Daily Devotional for Wednesday October 19, 2016
The Last Days that We are Living In and the Showdown Looming between Islam and Christianity
(Exodus 15:6; Deuteronomy 32:41; Psalms 68:11; 1 Peter 5:8)
***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, help me to always be prepared to serve you in any way that I can. My life belongs to you. I am ready, willing, and able to answer your call as I go through my life each day. Use me for your glory. I am yours! In the name of Jesus I pray...AMEN!
WITH THE ESCALATING CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, I am getting inundated with emails asking if this is some fulfillment of Bible prophecy. ALL of the events we see each day are leading us to the last chapters of human history. The current war going on between Israel and the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hamas and Hezbollah is simply another "war," and not, as many "prophecy gurus" exploiting this conflict are trying to tell people, the fulfillment of some chapter and verse in the Bible.
If in fact at some point it continues to escalate and you have the entire Arab world at war with Israel (which means the United States will be drawn in to the conflict defending Israel), or if Russia or China become actively involved, THEN we are talking about something of Biblical proportions. Keep watching the news and I will do my best to keep it all in perspective for you.
This Devotional today however, is a look into the last days that we are living in and the real showdown that is looming between Islam and Christianity!!!
Today, there are roughly 7 billion people in the world. Out of the world's population, apx. 2 billion claim to be Christians (no doubt the number of people who are actually "born again" and know Christ as their personal Savior by faith is far less) and apx. 1.2 billion claim to be Muslims. Over the past decade, the number of Christians in the world has been declining while the false religion of Islam is the fastest growing. Many estimate that by 2020 there will be as many Muslims in the world as Christians.
I have always laughed at people who deny Christ and the Truth of His Word when they call Christianity "intolerant." They obviously have no idea what the Christian faith is all about since it is the most tolerant faith there is. God's plan of salvation is not exclusionary, it is IN-CLUSIONARY! The Bible says that WHOSOEVER shall believe. That simply means the love of Christ, His free gift of everlasting life is available to EVERYONE! It becomes the personal choice of each person to accept or reject Christ in their heart and life.
The fact is, it is the cults and false religions of the world that are intolerant, the worst of all being Islam. They literally teach that those who don't follow their false god "allah" and teachings are "infidels" and should be put to death. That, my friend, is about as intolerant as you can get. A great example of their intolerance was massacre of the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris because they published cartoons of Mohammed.
It is perfectly OK to lampoon the Lord, create "art" for public display where a figure of Christ is covered by human excrement, and mock those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and follow the Truth of His Word. However, because some people draw cartoons of Mohammed , Muslims worldwide become offended and outraged. They respond as Muslims have responded for 1400 years, with violence and people actually being killed over a cartoon!
The fact is, 1400 year ago Mohammed, a murdering polygamist, pedophile, dreamed up his false god "allah" and the false religion of Islam out of a heart that rejected the one true God of the Bible. His fantasy book the Qu'ran is largely poor plagiarism of the Old Testament. Yet because someone had the audacity to accurately portray him in a cartoon as the terrorist he was, those who follow this false prophet are upset to the point they responded with acts of destruction and murder.
Make no mistake about it, Islam is a false religion that teaches and encourages violence and death. This is what makes the United States support of Palestine so foolish. We took a position in opposition to God's Word by helping to give away part of the land He gave to the children of Israel, to people whose stated goal is to see Israel wiped off the earth and every Jewish person killed. This is exactly what Islam is all about. It is about the death of anyone who rejects their false religion! This just in. That means those of us in the United States too!!!
Just like in the Old Testament, there were people groups who rejected the God of Israel and His commands, and sought to utterly destroy every descendant of Abraham. Their clear and stated goal was to wipe out every Jewish person. Whether you fully comprehend it or not, the goal of Islam is to wipe off the face of the earth everyone who does not follow their false religion. Don't be fooled by the moderates who will tell you that Islam is about peace and that Muslims want to be in unity with other faiths, especially Christianity.
That may be the desire of a few who understand the financial benefits of peace and unity, but that is NOT what Islam is all about. Many want to lull you into believing that it is only a small percentage of Muslims who ascribe to terrorism and the death of those who reject their false beliefs. That is not true. The snapshots we get at times from what is happening right now in the Middle East, incidents like the recent riots in France, the violence over this cartoon of Mohammed, 9/11, the bombings in London and other targets recently in Europe, Asia, and Africa, are what Islam is really all about. Please, don't be fooled.
I love you and care about you so much. My heart breaks for the apx. 1.6 billion people on this planet who have believed the lie of Islam and will die in their sins and be lost for all eternity unless they turn to the Truth of the Gospel. One of the 5 languages Liveprayer will be translated into later this year is Arabic. I have a real burden to bring the Truth of God's Word and the hope of Christ to these people who are following Islam straight to hell.
Please know that there are those out there who have the stated goal of seeing us wiped off the very face of the earth simply because we are Christians. As the days of this world wind down, the persecution of the church and those who follow Christ is only going to get worse. That is why now is the time for those who profess Christ as their Savior, need to get serious about their faith and start to find ways to allow God to use your life to make a difference.
Just in your normal day-to-day life God gives you many opportunities to take a stand for Him. This is how you can make a difference. Share His love with those you meet, always be prepared to give people the reason for your hope, and live a Godly life which will always be your loudest witness for the Lord. The Bible says they will know us by our love for one another. That love extends past this brief journey to a person's eternal destination which is why we have to boldly and without shame tell others about how they can know Christ and His free gift of everlasting life.
There is coming soon a final showdown between Islam and Christianity. It has already been building over these past 1400 years since Mohammed dreamed up this false religion. As the two dominant religions on the planet, they will continue to collide as the final days of human history unfold. The good news is that we already know how it ends. That is why those who know Christ as their Savior must stand strong in proclaiming His Truth, since in the end, it is God's Truth alone that will be standing.
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller