IS BARACK OBAMA THE ANTI-CHRIST - A Look into a Scenario

By means of introduction, the following may seem far-fetched.  Only time will tell.  But if time does tell you'll have known about it in advance.

Back in 2007, on one occasion, while I was visiting my mother, she asked me “So what do you think of Obama?” 

My response came... “I think he's a Trojan horse”.  This statement was accompanied by silence.  When I began to explain my position I was met with “that's enough”. “But”, I attempted to say, “Discussion's over” she interrupted.  And, in fact, the discussion was over.

That's the way it is when talking to liberals.  And 'though the political, socioeconomic and even well-being issues are painful, it's particularly painful when those whom you love won't even listen.

I forget precisely all the reasons why I had come to the conclusion I did at that time.  I do recall some fundamental reasons... very simple and basic ones.  If you've read any of the postings on my blog, you'll know that I've always felt, even before 9/11, that the so called, “War on Terror” had to be fought on the battle field of ideas.  As seemingly unlikely as it may occur, Islam needs to be communicated as the cult that it is and received as such.  Of course, Muslims who would be willing to engage in such dialogue on that level are, undoubtedly, few and far between.  However, it is counterproductive to give Islam any level of credibility.  I winced when George W. Bush announced that Islam does not teach violence.  Mr. Bush is wrong!  All that needs to be done is go to the fundamental documents of the faith of Islam... the Qur’an and the Hadith. I am not saying that there are not nice Muslims.  There are many nice Muslims.  I would argue, however, that they are not nice BECAUSE of Islam but IN SPITE of Islam.

One of the clues, however, which gave Mr. Obama away was his untoward willingness to give credibility to Islam.  He was not only giving credibility to Islam for the sake of political correctness, as was with the case of George W. Bush, he was voluntarily pursuing the acceptance of Islam.  As far as I was concerned, after he'd won the election, in '08 the so called “War on Terror” was just about lost.

Mr. Obama spent the previous 4 years setting the stage for what he's wanted to accomplish in his next 4 years.  He concealed the ramifications of his policies from the American people so that they would take effect only after he'd been reelected.  Unemployment, during his first term, went up to a real figure of 16 to 17 percent.  A definition was given to reportable unemployment, however, so that the figure was lowered to an average, during most of his term to between 9 and 10 percent.  Two issues, that come to mind, which partially averted public anger at Obama for this predicament were that he was able to deflect blame on his predecessor, George W. Bush, and that he was able to tap into the “bottomless resources” of the Federal Reserve and throw “bones” in the form of unemployment checks to the hungry masses, many of whom became happy to have a government hand-out for which they no longer had to work.  In lock-step with Obama's plan, they joined the ranks of those who were already “free-loaders”.  Now he had succeeded in increasing the already numerous ranks of those who had become dependent upon the government.  But, for the most part, it was OK with them because they were still being fed.

Obama Care, which is really an attempt to take over ¼ if the American economy and limit freedom, was not scheduled to kick in fully until 2014.  That would be well after the election.  By then Mr. Obama’s promises that “you can keep your doctor.” “Insurance premiums will go down” “health care will improve” will no longer have any meaning and will have proven themselves to be, at best, deceit.  As I propose to say at the end of this essay, I believe that Mr. Obama’s popularity is going to soar within the United States as well as internationally, and as a result, his myriads of lies will be perceived by the panting masses, as, at the very least, excusable because of 'all the so called good he will have accomplished'”.

So now, let's look at where we are today.  Barack Hussein Obama has won his second term in office and the stage is set for a devastating change in America and the world.  He promised change, but I don't think that even most of the liberal followers that support him want the change that we're in for. 

On the domestic front, he's called for the legalization of gay marriage.  That may appeal to some, and others may be indifferent on the issue, however, even in the liberal state of California, proposition 8 was turned down by the majority of that states' voters.  In the same way that Obama Care was shoved through Congress in spite of its lack of popularity, I'm quite certain that gay marriage will be shoved down the throats of the American people, in spite of the lack of popularity of that issue as well.

But even more critically (purely from a pragmatic point of view), Mr. Obama's attacking the 2^nd Amendment  while two crucial and paradoxical things are happening at the same time.  On the one hand the federal government has been stockpiling offensive weaponry apparently to be used on the  domestic front while on the other hand, the Federal budget can't afford such extravagance. 

Mr. Obama proposed a cut in the growth of Federal spending, which is called a sequester.  He later denied that it was his proposal and then went on to cry wolf if it were to go through. He argued “There would be no more police and fire department.  People would starve in the streets.  There would be an end to medicare.  The military would lose its combat readiness... on and on.” Yet, while Obama cries wolf, he invests in offensive weaponry which seems to be intended for domestic use.  He's invested in over a billion rounds of hollow point bullets.  He's invested in over 1000 tanks who's impregnability dwarfs that of the tanks deployed in Iraq.  This begs such questions as... “Why couldn't these investments be curtailed in lieu of the alleged cuts threatened in Social Security and Medicare?  Why couldn't these exorbitant investments be curtailed in lieu of threats to investments in education?  Why couldn't these investments be curtailed in lieu of making an honest/good faith effort at balancing the Federal budget?”

All of this arouses suspicion that President Obama is really up to something sinister which I will address later on.

We've looked at the domestic front.  What about the world of Foreign affairs?  As I've written in earlier posts on my blog, it seems that Mr. Obama's allegiance to Israel is, at best questionable.  Throughout his previous 4 years he's been setting the stage for what I believe will prove to be an extremely significant event in World history.  But let's look at what has led up to the event which I believe is soon to be realized.

Mr. Obama, in the name of “democracy” has encouraged the “Arab Spring”.  Libya, previously ruled by the ruthless dictator, Mao-mar Gaddafi, has a new government.  As evil as Gaddafi was, however, the new government seems to be teetering on the brink of providing a haven for AlQaida if it is not already doing so.  Likewise, Obama called for the ouster of Hasni Mubarak in Egypt.  Mubarak was also a dictator, but he held back Egyptian animosity towards Israel.  Still teetering in it's control of power, however, the Muslim brotherhood, clearly not a friend of either Israel or the American people, is emerging as the entity controlling the reigns of government in Egypt and the Obama administration tries to paint the Muslim Brotherhood as moderate.  As an aside, those changes that have taken place in the governance of Arab countries have all been accompanied by loss of life... especially the lives of   helpless indigenous Christians.

There is a simple principle concerning governance in the Middle East.  Islamic nations are not capable of maintaining democracies because Islam, as a world view, requires some sort of a dictatorship in order to control the masses.  This fact is evident throughout history.  Yes, there was a golden age of Islam, but again, governance was still maintained through a dictatorship... perhaps benevolent, but nevertheless, a dictatorship.

In the meantime, while Syria's civil war rages with the murder of over 70,000 people, cries go out to help the rebels who are in the majority.  The US has started to provide them with apparently non-military aid.  The most influential elements of these rebels, however, are also radical Islamist s who,  are neither friends of the United States or Israel.  Furthermore, Iran is on the verge of obtaining “the BOMB” and the Obama administration, at least to this point, seems to have done nothing to keep that from happening.

Of course the focal point of this tinder box which is ready to explode is the age-old hostility between the so called “Palestinians” and the Israelis.  All of the Muslim nations, even as they murder each other both within and outside of their respective borders, hate Israel.  I site two reasons for this.  For one thing Islam breeds an innate hatred for Christians and Jews. For example  Qur’an says...

O you who believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies.  They are [in fact] allies of one another.  And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one of them.  Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people. 5:51

Again it is written...

Say, “O people of the Scripture, do you resent us except [for the fact] that we have believed in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed before and because most of you are defiantly disobedient?”  Say, “Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as penalty from Allah? [It is that of] those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs and slaves of Taghut (crossing the line of idolatry).  Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way.”  5:59-60

Furthermore, Islam is fundamentally political.  Its goal is to conquer the world and submit every inch of it to Islamic law (Sharia) and Islam's God, Allah. In doing this, Islam has divided geography into three categories... Dar al-Islam, Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Amn.  Dar al-Islam is that territory which is dominated by Islam.  Dar al-Harb is that territory which has not yet been conquered by Islam.  In essence, the translation of Dar al-Harb is “house of war”.  Finally, Dar al-Amn means “house of safety”.  Historically, the latter refers to a territory where a treaty has been made.  Also historically, these treaties are eventually broken by adherents of Islam when it is advantageous (because of some weakness in the armor of non-Muslim entities) to further the geographical expansion of Islam. 

In light of this background, Israel exists as a non-Muslim entity smack dab in the middle of Dar al-Islam.  Such a phenomenon is anathema to the Muslim mind.  Like a sliver in one's little finger, as small as it may be, whether because of pain, or just irritation, it must be removed!  This is, in a nutshell, the attitude of adherents of Islam towards the existence of Israel.  ABSOLUTELY NO NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE CAN ALTAR THIS MINDSET.

And so, a list of phenomena have entered onto the stage in the Middle East.  We see with the “Arab Spring” a growing actualization of Arab hostility towards Israel. We see the Muslim nation of Iran obtaining “the bomb”.  We see an increased, 'though misguided world-wide empathy for Palestinians, who, in fact, are victims and pawns of the world-view known as Islam. And we see Obama, the king pin who is tightening the screws, putting pressure, as it were, on Israel to negotiate for peace.  Contrary to public opinion, ISRAEL DOES WANT PEACE.  Most of her people want one thing and one thing only... to live in peace and be left alone.  Anecdotal to this, in the testimony of a “Palestinian” who became a Christian, he recalls an encounter with an Israeli woman on an airplane heading back to Israel from the United States. Assuming the stereotype he had of Israelis, and hiding his own identity as a Palestinian, he said to her “I bet your son, the Israeli soldier, likes killing Palestinians”.  He was moved by the fact that the woman sitting next to him burst into tears and exclaimed “He doesn't want to hurt anyone.  He only fights because he has to protect us.”

And so, what is Barack Hussein Obama going to do with this predicament.  This month, he's heading, for the first time in his Presidency, to Israel.  Israel's political situation is tenuous as far as alliances in its government is concerned.  I believe that Obama's going to exploit this, attempt to interfere in the Israeli election process and leverage it to negotiate a peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Furthermore, I BELIEVE THAT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IS GOING TO SUCCEED.  I do not know if he is a Muslim.  He certainly doesn't fit my definition of a “Christian” in the orthodox sense of the word.  This, however, is how I think his success is going to play out.  He will convince the Muslim world to acknowledge the right of the State of Israel to exist in order to make a treaty that will create an aura of peace.  This will serve as an advantage to the Arab world.  The contested state of Israel will become a Dar al-Amn.  Peace will have been established at last!  Barack Hussein Obama becomes a hero.  He is now the only man who has been able to create peace in the Middle East.  HE IS THE GREAT MESSIAH” as many of his unswerving loyalists already believe.  All those lies about health care and sequesters and movies causing riots such as the one in Benghazi Libya will all be forgiven because he has accomplished what no other man in history has accomplished... HE HAS BROUGHT PEACE TO THE MIDDLE EAST.

In the meantime, what is he doing with all that military hardware back in the United States?  He's using it to either kill or force imprisonment on those who are privy to his plot.  You see, Barack Obama has negotiated a Dar al-Amn.  The treaty is TEMPORARY.  At the time when it is advantageous, he will break the treaty!  And to those whom he intends to kill and/or imprison, he will do so because they are his political enemies.  His successes will cause the masses to even further marginalize his detractors.  And those who are his detractors do not just know him as Barack Hussein Obama.  They know him as THE ANTI-CHRIST.

Note:  Again, at this stage, this scenario or speculation may seem far fetched.  However the only factor needed to distinguish the Anti-Christ is his ratification of a significant and seemingly final peace treaty between Israel and the Muslim world.  His treachery can only manifest itself at a later time.

Benyomin

A Little History Test

A little trivia to see how much history you know (can guess at). Be honest, it's kinda fun

and revealing.

If you don't know the answer make your best guess.

Answer all the questions before looking at the answers.

Who said it?

1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for

the few...... And to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."

A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above

3) "(We) .....can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."

A. Nikita Khrushchev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above

4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own ... in order to create this common ground."

A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."

A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above

6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."

A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above
Scroll down for answers
Answers
(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004

(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007

(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007

(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007

(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007

(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005

Be afraid, Be very afraid!!, and this was before she hit her head!!!

Some Suggestions to People Involved in the BDS movement who Want to Boycott Israel

"Any Boycotter who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. If a boycotter suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner.

"A Boycotter who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube.

Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocain, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil.

If a Boycotter has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew.

If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.

Boycotters with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.

Should a Boycotter's child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the "Schick" reaction, which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.

"Boycotters should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Jewish Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram.

They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.

"Boycotters must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.

Any doctor who is a part of the BDS movement must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.

"In short, good and loyal Boycotters properly and fittingly should remain afflicted with Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Heart Disease, Headaches, Typhus, Diabetes, Mental Disorders, Polio Convulsions and Tuberculosis and be proud to obey the BDS boycott."

Oh, and by the way, don't call for a doctor on your cell phone because the cell phone was invented in Israel by a Jewish engineer.

The Jew, Christianity and the "War on Terror"

It is a little-known fact that Christianity, at its very outset, was Jewish.  Rather than belabor that point, I merely sight chapter 15 in the Book of Acts of the New Testament, as being about a small group of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) getting together to discuss the plausibility of the notion that a Gentile can come to believe in Yeshua without first becoming a Jew.

Whereas in the First Century A.D., it was a mystery that a Gentile could believe in Yeshua, Today, in the 21st Century, it is a mystery that a Jew CAN believe in Yeshua.  To date, I have not yet found an adjective that can adequately describe the nature of this irony!

Today, we are engaged in what has popularly been dubbed a “war on terror.”  Because this war is a struggle between Islam and the West with its potpourri of divergent belief systems, I believe that it is safe to say rather axiomatically that...

Until the human race collectively comes to a consensus about who God is, what He is like and what He expects from us, we shall forever be at war.¹

As I see it there are three possible ways by which we can come to this consensus²: 

     1. We humans willingly debate the issue rationally and dispassionately 

     2. A dictatorial entity imposes its view upon everyone else, or

     3. The truth is irrefutably and universally evident.

It is unlikely that we humans will agree on anything.  I find that this substantiates the reality of the doctrine of sin.  We, humans, are too arrogant and biased to relinquish our points of view despite the evidence.  The afore-mentioned axiom would concur that this reality is to our detriment because it inhibits consensus thus perpetuating the atmosphere conducive to promulgating war.  

Sadly, even if the truth should be irrefutably made evident to everyone, in the present state the world is in, many would still reject it.  In reality, I’m pretty well convinced that this objective truth already exists today.  The writer of the Book of Proverbs wrote: “Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square;”  (Prov. 1:20).

Even though the voice of Wisdom speaks in the streets today, her voice is drowned out by any rabble of foolishness. Whether such foolishness comes in the form of peer pressure, vogue thinking, tradition, individuals assumed to be experts, any other of a myriad of influences on thought processes or just plain unwillingness of people to put in the effort to think critically, wisdom has historically as well as contemporarily been lacking on the human stage.

Sadly these days, there seem to be only two remaining alternatives for the human race: continued war or the imposition of a world-view upon the masses by a dictator or group of self-appointed dictatorial elitists.  The former alternative is destructive at face value.  The latter alternative may or may not be consistent with objective truth.  In all probability, it will not be objectively truthful, and its foundation will be a lie.³  

Feeding heavily into this “gemish” of confusion over the nature of God, what He might be like and what He expects from us, is the fideistic rejection by the Jewish people of the Messiahship of  Yeshua.  As a whole, the Jewish community defines Jews as Individuals who are the children of Jewish mothers but who do not believe in Yeshua.  To much of the Jewish community, the contention that Yeshua is not the Messiah is an axiom in itself.  This “axiom” however, is built upon a paradigm which places it directly at odds with Christianity.  The Jewish rejection of Yeshua as the Messiah is a direct refutation of Christianity which claims, to the contrary, that He is the Messiah.  The rabbis seem to be oblivious to the fact that their “faith stance” is, in reality, an affront to Christianity and the modern western Church does not perceive this either.  Not wanting to “offend” much of the church relegates “Judaism” to being 'just another religion' and makes up some canard that “one ought not to evangelize Jews because they have some alternative means of receiving salvation.”

This clash between Christianity and Judaism, rather than being confronted, is ignored.  Each side seeks its comfort zone.  It’s not comfortable to confront.  It’s not comfortable to challenge one’s culture and opinions as they stand up in concurrence with or contrary to Biblical truth.  Ironically, this pursuit of comfort produces exactly the opposite effect. Ignoring the debate for the sake of “comfort” sadly serves to contribute to the lack of consensus on the nature of God. This lack of consensus, in turn, carries with it its already noted horrific consequences.  Instead of finding comfort, the one who pursues comfort unwittingly foments war and the inevitable accompanying threat to personal safety which is the utter antithesis of comfort.  

There is another element of irony that accompanies this issue.  Even though Judaism, the religion, fundamentally challenges the claims of Christianity, ironically, when one dismisses Judaism as a religion, the survival of the Jewish people as a people nevertheless, affirms the claim to the divine origin of the Bible and therefore the veracity of the Bible’s claim that, in fact, Yeshua IS the Messiah of the Jewish people.⁴

Interestingly, popular perception confuses the religion with the people.  Most Jews are not actual practitioners of Judaism.  And where the religion invalidates the "Gospel," the mere existence of the Jewish people on the world stage does validate the Gospel because the Gospel is found only in the Bible and the Bible has promised that the Jewish people would survive history.⁵  Hence, the replacement of Judaism with genuine collective personal relationships with God, in conjunction with the survival of the Jewish people in history, lend strong evidence that the Bible is the very Word of the creator God of the universe. And since that's the case, the Bible is also the sole accurate source for understanding the nature of the Gospel.

It is safe to say therefore that according to the Bible, peace will never come to this planet until either the Jewish people, are destroyed, (as is the contention of many anti-Semitic groups) which will never happen⁶,  they en-mass, receive Yeshua as their Messiah which will happen⁷ one day, or BIBLICAL Christianity is determined to be utterly false which, also, will never happen⁸.  In spite of the inevitability of the universal salvation of the Jewish people at a specific time in the future, it behooves the Church Invisible, nevertheless, to “pave the way” as it were, by prioritizing prayer for and love motivated evangelism to the Jewish people.  Even if they do not believe now, the evangelist will have planted a “seed” that will bear fruit on “that day.”  Furthermore, there’s a double investment in this endeavor.  It’s part of the war on terror.  Jewish validation of the Messiah-ship of Yeshua invalidates Islam.

1.    ZecharIah 14:9 confirms that the day of peace reigning upon the earth will be marked by universal understanding of God’s nature. - “And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.”

2.    The Bible mentions all three of these mechanisms.  Although there are several references to each mechanism, the following are one or two references to each.

a.  Rational debate - "’Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.’”  (Isa 1:18)

b. The masses have the value of the dictator imposed on them – “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.” Rev. 13:11-14)

c. Everyone witnesses the truth - "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zech. 12:10)

3. Scripture would not argue that the foundation of this dictatorship will probably be a lie.  I use the word “probably” only for the sake of argument.  Scripture argues irrefutably that the final dictator is fundamentally a liar. – “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.” (Rev. 13:14)

4.The fact that the Jewish people have survived two millennia of exile from there homeland endured wave after wave of intolerable persecutions including attempted genocide, and returned to their original homeland to speak the same language they’d spoken two millennia earlier, is a testimony to the predictive nature of the prophecies inherent in the Bible.

5-6. As the prophet Jeremiah declared: “’Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name:  If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,’ declares the LORD.                    (Jer 31:35-37)

7. “and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.’ THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."   (Rom. 11:26-27)

8. Looking into the future, the Book of Revelation gives the following as an account: “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, " Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!” (Rev. 15:3)

Where were you on September the 10th 2001?

I'm sure that most of you know where you were on September 11, 2001. If you're old enough to remember, I'm sure you recall exactly where you were and what you were doing. But I pose another question. Do you remember what you were doing on September the 10^th or, for that matter, the 9^th?

On the 9^th, I was having a conversation with my somewhat recalcitrant 21 yr old son. Let me preface by saying that I believe that the Bible's the very Word of the God of the Universe. He challenged me... “How do you know that the Bible's the Word of God? How do you know that the Qur’an, for instance, isn't the Word of God?” I admitted to him that I had entered into this discussion with some initial biases so I told him that, for the sake of objectivity, I would do some research on Islam.

The 10^th was a Monday. During lunch I got on the web and looked up a number of introductory web-sites on Islam. I noticed, in general, a willingness to pay homage to Jesus but a lack of understanding of whom Jesus is from the Biblical perspective. They had an appeal for an assumed commonality with believers in Jesus, but when one digs deeper, they deny that Jesus had any elements of Deity in His nature and to believe that He was God was 'shirk' and marked one as an “infidel”.

I concluded from my short introduction to Islam that anyone who takes Islam seriously was FUNDAMENTALLY CRUEL.

Muslims had been moving into my neighborhood, buying up houses with cash. They'd even bought a school building 2 blocks from my home, calling it an “education center” yet, since then, it's been converted into a mosque. I remember praying. “God, I'm not prepared for this. I'm just a spoiled Jewish boy from the north side of Chicago”. God spoke to my soul in a way that only He can... “I will prepare you”.

Mind you... that was September 10^th, 2001. The next day, of course, for the first time in American history, there was an attack by a foreign entity on American soil. It was at the hands of believers in Islam.

I'm grieved by the presumption of Islam. As a Jew, I'm also grieved by the presumption of Judaism. Both “religions” (which I prefer to call “world views”) attest to the greatness of God and hold staunchly to his “oneness”. But, in so doing, they don't even begin to understand the wonder and grandeur and magnificence and holiness of this God of whom they allegedly give allegiance. And He is echod... one.

President Bush began a “war on terror”. The proponents of terror had, for years, carried out a war on America. I'm of the opinion, however, that this war that is waging is not a war that merely involves guns and tanks and bombs. It's a war of ideas and world views.

Every Sabbath, in the synagogue, the strains of the prayer, called “the Oleynu”, are chanted. Included in its refrain are the words of the Prophet Zechariah... “In that day (the day when peace will reign on Earth), the Lord shall be one and His Name shall be one”.

There's a popular bumper sticker making its way about the streets of America. Using the symbols of various religions as letters, it spells out the word “tolerance”. To be honest, tolerance is the mandated antitheses of some of those religions represented by those symbols. They are mutually incompatible. Yet, at least according to Zechariah, there will be no peace on this planet until the peoples of the earth come to a mutual conclusion concerning who this God is, what He is like and what He expects from us human beings.

The fact that these “religions” can't agree on these issues is not to be ignored (as is the case with these bumper stickers mentioned previously), but, I would argue, debated with attitudes of humility, civility and mutual respect. How else can we come to a consensus and agree on who God is, what He is like and what He expects from us?

If you insult me or what I believe, I still won't kill you… That’s the difference.

Recently MSNBCs political show, “Hardball”, did a report on the massacre that took place over the weekend in which a 20,000 person mob of Muslims stormed the U.N. embassy in Afghanistan, killing at least 12 UN workers including 4 Americans.  The alleged reason for this rampage was that it was a response to the burning of the Quran by the “Reverend” Terry Jones in Florida.

Hardballs host had on, as his guests, two Muslim authors, Bobby Ghosh and Jim Zogby.  One of Mr. Ghosh’s comments caused steam to come out of my ears.  He said…

“The Quran, to Muslims is not the same as the Bible to Christians.  The Bible is a book written by men.  The Quran, if you are a Muslim, is directly the word of God.  The act of burning the Quran is much more inflammatory than burning the Bible.”

Of course, the pseudo Christian on Hardball nodded his head and performed his compensatory “uh huhs” through these comments as he gave this Muslim his platform, throwing softballs at him, while assuming that he (the host) was representing me.

And so, I, in my little “corner of the world” blog, shout out the truth hoping that Goliath hears it…

What Mr. Ghosh said, first of all, was a matter of opinion, and I qualify it even further.  It was Muslim opinion.   He used the assumption that the Quran is the Word of God according to Muslims, as an excuse for this unruly, violent, truly despicable behavior exhibited in Afghanistan as a result of the disrespectful behavior exhibited by the “Reverend” Jones.

Let’s face it.  That is an EXTREMELY feeble excuse.  I, on the contrary, believe that the Bible is the Word of God and the Quran was compiled by Satan through a false prophet by the name of Muhammad.   Furthermore, I know that there are a lot of people who concur with me on that opinion.  Nevertheless, I and my compatriots would not use our belief system as an excuse for plotting to kill Mr. Ghosh.   

Perhaps, the Muslim mind might regard my response (or lack thereof) as evidence that the Bible is not the Word of God... not worthy of defending.  My contention is that the Bible can and has, through the millenia, adequately defended itself.  People simply need to read it for themselves.  On the contrary, I would use my response to Mr. Ghosh’s comments as a means of illustrating the contrast between what the Bible teaches and what the Quran teaches to those adherents who, in their lemming-like fashion, displayed utter and despicable contempt for human life.

The Bible tells me

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” (Rom. 12:18),

“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.”  (Lk.6:29). 

Jesus, Himself, did not fight and forbad fighting for the purpose of defending oneself.  In Matthew 26, for example, after Peter cut off the ear of a man coming to arrest Jesus, Jesus said "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Mt. 26:52-53). 

Elsewhere Jesus said "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Mt 5:44).

In contrast, the Quran teaches…

"Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of God; whether he dies or triumphs, We shall richly reward him. ... The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan ..." (4:74,76)

"The believers who stay at home––apart from those that suffer a grave impediment––are not the equals of those who fight for the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home ..." (4:95,96)

"Those that make war against God and His apostle and spread disorder in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter: except those that repent before you reduce them ..." (5:34,35)

"Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme" (8:39)

"Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding." (8:65)

"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way ..." (9:5)

"Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given ... and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (9:29)

"As for those who are slain in the cause of God, He will not allow their works to perish. ... He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them." (47:4-6)

Now, these are not my words.  They are commonly available for anyone who can read.  My big concern, however, is that the majority of people who watch MSNBC don’t seem to know the meaning of the word “research”.  They would just prefer to take someone like Mr. Ghosh’s word for it than investigate the texts themselves. 

Clearly there is a difference between the Quran and the Bible.  And the fruit, both in spirit and in conduct is quite different between the adherents of the two books.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are many good Muslims.  But I would argue that they are good, not because of but in spite of Islam.

Now, I anticipate that the onus for this tragic event in Afghanistan is going to fall on Terry Jones (and I don’t know the theology of his “fellowship”) and Evangelical Christianity, in general.   The onus should really fall, however, on the world view created by that book which so blatantly demonstrates a contrast with the behavior commanded by the Bible.  The adherents of that world view, I would think, ought to have the temerity to develop somewhat of a thicker skin so that they can use reason as the means for the defense of their faith (if it can be defended via reason).

Sadly, however, from the mountains of Afghanistan, the purveyors of Islam have begun to regulate America’s domestic policy concerning speech.  Not only has innocent blood been spilled as a result of this incident but we have begun to allow Muslims to regulate our first amendment rights.  And the means they use for accomplishing this is nothing less than extortion.

A Simple Suggestion to Representative Peter King of New York - End of Story... Case Closed

Much is being made of Peter King, the New York Congressman’s, investigations into the “alleged” violent tendencies within the ranks of the Muslim community in America.  All sorts of naive individuals are coming out of the woodwork to defend the “poor” “oppressed” Muslim minority within our culture.  

Actually, I’m of the opinion that Representative King need not bother with such a hearing.  It’s really a waste of his time, Congress’ time in general, and American taxpayer dollars.  Personally, I would have absolutely no trouble trusting adherents to Islam if one very simple thing were to take place… a fatwa denouncing violence as a means of carrying out a Jihad.  I will elaborate in a little bit.

In the meantime, there are all sorts of declarations being made by defenders of Islam that Islam is a “religion of peace”.  Verses from the Quran are being quoted right and left showing just how peaceful Islam is.  One such verse is

“Let there be no compulsion of religion” (Sura 2:256)

Another is 

“Therefore expound openly what thou art commanded, and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah”                                                                          (Sura 15:94)

The latter verse indicates that one is simply directed to stay away from those “who will lead one astray”.

These verses, however, stand in direct contrast with other verses like…

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah (tax) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”                                                                               (Sura 9:29

or

“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular Prayers and practise regular Charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”                                                                                                     (Sura 9:5)

The Quran is full of such contradictions.  How are they to be reconciled?  In essence, if they can’t be reconciled, which suras are to be followed?  The answer is that those that were written first were to be applied at the time when they were relevant.  The ones that were written later nullify those suras that precede them and which contradict them.  Hence, of the four contradicting suras presented above, the latter suras mentioned, have replaced the previously mentioned ones because they were written later during the process of compilation of the Quran.  In other words, the call to violence nullifies the call for peace.  (As an aside, you won’t see such contradictions in the Bible.  Apparent inconsistencies do not result in nullification by theologians but harmonization and reconciliation).

That brings me to what really is a simple suggestion for Representative King.  Mr. King, you need to, very simply, demand a fatwa from the Islamic community denouncing violence as a means of Jihad.  A fatwa is a judgment concerning Islamic law.  It takes the form of a declaration.  This declaration is made by consensus of a group of Islamic scholars whose knowledge of the Quran enables them to make authoritative judgments concerning Islamic jurist prudence. 

If such a fatwa can be declared… case closed.  Islam is a religion of peace.  But no fatwa will ever be declared because the foundation of Islam is not peaceful.  So the next time you hear a Muslim declare that Islam is a “religion of peace” ask him “WHERE IS THE FATWA TO PROVE IT?”.