I learned long ago that "sometimes the dragon wins." This statement is often accompanied by a sketch of a dragon cleaning its teeth with the sword of St. George. The implication is that the forces of evil sometimes win over the forces of good, what we know as the correct path of life. The Bible even associates a dragon with Satan .

Is there any connection between "sometimes the dragon wins" and Satan? I think there is a lot. The correct path is determined by moral, ethical and spiritual standards and values. Satan= s path is the antithesis of these values. Disturbingly, Godly priorities in values and dedication seem to be some of the standards the English speaking peoples of the world and Israel have chosen to ignore in the last sixty years or so. Why has this happened, and what is its impact on the future of our nations?

The loss of our moral and spiritual standards has impacted this country in ways that are still not clearly seen by most of our citizens. There can be many, many repercussions of the loss of these standards and values, but the consequence I want to discuss today is the threat of Islamic assault on the countries of Israel, the USA, Russia, Europe, and many other target countries.

America= s founding fathers were a very God-oriented group of people. One need only read the Declaration of Independence or the Federalist Papers to be convinced of that. References to our Creator= s guidance in the conduct of the revolution and design of our constitution are made in both documents, especially in the Federalist Papers. Let me quote a statement by James Madison:

Historically, American school children have been taught the final clause of Patrick Henry= s patriotic speech to the House in 1775. It is no longer taught in the politically correct environment of today= s schools, but let me give you the last two paragraphs of his presentation:

Yes, God blessed our forefathers with a ready recognition of the hand of God in the blessings this country received in its formative years. But that is not to say that all of our forefathers lived a perfect life. Thomas Jefferson made the following statement:

"When I consider that God is just, I fear for my country."

Yes, God blessed this country. And, our God-given leaders recognized it. [Turn to Ex 20]

Why did God bless this country? Could it be because our country recognized only the one true God and recognized moral right from wrong ? Yes, it worshiped Him in many ways. There were Catholics and many kinds of Protestants then too. Not everyone was God-fearing and not everyone worshiped God the same way, and not everyone lived a Christian life, but many did, especially many of our founding fathers. Bible study was common. Hebrew was a required subject in the universities. Why does this matter? Because God can tolerate error but can not tolerate the worship of other gods. Our Father is a jealous God. Let= s read a few scriptures which state that.

(Deu 4:24 NASB) "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Yes, He tells us that if we worship other gods, He will wipe us off the face of the earth.

And what happened to both Israel and Judah?

Jeremiah is not describing physical harlotry. He is describing spiritual harlotry, the worshiping of other gods.

But what does this have to do with us? We don= t worship other gods, do we? Yes, some churches will tell you that if you don= t believe everything , every detail, they believe, that you are worshiping Satan. But that is illogical, a point of vanity, and an attempt to keep you in their immediate flock, intolerant of and isolated from the rest of the flock of Christ. Why do I say that? Anyone who fellowships with a very small flock must face the reality that their very small flock does not contain the 144,000 saints referred to in Revelation. Where do the rest come from? Obviously from other flocks, both past and present, who may err but who are dedicated to obeying the Bible as they understand it. Remember, it is the individual who is being judged, not the church or individual flock. That does not imply we should feel free to join other flocks whose doctrines violate the ten commandments or other Biblical truths.

You may be asking yourself, "What does all this have to do with the loss of Godly standards in America?" My point is that America is now being assailed and invaded by an ungodly religion that our forefathers seldom had to face. Our forefathers all believed in a Judeo-Christian God. We now face another god, a god who deceptively tells us he is the same god Christians and Jews worship, i.e., the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a god who claims to be for peace but who is for war; a god who claims to believe in Jesus Christ but considers Him as only a prophet, not the Son of God; a god who believes that once a land is populated by his believers, it can never return to believers of the true God. Yes, I am talking about Islam and its god Allah, a name derived from that of the Arab moon god.

You may ask, "How can that be so?" Former President Bush and former PM Tony Blair have stated that Islam is a religion of love and peace. President Bush even had an ecumenical worship service in which he invited a Moslem cleric to speak. He even permitted the White House and the State Department to be used for breaking the Islamic Ramadan fast. President Bush did not and perhaps still does not understand the threat the religion of Islam holds for our country. He had his eyes focused on the political value of patronizing Islamic nations. Nevertheless, many Americans do not understand that threat either. But these leaders are not the only ones to be deceived.

Following President Bush= s statements and after the September 11th attacks, 34,000 Americans converted to Islam, according to the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Though I tend to doubt the accuracy of such statements by pro-Islamic organizations, many Americans do seem to be attracted to Islam.

In another occasion when an Egyptian Medical Doctor was invited to Boston= s Trinity Church to explain Islam, (according to him) the whole church burst into tears after hearing the words of Allah. One man said to him "You are just like us, no you are better than us." Another woman passed him a note that said, "Forgive us our past and for our present. Keep proselytizing to us." The Egyptian doctor then allegedly held a meeting with the governor of Massachusetts regarding the introduction of Islam into the school curriculum.

Various American schools from Junior High to University level are teaching Islam to their students, not just as another subject in philosophy but where the students must take on Muslim names, learn how to pray to Allah, memorize 25 Islamic terms and 20 Islamic Proverbs and the Five Pillars of Faith, and study 10 Islamic prophets and disciples. It is unlawful to even mention Christian subjects or allow Christian prayer in public schools, but in California students are now required to study Islam. They are taught that everything regarding Islam is miraculous and wonderful and very positive while Christianity is shown in a negative light. Christianity is compared with the Salem witch hunts and the inquisition and the crusades. Of course the study of Islam does not include its wars, massacres, and its cruelties against Christians and Jews. Neither do they teach the way Muslims treat women and children, or the cutting off of hands or feet or tongues or heads for the violation of Muslim tenets of faith.

Here are some points made in an 2006 World Net Daily article about Muslim penetration into our school system:

Here are eleven tenets of Islamic faith. Are these alleged tenets true? Let me give you some quotes from the Nobel Quran in the English Language, printed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Some of these verse numbers may vary by a few verses in different translations.

1. No religion other than Islam shall be accepted! Quran # 3:19 and 3:85.

2. The Jews and Christians were commanded to believe in Muhammad and his message, i.e., the Quran. Quran verse 4:47

3. For those (Jews and Christians) who refuse to believe in Muhammad and his message, i.e., the Quran, they are considered as disbelievers! Their final abode is hell. Quran verses 5:72, 5:73, 9:30.

4. Consequently, the Muslims are commanded not to befriend the Jews and Christians!

Quran verses 3:28, 3:118, 5:51.

5. Muslims are commanded to wage jihad against Jews and Christians!

Quran verse 2:216. Isn= t that what Muslim Major Hasam did recently at Fort Hood?

6. Muslims are commanded to prepare themselves before going to battle with Jews and Christians. Quran verse 8:60.

7. Muhammad was commanded to urge the Muslims to fight the Jews and Christians! Quran verses 8:65 and 9:38,39,41. Which could refer again to Major Hasam.

8. Muslims are commanded to pursue the Jews and Christians! Quran verse 4:104.

9. Muhammad was commanded to strive hard against the disbelievers (Jews and Christians). Consequently, he commanded his followers to do the same!

Quran verses 9:73, 66:9.

10. Muslims are commanded to fight the Jews and Christians! World domination.

Quran verses 2:193, 2:244, 4:74, 4:84, 8:39,9:29, 9:123, 61:4.

11. Muslims are commanded to kill, smite, and slaughter the Jews and Christians (for not embracing Islam)! Quran verses 2:191, 8:12,13,67, 9:5, 47:4.

I would recommend you read these Ayahs and Hadiths. After you read them, ask yourself, "Is Islam a religion of tolerance and peace, or war and bigotry and bloodshed?"

If you can not believe that Islam is truly inhuman, let me read a news article to you entitled, "Sudanese Slave Boys Freed."

Now compare Islam with Christianity, which states:

(Mat 5:9 ) "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Which religion follows the true God?

Some of the following is drawn from an opinion piece on this subject written by a personal friend of mine, Dean Wheelock:

The western world does not realize that Islam is more than a religion, it is a system that includes politics, social intercourse and national life. It is not appropriate for a Muslim to live in a non-Muslim country without doing everything possible to change that country into a Muslim country. A Muslim= s duty is not toward the country but to Islam and their fellow Muslims. That is why US Muslims felt more affinity for the Taliban and Bin-Laden than with the victims of the World Trade Center. Islam is not humiliated and defeated by invitations to the White House to pray and break the Ramadan fast. It is not humiliated by equating terrorist murders of Israelis with Israelis building in their own land, i.e. the settlements.

While the United States conducts a war against terrorists in far-off nations, at the incredible cost of billions of dollars, Israel is in a war for its very existence. With the exception of the United States and Micronesia and Kiribati, two small Pacific Island countries, and to a more limited degree Britain, Canada and Australia, the whole world stands against the tiny nation of Israel [it= s the size of Lake Michigan] in their struggle against the Moslem hoards that not only surround them, but live among them.

This is more than just a war against terrorism, although the enemy uses terror as one of its chief weapons. This is a war between the children of Israel and the children of Ishmael and Esau. For this reason, we cannot expect them to live together in peace until the Prince of Peace comes to bring that precious commodity to all the earth.

It would behoove all the nations of the earth to read the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham that He will make a great nation of his descendants. Let= s turn to Gen 12:1-3.

The surest way for a national leader to bring destruction to his/her country is to oppose Israel in their struggle to live free in their own God-given land. Recent year= s hurricanes may offer proof of that. The surest way for a national leader to bring blessing upon his nation and his people is to bless the nation of Israel, for the promise of blessings comes through the descendants of Isaac, the son of promise, not Ishmael, the son of the slave woman. Let= s turn to Heb 11.

Ishmael and Esau were never promised the land of Israel. Rather, Ishmael has possessed his own land for thousands of years. It consists of all Arabia; a vast land with much wealth from their oil reserves. In reality, Ishmael has little to complain about. Since he was never offered the status of "Chosen People," he was thereby never forced into captivity for disobedience. In my mind, this penalty of disobedience, i.e. captivity, is a definite threat to the United States especially if the United States is in fact the end-time home of any of the lost ten tribes.

According to Scripture, the land of Israel was and is to be the permanent possession of the sons of Jacob (Ya= acov or Israel). Since the time of the Exodus, there has always been a sizable contingent of Jews living in the land. The descendants of Jacob, who dwelt in the Diaspora, began returning to the Promised Land over a century ago. Subsequently, in the year 1948, the modern day nation of Israel was formed.

The United States has always been a friend of Israel, although sometimes we have been a perfidious friend. It began when President Harry S. Truman went against the wishes of his own State Department and supported the right of the Jews to establish the state of Israel. At least part of his reason for doing this was because his old-time Jewish friend and business partner, Eddie Jacobson came to the White House in 1948 and asked President Truman to meet with Zionist leader Chaim Weizman. As a result of this meeting, Truman agreed to support the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.

From the end of World War II (1945) through the 1990s, the United States has continued to be one of the most physically blessed nations on the face of the earth. During this time, for the most part, the US has been a strong supporter of Israel, although there have been times when both nations have failed in their friendship.

Under President Jimmy Carter, the United States began wandering down the path of pressing Israel to give up land they had rightfully conquered in war and had reclaimed, for an elusive promise of peace with their Arab neighbors (even though the United Nations recognizes the right of nations to keep territory won in conflict). Interestingly, the land that Israel conquered during the 1967 and 1973 wars was all land that had been promised to the children of Israel from very ancient times even including the UN mandate of 1947-48.

The territory promised to the descendants of Abraham extends all the way from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in northern Syria and Iraq. It does not, however, include the lands of Arabia or Iran (Persia):

The Promised Land includes much of modern day Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, plus a portion of Iraq. In addition, it also includes the Sinai peninsula, which under a President Carter-sponsored agreement, was given to Egypt.

Since the Promised Land encompasses such a vast territory, it must also include the so-called "West Bank," for this is territory that was always held by ancient Israel. Even after the division of the Monarchy, following the death of Solomon, the northern portion of the West Bank was part of the House of Israel (until their captivity by the Assyrians). Meanwhile, the House of Judah (Judea in Jesus= or Yeshua= s time) had permanent control of the southern portion of the "West Bank." The only portion of land currently under dispute with the Palestinians that was never securely in the hands of the children of Israel is the Gaza Strip, and the previous Israeli prime minister retreated from it -- with the backing of most of the world. But the transfer of Sinai to Egypt makes this transfer militarily dangerous, partly due to the tunneling of arms across the border.

Yes, the tribe of Judah, the tribe from whom most of today= s Jews derive, owned the territory of Gaza and Ashkelon and Ekron. And it= s the previous Prime Minister of today= s Israel who gave it to the so-called Palestinians, apparently to satisfy world opinion.

But now, even the United States is pressing Israel to give up their God given heritage to a people who were never entitled to it. Most of the Palestinians, who claim to be refugees, migrated to Israel to benefit from the prosperity of the Jewish people. They came to find work and now want to claim it as their own country. To bring it closer to home, it would be as though the Mexican nationals in the United States would begin to say that California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas should be given to them to establish a new nation that never before existed, rather than agreeing to live peaceably in the US the way most of them currently do. This analogy is very appropriate, since much of that US territory was, at one time, in the hands of Mexico and was taken by the United States as a result of conquest.

The situation in Israel is much the same. When the British left > Palestine= in 1948 and all the surrounding Arab nations attacked Israel, the > West Bank= fell into the hands of the nation of Jordan, and Gaza was taken by Egypt. There never was a > Palestinian= state, or even a Palestinian people. In fact, there was no outcry by the Palestinian Arabs for an independent nation until after Israel took control of those areas. Prior to 1967 the Palestinians considered themselves Jordanians and Egyptians (depending on where they lived). Yet today, Jordan and Egypt lay no claim to those areas. Like it or not, the truth of the matter is that the Palestinian people want land that is not theirs, and the nations of the world have supported them in their effort to get it. If nothing else, it is a violation of the tenth commandment, the desire to take what is not yours.

People often question just how Israel or any country can successfully protect themselves from suicide or homicide bombers. These bombers think that they do God a service and hence are assured an immediate ticket to heaven by their act. Israel has tried every human means to make peace with the so-called Palestinians short of transporting them out.

The Oslo Agreements started their efforts to come to a peace agreement with the Muslim Palestinians. But now, after thousands of Jewish dead, thousands maimed, injured and bereaved, Jewish self-respect diminished, all the world now against the Jewish people, Islamic terror treated with sympathy, the State of Israel seriously endangered, not to mention the thousands of dead Palestinians and much superfluous suffering on both sides, the stability of the whole world threatened, Biblical principles abused, Israelite nations belittled, Israel is looking for something better to provide their protection. The Oslo Agreements did not work because the Palestinians wanted them only as a vehicle to destroy Israel, not for permanent peace.

Israel has built a fence and concrete wall to protect themselves against these bombers. The United Nations and the World Court have condemned this wall but so far, in the areas where it has been built, it has successfully prevented the entry of suicide bombers. But fences and walls have been tried in the past and it was only a matter of time before a way was found to penetrate them. In our day of accurately guided missiles, penetration again occurs. Christ was not just referring to friends and family when He predicted this in:

The US was also faced with this phenomenon by the Kamakazi attacks on the US fleet off Okinawa in the closing days of World War II. Kamakazis were planes full of explosives whose pilots were determined to fly the plane into a ship as a suicide sacrifice to their emperor-god. It resulted in the biggest loss of US ships in all the war.

In the case of Arab suicide bombers, the British knew how to stop them. About 1900, the British , who owned Egypt and Sudan, were attacked by Sudanese suicide bombers who also thought their entrance to heaven was assured by their suicides. The British, knowing that Islam believed that any contact with swine would block them from going to heaven, picked up the body parts of the bomber, wrapped them in pig skin, and delivered them to a mosque. The suicide bombing stopped immediately.

The British also used the same approach in Saudi Arabia when Muslims were destroying trains by planting bombs under the tracks. In this case the British swabbed the tracks with lard. In both examples, the solution lay in combating terrorism with their own religion.

What is the solution? [Please be turning to Ezek. 35.] In my opinion, the solution is the physical removal of all so-called Palestinians back to their original Muslim land of Jordan. Transporting these unwanted and troublesome populations could be done successfully in the same way as Germans were evacuated from Czechoslovakia, Turks from Bulgaria, German-loving Chechnians from Russian Chechnia in the 1940s, and similar transfers of population that has taken place in recent times. God promises to do this very thing in Ezekiel 35, Isaiah 11:14, and Obadiah 18. Let= s read these short scriptures, but as we read them consider whether God might use the current differences between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to accomplish His ends.

Some believe that the Beast that comes from the Earth in Revelation is Islam. Islam is a form of religion that takes over the government in every nation that it swallows up. Turkey has recently returned to having an Islamic government and so is breaking up the ties they= ve had with Israel. Indonesia is in constant turmoil as Islam fights Christianity. Russia is attacked by Muslims from Chechnia. The killing of over 300 Russian school children and the downing of two Russian passenger aircraft are examples, though both are repeats of the Palestinian massacre at the Jewish school in Ma= alot in 1974, the PLO wave of airline highjackings in the 1970s, and the World Trade Center (WTC) airline terrorism of 2001. Thankfully, the Munich Olympics massacre has not been repeated yet. Africa is riddled with wars between Islam and Animists, and Islam and Christians. The fifty year long confrontation between nuclear-armed Pakistan and nuclear-armed India was reignited by Islamic terrorists who attacked the Indian Parliament and the Indian hotel in Mombai. The Philippines fights a prolonged battle against Islamic guerrillas in its southern islands. Israel is being attacked by Islam, not just the Palestinians as many assume. The WTC was attacked on Sept 11, 2001 by Islamists. Saudi Arabia, our supposed ally, has been financially supporting terrorist schools and terrorist families. It is no accident that 15 of the 19 hijackers who attacked the WTC and the Pentagon were Saudis. We are fighting a political war but the other side is fighting a religious war whether we want to believe that or not. Martyrdom to them means "dying to kill." It is time for complacent Christians to understand the evil of Islam. If we do not believe it, we are either naive or fence-sitting. 1400 years of Islam, where they have spread from the Atlantic Ocean to Indonesia and at one time to as far north as central France and the gates of Vienna, should have taught us that Islam is dedicated to taking over the world. Did you know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S.?

Each time the US or Israel begins to succeed militarily, the terrorist Muslims want to negotiate a settlement. Each time a settlement is negotiated the terrorists renege on their agreement, and demand more concessions. They have learned that both the US and Israel are now willing to give them God-given Israeli land, other conquered lands, and military victory for the possibility of a negotiated peace. The Islamic Al-Qaeda has extended its targets world wide but the highest priority targets nowadays are the Israel-supporting US (the "great satan", as they call us), the hated Jews, and Israel itself.

But still the US continues giving Egypt $2 billion a year under the Carter plan to maintain and update its military. Who is Egypt= s enemy other than Israel? [Please turn to Gen 16]

One of the greatest on-going dangers to the United States is the porous United States border with Mexico and Canada. No one knows exactly how many Muslims have entered the US illegally but estimates are in the hundreds and thousands. Of 100 illegal aliens captured near Wilcox, Arizona on June 13, 2004, 53 of them were males of Middle Eastern decent. Those avoiding capture are free to move throughout the US and become extremely dangerous, unknown terrorists. Yes, many Muslims living in the US are peaceful, but for how long? With the Koran requiring Muslim believers to kill infidels, many otherwise peaceful Muslims feel forced to destroy whoever is critical of them. Prophesies such as Gen 16:11-12 scream to be heard.

But instead of being its former, praying nation, the US is moving toward more and more immorality; immorality in the form of brazen homosexuality, abortion, taking God and His word from public places, and shameless violation of the Commandments. The hand of judgment is stayed by a praying Christian nation. But instead of praying, this nation is now occupied by legal demands for more freedom to do almost any ungodly act, ignoring the danger posed by an estimated six million US Muslims, some of whom can be motivated into attacking American citizens and facilities in the most vicious and inhuman ways. Most Muslims seem to hold Sharia law (Islamic law) higher than our constitution.

The September 11, 2001 attacks and the recent mass murder of Army troops in Fort Hood, Texas by an Islamic Major, whose pro-Muslim lecturing was known but not controlled by his superiors due to a policy of political correctness toward Muslims.

On the surface, the future looks bleak. Can scripture give us any encouraging information about the destiny of Islam? Yes. Let me close this sermon by reading some encouraging scriptures. Notice the Islamic nations that are named in these scriptures.

You might want to read Ezek 32:18-30. In these verses the word translated as A pit,@ is from the Hebrew word A bowr,@ H953, which means a cistern or prison, often a grave.

Seven Islamic nations are destined for the Pit: Egypt, Assyria (which includes Iraq, Syria, eastern Turkey), Elam (on the border of Iraq and Iran), Meshech and Tubal (eastern Turkey, Chechnya, Armenia, and in the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia), Edom (the so-called Palestinians), and Sidon (Lebanon). The Pit is a prison in the ground, often used as a rock-hewn burying place or grave.

Psalm 83 prophesies some the anti-Israel statements heard by these nations today.

But with the destruction of Israel= s Muslim enemies, what will become of greater Israel? Will they be totally destroyed too? No, scripture seems to tell us greater Israel, that is the descendants of all the tribes of Israel will be seriously threatened with extinction, but that they will survive. Let= s look at some encouraging scriptures.

Does this promise to Abram imply that the United States will either defend Israel from the serious threat of nuclear attack from Iran by attacking Iran= s nuclear facilities, or succumb to nuclear attack itself? The answer may be evidenced in Amos 9 where Israelites are destined to live in a secure land, unlike the Jews recently forcibly removed from Gaza and the settlements and from praying on the Temple Mount.

And how will He do that?

And who will His army fight? Who will He defend?

So, the Eternal beseeches people to change from their evil ways and turn to righteousness so He will not have to destroy them.

Will some heed His warning? Obviously some have and some will, for here is the destiny of the righteous.

Here is one example in the Koran of Muhammad cutting off people= s heads:

Sura 3:31 If you love Allah, then follow me (i.e. Muhammad).

People everywhere will have the opportunity to learn His way of life by obeying His law, His instructions. The law shall be taught from Jerusalem by Christ.

Yes, all these Muslim nations and places will be defeated for what they have done to Israel and the Israelites, but Israel, including all of its tribes, shall endure forever.

Copyright 2009, Wayne Bedwell

Studies in the Word of God
 

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