Monthly Archives: August 2014

Is It Really Evil?

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ica-mi6-isis-iraq_siThe terrorist group that is systematically taking over Iraq and who recently beheaded a U.S. journalist has been described as “evil.” It is interesting to hear secular news reporters, who probably believe that truth is relative, refer to someone as being evil. Evil can only exist if truth is absolute. For evil to even be a reality, there must be a standard of truth that is consistent for all people, in all places, and at all times. Most people in our country have adopted the belief that truth is relative as opposed to absolute. In my new book (Immovable: Standing Firm in the Last Days) that is coming out sometime around the end of October, I contrast the difference between absolute truth and relative truth:

  • * Relative truth can be understood in two ways: All truth is relative to time and space (true then but not now), and all truth is relative to people (true for me but not for you).
  • * Absolute truth implies that whatever is true at one time and in one place is true at all times and in all places. Whatever is true for one person is true for all people.

From this distinction, I believe you can see that if a person believes truth is relative, then he or she could never refer to something as being evil. Beheading a U.S. journalist might be horrible to us, but if truth is relative (which I do not believe it is), the ones doing this horrendous act are excused because their actions are justified by their perspective and circumstances. If truth is relative, this awful act of terror is not evil. If truth is absolute, however, this act is the picture of evil in our time.

I share this because it is critical that we understand today that truth is under attack. One way to remove one’s sense of accountability is to redefine the meaning of truth. If I can somehow turn truth into a relative expression, then I am not accountable to God. The Ten Commandments would not have to apply to me. Any sin mentioned in the Bible would not necessarily be sin for me, so I could justify any action I want to commit. This is Satan’s sly attempt to lead our culture into deeper depravity. Because truth is absolute, we are accountable to God. Sin is sin whether we believe it to be or not. Evil does exist, and those who refuse to repent of their sin will spend eternity in hell. Acts of terror like this horrible beheading are evil and give evidence to the depths of wickedness that exists in the hearts of those who do not know Christ.

Christian Persecution – A Sign of the Times

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imagesGW8KHBMRChristians in the United States have lived in a bubble for a long time, but the bubble is beginning to pop. There was a time when those who were persecuted for their faith seemed like a far off distant group of people, but with today’s news outlets and internet availability, realization of Christian persecution has become a much more common and personal thing. We have all been horrified by watching the unfolding drama in Iraq as the new ISIS group is killing Christians by the hundreds. The Guardian began a recent news article with this comment: “Isis’s persecution of Iraqi Christians, which has already forced tens of thousands of men, women and children to flee for their lives, is fast becoming a genocide.”

The persecution of Christians is not really new, but it seems to be growing. In my new book that is coming out this fall, I quote Italian Sociologist Massimo Introvigne where he said, “Christians are the most persecuted group in the world, with one Christian being killed out of religious discrimination every five minutes.” Even though in the past the persecution of Christians seemed to always happen in foreign lands, we are beginning to see hints of it in our own country. It has started as law suits or other legal threats, but the Bible says we can all expect persecution before the return of Christ. I believe Christians will be raptured before the tribulation, and people who are saved during the tribulation period will be severely persecuted. However, persecution will escalate to martyrdom during the tribulation period, but I am confident it will become more severe before the rapture.

We must pray for our brothers and sisters in other lands, and we must prepare to stand firm as our faith is challenged. We must also prepare our children to stand firm. It is easier to face persecution when we know that we are standing on the truth.

God Protects Israel from Hamas

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israel-newspaper-theirgodchangesrocketpathinmidairAmazing!! That’s really all I can say, though I should not be surprised. I just read an article on Inquisitr entitled, Israel Miracle? Gaza Strip Hamas Complain: ‘Their God Changes the Paths of our Rockets in Mid-Air.’ The article is repeated on several news outlets, and Joel Rosenberg wrote about it as well on his blog. The article tells of numerous missiles that were shot at Israel only to have them mysteriously pushed off course by an unseen force. I watched an interview last night on Fox News where a representative for the Israeli army explained basic information about how Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The representative explained that the system measures the trajectory of the missiles and launches a counter attack on the missile to intercept it in the air before it can land in Israel. The report said that around 500 missiles have been intercepted, but I thought it interesting that a total of 3500 missiles have been launched toward Israel. I thought then that it was odd because I couldn’t imagine Hamas just blindly shooting into Israel without targets. Tonight, thanks to my friend George Rogers, I read about God’s intervention in this battle. While some of these missiles should have hit their target, God used things such as a strong wind to blow the missiles off target causing them to land in the sea or in areas where no people lived.

God will protect Israel. The world will eventually see that while the world is pulling away from Israel, God is not. Ezekiel 38-39 tells about the future Russian coalition attack on Israel and how God will protect Israel. These events of God’s deliverance of Israel we are seeing today, that will probably not make it onto most news channels, are a small glimpse of what is to come. Pray for the peace of Israel and for the salvation of those who do not know Christ.