except through Jesus Christ and in order to be a Christian with hope, you have to repent of your sins, forsake them, and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life! And if a Muslim expects to get to Heaven, he/she will have to do the same thing!”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. [Acts 4:8-12 (King JamesVersion)]

Trespassing on God’s Domain and Touching the Apple of His Eye!

A 56 day old human being!

For thus says the LORD of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” --- Zechariah 2:8

In a film set in WW II the Nazi program of extermination of selected groups was getting underway. A Jewish man became aware of what was happening to the Jewish people under German domination and made the remark, “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!” It was an obvious reference to a statement made by an Old Testament prophet. Ultimately Nazi Germany paid an extremely high price for the deadly mistake of believing that they could select certain groups and exterminate them. In the process they were convinced that they would be that much closer to fulfilling the dream of a “Master Race” coming to reality and the establishment of a thousand-year Reich!

Consider the statement in yet another context – when you deal with unborn humans, in no uncertain terms, you are entering God’s special domain. Without doing violence to that statement of long ago, can it not be said that these unborn individuals are the “apple of His eye?”

How could that be? Actually the debate as to when human life begins should never have to be – even common sense and a non-scientific background will be enough to let a person know as to when that moment takes place. When the male sperm cell penetrates the female egg the formation of a human being is now underway – a person who will end up being a male or a female.

What God has made clear is the fact that He is involved – “before I formed you in the womb” are words which reminded Jeremiah that he was the result of God’s action – his life and existence were the result of what God had done. “I knew you,” also informed the prophet that God knew him and identified him before that process of formation in the womb of a female took place!

Further revelation shows that God has a purpose for each conceived human life – there may be fools in this world that would attempt to say that it isn’t so – usually that may come from those who take the position that we can dispose of unborn persons at will for whatever reason we may conjure up in our unregenerate minds. There is virtually no limit as to the “reasons” as to why we can eliminate the unborn, whether in later stages through the mutilation and murder process known as abortion, or in the very early stages in which the stem cells of an embryo are used for experimental purposes.

It matters not the timing – the hard reality is that whether the victim is an embryo only a few days old, or that victim is a few weeks old, or but a few hours away from being born, when that life has been snuffed out, it is yet another instance of “touching the apple of His eye!” In the strictest sense, we have trespassed into God’s domain!

Those who take a low view of human life – that is, that we can dispose of selected individuals for whatever reason, fit into that category as mentioned by a Jewish man way back in WW II – “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!”

Lots of deceptive “logic” and “reasoning” are being employed as to why embryos should be used for stem cell research with predictions that diseases can be cured through use of those cells – on and on the argument goes, with President Obama beating the drum and leading the pack following the lifting of the ban on embryonic stem cell research which had been put in place by the Bush administration. So it amounts to this – we’ll kill off a bunch of humans on the pretense that we are going to save some others! Is this a new twist to the old Canaanite practice of offering small children in sacrifice to a heathen deity so that the deity wouldn’t get mad and wipe out a bunch of the adults? You know, sacrifice the kid in order to preserve the adults alive!

The hard fact is this – each embryo, no matter the circumstances of his/her conception, is a human being in the sight of God and one for whom He has a purpose. Remember, He knows each human even before conception and has a plan for each one.

It is most appropriate to repeat the statement time after time in view of how our leadership in this republic views human life -- “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!”

Closing question – if you have the misfortune of being among the crowd which has shouted “Amen!” to embryonic stem cell research, what are you going to tell God as to your reason for putting your stamp of approval on the intentional destruction of those who were regarded as the “apple of His eye?”

If you don’t settle this issue now, you won’t be dead 2 seconds until you’ll face it then!

For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. --- Hebrews 10:30, 31

Joseph Goebbels Would Nod in Hearty Approval with a Big Smile on His Face!

The recent passed stimulus bill by the U. S. Congress is regarded to be the “cure all” needed in the long run for our country’s recovery and reviving of the economy according to David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to President Obama, on February 15, 2009.

Chris Wallace of Fox News interviewed David Axelrod on Sunday, February 15, 2009. Axelrod holds a significant position in the Obama Administration. He possesses the title of Senior Advisor to President Obama. His background is interesting, revealing deep involvement in politics the last number of years. He is a senior partner at the consulting firm, AKP&D Message and Media based in – guess where? – yes, in good old Chicago, home of infamous political shenanigans of the most imaginable kind!

His bond with Obama? Not hard to figure that one – it is reported that Axelrod helped Obama, an Illinois state senator at the time, defeat a primary field of six other Democrats and then go on to a landslide victory in winning a seat in the United States Senate.

Actually from what this man says about anything related to the Obama presidency it might be better to change his title from Senior Advisor to that of Propaganda Minister or something akin to that.

Maybe you remember -- there was this little guy who lived a few decades ago and held a special position in the government of which he was a very important part – he was head of “National Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda” in the Third Reich under Adolph Hitler. He inspired the German people with all kinds of stuff and led them to believe their leader was the best in the world and had their very best interests at heart – all they had to do was listen to their leader and do what he wanted and before they knew it, Germany would enter its promised “golden age!” In fact the thinking was that a Reich would be established that would stand for a thousand years!

In listening to Axelrod you hear nothing but great things being done and planned by B. Hussein Obama. The passage of the recent stimulus bill (which not one member of Congress was able to read in its entirety before voting) is declared to be a great victory and will get this country over this economic “bump in the road!” It’s just the greatest thing since “sliced bread,” to use an ancient cliché.

On bipartisanship as pertaining to the passage of the bill, Obama cannot claim that to be a significant factor as he had hoped -- no Republicans in the House voted for it and 3 turn-coat Republicans (Collins, Snowe and Specter) in the Senate voted for it. Actually these three are Democrats wearing a cloak that says, "Republican!" But masterful Axelrod glosses over all that and discounts it as though it were nothing -- the big thing is that his boss won a major "victory."

Regarding appointments to the cabinet – D. A. insists that the administration has high ethical standards and only selects the highest caliber people to serve. And as could be expected, he gives Timothy (Ooops! I didn’t pay all my taxes!) Geithner very high marks and the fact that this man is brilliant and will help to lead us out of this economic chaos in which we presently find ourselves.

The propaganda choo-choo continues to roar down the tracks with Axelrod indicating the president intends to open things up for government funding of embryonic stem cell research – this means huge numbers of humans in the early stage of formation will be destroyed. This was not the policy set in place by the Bush Administration. But Axelrod paints this scenario as nothing short of being saintly and “saving” the nation by such a change of policy.

And we can assume that this senior White House advisor was completely supportive of Obama’s rather secret signing of an order overturning the former Bush policy which banned the use of funds for use by groups in foreign nations that in the name of “family planning” perform abortions and/or counsel abortion to be the answer to a problem pregnancy!

Further, it is more than an outside possibility that he fully supports President Obama’s intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act which literally will declare open season on unborn children at any stage of pregnancy, even when they are but minutes away from being born! It would be interesting to hear how this senior advisor would phrase this and attempt to justify it. Certainly it would be in the very spirit and logic of that little guy named Joe who lived decades ago and mislead a nation into believing they were on the road to paradise when in reality they were on the road to collapse, total ruin and destruction.

But if we could resurrect Joseph Goebbels and have him listen to David Axelrod, the propaganda minister of the Third Reich would nod his head in approval and a great big smile would form on his face! If he were to comment, perhaps he would say something like this – “I couldn’t have done it better myself!”

One observation was worded this way: “Dr. Joseph Goebbels convinced a whole nation to abandon their ideals and embark on a frivolous conquest through Europe. He led millions to their destruction. He made a people believe in their Leader up to the bitter end. In short, Dr. Goebbels was a dark genius.”

What might we expect down the road when one who has been elected to lead a republic shows that he takes a very low view of human life and does not give a second thought to the destruction of human beings in the early stages of their development while actually signing orders that expand greatly the “shedding of innocent blood.” All the while, a senior advisor attempts to lead us into believing we are on the threshold of a golden age period never before experienced in the history of our republic!

About once a week a letter is sent to President Obama about the real critical issues which need to be addressed in this nation. At the bottom of that letter is the picture of an unborn child which has been dismembered in the process of terminating its life before it was able to be born because of an insane decision on the part of its “mother” and intentional act on the part of a “doctor.”

A statement above that picture goes something like this – “The Nazis didn’t get away with their version of “Holocaust” and neither shall we with our version of the same!"

By the way – victims in the Nazi version were in the neighborhood of 14 to 15 million, 6 million of which were Jews. We, a professed civilized society, have just passed the 50 million mark a few days after B. Hussein Obama became president! And that is likely a very conservative figure because of sloppy reporting when it comes to the destruction of unborn children plus the human embryos that have been and will be destroyed.

Just something to think about and to remember as the calamities intensify in the days to come -- and as part of that remembering process, think about how leaders in a nation can by their blind and very foolish actions, bring about a response from Almighty God that will be most unpleasant to say the least!

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.............. Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. --- 2 Kings 21:6; 23:26