“For the way of peace...”

Isaiah 59:7-8 “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace”

This passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah could be used to describe the terrorists of Islam whose rabid radicalism is creating such havoc throughout the world; but if you read each verse beginning with Isaiah 59:1 you will see that it could also apply to many other peoples throughout our sin-sick world -- including those of the United States of America.

As a nation, it may be argued that America has lost all moral justification to lead the world: greed; violence; illegal drugs; sexual immorality; and an almost unbridled selfishness run rampant throughout the land. Governmental arrogance, deceit, and corruption have reached levels which are almost beyond belief in the land many still consider to be the home of the brave and the land of the free.

Regardless of the many good intentions being put forward by our national leaders, this may be as good a time as any for those of the “church” and the Churches of God to remember that God’s government will not be a democracy! We need to realize that when America tries to spread democratic thoughts and freedoms to the peoples of the Muslim nations, many of them see it as nothing more than the spreading of Western immorality and licentiousness -- and who among us can say they are wrong?

For decades I have believed the western nations have been protected from a concerted threat of Islamic terrorism by the innate nature of the Arab peoples themselves -- they have been so involved with internal disputes and sectarian divisions they have not had the time, the will, or the ability to mount a sustained attack on Christianity and the Christian world. This truth was even foretold in a prophecy concerning the latter-day descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar and the father of the Arab nations. Notice:

Genesis 16:11-12 “And the Angel of the Lord said to [Hagar]: ‘Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.’”

To this we can add the comforting thought that throughout the ages we have had the Almighty and Everlasting God as our benefactor and our protector. He has watched over America and the peoples of the British Commonwealth in a way our leaders never could. But that protection is about to end -- and it seems we are determined to do everything in our power to bring this about, and to bring on our own destruction!

Jeremiah 30:12-15 “For thus says the Lord: ‘Your affliction is incurable, your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause that you may be bound up; you have no healing medicines. All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased. Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you.’”

In the Middle-East, several of the Western powers led by the United States, are engaged in a desperate effort to unite the fractured alliance of the Muslim peoples. During the brief war in Iraq, America and the coalition forces destroyed a weak and ineffectual army; now our leaders are doing all that can be done to create a new Iraqi force capable of waging modern-style warfare. Many nations of Islam who have been mired in the backwardness of the middle-ages are being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. And if all this is not enough to put fear into every one of us, we and our leaders seem intent on arming them with state-of-the-art weaponry enabling them to fight and win a modern-day war! Can it be that we and our leaders are really that stupid?

Bible prophecy suggests that America will finally seal itself off from the rest of the world in a forced or self-imposed isolationism. With Iran seeming to emerge as the leader of a united, reorganized, and re-armed King of the South, we need to remember that it is the King of the South who is prophesied to rise up and threaten the peoples and nations of modern-day Europe -- and for this Europe will blame America!

America has tried to be the policeman to the world, and she has most certainly been the savior of many nations in their times of trouble; but no one will remember any of this when the ravages of worldwide distress truly begin. From now on, no matter what good works America tries to accomplish in the world she will fail. As trials and tribulations increase upon the peoples and nations of the world, they will see the United States of America as the villain and they will react with a spirit of bitterness and blame towards her. If by that time America has been increasingly weakened by continued political, economic, and spiritual foolishness then I must say, “God help us all!”

America has consistently tried to win the support, if not the affection, of other nations. She has shared her strength and her treasure trying to win the approval of peoples and nations who respond to her largess with nothing more than jealousy and contempt.

Ezekiel 16:25-30 “You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry. You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke me to anger. Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied. ‘How degenerate is your heart!’ says the Lord God, ‘seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.’”

The subject of America’s self-inflicted foolishness could be discussed time and again and at length on this blogsite; but I prefer to leave it to those of the Churches who feel that an end-time warning must continue. I have no desire to argue the point; but neither do I have any desire to join them in preaching that which the world no longer wants to hear.

I found the following article concerning America and the Vietnam War fascinating; it was published as part of the May 1968 Plain Truth Magazine. Every time I read the words “Vietnam” and “Vietnamese People” I thought “Iraq” and the “Iraqi People”; I would recommend that you try this for yourself. It will also add to your understanding if every time you read the word “Communism” you think “Radical Islam” and every time you read “Southeast Asia” you think “Middle East.”

I realize this article was written almost 40 years ago, and for a different war, but once you’ve read it I think you will agree that we must have learned very little from the horrors of that war in Vietnam.

The Plain Truth Magazine -- May 1968

...excerpt from an article written by Raymond F. McNair and Wayne Cole

“[The Communists] can see that the U.S. dollar is in a weakened position, and they know the $25 billion which we are pumping annually into Vietnam is enough to seriously weaken the U.S. -- if it is kept up.

“[The Communists] know full well that the U.S. will have to bow out of Southeast Asia, or will have to pour much more into that area if she is to continue to defend it. They [the communist nations] are jockeying for military advantage, and are getting ready to put pressure on the U.S. in as many areas of Southeast Asia as possible. At any time, they can stir up things in Korea and can cause the U.S. to have to put tremendous resources and men into Cambodia, Thailand and other countries -- if they wish.

“Few realize that the Communists (in Russia and China especially) don’t really [want to see] an early victory in Vietnam. They would prefer to have the U.S. continue to pour astronomical sums of money and men into Vietnam for some time to come. This would accomplish the following important objectives:

“Firstly, it would bleed the U.S. white -- would in time so weaken America that she would be forced to pull back her troops from the Orient due to economic necessity -- as Britain [was then] having to do.

“The Communists know that ‘money is the sinews of war.’ They well know that it takes money to build planes, tanks, guns, ships, and other war armaments. If the Communists can get the U.S. so overextended in national commitments that she is led to the brink of international bankruptcy, then they can thereby force America’s hand and make her pull back from treaty obligations in Southeast Asia. This would then give the Communists a free hand to engulf all Southeast Asia.

“Secondly, the war in Vietnam is generating immense anti-Americanism throughout the whole world, as well as plenty of ill-will at home.

“Many people have little or no conception of the tremendous difficulties which the U.S. faces in trying to rout the Communists from South Vietnam.

“The South Vietnamese people are rather backward, semi-illiterate people. Many of them don’t really understand why the war is being fought. Many (if not most) of the Vietnamese people are very apathetic. They aren’t willing to work hard to build up their country. Neither are they able to bear the brunt of the fighting.

“The Vietnamese just want to make sure they get their rice, and have freedom from fear of being attacked and killed by the Communists, the Americans, or anyone else! They don’t want to have to pay too heavy taxes. Beyond these points, they couldn’t care less which government rules over them!

“Another weakening factor in South Vietnam is widespread corruption! Because of it, there is no real foundation on which to build a stable government. Corruption, graft, bribery are commonly reported to be rife throughout South Vietnam -- from the top right down to the bottom of the social strata.

“In other words, the whole society is tired, dispirited -- (and) rotten to the core!

Note: The next four paragraphs of the article contained information specific to Vietnam and had little to add to our discussion of America’s woes in Iraq; they have been deleted from this excerpt. Continue:

“The South Vietnamese have needed to put their shoulder to the wheel and push, doing their bit, without which there is little hope that the U.S. or any other country can ever establish a stable society in South Vietnam.

“In contrast, there is comparatively little corruption among the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong! Communists have as one of their goals the stamping out of corruption!

“America has begun to wage, in Vietnam, a second war (the ‘Other War’ -- a war of pacification) to try and educate the South Vietnamese to the serious responsibilities of running their own affairs. But so far they have gotten virtually nowhere. America’s pacification program has gone very slowly, and could, at best, only be referred to as ‘creeping pacification.’

“The U.S. has the very difficult task of fighting an enemy which she often can’t even identify, since the South Vietnamese look exactly like the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese Communists). Sometimes the Viet Cong even use the same dress as other South Vietnamese. This further confuses American and South Vietnamese troops, since the only way they can really tell who their enemy is, is when he fires at them.

“The terrain of South Vietnam is such that it makes it very difficult for the U.S. troops to find or destroy the Viet Cong. The U.S. hasn’t yet found a way to effectively flush and destroy the furtive Viet Cong from the South Vietnamese countryside.

“Another reason why the U.S. is not winning the war is that the nation has not wholeheartedly entered the Vietnam War. In fact, America has not even officially declared war on the North Vietnamese -- though she has been bombing their cities for a long time.

“Many Americans believe that the only way for America to fight a war is to go in and win! They feel this would cause the North Vietnamese to sue for peace -- and quickly! Such ‘hawks’ believe Russia, China, and other Communist nations would not dare risk having their cities blasted with America’s nuclear might -- merely for the sake of saving Ho Chi Minh’s neck!

“But long ago, God Almighty prophesied that the day would come when we would lose the pride in our power! And that day has arrived! God said: ‘And I will break the pride of your power’ (Leviticus 26:19).

“America still has overwhelming military superiority -- over all of the Communist nations put together. Many ask: ‘Why is [America] afraid to use that power?’ She appears obsessed with a fear of what other nations will think -- is fearful of ‘world public opinion.’ But we are still like the lion among the nations -- if we only knew it!”

Note: The reference made to a “lion among the nations” comes from Micah 5:8-11. Those who do not yet understand the identity of the peoples who colonized the original thirteen States of America owe it to themselves to seek out and find this vital information. Some of the scattered Churches of God have published booklets showing the modern-day identity of the American and British peoples; nevertheless, I still prefer to recommend J. H. Allen’s book “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” -- in my opinion, it is by far the best and most comprehensive source available.

Micah 5:8-11 “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, both treads down and tears in pieces, and none can deliver. Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. ‘And it shall be in that day,’ says the Lord, ‘I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots. I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds.’”

The previous passage from the Old Testament book of Micah and the following passages from the book of Isaiah are telling us that America’s position of prominence and power must soon come to an end; the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” must soon begin -- God help us all on that day!

Isaiah 59:1-4 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.”

Isaiah 59:7-8 “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.” [God help us all!]

Note: As I finalize this week’s message, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is visiting the predominantly Muslim nation of Turkey. He seems bent on promoting a doctrine of “reciprocity” wherein the countries of Islam would grant followers of Christianity the same rights and freedoms Muslims enjoy in Christian countries.

I cannot believe the leaders of Islam would ever allow such a thing to happen -- and I wonder whether this Pope knows it cannot happen! A rejection of reciprocity by the leaders of Islam would surely lead to an intense rejection of all things Muslim throughout the lands of Christendom -- and throughout the nations of Europe in particular!

Will the countries of Europe ever demand the dismantling of Muslim Mosques as the leaders of Islam do with Christian Churches within their own lands? Will the laws of Europe ever outlaw all manner of Muslim dress; disallow all outward display of Muslim worship; no longer support any organized state-sponsored Islamic system of education?

I must believe that nothing could widen the division between Christianity and Islam faster than a rejection of “reciprocity” -- and I ask again: “Does this Pope know it?”

Next week: I hope to discuss the revealing of “that man of sin, the son of perdition.” Who is this “man of sin” and when can we expect his identity to be revealed?