Nov. 19, 2023

Making Sense of the Middle East 11-19-23

MEMORY VERSE:

Psalm 122:6–7 ⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. ⁷ May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”

Clarifying Questions:

1.) Didn’t Israel Steal the Land from the Palestinians? 

      Why Won’t Israel Let Palestine be a Country?

2.) Why Won’t Neighboring Arab Countries Take Palestinian Refugees? 

3.) Does Hamas Care about their Palestinian Citizens being Killed?  

4.) Why are so many young people Protesting for Palestine? 

5.) What is the END GAME of ISLAM? 

                - Worldwide Obedience to Islam

Koran 2:193 “Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah’s religion reigns supreme.”

Koran 9:33 “He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the… True Religion (Islam) that He may make it prevail over all religions.”

Koran 8:40 “Make war on them (the infidels) until idolatry shall cease, and Allah’s religion shall reign supreme.”

                - Islam is a Peaceful Religion (?)

-Koran 8:12-13 “I will cast horror into the hearts of the disbelievers. Strike off their heads. Strike off their fingertips.’ ¹³ This is because they defied Allah and His Messenger.”

Koran 8:65-68 “Prophet! Rouse the faithful to arms… A prophet may not take captives until he has made a great slaughter in the earth.”

Koran 47:4 “When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield, strike off their heads, and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly.”

Koran 9:123 “Believers, make war on the infidel, who dwell around you.”

Koran 4:89 “Seize them and put them to death wherever you find them.”

Koran 3:141 “Test the faithful and annihilate the infidel.”

Koran 4:104 “Seek out the enemy relentlessly.”

Koran 2:216 “Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it.”

THE COMING DELUSION:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-11 ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work... ⁹ They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.

JIHAD: THE WAY TO PARADISE

The Hadith Corpus states:

- "The Prophet said, 'The person who participates in (Holy Wars, Jihads) in Allah's cause... will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr)'.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1:2:35)

- "There is another act which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred (higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the height of the heaven from the earth. What is that act? Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah!” (Sahih Muslim, 20:4645)

The Quran states:

- "And if you are killed in the cause of Allah (Jihad), the forgiveness and mercy of Allah are better than all that you amass.” Quran 3:157 

Clarifying Questions:

6.) Did you Say we can be SURE Christians Won’t Suffer the Wrath? 

A. The Holy Spirit on Earth is Holding Back the Lawless One:

2 Thessalonians 2:3–8 ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until… the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,

B. The Holy Spirit will be Taken up from the Earth before the Wrath:

Rev 6:9–11 ⁹…opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

C. God will Keep Christians from the Hour of Trial coming on earth:

Revelation 2-3: Historical Stages of the Church:

Revelation 2:                                                

Apostolic Age - Ephesus                                

Martyr Stage - Smyrna                             

Church State Age - Pergamum               

Catholic Age – Thyatira

Revelation 3:

Protestant Age - Sardis

Pre-Tribulation Age – Philadelphia

Mid-Tribulation Age – Laodicea

Rev 3:7–10 ⁸ I know your deeds…I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

D. We will be caught up in the Clouds & meet the Lord in the Air:

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command… ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.