Category Archives: Prophecy

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

The Ninth Commandment: Winning the Battle for Truth – Part 04 Summary and Review

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies – Proverbs 14:5

We have been examining – from several angles – the ninth commandment, which prohibits lying and false witness. Here in the fourth and final part of our series, we provide a summary of the challenge and opportunity that the battle for truth brings.

One of the key features of the last days leading up to the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth, and the establishment of His kingdom, is the issue of truth. When asked by key disciples at a special briefing about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus’ very first words were these: … “Take heed that no man deceive you” — Matthew 24:4.

Here’s an insight for last days living: Cleave to the truth as you would life itself, while simultaneously rejecting deception.

One of the greatest dangers we face in our world, especially today, is the war on truth. False ideologies have spread the notion that all truth is ‘relative:’ You have ‘your truth,’ I have ‘my truth,’ all truths are ‘equally valid’ and no one’s truth is superior to another. Inherent in this notion is that truth comes from within and then moves outward. This teaching can be distilled in some of the following ideas:

We are told we live in a ‘post-truth age;’ feelings and perceptions have replaced verifiable facts.

Truth is relative; there are no absolutes (definition: absolute truth applies to all people and all times);

The results of this mindset has led to confusion, dysfunction, proliferation of lying, mendacity, spin, half-truths, fake news, and perjury;

Of special concern is false witness, which is a serious violation of the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16; 23:1); it can destroy reputations and lives.

Worse than any pandemic, (re)newed and virulent strains of falsehood are rampant. We already learned about disinformation campaigns, gaslighting, and double-speak; 2 Timothy 3:13: But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. Deceivers end up becoming the most deceived of all.

People are becoming more experienced at lying, and are doing so convincingly;

When presented with true, irrefutable facts – the truth – the post-truth person rejects it in favour of their favoured narrative; they love the lie while rejecting the real thing.

Danger: No civilisation can continue to stand if it is built on continuous and unrelenting falsehood. Remember the price Ananias and Sapphire paid when the lied to the holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). The eternal consequences of lying are dire beyond words (Revelation 21:8; 22:5).

It is not that lying is anything new. It has been around since the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. What is new is the expansion of lying across the board, including a spirit of deception and strong delusion.

Paul reiterates this exact warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, also in the context of last days. Heeding the words and ways of deception are more than an inconvenience; they can be deadly. The apostle speaks of the coming of the ‘wicked one,’ also known to the world as ‘antichrist,’ ‘man of sin,’ and ‘son of perdition’ (and many more titles). He comes with ‘signs and lying wonders.’ People who rejected the ‘love of the truth’ will embrace the ‘deception of unrighteousness.’ Without repentance and saving faith, this leads to a state of spiritual and eternal death.

Here is an important admonition: the devil and his minions are working overtime to lie, deny, and deceive. Yet, God commands us to avoid being deceived (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Should we fall for the lie, it is we who will be held responsible – not the devil – particularly because we have been exposed to God’s truth and He expects us to use it.

Deception leads to condemnation and death; believing truth leads to salvation and life. No wonder Psalm 91 describes God’s truth as a ‘shield’ and ‘buckler’ (Psalm 91:4). God’s secret place, which is the subject of this psalm, is a sanctuary of His enduring truth.

With lying and falsehood proliferating on an industrial scale, we need a Holy Spirit pushback, aided by our full cooperation. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth (John 16:13).

It takes courage to be a person of truth; any coward can lie. In the coming revival, expect a recovery of the majesty of truth – God’s truth. Then people will discover that truth does not come from within our warped unregenerate perceptions; it comes from outside, namely, from God.

The living God is the source of all truth. He will never lie to us. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19 and “… it is impossible for God to lie…” Hebrews 6:18. Three times in Romans we find the phrase “the truth of God” (Romans 1:25; 3:7; 15:8).

So if you are sincerely looking for truth, you need go no further than the Lord God Almighty. He has bestowed His truth into three sources: Christ (John 14:6); the Holy Spirit (John 16:13); and the Word of God (John 17:17). In the meantime, value truth as you would value life itself and teach others likewise. The coming revival will be the rediscovery of God’s truth and when it comes, we will all be better because of it.

Fear Not: Truth will prevail.

(NOTE: We will soon have a look at the tenth commandment and its prohibition against covetousness

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM THE KYLE RITTENHOUSE TRIAL

 

The persistent narrative: A seventeen year old ’white supremacist,’ ‘gun-mad,’ ‘active shooter,’ ‘mass shooter,’ ‘vigilante,’ and ‘white terrorist,’ was driven by his mother across state lines. Using an illegal AR-15, he violently intervened in a ‘fiery but mostly peaceful’ Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He wantonly killed two innocent black BLM supporters, that, indeed, was his purpose all along. The youth went to trial, was acquitted, thus proving yet again ‘white privilege’ and ‘racial inequality’ continue unabated in ‘systemically racist’ America.

The young man in question was Kyle Rittenhouse from Antioch, Illinois. For fifteen months, the above narrative was the continual drumbeat of the mainstream media and Democratic party. Presidential candidate Joe Biden had a campaign ad, narrated by Chris Wallace of Fox News, attacking President Donald Trump as a supporter of ‘white supremacists.’ It featured a photo of Rittenhouse with the gun, thus implying he was one.

With all the negative press, what really happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin on the night of 25 August 2020, which propelled Rittenhouse into international prominence?

Deceased Blacks: No! The two men who were killed by Rittenhouse, Joseph Rosenbaum 36 and Anthony Huber, 26, were both white. The third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, was injured by Rittenhouse but survived and he, too, is white.
Crossing state lines: Antioch Illinois is only thirty-two kilometres from Kenosha. Rittenhouse did not ‘cross state lines’ with his AR-17 on that fateful night. His job and close relatives were in Kenosha. The gun itself was safely housed in the city – not brought in from Antioch.
Illegal gun: No! Under Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse was allowed to have the AR-17.
Pretext for Rioting – Jacob Blake: Did Rittenhouse come to confront a peaceful protest? No way. Kenosha was having a full blown riot and the pretext was the arrest and injury of a black man named Jacob Blake two nights before. Blake, an accused rapist, accosted a woman. Then he pulled a knife, tried to steal a vehicle with children inside, and resisted arrest. The police shot him. Investigations at the local and federal level examined the circumstances and concluded that the police shooting of Blake was justified. It had nothing to do with racism or police brutality. Yet, the media painted a picture of Blake being ‘unarmed’ and shot for no apparent reason, thus spawning the riots. The next night, rioters ran amok, creating mass damage and burning businesses to the ground. Price tag of the riots: $50 million in damage, more than half of Kenosha’s annual budget. Rittenhouse showed up the night after. Remember, America’s 2020 ‘summer of love’ was actually the ‘summer of George Floyd/BLM’ riots across the nation which killed eighteen people and caused $2 billion in damage.
Another lie: Jacob Blake was killed by the police – No, he is still alive though paralysed by his injuries
Rittenhouse Activities before the Shooting: Contrary to the notion that Rittenhouse, the ‘white supremacist,’ came to Kenosha to shoot peaceful BLM protestors, here’s the real story. He was already in Kenosha serving his shift as a life guard, where he was asked to clean off graffiti (there are photos to prove it). Rittenhouse was asked to stand guard and defend a man’s car dealership. The night before another dealership had one-hundred cars torched. Then, Kyle offered first aid to rioters. Finally, one of the rioters set fire to a dumpster and Rittenhouse tried to put it out. For some reason, the dousing of the dumpster fire triggered rioters; thus came Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz to harm Rittenhouse.
An important point: Had the Kenosha police been properly supported, and if Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers accepted President Trump’s offer to send in the National Guard (he refused), there would have been no need for citizens like Kyle Rittenhouse to guard the dealership or carry a gun. In the absence of law and order, vigilante justice becomes necessary. As imperfect as this is, it sure beats totally mindless anarchy.
‘Ready to Kill’ Rioters: It wasn’t just Rittenhouse who was armed; guns were in abundance among the rioters. Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz all tried to kill, or at least harm, Kyle. Rosenbaum shouted racist rants, threatened murder, and tried to grab his gun when he was fatally shot. Huber hit Rittenhouse with a skateboard before he was shot. Grosskreutz aimed his gun at Kyle, who fired first and hit his arm. All three men have a criminal record and Rittenhouse shot them in self-defence. There is ample high resolution video footage to prove it.
Racism: Even though Rittenhouse and his attackers, the prosecution, defence attorneys, and judge were all white, that did not stop the media and the Left from crying ‘racism.’ Any objective observer would conclude that race had nothing to do with it, considering the ‘whiteness’ of the main characters.
White Privilege: Regarding Rittenhouse’s ‘white privilege,’ remember that he turned himself into the police, was subject to nearly ninety days in jail before being bailed. Normally, clear evidence of self-defence would have closed the case without a trial. Yet Rittenhouse was forced to endure the most heinous campaign of insults, defamation and hatred from well-known elitists on a national scale. On top of that, he went through the glaring spotlight of a high profile trial. How many Americans of any colour had to experience what ‘white Rittenhouse’ did?

Kyle Rittenhouse: What was all the fuss? Why Does it Matter?

False narrative = False witness: The year 2020 was highly unstable, unpredictable, crisis-riddled, and subject to great shakings. The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns wreaked havoc in all areas of society. The death in Minneapolis of George Floyd in police custody triggered rioting and a crime wave across America. The goal of the political/cultural Left was to get rid of Donald Trump, no matter what the cost. 

One tactic was to paint Trump, and his supporters, as white extremists. Kyle Rittenhouse, a white, mid-western, all-American teenager, became the poster boy of this leftist narrative. His prominence was a media creation meant to destroy the Trump presidency, even if it meant damaging an innocent young man in the process. Observers have credited mainstream media, more than any other source, as being the catalyst for the narrative, riots, instability, and slander.

For five years, this service has sought to emphasise the exceedingly strident nature of the ‘culture war’ between traditional values conservatives and left-wing progressivism/cultural Marxists. Traditionalists believe in faith, family, freedom, and the nation state while progressives want a utopian globalist world order of equity, inclusivity, and diversity.

Many left-wing activists are antagonist to the Judaeo-Christian values that made the West great. These include parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, balance of powers, self-government, rule of law, presumption of innocence, trial by jury, equality under the law, human rights, industrial revolutions, and more. The year 2020 exacerbated this conflict with its riots, disputed presidential election, and radicalising of the leftist parties (e.g. Jeremy Corbin in the British Labor party and Bernie Sanders in the American Democratic party).

The problem with ‘narratives’ is that they can be totally disconnected with reality, have a low view of truth, and are willing to ruin others in the process of achieving their goals. Like an idol, the narrative is open to deception and delusion.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (ESV): “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (emphasis mine).

If these verses don’t accurately describe our day – with its fables, fiction, and fairly tales – then what does?

The trial and acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse leads us to some important takeaways.

Benefit of the trial: Under normal circumstances – with clear evidence of self-defence – the Rittenhouse case would never have gone to trial. But because of the persistent cries of ‘racism’ and ‘white supremacy,’ Kenosha prosecutors may have felt obliged to take young Kyle to court. Imagine the trauma an eighteen year old faced going to court with the potential sentence of life in prison. On top of that, the entire country was watching with leftist pundits mercilessly slamming him on a regular basis.

Yet, there was a silver lining: it was in the trial that the truth came out and it varied radically from the media-induced narrative. It gave opportunity to present evidence, including the all-important video footage. Also, a composite picture of the tragedy was assembled like a jigsaw puzzle, with both sides contributing their pieces.

Nothing is sacred: While adult white Christian males are the main target of Leftist scorn, this hatred spreads to others who don’t share their doctrine. Blacks, women, and other minorities who hold conservative views experience the same derision as white men. As we have seen in recent years, even teenagers are viciously attack for being on the wrong side of the culture war. This includes Rittenhouse, Nicholas Sandmann, and young Barron, who was frequently ridiculed for living in the White House and having the ‘offensive surname of Trump.’

Guns and self-defence: The American republic was founded by people, many of them God-fearing, who believed that the Lord grants sacred rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The government’s role is to secure and protect those sacred rights; it does not invent or bestow them.  While non-Americans cannot understand the Constitution’s Second Amendment, that guarantees citizens the right to keep and bear arms, it’s simple: America’s founders believed that God gave the right of self-defence and the government cannot take it away.

People Power: Though Rittenhouse had powerful opponents in the political / cultural / media elite, his acquittal defeated them all. This included the citizen journalists that took the video footage which vindicated him. One astute commentator said starkly that it was these truth-seeking citizen journalists who ‘saved Rittenhouse.’

Also, his jurors were normal Americans who, like Judge Bruce Schroeder, were under tremendous pressure to render a ‘guilty’ verdict or risk violence. Yet, they still saw that Rittenhouse shot in self-defence, took courage, and unanimously acquitted him. Truth triumphed in the end.

The Master’s Example

‘Glutton,’ ‘drunkard,’ ‘deceiver,’ ‘has a demon,’ ‘born of fornication,’ ‘works with the prince of the devils,’ ‘friend of publicans and sinners.’ Kyle Rittenhouse, verbally and viciously attacked, was in good company. Jesus of Nazareth experienced exactly the same thing – and much worse. If you only listened to His opponents, you would conclude he was a vile individual.

Of course, unlike Rittenhouse, Jesus of Nazareth was denied the presumption of innocence, trial by jury, due process, and rule of law, even though the Romans were in charge. His judge, the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, knew he was innocent, he caved into the will of the mob and condemned Him to be executed. Jesus was crucified in the place of a proven robber and seditionist named Barabbas. His crime? King of the Jews.

Yet this most grotesque of injustices was allowed by Almighty God to fulfil the divine plan of world redemption. When the truth finally came out, we discover that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God who came to this planet to save us from our sins.

1 Peter 2:23 (KJV): “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”

We can debate whether we should own guns and exercise self-defence, but let us be clear that truth, justice, and God’s kingdom, will ultimately triumph in the end.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

The Ninth Commandment 03: Winning the battle for Truth

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

The ninth commandment is not just a prohibition against lying and false witness; it is a manifesto on truth itself. In order to win the battle for truth, we also need to compare it with the different aspects of falsehood have infiltrated our language, culture, and society at large today.

So far, we learned about double-speak, spin, mendacity, and ‘smoke and mirrors.’ Here’s a few more tenets of falsehood:

Half-truth: An interesting and deadly variant of the virus of lies. One could be telling a story that is technically factual but the spirit behind it is evil. With half-truths, presentation of ‘facts’ is not given to shed light, as truth does, but to obscure it. For example, ’tell-all biographies’ may actually be reporting ‘facts’ but the question needs to be asked: Why are they telling us these things? Is it for the public good? Does it bring accountability? Does it shed light? Will it make our society better? Or is their real intention to embarrass, harass, or even destroy a public figure? If the latter, then it really should be labelled as a violation of the ninth commandment.

A good rule of thumb against half-truth: If the words are true but the spirit behind it is false, then it is wrong … no matter how accurate the wording may be. Remember, a positive (factual accuracy) and a negative (spirit of defamation and destruction) equals a negative. Only when the facts are true and the spirit behind them is good will you hear the truth.

A good example of ‘half truth,’ ‘right words, wrong spirit,’ was the girl with the spirit of divination in Acts 16. She followed Paul and Silas while declaring “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” There was no untruth in her statement; however, she kept following and harassing the apostles with this unwanted ‘commendation.’ Inspired by an evil spirit, her words were vexatious to Paul and the Holy Spirit; thus he cast out the spirit from her and she was set free (Acts 16:16-18).

Gaslighting: This is particularly insidious. It is a form of manipulation, often incessant, to cause a person to doubt their sanity, memory, perception and judgement. A good example was the 2005 movie called Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster. In the film Foster boarded a plane with her daughter, who simply vanished during the flight. The flight attendants and passengers all denied ever seeing the daughter on the flight. Her name was not even on the passenger list! Foster was about to go crazy, doubting her own sanity. Eventually, she found her daughter in the hold of the plane.

Post-Truth Age: An often used phrase that speaks of shaping public opinion from universal objective truth to personalised, subjective, and emotional truth. It fractures reality into tiny pieces.This is a recipe for societal destabilisation and anarchy.

Relativism: This is a hallmark of postmodernism. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as: “The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.” Relativism can only be true if there were no timeless, universal truth that applies to all people at all times. From a Biblical perspective, we know that this notion is false. God’s truth is for all people, all time, all places.

Lying is the bedrock of evil; it is the devil’s mother tongue. The good news is that God’s truth – universal, enduring, liberating – is readily available. Through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, you have access to the full gamut of divine universal eternal truth. Receive and retain His truth and you will be set free (John 8:32).

In our next article on the ninth commandment, we will listen to the prophetic warnings from Jesus and Paul.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Are the Magi (Wise Men) Part of the Christmas Story?

It is a familiar and welcome scene during the Christmas season. Three men, with a star above them and camels beneath, rode from the East and came to visit the Christ child. In order to meet the new-born infant, they had to crowd into the ‘maternity barn’ full of shepherds and livestock. Many an olive wood nativity scene has replicated this setting millions of time.

This Christmas, we want to explore the story of the wise men and their divinely appointed visit with the young Jesus. While we are respectful of tradition, we are even more respectful regarding what is written in God’s Word.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him Matthew 2:1-3

Background: A little background information would be helpful. The land of Israel was under Persian and Hellenistic rule during the 400 year period between the end of the Old Testament (Malachi) and beginning of the New (Matthew).

Around 164 BC the Jewish people became autonomous under the Maccabee / Hasmoneans. Yet they were so disunited and prone to internal feuding that a century later Rome stepped in 63 BC to stop the squabbling.  Once they took over, Rome would not leave. They appointed Herod as ‘King of the Jews’ around 40 BC.

At that time Judaea was invaded by the Parthians, predecessors to the modern Iranians. They were a chief rival to Rome and a thorn in its side. Judaea was a buffer state between the two enemies. Herod, newly-installed, had to flee to Alexandria until Rome retook the country in 37 BC.

It was at this point his reign began in earnest. Though he built the Jews the magnificent temple in Jerusalem – the one Jesus knew – they loathed their puppet king and would happily work with the Parthians or anyone else who would overthrow him.

Magi & Herod: Knowing these facts will help you understand Herod’s crazed reaction. The wise men, known as magoi in Greek, came from the East. The most likely place of origin was Persia / Parthia, which had the Zoroastrian religion. It believed in one God Ahura Mazda and was superficially similar to Judaism. We don’t know their names, though in the sixth century AD three names emerged: Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar.

The Biblical text says that when the wise men arrived, Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. How could three men on camels be considered a threat? That answer: they can’t. These wise men were high officials, if not ‘three kings,’ and they probably came with an armed escort of dozens, perhaps hundreds of men. Herod, a paranoid man in the best of times, well remembered his near escape from the Parthian invasion of 40 BC and this large contingent from Persia would have no doubt spooked him. One false move and the ‘wise men’ and their guards, coupled by many Herod-hating Jews, could have overthrown him.

Yet the purpose of their visit was not for war but for worship. The wise man paid a courtesy call to Herod, being the host of the land, and asked of him a simple question: where is He who was born king of the Jews? Whether this was an innocent inquiry or calculated insult is not easy to say. But what is for sure was that Herod, the able administrator, master builder, and obsessively anxious puppet king, was highly incensed. Despite all the trappings of royalty, he knew in his heart of hearts that he really was not the legitimate king of Israel. The young child now became his greatest rival yet.

Of course, Herod was not Biblically literate, so he had to find out from the scholars where Messiah would be born. They gave him an immediate answer: In Bethlehem of Judaea, a mere ten kilometres from his Jerusalem palace. How did they know? The prophet Micah said so seven hundred years earlier in his famous passage Micah 5:2. So Herod dispatched the Magi to Bethlehem. Before they left, Herod asked them to return and tell him where Christ was located so he could worship Him, too. It was a deadly lie.

At this point, we realise that the Magi probably need not bother Herod at all. Like a supernatural ‘GPS,’ the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ lead them from the East was poised to lead them all the way to Messiah. While there are some famous mentions of stars in Scripture, one commentator said that the ‘Star of the King of the Jews’ (Matthew 2:2) was probably God’s shekinah glory, courtesy of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s where the story gets a little tricky so we need to balance the narrative in the Gospel of Matthew with that found in Luke’s Gospel. In Luke 2:39, within days of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, He was presented in the temple. From there the holy family returned with the infant to their home in Nazareth of Galilee. No mention of the flight to Egypt, which happened much later.

Matthew 2:11 says the wise men came into a ’house,’ not a barn or cave with a manger. Joseph and Mary were unlikely to have a house in Bethlehem,  if they had one, they would not sought accommodation in a cave since there was ‘no room at the inn’ – Luke 2:7. So where did the holy family have a ‘house?’ Nazareth.

Therefore where did the Magi’s visit occur?

“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was” — Matthew 2:9.

The star took them to the exact location of the holy child. While the Bible is silent on the precise location, it had to be with a house. With that criterion, Nazareth may be the more likely location than Bethlehem.

And ‘when’ did the visit occur? Herod’s murderous rampage against the male toddlers of the Bethlehem region, “ … from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men” — Matthew 2:16ff. So Jesus could have been a year and a half or two years old when the famous visit occurred.

Wherever the visit happened, the wise men gave their gifts directly to the young Jesus and worshipped Him wholeheartedly. Frankly, the only reason we say, ‘three wise men’ is because three gifts were given: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold stands for royalty, incense is for divinity, and myrrh for embalming the dead. After their historic visit, they returned to the East another way, ignoring Herod altogether. As a result, the mad monarch felt mocked and swore to kill all male toddlers in the Bethlehem region, two years old or younger. So the holy family escaped to Egypt and possibly supported themselves by the gold Jesus received. They stayed put until they heard the news that Herod was dead (Matthew 2:15).

It is not our intention to spoil anyone’s Christmas or dismiss their nativity scene, but the chances are very high that the visit of the Magi did not happen at the time of Christ’s birth, they did not meet the shepherds of Bethlehem, nor is it likely that they gave their worship and gifts in Bethlehem.

At the same time, we strongly affirm that the visit of the Magi did occur and is a valued part of the Biblical narrative. With this in mind, let us remember that oft quoted motto:

Wise men still seek Him!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Has Australia Gone Covid-Mad? Part 02

 

In Part 01, we learned that the world is alarmed by Australia’s response to Covid-19. Is this warranted? In Part 02, we will look at some of the reasons for the Covid-19 response, mostly in Australia, but also the greater world scene.

While ‘lockdowns’ and ‘vaccine mandates’ are not unique to Australia, it is the seeming overreaction and strong-armed tactics that have the world gasping. Such actions were once reserved for totalitarian regimes run by illiberal despots. Now they are happening in a parliamentary democracy, once part of the free world, serving and representing the people.

However, the latest reports out of Australia are sobering: the rise quarantine camps. One camp at Howard Springs, Northern Territory, is currently housing people, including those who do not have Covid-19, but were exposed to someone who does. Queensland does not want to be left behind. It is building two ‘Wellcamps,’ with an undisclosed amount of taxpayer money, that will house up to 1,500 people. The putative purpose is to avoid further lockdowns. Built next to a local airport near Toowoomba, but not near a tertiary hospital, the federal government is supporting one of the camps. Even an Australian senator, Alex Antic, was housed in a camp. Fines of AUD 5,000 are levied against anyone who goes beyond their veranda without a mask.

If we are going to solve a problem, first of all, we have to understand what is the problem and why. Once this is done, you are halfway towards the solution.

What factors have determined Australia’s heavy-handed Covid response?

Irrationality: Why was it that seventy percent of the nation was locked down at one time for under two-hundred Covid cases nationally? Even Tasmania contemplated lockdown, though it had zero cases! It is the fear factor – and fear causes irrationality. Another country that, ‘freaked out’ over Covid (a phrase used by their own media) was Israel, which almost killed its lucrative tourist industry in its feverish attempt to stamp out the virus.
Media: Criticising the media as ‘fake news’ has become a blood sport. Yet because of their influence over society they apparently played a role in Australia’s Covid response. They have been accused of overstating the dangers, criticising the restrictive state and national government for not going far enough, and ridiculing those who protested for their freedom. Omitting information that should be public knowledge is also a problem; it is also failure to uphold journalistic standards.
Progressivism: This century-old political theory, which believes big government to ‘solve our problems’ and ‘meet our needs’ philosophy, is very strong in both major political parties and throughout the organs of society (media, education, entertainment, and judiciary). With the notion of ‘government knows best,’ the temptation to become coercive is ever-present. It is no coincidence, that more progressive state governments in Australia, like blue states in America, are generally more Covid restrictive.
Power grab: Like money, power is highly coveted, and addictive. Once seized, it is hard to let go. Some political leaders are sincerely concerned for the people’s welfare and believe their policies are for their good. Yet others, whether local political leaders or globalists, are motivated to increase power by exaggerating and exploiting a public health emergency. The recently passed Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management Bill 2021) in Victoria is considered an enshrinement of unchecked power, even though the government claims there are safeguards; the Victorian Bar Association is not convinced. Thousands have protested in Melbourne against this bill, which increases executive power and proposed heavy fines for violation (individuals $22,000, business $109,000, breaching quarantine is $90,500 and/or two years in prison. This is a serious threat to democracy. Professor David Flint says: ‘There was never, and there is now, absolutely no justification in overriding democratic rights for the sake of health restrictions.’
Isolationism: Australia, the island continent, has understandably been careful about imports and quarantines so as not to endanger its unique ecosystem, flora and fauna. Apparently, during the 1956 Olympic ‘Friendly Games’ in Melbourne, the city was not so friendly to the equestrian competition. The horse races were held in Sweden instead of Australia! Yet, to hermeneutically seal Australia from the outside world, and even each other, is unhealthy and dangerous. A return to normalcy and common sense precautions is in order.
Bureaucracy: The United States government employs millions of civil servants, including administrative ‘experts,’ whose regulations have the force of law. This is the case even though no one voted them in! According to the US Constitution, Congress alone is the law-making branch of government. However, it was Congress decades ago who delegated their law-making power to the bureaucrats. The US Supreme Court, sworn to uphold the Constitution, has apparently gone along with this arrangement in past rulings. The administrative state is strongly progressivist and clearly undemocratic. In an emergency, these ‘experts’ who claim to ‘follow the science,’ are dictating to the politicians and the people ‘the way things should be.’ Politicians are happy for these ‘eternal tenured’ bureaucrats to make the decisions and take the blame if things of wrong. If Australia’s bureaucracy is similar to the United States, then Covid has virtually invited abuse of power. This elite class designed regulations and restrictions from which they personally are insulated.
Apathy and acquiescence: Many Australians accepted lockdowns, masks, and restrictions as being short-term and helpful. But as the ‘Give us two weeks to stop the spread’ became open ended and ongoing, how long will the public tolerate this? Victoria’s police have been accused of brutality in confronting lockdown protestors (while apparently tolerating BLM protestors and even ‘taking the knee’). It is important to get the facts first, reject disinformation, and, if brutality did happen, it needs to be confronted.
Culture War fallout: The on-going ‘culture war’ between secular progressives and cultural Marxists — The Left — versus traditional values conservatives — The Right, has been in overdrive during the last few years. Nerves are raw and emotions high. Therefore, it is easy for both sides to respond, act, and overreact to allegations of tyranny, whether real or imagined. We need to do our utmost to get the facts and not jump to hasty and inaccurate conclusions.

Next time, we will look at some positive thing we can do to turn the tide.

Articles, Discipleship, Education, Prayer, Prophecy, Teaching

Why Study the Gospel of Mark? Part 03

The Hardworking Servant Messiah: 

The Issachar Teaching eLetter has been offering surveys of every one of the sixty-six books of the Bible, in the order that they are found. Our goal is to encourage personal and small group Bible studies, as a means of growing strong spiritually. As we continue and conclude this introduction to the Gospel of Mark, let’s remember a few main points:

  • It is the oldest and shortest of the four gospels;
  • It was written by John Mark, apostle to Africa, understudy to Barnabas, Paul, and Peter;
  • This gospel shows Jesus Christ as the tireless servant of God;
  • The key Greek word is eutheos, used forty-two times and translated ‘immediately’ or ‘straightaway;’ 
  • We also learned why the sometimes disputed verses in Mark 16:9-20 should be considered part of the canon of Scripture.

(Note: If you missed out on Parts 01 and 02 of our Gospel of Mark survey, they can be found on our website: tan.org.au).

Let’s finalise our introduction by offering this Outline of the Gospel of Mark. Have it handy when you endeavour to do your own study of this great gospel.

OUTLINE OF MARK

  1. Part 01: The Energetic Servant Messiah (1:1-8:26)
    1. Forerunner of Messiah (1:1-8)
    2. Baptism of Messiah (1:9-11)
    3. Temptation of Messiah (1:12-13)
    4. Messiah’s Mission & Miracles (1:14-2:12)
      1. Messiah’s Work (1:14-15)
      2. Call of the Disciples (1:16-20)
      3. First miracles (1:21-2:12)
    5. Opposition from the Pharisees (2:1-3:12)
      1. Friend of Sinners (2:13-22)
      2. Working on the Sabbath (2:23-28)
      3. Healing on the Sabbath (3:1-5)
      4. Pharisees seek to Destroy Him (3:6-12)
    6. The Twelve Chosen (3:13-19)
    7. Opposition from friends (3:20-21)
    8. Scribes & the Unpardonable Sin (3:22-30)
    9. Parables of the Messiah (4:1-34)
      1. Soil (4:1-20)
      2. Lamp (4:21-25)
      3. Seed that grows (4:26-29)
      4. Mustard seed (4:30-34
    10. More Miracles from Messiah (4:35-5:43)
      1. Calms the Storm at Sea (4:35-41)
      2. Gadarene Demoniac & the Swine (5:1-20)
      3. Jairus & Jesus (5:21-24)
      4. Woman with Issue of Blood Healed (5:25-34)
      5. Healing of Jairus’ daughter (5:35-43)
    11. Healings and Growing Opposition (6:1-8:26)
      1. Jesus Rejected in Nazareth (6:1-6)
      2. Disciples Sent on Mission (6:7-13)
      3. Execution of John the Baptist (6:14-29)
      4. Disciples: Mission Accomplished (6:30-31)
      5. Feeding of the 5000 (6:32-44)
      6. Jesus Walks on Water (6:45-52)
      7. Healings at Gennesaret (6:53-56)
      8. Pharisees & the Issue of Defilement (7:1-23)
      9. Retreat to the Gentiles (7:24-8:9)
      10. Pharisees Demand a Sign (8:10-13)
      11. Disciples Confused (8:14-21)
      12. Healing of the blind man (8:22-26)
  1. Part 02: The Watershed (8:27-9:29)
    1. Peter Confesses Jesus as Messiah (8:27-33)
    2. Call and Cost of Discipleship (8:34-38)
    3. The Transfiguration (9:1-13)
    4. Demonic Son Delivered (9:14-29
  1. Part 03: The Suffering Servant Messiah (9:30-16:20)
    1. Jesus Predicts His Death (9:30-32)
    2. Doctrine for Disciples (9:33-10:45)
      1. Servant Attitude (9:33-41)
      2. Beware of Hell (9:42-50)
      3. Marriage & Divorce (10:1-12)
      4. Children and the Kingdom of God (10:13-16)
      5. Attitude to wealth – Rich Young Ruler (10:17-27)
      6. Leave and Receive 100-fold (10:28-31)
      7. The Crucifixion predicted (10:32-34)
      8. Key to Greatness (10:35-45)
    3. Healing of Bartimaeus (10:46-52)
    4. Jesus Enters Jerusalem (11:1-19)
      1. Triumphal Entry (11:1-11)
      2. Cursing of the Fig Tree (11:12-14)
      3. Cleansing of the Temple (11:15-19)
    5. Doctrine on Prayer (11:20-26)
      1. Faith & Prayer (11:20-24)
      2. Forgiveness & Prayer (11:25-26)
    6. Jerusalem: Increasing Opposition (11:27-12:44)
      1. Christ’s Authority Questioned (11:27-33)
      2. Question on taxes (12:13-17)
      3. Resurrection Questioned (12:18-27)
      4. The Greatest Commandment (12:28-34)
      5. Christ: Son of David? (12:35-37)
      6. Christ Reproves Jewish Leaders (12:38-44)
    7. The Last Days (13:1-37)
      1. Questions of the Disciples (13:1-4)
      2. The Tribulation Period (13:5-23)
      3. Second Coming of Christ (13:24-27)
      4. The Fig Tree (13:28-31)
      5. Time to Watch (13:32-37)
    8. Passion of Messiah (14:1-15:47)
      1. Conspiracy to Kill Messiah (14:1-2)
      2. Anointing at Bethany (14:3-9)
      3. Judas Plans to Betray Messiah (14:10-11)
      4. Preparation for Passover (14:12-16)
      5. Passover Celebrated (14:17-21)
      6. The First Lord’s Supper (14:22-25)
      7. Peter’s Denial Predicted (14:26-31)
      8. Jesus’ Prayer at Gethsemane (14:32-42)
      9. Judas Betrays Jesus (14:43-52)
      10. Trial of Jesus (14:53-15:14)
      11. Scourging of Jesus (15:15-23)
      12. Crucifixion of Christ (15:24-41)
      13. Burial of Christ (15:42-47)

  1. Part 04: Resurrection of Messiah (16:1-20)
    1. The Resurrection of Christ (16:1-8)
    2. Jesus Appears (16:9-14)
    3. The Great Commission (16:15-18)
    4. Ascension of Messiah (16:19-20)
Articles, Education, Gospel, Prophecy, Teaching

Winning the Battle for Truth: The Ninth Commandment – Part 02

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

It is precious, Godly, wonderful and under great siege. What is its name? Truth. As we learned last time, the ninth commandment is a manifesto on truth, and yet it is more and more under siege as time goes on. One of the great battles of the ‘last days’ is for truth; for deceptive antichrist forces will seek to persuade people away from Christ and the gospel. Many will follow their lead, which only ends up in destruction.

As we will learn, truth is under siege, it is worth the fight, and victory is possible. Yet, it takes decision, dedication, and perseverance to come to victory. First, let’s understand the nature of the battle. 

Introducing Jezebel

A deeper awareness of the spiritual stronghold of lies and deception comes by understanding ‘Jezebel.’ Yes, she was Ahab’s wicked queen in the 9th Century BC who murdered prophets, stole vineyards, and proselytised for Baal worship in Israel. Yet, in the 1st Century AD her name surfaces again in Revelation 2:20-21. Here Jesus rebukes the church at Thyatira for tolerating Jezebel, the false prophetess, who seduced God’s people to fornicate and offer meat sacrificed to idols (explicitly condemned in Acts 15:19-20). 

Dutch Sheets gives an excellent description of ‘Jezebel:’ 

Jezebel is a demonic spirit that uses both males and females to lead others astray, to gossip, often lie, and even prophesy by demonic unction. It’s goal is to hinder, confuse and harass the work of the Lord, often causing strife and division with people’s words or actions — Dutch SHEETS, Give Him 15, August 26, 2021

Yes, the Jezebel spirit is working hard in these days to hector, harass, hinder, confuse, distract and divide God’s work. Since the kingdom age is at hand, she will work overtime to keep people from their God-given inheritance. 

The Devil’s Native Language

To appreciate truth more, we need to understand the road to deception. Jesus’ heated exchange with the Jewish religious leadership was an opportunity to discuss the nature of truth. We understand that the devil is a liar, the father of lies, and that lying is his native language (John 8:44). Since we live in a relativistic ‘post-truth’ age, the constant barrage of lies and deception make the individual unable to hear, understand and/or digest the truth when it is presented to them (John 8:45). In fact, notice how shocked and offended people become when confronted with genuine truth, no matter how loving, gently, and diplomatically it is presented. If that has been your experience, you are in good company: Jesus had the same reaction to His words of truth, too.

Furthermore, a lifestyle of lying leads to a very grim, even terrifying future (Revelation 21:8, 27; 22:15). 

It is simply not worth the cost.

With lying and falsehood proliferating on an industrial scale, we need a Holy Spirit pushback, aided by our full cooperation. Any coward can lie. It takes strength, conviction, courage, and the positive pursuit of truth. 

In response to ‘International Pronoun Day,’ conservative blogger Matt Walsh made these comments: 

… using an incorrect pronoun (incorrect as in a pronoun that does not properly convey objective reality) is not only nonsensical but dishonest. If I say, “she did this and that” when I really mean “he did this and that,” I am lying. I may be lying with the best intentions, but a lie is a lie. To lie is to intentionally convey an untruth. That is exactly what we do when we “respect the pronouns.” Pronouns are just pronouns. They don’t demand respect. The truth demands respect. And I won’t deny the truth for the sake of anyone’s feelings. 

It an age of culture wars and political correctness, these are brave words indeed.

Lying and deception have become a full-time enterprise on an industrial scale. No longer limited to merely fibbing, it has grown into a hydra-headed monster. Some aspects of lying include:

  1. Double-speak: Saying one thing and meaning another, to disguise,, distort, and obscure. It may employ euphemism or ambiguity as a diversion to real meaning. Political rhetoric is often associated with ‘doublespeak’ (see ‘spin doctor’ below’
  2. Spin: An extreme use of euphemism, it means to take an unpleasant reality, sugar coat and spin like cotton candy, and make ‘lemonade’ out of sour lemons. ‘Spin doctors’ are spokespersons who try to give a positive impression on a given subject, no matter how odious, immoral, corrupt, or outright wrong it may be.
  3. Mendacity: untruthfulness as a way of life
  4. Smoke and mirrors: An attempt to make you believe something to be true, when it is not. Like a tax and spend parliament telling the population in a heavily indebted country that the big spending bill will not add a penny to the national deficit.

TO BE CONTINUED

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Has Australia Gone Mad? Is this Covid Tyranny in Action?

 

Under normal circumstances, Australia’s international reputation is very positive, though often not in the news. While the world knows little about the ‘land down under,’ what they do know includes iconic kangaroos, koalas, the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, a coveted migrant destination with enviable lifestyle, prosperity, peace … and freedom. 

That was, until Covid -19 hit in 2020.

Australia Reacts to Covid; 

The World Reacts to Australia

Look at these international headlines:

‘Australia Has Locked Their People Up, Built Detention Camps, and Now They’re Taking Booze’ —townhall.com

‘Australia Traded Away Too Much Liberty: How long can a democracy maintain emergency restrictions and still call itself a free country? — The Atlantic

‘How long can Australia go on like this?’ — The Guardian 

‘Prison Island: Australia’s Covid fortress has become a jail’ — The Spectator

‘Australians Are Suffering from Excessive Covid Lockdowns’ — National Review

‘Joe Rogan, Ted Cruz and Fox News hosts want to “Save Australia” from its coronavirus strategies’ – By Rebecca Armitage, Apple News

Thousands of Australians Protest ‘Unlawful’ Pandemic Bill in Victoria – The Epoch Times

Florida governor Ron de Santis declared that Australia is ‘not a free country.’ He wondered why America has diplomatic relations when they are acting unfree. Finally, the governor asks: ‘Is Australia freer than communist China right now?’ 29 September 2021

Breitbart says South Australia’s ‘home quarantine app’ is ‘Orwellian.’

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), pledging his love for Australia, the ‘Texas of the Pacific,’ says the Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates are ’disgraceful.

Four Polish MPs, whose country was under oppressive communist rule during the Cold War, stood outside the Australian embassy in Warsaw. Their goal? To denounce what they perceive to be a slide to the very tyranny from which they were liberated. Former president of KoLiber, Jakub Kulesza stated: ‘What is happening in Australia cannot be called democratic. Australia has contracted COVID madness. Australian police oppress, harass and attack peaceful citizens, depriving them of their fundamental freedoms.’

Kulesza asserted that ‘continued heavy lockdowns‘ are totalitarian, arguing that ‘these drastic measures have led to record increases in infections, showing that drastic restrictions do not make sense.’

In Manhattan, New York City, protestors marched to the Australian consulate, chanting ‘Save Australia.’ Why such a response? Because of excessive Covid lockdowns, perceived police brutality against protesters, broad-stroked vaccine mandates which resulted in people quitting or losing their jobs, curfews with helicopters flying overhead, prohibition from travel more than five kilometres from home, limited outside human contact, and more.

Overseas Aussies could not get ‘in’ and Aussies at home could not get out (though that is finally changing after a year and a half). Sounds more like divided, Cold War Berlin or Castro’s Cuba.

Let’s face it: this is not the Australia we know and love. What’s happening and why?

When Prime Minister Scott Morrison was in the United States in September 2021, he was asked by journalists if Australia had sacrificed its liberty in pursuit of Covid management or elimination. 

“If we’d had the same rate of fatality of OECD nations on average, more than 30,000 Australians additionally would have passed away. We took action to save lives,” the PM replied.

American conservative firebrand Candace Owens, who is not backward in coming forward, declares ‘Australia is a tyrannical police state. Its citizens are quite literally imprisoned against their will.’ Owens compared Australia with the Taliban and asked ‘What’s the difference?’ (NOTE: A lot, as a matter of fact).

While there may be hyperbole in some international reactions, it seems that an international (and domestic) consensus is that Australia has had some of longest lockdowns, absurd restrictions, and ludicrous penalties … with the promise of more to come. 

Understanding the Times

While ‘lockdowns’ and ‘vaccine mandates’ are not unique to Australia, it is the seeming overreaction and strong-armed tactics that have the world gasping. Such notions were normally reserved for totalitarian regimes run by illiberal despots, not a parliamentary democracy in what is meant to be the free world, serving and representing the people.

If we are going to solve a problem, first of all, we have to understand what is the problem and why. Once this is done, you are halfway towards the solution. 

What factors have determined Australia’s heavy-handed Covid response? In our next edition, we will learn the role of the media, irrationality, progressivism, old-fashion hunger for power, culture war, and more. 

TO BE CONTINUED

Articles, Bible, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Time for Truth: The Ninth Commandment – Part 01

 

Time for Truth: The Ninth Commandment – Part 01

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

It is as old as the Garden of Eden, familiar as weeds in the field, common as colds in the winter. Yet, it is also a great evil that has spread faster than Covid on a cruise ship. What is this pernicious thing? We know it as ‘bearing false witness’ or, in short, ‘lying.’ It is the subject of the ninth commandment. While the command seems to be narrow – abstaining from false witness – it actually applies to the entire gamut of the falsehood industry.

The Bible has some very strong things to say when it comes to lying vs. truth. While it goes back to the beginning of human history, lying today has entered into an enlarged and dangerous phase.

We live in a corrupt culture that rejects objective and absolute truth for ‘framing,’ ‘narrative,’ ‘perception,’ and ‘relativism.’ Postmodernism, which represents a radical form of relativism, rejects the certainty of absolute truth. Everyone has their ‘personal truth.’ In a narrow way, they may have a point: Two people can be sitting in the same room. One person says they are ‘hot’ and the other ‘cold.’ Who is telling the truth? Both of them.

Yet, danger lurks beneath. One of postmodernism’s key phrases is ‘perception is reality.’ A person’s perception has replaced truth as the gauge of reality. If the person feels, ‘rejected,’ then they are ‘rejected,’ no matter how much those around them show love. If they think they can fly, who are you to tell them otherwise as they are climbing their way to the top of the skyscraper to jump off? Perception can be stubbornly moody and subjective, blinding a person from real truth. Such attitudes are an incubator for lies and deception. We need to ween people from ‘perception as reality’ to ‘truth is reality,’ but how? More about that later.

Yet, does the law of gravity apply equally to two people who jump off the cliff? If the speeding car crashes into a wall, do all passengers face the prospect of injury or death? Can two people enjoy the same sunshine at the same time and place? Or the same rain?

The Bible is clear: God’s Word is permanent, eternal, universal, and true (John 17:17). While there may be differences of interpretation on some aspects of theology (e.g. pre-tribulation vs. post-tribulation rapture), there should be no disagreement on the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, like those listed in Hebrews 6:1-2.

 A society that rejects absolute and objective truth, especially God’s, is a sitting target for a pandemic of lies, deception, and delusion. Cultural Marxism, which has zero fidelity to truth or the western constitutional order, seeks to deceive, divide, and conquer. They tell us that mathematics is ‘racist.’ William Shakespeare, the finest playwright of all time, and Beethoven, the finest composer of all time, are denounced as ‘white supremacists,’ as is objective truth itself. The American Medical Association recommends that we delete the line item ‘Sex’ from birth certificates. Why? Because we can’t tell the gender of a new-born by genitalia alone. We can tell the gender of the animal world but now in the 21st Century we can’t on newly born humans? Furthermore, statements by people who are experts and credible in their field are being censored as ‘misinformation’ by ‘fact checkers’ (really, ‘truth-smashers) in positions of big tech power.

Here is some insight from the New Testament. Listen to this warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (KJV):

Even him (antichrist), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Did you notice? In the very last days before the return of Christ, there will be:

1.      Signs and lying wonders;

2.      Wicked deception of unrighteousness;

3.      Lacking a ‘love of the truth’ that precludes them from salvation;

4.      A spirit of strong delusion will happen to them so that they believe a lie;

5.      Condemnation follows after those who refuse to believe the truth but enjoy unrighteousness.

Today, the battle for truth has spilled over into areas that, at least in some cases, were once reliable and credible bastions of veracity. In the ‘spirit of wokery,’ the media, education, judiciary, science, and medicine are more guided by politics and narrative than on bedrock truth. This distortion leads to delusion, which can be very dangerous indeed – akin to drunk driving.

Next time, we will look at the deeper spiritual cause of deception and begin to learn how to respond in the truth.

TO BE CONTINUED

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO WATCH & PRAY

AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO WATCH & PRAY

Afghanistan maybe half-way around the world – and seemingly on another planet – but the fact is that it matters. Since 2001 it has been a prime focal point of the western world. Responsible citizens need to know what’s happening and then respond accordingly. 

After twenty years of war, engagement, and ‘nation-building,’ America and its NATO allies withdrew from Afghanistan on August 31, 2021.

We were told that now is the time.

Intelligence agencies said it would take eighteen months for Kabul to fall to the Taliban.

Only in July 2021, Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Afghan security forces had the capacity to sufficiently defend themselves. They were US/NATO-trained, possessed eighty billions of dollars worth of high quality US weaponry, and inherited two air bases in Bagram and Kandahar.

Joe Biden said that the Afghan army had 300,000 troops, highly armed, versus 75,000 Taliban. ’There is going to be no circumstance in which you are going to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan’ and, ‘I trust the capacity of the Afghan military.’

Thus, the White House affirmed there was ‘No chance – none’ of repeating the disgraceful scene from Saigon 1975. That’s when people scampered up a ladder to a waiting helicopter on the top of the US embassy to escape the advance of the victorious communist North Vietnamese as they swept into power. It is a photo that haunts America to this day.

Yet, on August 15, 2021, while America troops were still in the country, the Taliban walked into Kabul. Earlier that day, Afghani President Ashraf Ghani fled into exile. He knew what was coming. America only had 2,500 personnel in Afghanistan when the White House announced the withdrawal; then sent 7,000 troops in to supervise it. Call it the ‘Kabul calamity’ and it spells trouble to America and the world.

Kabul collapsed into the waiting arms of the fundamentalist Islamist group called the Taliban. Disturbing scenes from Kabul Airport, the last stronghold of US presence, where desperate Afghanis were crowding at the gate to escape the advancing Taliban. More distressing, the ‘objects’ that fell from the sky were people who clung to the undercarriage of the departing plane, only to lose their grip and fall to their deaths. Or people and children trampled to death because of the crowds. Or, the tragic double-suicide bomber from ISIS-K at the gate of Kabul Airport, killing two-hundred plus, including thirteen US service members.

The Taliban (meaning ‘student’) are now in-charge of Afghanistan. They were in power once before. During their previous administration from 1996-2001, they were known for a strict, puritanical adherence to Islam, some even say a medieval version. They were particularly remembered for their opposition to girls getting educated and blowing up the two 50 metre high Bamiyan Buddhas, 1,500 years old, carved on the side of the mountain, in 2001. Reports from that period included whipping, stoning, torture, beheadings, rapes, forced marriages, girls denied schooling and work, and a return to pre-modern living.

The country will be called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Twenty years in exile has made the Taliban stronger, more determined, and supposedly more media savvy. Messages sent out include: Afghanistan will not become a terrorist haven; woman will be respected; no retribution will come to those who worked for the Allies. Sounds good. However, will that be the case? One astute expert said that the Taliban leadership may or may not have control of the various factions under its banner. The transition to full power will be bumpy and some groups are already executing ‘collaborators’ and tossing their bodies into mass graves – with or without the permission of the central authorities.

But it gets worse: the Taliban takeover gave global jihadism a major boost. Thousands of jihadi prisoners in Afghanistan have been released. Would-be jihadists from around the world maybe coming for training and support – a terrorist reunion – like they did before 9-11. Now, the Taliban has the billions of dollars of American equipment at their disposal (of course, the question is, will they know how to use them? Or how will they get them serviced and repaired?).

Can the West fight back? Yes, it can, but will be much harder, since there is no presence in the country and the neighbours aren’t friendly. Like the rise of ISIS and al Qaeda, jihadists want to export their holy war globally and establish a caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital.

China, ever ambitious, will step in and build its new ‘silk road’ westward via Afghanistan, probably through their ‘Belt and Road Initiative.’ They will gain access to Afghanistan’s resources, including the indispensable rare earth reserves, of which China has much of its own, already.

America’s final withdrawal was August 31st because that’s what the Taliban demanded – did you get that, the US took orders and complied with the Taliban?! Later, the White House declared the withdrawal ‘extraordinarily successful.’ Left behind were thousands of Afghanis who worked for the Allied Forces who rightly feared retribution and were promised help and visas by their western partners. An indeterminate amount of Americans and green card holders were also left behind, including a group of foreign exchange students.

Then there is the small but growing indigenous Afghani Christian population, many of them converts from Islam. The Taliban told them we know who you are and we are coming to get you. One Christian told his/her global friends that they would be ‘seeing Jesus’ within the next two weeks. According to Evangelist Robby Dawkins, who works with Afghan believers, that the church is strong and in no way will it be extinguished – though that does not mean the absence of suffering. The poorly planned, rapid troop withdrawal while civilians remained, meant that innocent people were left behind to face a dire fate.

So what went wrong? Plenty. In short, Afghanistan is less a unified nation than an assemblage of different tribal groups under one mountainous roof. Educational levels are very low, the economy depends on foreign-aid and growing poppies for heroin. The US-backed Afghan army, well equipped as they were, could have kept fighting if they had US military back-up. That was no longer possible after a full withdrawal. The Taliban and China were very clear in what they want but the US and the West were confused. That lack of clarity undermined the withdrawal. The US military leadership has become highly politicised and monetised, where for some of the top brass a military career is a means of getting rich than a call to national service. ’Woke warriors’ worried more about ‘white rage’ than ‘Taliban rage.’ Patriotism and national pride were decried, history revised and scorned, and democracy is more of an alliance between the permanent political class, media, and big tech. How can you win an external war when you have a war within?

Daniel Greenfield, an investigative journalist for Frontpage Magazine made these comments:

Afghanistan isn’t a country. It’s a stone age Brigadoon of quarrelling tribes, ethnic groups, Islamic denominations, and warlords manned by young men with old Russian and American rifles. Unlike the fiction of a democratic Afghanistan, that is something they will die for.

 

And in the coming years you will see some of those same soldiers who laid down their guns fighting and dying for tribes and warlords, even fighting the Taliban, in the real endless war.

 

The forever war isn’t something we invented after 9/11:Afghanistan has always been at war.[1]

In other words, this isolated landlocked nation is in the forever war and the world powers cannot leave it alone. Out goes the West and in comes China, for now.

It is time to watch and pray for Afghanistan, especially in the areas of protection, provision, and peace:

Pray for peace and stability for the nation;

Pray for America’s civilian and military leadership for wisdom, accountability, and the right priorities;

Pray for those who want to leave to be able to do;

Pray for Afghan refugees, near and far, for protection & nurture;

Pray for the Afghan government to do what is right in God’s sight;

Pray for those foreign and Christian workers who chose to remain and serve;

Pray that the worldwide church unite in prayer for the Body of Christ in Afghanistan, that God will put his hand of protection, provision, peace, joy, and strength upon them.

Amen.

[1] Daniel Greenfield, Afghanistan Didn’t Fall: It Never Existed – Front-page Magazine, August 17, 2021. https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/08/one-thing-we-never-understood-about-afghanistan-daniel-greenfield/