Introduction
Terrorism. How serious is the problem?Show slides of global terrorism…
Most of these happened at the hands of Militant Muslims or Islamic Fundamentalists.
Fundamentalist Equivalence?
The word fundamentalist scares people ever since the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Iran with the Ayatollah Khomeini
Because of this, people react against anyone considered a religious fundamentalist, whether a fundamentalist in Islam or a so-called Christian fundamentalist.
To see this comparison one need only follow the news. Two years ago, two people made the news with their comments about fundamentalists. Let’s look at two faces from the news…
Faces in the News:
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict made the news when he gave a university lecture entitled, Faith, Reason and the University - Memories and Reflections. At one point early in the lecture, the Pope refers to a 14th century dialogue between Byzantine emporer Manuel II Paleologus,one of the last Christian rulers before the Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and a Persian scholar.
The two men were speaking on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and in the seventh conversation, the subject of holy war comes up. The emporer argues against the use of violent conversion employed by Muslims because violence is acting without reason. He says bluntly, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhumane, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
Even though these were not the Pope’s words, and even though he took offense at this quote, he was severely attacked for even repeating this criticism of Mohammed. In response, violent protests erupted, a nun in Somalia was murdered, priests were kidnapped and one beheaded, and Christian churches were burned.
Rosie O’Donnell
On the same day, Rosie made the headlines for her comments during the ABC TV show The View. Responding to the comments of her co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s that militant Islam is a threat to free people everywhere, O’Donnell shot back: “Just a minute. Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America…”
Without going into detail on either comment, it is clear that some see a moral equivalence between Islamic Fundamentalist and Christian Fundamentalists. One blogger responded to such thinking by Rosie O’Donnell and others by saying:
Let’s see if I’ve got this straight:
Militant Muslims behead prisoners. Radical Christians oppose embryonic stem-cell research.
Militant Muslims blow themselves up in crowded shopping malls, slaughtering women and children. Radical Christians defend traditional marriage.
Militant Muslims fly planes into buildings, Radical Christians work to protect the sanctity of human life.
Militant Muslims threaten to kill those whom they believe have insulted their Prophet. Radical Christians threaten to launch consumer boycotts.
Militant Muslims issue fatwas. Radical Christians distribute voter guides.
Yep, I can seethe similarities all right. The two are as alike as peas in a pod. No wonder Jerry Falwellwas so often mistaken for Sheik Nasrallah.
Yet, to be perfectly honest, we must admit that we share a similar goal with Islamic fundamentalists. As we saw last week, they are bent on winning the world for Allah. We must be honest and say that we are also bent on winning the world. In this case, we are committed to winning the world for our Lord Jesus Christ. But this is where the similarity ends. Fundamentalist Christians have a vastly different approach from that of Muslims the world over.
Why are the approaches so different? Why do these two groups seek to win the world through such different methods? It might help to go to the roots of the Muslims and the Arab people.
I. The ROOTS of Islam’s Approach
Abraham’s DYSFUNCTIONAL Family
Slide One of Abraham’s Dysfunctional Family
Tragedy of Lot’s Family (Lot was Abraham’s Nephew – Genesis 11:25-32)Genesis 13 tells of the split between Abraham and Lot;
Click for daughters:Genesis 19:36-38 tells the sad tale of their flight from Sodom and Gomorrah, the loss of Lot’s wife and the desperation of Lot’s daughters…
Click for Moab and Ammon
We will look at the descendants of these two sons, born of drunken incest in a little bit.
Slide Two of Abraham’s Dysfunctional Family
Aside from Abraham’s nephew’s sad family, Abraham has some strife of his own. As we saw two week’s ago, God had promised Abraham that He would make Abraham into a great nation and a son from his own body would be his heir. However, things were not working with his wife Sarah. So they came up with a plan to help God out… surrogate motherhood.
Sarah’s slave girl Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s first son, Ishmael. Immediately there was conflict between the two women, resulting in Hagar running off into the wilderness…
Genesis 16:10-12. There the Angel of the Lord prophesies to Hagar concerning her yet-to-be-born son Ishmael. "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they shall be too many to count . . . Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. And he will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him, and he will live to the east of (or “in hostility toward” NIV) all of his brothers."
One commentator said: This prophetic word has shaped much of the destiny of the greater Arab nation and its relationship with the world.Fierce independence, a wild and untamable soul, and arrogant animosity can characterize Arab dealings (at their worst) with the world.
Slide Three of Abraham’s Dysfunctional Family
Twin sons were born to Isaac. Just as with Isaac and Ishmael, one son was the son of promise and the other was to serve the him, in this case the older would serve the younger! The process by which this happened is the source of much of the bitterness between the Jews and the Arabs, and therefore the rest of the Islamic world.
Bitter Root of Esau: Hebrew 12:15-17 & Genesis 25
Another passage which helps to explain the spiritual dynamic of Islam is Hebrews 12:15-17. This passage is based on two scriptures in Gen.25. In Gen.25:22-23 YHVH prophesies to Rebecca that the right of firstborn inheritance (physically and spiritually) will rest on Jacob the second born. In Gen.25:31-34 Esau fulfills the prophetic word by selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentil pottage. The Book to the Hebrews notes that a root of bitterness sprang up in Esau's heart after God affirmed that Jacob would indeed possess the promise. "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears".
This bitter root based on Esau’s jealousy of Jacob has spiritually defiled the majority of the Arab peoples. Satan has complicated matters by using Islam to fan the flames of hatred toward the Jewish people - first among the Arabs, and then through them to the rest of the Islamic world. Islam has perpetuated this spiritual striving, elevating it to the level of a religious commandment.
–Bitter Prophecy about Esau: Gen. 27:37, 39-42
Furthermore, another spiritual factor concerning the Arab people is found in Isaac's prophetic word over Esau, given after Jacob had received the right of the firstborn: "'I have made [Jacob] lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. . . Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.' Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." When Rebecca was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you" (Gen.27:37,39-42).
Isaac says that Esau's descendants would eventually move away from the land of Israel and make their home in the deserts. This process began when Esau moved to Edom, the desert area between southern Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Isaac adds that they would not make their living so much from agriculture as from the sword. How would this be fulfilled? The Arabs descending from Esau began to make their living from conquest, and from pillaging and plundering desert caravans. The Bedouin of the Arabian desert, and specifically Muhammad's followers from Yathrib/Medina, began the expansion of Islam by raiding peaceful trading caravans. Islam's first military exploits did not involve spreading the religion of Allah, but they were simply piracy—attackingand despoiling other Arabs on their way to the pagan shrines of Mecca. These raids were known in Arabic as razzia, and were an old pre-Islamic Arabian custom.
Slide Four of Abraham’s Dysfunctional Family
Here we see the fruit of this dysfunctional family tree… Two other sons were born to Abraham through his second wife: Jokshan & Midian
What does this look like on a map? (SEE POWER POINT)
Map One – Brown Middle East
Map One – Click two for white box
Map Two – Modern Middle East Countries
Map Three – Territories of Abraham’s Families
We see the ancestors of Abraham starting with the son of Shem, Eber. Then Eber has two sons, Joktan and Peleg. Peleg is the direct ancestor of Abraham by way of Terah…
Then we see the land that God promised and later provided to Isaac and JacobMap Three – Click Two
Next we see the lands for Lot’s sons Moab and Ammon
One of the other people groups we mentioned were descended from Abraham – the Midianites
Map Three – Click three
We believe that this area and points east were the resulting lands ofIshmael’s descenddants
Finally, in the birth order are the descendants of Esau, instructed to receive the land of Edom:Map Three – Click Four
So Abraham either birthed or was related to the people who now terrorize the Jewish people. Let me repeat this: Abraham either birthed or was related to the people who now terrorize the Jewish people.
But it didn’t take until today for this to develop… The stress of this relationship is even seen way back in Psalms 120 says:
1I call on the LORD in my distress,and He answers me…5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshechthat I live among the tents of Kedar!6Too long have I livedamong those who hate peace.7I am a man of peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
On top of all of these scriptures, we in the so-called Christian West must take some of the responsibility for our present crisis:
Western CULTURE The Great Satan
God In The Pits – pg. 223
(See citation under Researching Islam at end of notes.)
II. The FRUITS of Islam’s Roots
Violent Expansion
Political Expansion Intrigue
Oppression of Conscience
Maps of Spread of Islam:
Green map one…
Green map two—Advance on France
Muslims stopped by Charles Martel in 732 AD
Finally pushed out of Spain in 1492
ClickSpread in the east, overtaking Eastern Europe
ClickArrows show attempts to spread east into India and further south into the African continent
Click September 11, 1683: Finally the spread of the Islamic Ottoman Empire was stopped at the gates of Vienna, Austria
Slide series on global terrorism…
These are the names of the places where terrorist attacks succeeded or were attempted since 9/11/2001…
...and pretty much wherever Muslims believe their religion tells them to:
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah, ... nor follow the religion of truth... Until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection."
Qur'an, Sura 9:29
Their tactics unto this end are shamelessly violent. Click on flaming bus.
III. The Christian ALTERNATIVE
JesusLay Down Your Lives Not to take the lives of another…
John 15:12-13 says:
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Be Witnesses
Acts 1:8 says:
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Appealing to Conscience
2 Corinthians 5:11,
11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 says:
18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
What will make a difference?
Authentic Relationship
Moral Purity
Total Devotion
Conclusion
HOPE in the Midst of Chaos
Future for Israel
God will Redeem Moab…
The Arab world at its best manifests freedom of abandoned worship, generosity, graciousness and sacrificial zeal. When Messiah Jesus is allowed to transform their hearts, the descendants of Ishmael will find God bringing sweet out of the bitter, and they will discover the beauty of their Abrahamic connection in a totally new way. Peace and cooperation will supplant wildness and strife, and love between Arab and Jewish cousins will bloom again.
We must remember that God has a heart overflowing with compassion and saving love for the multitude of Ishmael's sons and daughters. The Living One who saw Hagar and her son dying of thirst in the wilderness, has preserved Ishmael's line for redemptive purposes as well. Great revival will break out throughout the Arab world but prior to this, believing Jews and Gentiles need to be willing to pay the price in prayers, tears and blood to see the Arab world set free from the demonic deception known as Islam.
God Will Sustain Us No Matter What May Come
Researching Islam
Below I have listed some of the resources that I used to explore Islam and militant Islam. As with all resources, I strongly advise you to read information carefully and with a critical eye. These issues are complex and every source has its limitations, even those from strong, Christian sources.
Informative websites: Some look at every aspect of Islam. The last two look specifically at the acts of terrorism that have spanned the globe since 9/11/2002.
Books recommended to me by two Christians who have been working with Middle East concerns much of their lives:
The Sword of the Prophet, by Serge Trikovic
Published by Regina Orthodox Press, 2002
Islam in Context, by Peter Riddell and Peter Cotterell
Published by Baker Academic, 2003
The Middle East, by Bernard Lewis
Published by Onion Publishing, 1992
The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization Vol. 1, by Marshall G.S. Hodgson
Published by University of Chicago Press, 1974
**The Gospel of Islam Reaching Muslims in North America, by Roy Oksnevad and Dotsey Welliver, Published by EMIS, a division of Billy Graham Center Wheaton College, 2001
**Islam and the Jews:The Unfinished Battle, Mark A. Gabriel, PH.D., Published by Charisma House, 2003
**Mosques & Miracles, Revealing Islam and God’s Grace, by Stuart Robinson; Published by CityHarvest Publications, 2003
Answering Islam, The Crescent in the Light of the Cross, by Norman L. Geisler & Abdul Saleeb,Published by Baker Books, 1993
Militant Islam Reaches America, by Daniel Pipes
Published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002
**God in the Pits, The Enron-jihad Edition, by Mark Andrew Ritchie; Published by VMI Publishers, 2005