PROPHECY 3

    When we go to school, we learn that to understand any subject, both academic
and material based, we must first learn about the foundation of our subject. So it
is with prophecy. Two of the three main reasons for the Old Testament are to teach
us about the four stages of successive generations and to warn us about refusing
to listen to the prophets. The third reason, of course, is the prophecy that tells us
about the first coming of Christ. It is indeed unfortunate the chief priests didn't
study their scripture, or they would have known when the Messiah was in their midst.

    There are many descriptions of the coming of Christ in the Old Testament, yet
the religious leaders paid them no heed. Many of the prophets told about Him, as
did Isaiah in 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." 

    Jeremiah was the worst treated prophet, as Israel imprisoned him, burned his
manuscript and accused him of treachery. Although all this information is in the
Old Testament, religious leaders today fail to connect the problems of the past
with present day problems. Our government leaders claim to be Christians, but
they, too, are woefully lacking both in history and knowledge of scripture. Every
once in a while one of our senators or representatives quotes a scripture totally
out of context to support his misguided conclusion about an issue.

    Now that we know history repeats itself and mankind repeats the same mistakes
as generations change, we can look at how we become judged as we ignore
God's warnings. Make no mistake we are and will be judged. There are no free
passes from jail in the game of life. If your preacher tells you there will be no
punishment for sins of personal matters, or that the nation will not be punished
for national sins, find another church.

    Go to Psalms 9:7,8: "But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His
throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall
administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness." After Christ came into the
world, God gave His Son the power of judgment--see John 5:22,23. "For the
Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should
honor the son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him."

    I'm going to distinguish the difference between personal sins that basically
affect you as an individual, and personal sins, that collected with many others,
form a national sin. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their
carnal collective sin. Nations are judged on the basis of the peoples' collective
sin on specific issues.

     This brings us to what I term the final straw of our nation's judgment. It is
the breaking of the First Commandment. "Thou shalt have no other gods before
me." That's a very clear directive, but if you can't understand plain English, read
the Second Commandment that gives you more detail separating everything else
from the one and only God.

    So what else are some of us worshiping rather than the One God of Israel
and Christianity? The word that describes it is "syncretism". It is the invasion
of pagan religions into the very Word of God. You haven't heard of this? You
probably haven't heard of Chrislam, either. This is a new denomination of
worship, and if you live in or near some of our large cities, you would know about
it because hundreds of thousands of Americans have already joined this new
church.

    Chrislam is a movement brought by Muslims to Christian leaders in a so-far
successful joining of the Muslim and Christian faiths. Apostasy has been a
growing problem for many years, but this appears to be the worst of all. Before
you label me a bigot for calling this the most serious case of apostasy, consider
these differences in the two faiths:

    Muslims do not believe Christ is the Son of God. They say he was a prophet
or teacher. He did not die and was not resurrected, but went to heaven without
dieing. The God of Israel and Christianity is just another god along side the god
of Islam, Allah. You don't need a Savior to go to heaven. They have this little
sweetener that says a martyr for Allah not only goes to heaven, but gets a nice
little collection of virgins as a reward.

    The leaders of Chrislam preach that the two faiths can join together to worship
and fulfill some of Christ's teachings, such as to love your enemies and embrace
their wishes. Christ did say to love your enemies, but He was referring to your
Christian enemies, not carnal, and a faith that desires to eliminate Israel from the
face of the earth. But for people who know virtually nothing about scripture, this
love fest sounds like peace.

    Let's back up here to Christ. The entire Christian faith is based on the acceptance
of Christ as our Savior. It is the ONLY way to get to heaven. We believe He died for
us and was resurrected--rose from the dead. Chrislam says we must give up the Son
of God and our salvation; the God of Israel who gave us the Ten Commandments
and told us not to murder.

    Murder--one of the main teachings of the Muslims: accept their faith or die. The
Imams have changed the Muslim Koran over the years to suit their wishes. Most
peaceful Muslims are not aware of this because they have not studied their own
faith (same problems as the Christians). Some Lutherans are also changing parts
of the Christian bible. More on this later. A Muslim doctor was recently convicted
in Buffalo of cutting off his wife's head.

    Proponents of Chrislam claim the two faiths can get along together. Yet there is
no compromise by the Muslims. You cannot utter a Christian prayer in public in a
Muslim country. You must abide by Sharia Law, a very strict code that makes
women chattels of men, denigrates females from birth, teaches there is no such
place as Israel, and delights in slaughter. Look at the record.

     In the mega churches of this new faith, Christian bibles are placed in the pews
along side the Koran. Where are these mega churches? They're in Houston,
Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. They are being promoted by big-time Christian
preachers who already had mega churches before introducing this new faith.
    Do you think God and Christ will look upon this favorably? They are destroying
the supremacy of God and Christ. The Muslims don't even know about or accept
the Holy Spirit. We're not talking about bigotry, we're talking about the belief in
Christ and the principles of faith for the God of Israel and Christianity. If you are
committed to Christ, you cannot accept any form of Chrislam or Islam.
    It's unfortunate that moderate Muslims always permit the radicals to control
matters. Fear is a huge factor. In Dearborn, Michigan, there is great pressure
by the radical factor to institute Sharia Law rather than American law. This
is difficult to believe. It is, however, just another step to subvert our Christian
nation, just as the Muslim schools in America subvert truth.

    As we "fall away", we approach judgment and tribulation. In 2 Thes. 2:3,4,
Paul tells of the end times. "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day
will not come unless the falling away comes first; and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called
God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God."

    It would be nice if I could say the reason I've outlined here is the only reason
America is being judged. That is not the case, however. Chrislam is only the latest
reason, and there are many more. When you see them outlined, you will eventually
understand Satan's plan for us and the entire world. There will be no specific date,
but you should be aware that Christ warned us to be watching and to keep oil in
our lamps. Even He does not know the time of the marriage feast and our delivery
from tribulation.

Rev. Walbear