Weather forecast.

It's been an unusually 'harsh' winter here in S.W.France. 'Harsh', of course, is a relative word and, compared to what Scotland, and other parts of the UK have been experiencing, we have had it very easy! 

Today, however, has been probably the most interesting one this year. It was a beautiful day until about 1730 (that's 5.30 p.m. for those who don't use the "24 hour clock"!) and we were preparing to leave to do some shopping on our way to the rehearsal for the church worship group. Just as we were getting ready, there was a series of peals of thunder, one rolling straight into the next. Then came the first few big splats of rain. I suggested to my wife that it might be wise to take coats but, in just the minute or so that we needed to get them, those splats of rain had become hailstones - falling more thickly and heavily than I can ever recall having experienced before. The hail shower was so heavy that we waited until it had calmed down before heading out to the car.

Then, about four miles closer to Bergerac, even the rain stopped; the clouds cleared; the sun shone brilliantly; and there was a magnificent, and full, rainbow arching across the sky - a blaze of colour that was quite magnificent.

Just a couple of hours later, on our way back home, we were treated to an amazing display of lightning - both sheet and forked - that made the night sky appear like noontide. then came that rain and, by the time we had reached our home, it was falling so heavily that we decided to leave the shopping in the car, and just get into the house as quickly as possible. Yet, some twenty minutes' later, I was out clearing the car of our purchases.

That was about ninety minutes ago, and already, there are renewed flashes of lightning, and peals of thunder. The day isn't yet over!

I suppose that that is the weather for you! Forever changing. I found myself thinking of the words of the anonymous writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (13:8). He is the One on Whom I may depend in every situation, and every circumstance. This is something that is experienced, on a daily basis, by those in what we refer to as 'the persecuted church'.For example, more than 100 disciples of Jesus have been killed in Egypt, alone, in the past year. Bombs have been detonated in church buildings; a bus travelling to a mionastery was attacked and, in the north, Daesh (IS) terrorists stormed into homes, and shot disciples of Jesus on the spot. 

Sat7 (www.sat7uk.org) tells of one woman named Nahla. Both of her daughters were killed when Daesh bombed their church building. She was recently interviewed by the TV station. Wearing a locket containing photographs of her daughters, she said: "Of course there's pain and sadness and aching. That won't go away for the rest of my life. But God will strengthen you. Take refuge in the Lord."

Nahla can only have that confidence, even in her personal tragedy, because of the unchanging nature of Almighty God, revealed most fully in the Son, Jesus.

I wonder on what, or in whom, you are placing your confidence as you read this post! Everything else will let you down. Possessions can be lost; relationships can break down; health is not guaranteed. Even if we could hold on to all of these, they only last for a time. I don't know who first made the comment that 100% of people die but, until the rapture of the church, it is unarguably true. We may postpone death; some may go to great expense having their dead bodies frozen (cryogenics) so that they may be 'unfrozen' whenever a cure for the illness/disease that killed them is found - somehow failing to understand that such a cure will be of no use to them as thay are already dead!

Jesus, is for time - and for eternity. He is the only One Who can travel with me through that experience of physical death. He is the only One Who can assure me of life that is not just 'everlasting', but that is of a quality that I cannot even begin to imagine in this life, because it is the life of Almighty God Himself.

I have walked with Him for more years, now, than I care to remember - and He has never let me down (although, sadly, I cannot say that I have never let Him down.). He is my Saviour, my Lord, my King, and my Friend. 

I commend Him to you.

Conversion.

The English-language word "conversion" is reasonably common in everyday conversation. We use it to refer to a positive change in many areas of life - from making a living-space out of a loft, to achieving more power from a vehicle engine.

However, for the disciple of Jesus, it is the way in which we refer to the change in our lives that comes from a personal encounter with Him, and entering into a living relationship with Him. It may be sudden, or gradual. I have often illustrated that by comparing someone jumping into the sea from the end of a pier with someone walking along the beach and discovering that the water is lapping around their ankles. Both are in the water - but while one may pinpoint the precise moment that they entered it, the other is unable to do so.

However, is it possible that a spiritual; conversion may be both sudden and gradual?! Whether, or not, we can specify the precise moment as, for example, could the apostle Paul (see Acts 26:13), in God's eyes, there is a particular moment of transition. Even Paul's dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus was the culmination of what we may refer to as God's "softening-up" process. It is clear that all of his experiences with these "Followers of the Way" (i.e. of the One Who said: "I am the Way, and the Truth , and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, but by Me." [Jn.14:6]), and especially with Stephen, the first Christian martyr, had roused his conscience - even although he appears to have endeavoured to stifle it (see Acts 26:14). Indeed, his increasing fury and activity against them may well have been an unconscious effort to still that accusing voice within!

Paradoxically, it is just when men's opposition to the Gospel message is multiplying - as it is at this present time - that we may take heart that God the Holy Spirit is at work. Paul's efforts to make disciples blaspheme the Lord Jesus (Acts 26:11) was the same policy described some fifty years later by Pliny, the Roman governor of Bithynia, in a letter to the emperor Trajan, as something which "... people who are really Christians cannot possibly be made to do." (see I Cor.12:3). This, by the way, is still the case to day - in spite of the attempts of evil men to make them do so. Check out this link:

http://madworldnews.com/muslims-behead-christian-word/

I am unable to totally verify that report - but nor do I have any grounds for doubting its veracity!

The people referred to in the report were seeking to serve others - and that is what any converted man, woman, or young person will seek to do. The old, now clichéd, phrase was: "Saved to Serve". Recognising the change that has taken place in him/herself, the new disciple of Jesus will wish to help others - particularly to have their own personal encounter with the risen Lord.

The activity of the devil must not be taken lightly. He is always blinding people, and enslaving them. (see I.Cor 26:18; cf II Cor.4:4, II Tim.2:26). This is why so many neither realise their dire situation, nor appreciate their need to repent, that they may know the full forgiveness of Father God, and the sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Conversion. It's a great word. It's an even greater experience!

Concert carnage.

It is rare for me to comment in the immediate aftermath of an incident, but I am making this post one of those exceptions.

The latest reports that I have read have stated that 22 people - including children - died as a result of the "suicide bombing" at the end of a concert in Manchester. Accounts of the injuries sustained by many more would suggest that that number may well rise in the next few days.

How does one react to such an atrocity - apparently planned over a number of weeks? One can bring pious platitudes - but they seldom have any positive effect. One may rant and rave - but anger seldom has any positive effect either. One may turn away, simply relieved that one was not personally involved - but that, to me, would be a display of callousness.

It would appear, from reports, that the first problem was inadequate security precautions at the venue. many have complained - sadly, too late - that they were not properly searched; that bags were not even checked. This is, most assuredly, a major factor in such a situation. These large venues need to ensure that their patrons are as safe as is humanly possible - especially when groups such as Daesh (aka ISIS) have made no secret of their intention to inflict mayhem in "western" countries.

Of course, the situation is made easier for the terrorists when we permit a claimed 3,900 who were involved in the conflict in Syria, to return to the UK with no more than "a watchful eye" being kept on them! With numbers like that, it is no surprise that many "slip through the net"!

Another problem is that of the so-called "moderate Muslim". It is reported that "The Muslim Council of Britain said the Manchester attack was “horrific” and “criminal”. Secretary general Harun Khan said: “May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next." However, what many decide to ignore is that the terrorists are the true Muslims! Since its founding by the false, paedophile "prophet", Muhammad, the aim of Islam has been the world-wide Caliphate - the whole world under the control of Islam, and under the restrictions of shariah (Islamic Law), by military force where that is deemed to be necessary. So how do the so-called "moderate" Muslims fit in with this, in the light of their pious-sounding comments? They are simply following the example of their founder. It is called "taqiyya" and is the deliberate deception of the infidels (that's all of us who do not profess to be Muslims) in order to further the expansion of Islam and the attainment of that final goal - that world-wide Caliphate.

How then should we infidels - and especially Jews and Biblical Christians - react? We should certainly not shun any Muslims we know. Rather, we should seek to win them over from what is, I firmly believe, a satanic cult. That is not easy - yet there are reports, from many parts of the world, of hundreds, even thousands, of Muslims turning to the Lord Jesus for salvation. We who believe in the power of prayer must engage in that particular activity, faithfully and fervently. However, we must also remember the words of Jesus that His followers be "wise as serpents [whilst being ] harmless as doves." (Mt.10:16). The first is every bit as important as the second.

The government, also, has a major part to play. One of the first responsibilities of any government is the safety and welfare of the people it governs. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the police have extensive powers. Using these powers, people can be detained for up to nine hours, with DNA samples and fingerprints taken, without the need for any reasonable suspicion. If it is considered to be necessary, police may also detain and search an individual, with the aim of determining whether, or not, that person appears to be someone who is or has been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

However, the latest quarterly Home Office report on the use of police powers under the Terrorism Act, which was released in March, shows that there has been a decrease in the use of these powers. This, it has been claimed, is due to pressure from groups like Stop Watch, which argues that they infringe the human rights of Muslims and other communities.

It is my personal opinion, that enough has been done to pander to the alleged "rights" of, particularly, the Muslim community. Those 22 young people and children who were so callously murdered last night, surely had some right to life! However, that right was over-ridden by one man's desire to kill and maim in the name of Islam!

I pray for those who have been bereaved; I pray for those who have been injured; I pray for those who have been traumatised; I pray for the members of the Emergency Services who responded so quickly and so competently. I pray, too, for the perpetrators of all such deeds, in the UK, in France, in other parts of the world; that they may yet be saved by the only blood that was ever shed that has a lasting, and positive, affect - the blood of Jesus the Christ, on the cross at Calvary. In Him, and in Him alone, is found salvation, and the forgiveness of sin. And one doesn't have to be an Islamic terrorist to need all of that!

Sha’alu shalom yerushalayim.

When I published my first post of 2017, I had not expected to be 'silent' for as long as I have. However, a combination of enjoying the hospitality of friends; sometimes having no internet access; and then, before leaving for home, having 'picked up' the virus that seems to have hit a lot of the UK; means that spending time online has been severely restricted!

Then comes the question - on which of the multiple topics of the past few days does one post? Not an altogether easy choice, but I have decided to make my own comment on the tragic murder of four young members of the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) on Sunday past. This was a calculated act, designed to kill and maim as many as possible - and sadly successful in its aim.

A Palestinian terrorist from eastern Jerusalem rammed his truck into a group of IDF (Israeli Defence Force) soldiers at Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv Promenade, murdering the four and wounding about 15 others, some seriously. Three of the dead victims: Erez Orbach, Yael Yakutiel, Shir Hajaj and Shira Tzur, one man and three women, were 20 years of age, and the oldest only 22 years old. The injured include soldiers and civilians. One eye-witness reported that, after mowing down the victims, the lorry was reversed over them! The terrorist, identified as 28-year-old Fadi al-Qanbar from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, an apparent hotbed of terror, was shot dead at the site. It appears that he had connections to Daesh - the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.

Any sane person is surely shocked and saddened at such an incident - and it is only one of far too many! However, reliable reports indicate that, while Israel and those who support the nation, were mourning, "Palestinians" were celebrating in the street - just as they did on the now infamous 9/11! Hamas, the terrorist organisation, held a massive midnight rally after news of the attack broke. In Gaza, people handed out candy to the occupants of passing cars. Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Abbas, celebrated the attack on its official social media. Palestinian leaders incite terror and the Palestinian Authority pays nearly US$140 million a year to terrorists and their families. 

All of this on the back of UN decisions that re-write recorded history by claiming that the Temple Mount is a Muslim site, and not a Jewish one! Of course, the motion was presented by a number of Muslim states - but that it was supported by the UK, and that the USoA abstained, is difficult to believe!

I make no apology for my personal support of Israel. I do not agree with absolutely every decision made by the Israeli government - but then, I don't agree with many of the decisions made by recent UK governments!  However, I never forget that the Jesus Whose disciple I am (however poorly!) was born into a Jewish family; was raised and trained as a Jew; was prosecuted as a Jew; and was crucified as a Jew. I recall that the earliest disciples of Yeshua were all Jews. I have learned, in just the past couple of years, how much the church was Hellenised ("Greek-ised") by Emperor Constantine, and separated from her Hebraic roots. I was reminded, earlier today, that Paul (another Jew!) made clear that it is Gentile disciples of Yeshua who "... have been cut from what is, by nature, a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, ..." (Rom.11:24). So I now see the Children of Israel as, at least, my 'cousins' - and certainly a part of the same family!

At the end of my e-mails is the brief phrase, in a transliteration of the Hebrew, that I have used as a heading for this post.  It translates as "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." (Ps.122:6).  I encourage you to do so!

BREXIT, or not?!

With the date for the referendum on the UK's continued membership of the European Union now set, I confess that I am a natural "BREXIT"er.  I object, strongly, to unelected eurocrats making decisions that effect my life; to laws being made by people who have been"appointed"; by even the Supreme Court being able to be over-ruled in its decisions by a group of foreigners (who, as has been pointed out elsewhere, are not even judges!).  On June 23rd, therefore, I shall be voting (DV) to LEAVE the EU.

But note those two letters - DV.  As many will know, they stand for the Latin words "Deo volente" which translate as "God willing".  I may not survive until June 23rd; the world, as we know it, may not survive until June 23rd; the EU might collapse before June 23rd!

There is more!  Some years ago, after the signing of the Lisbon Treaty - regarded by many as an EU Constitution, in disguise - I submitted the following to a Christian forum of which I am a member:

"SO, the Lisbon Treaty has now been ratified by each of the European Union’s member states. Well, if we are going to be accurate, in almost every case, it has been ratified by the political elite of the member states. Only the Irish had the luxury of being asked in a national referendum – and when the unelected, unaccountable, EU ‘powers-that-be’ didn’t like the answer that was received, the Irish were instructed to vote again. As far as I could see, there was so much spin exuded during the campaigning for the second referendum, that it is little wonder that the Irish reversed their earlier decision.

I have been opposed to the EU since its inception. Even when former UK Prime Minister Edward Heath – a man who, in my opinion, was a greater traitor to his country than Lord Haw-haw – led us into the EEC (European Economic Community), I voted against. I could not see how the breaking of cherished ties with other Commonwealth countries was going to be of any particular benefit to the United Kingdom.

I'm no anti-European

Of course, as anyone who knows me will understand, I am not some xenophobic anti-European! I have very dear friends in a number of European countries and, while I am only truly fluent in the English language, I can get by very well in French, have a smattering of German, a little bit of Dutch, and a little bit of Italian. And, of course, for many years, our main summer holiday has been spent in the countries of western Europe. I am just one of what I suspect is a rapidly growing number of people who are totally opposed to a European Super-state, in which I, as an ordinary tax-payer, am expected to accept every diktat, even as I fund the blatant corruption of the Brussels-Strasbourg gravy-train.

However, I have recently been wondering about the advice given by the Jewish rabbi, Gamaliel. “…my advice is, leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

Am I opposing part of God's bigger plan?

I am having to ask myself: “Is this ever-expanding, ever-devouring, man-made entity a part of the plan and purpose of God? Is the EU a clear sign that we are in the end-times, when time and history, as we experience them, will be no more?” What is certain is that, climate change, space exploration, or whatever, history does have an end. And was it not Albert Einstein who worked out that time has a beginning, and an end, as well?

So, in opposing the EU, might I be opposing the plan and purpose of God? For me, it’s a big question. For anyone, it’s a question worth considering. My only assurance is that, as an adopted son of the Living God, my future is secure. As one of my cousins states at the close of every e-mail: “I don’t do worry, I know the ending!” History, I was often told, is ‘His story’. That story hasn’t ended, but the day is coming, sooner or later, when the heavens will open, the Lord Jesus will return, and Paul’s amazing prophecy will be fulfilled as “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil.2:10-11)."

As the referendum date approaches, and as I read all of the conflicting arguments, this question continues to loom large in my mind.  As I look at the changes that have occurred since November 2009 when I wrote the above - the rise of Daesh (aka ISIS); the return of blatant anti-Semitism; the ever-increasing persecution of disciples of Jesus - and their marginalisation even in many countries in which there is not overt persecution; when I read that the Pope is working towards a "one-world religion"; when I learn of the moves of the secular élite to bring about a "one world order"; I am more convinced than ever that we are in the last times, and that much of the Biblical prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled is being fulfilled before our eyes.

I shall still vote for the UK to LEAVE the EU.  However, I shall do so in the certain knowledge that the Creator and Sustainer of all that is; the Sovereign God of the Universe; is in control; and that He will have His way!   Yesterday, in Café Church, I preached on the immutability of God - His "unchangableness".  On that I rest and, regardless of the eventual result of the referendum, I shall seek to serve Him until He calls me home - whether that be by my mortal death, or by the glorious rapture. (see the relevant chapter in my book "Great Words of the Faith" - link above).  

I trust that you will be there with me!

ISIS v. Israel

No, the title is not suggesting that this post has to do with a direct confrontation between ISIS (aka Daesh) and the nation of Israel.  I suspect that any unbiased writer would have no difficulty in predicting the outcome of such a conflict!  (Clue: Israel would not come out of it as second-best!!).

However, in the last couple of days, I have viewed two specific photographs that clearly display the difference between these two entities.  The first has also appeared in today's online Daily Express.

The executioner is in the act of beheading a 15 year-old boy - in front of a large crowd, including many teenagers.  Ayham Hussein was handed the death sentence after being tried in a strict Sharia law court.   ISIS thugs had found the teenager listening to a portable compact disc player inside his dad's shop in an open-air market in western Mosul, in Iraq.  Sentenced to death - for listening to music!  No words of mine could ever suitably describe such an act!  Those responsible will, in eternity, if not before, answer for such a crime - because their's was the crime; the boy was innocent of any crime - certainly in any civilised society.

The second picture was e-mailed to me from the Scottish Friends of Israel.

In his short life, Mohammed al-Farra has known just one home: the yellow-painted children's ward in Israel's Tel Hashomer hospital.  Born in Gaza with a rare genetic disease, Mohammed's hands and feet were amputated because of complications from his condition, and the 3½ year-old moves about in a tiny red wheelchair. His parents abandoned him, and the Palestinian government won't pay for his care, so he lives at the hospital with his grandfather.  

Mohammed was rushed to Israel as a newborn for emergency treatment. His genetic disorder left him with a weakened immune system and crippled his bowels, doctors say, and an infection destroyed his hands and feet, requiring them to be amputated.   In the midst of his treatment, his mother abandoned Mohammed because her husband, ashamed of their son, threatened to take a second wife if she didn't leave the baby and return to their home in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, al-Farra said. In Gaza, polygamy is permitted but isn't common. But it's a powerful threat to women fearful of competing against newer wives.  Now Mohammed spends his days undergoing treatment and learning how to use prosthetic limbs, while his 55-year-old grandfather cares for him. Mohammed's Israeli doctors, who've grown attached to the boy, fund-raise to cover his bills, allowing him and his grandfather to live in the sunny pediatric ward.

Two children; two cultures; two situations; two outcomes.   For ISIS/Daesh, death for listening to music; for another Arab Muslim boy, life because of the dedication, love, and concern, of Israel and its medical staff.

Such stories could, of course, be multiplied many times over.  Sadly, although ISIS/Daesh do have their evil actions publicised, you will rarely find the "western" media informing people of the situation of children such as Mohammed al-Farra.  To do so, of course, might cause the unthinking among us to realise that the bias against the State and Nation of Israel is unfounded.

I believe, as a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth - Himself born and raised as a Jew; tried and falsely convicted, as a Jew; crucified as King of the Jews (in accordance with prophecy: see Isaiah 53) - I have a moral, and even spiritual, obligation to support Israel.  I may not agree with every policy decision of the Israeli government (although I would gladly exchange the current incumbent of 10 Downing Street, for Mr Netanyahu!) but, as Corrie ten Boom's father reminded her at the time of the Holocaust: "They are still the apple of His eye"! (see Deut.32:10; Ps.17:8; Zech.2:8 - the reference is to the keen sensibility of the eye, and denotes the careful protection, and security, of Almighty God - HaShem).

If you have a heart for Israel, please do all that you can to publicise the truth and, of course, pray for the peace of Jerusalem - Sh’alu shalom yerushalayim.

Paris - the City of Lights.

My wife and I are both very fond of Paris, and have enjoyed a number of holidays there, in the past.  It is less than 400 miles from our home in Gardonne.  We know folk who live in what is still a beautiful city.

I suppose that having such connection has emphasised the horror of last night's massacre of so many by, apparently, terrorists from Daesh (the better name for the self-proclaimed "Islamic State").   The social media sites are filled with messages of sympathy; of outrage; of horror; and of disgust.  One newspaper reports that "World leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama have expressed their shock and outrage at the atrocities in Paris."  The Prince of Wales is set to send a message of "profound sympathy and solidarity with the people of Paris" to French president Francois Hollande (and on his birthday anniversary, the dear boy - although why the newspapers should think that to be of great importance, is beyond me!).

As I read about the carnage, my thoughts and prayers go out, as do those of decent people everywhere, to those who have been so suddenly bereaved, and those who are suffering from life-threatening injuries.  I am also remembering those in the French emergency services who are having to deal with horrific scenes; and those who were caught up in the attacks - remaining physically unscathed, but carrying with them, probably for the remainder of their lives, the scenes of death and destruction that surrounded them.

I am also thinking back to other atrocities committed by Daesh.  I am thinking, for example, of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were murdered on a Libyan beach in February.  Each one, it was reported, died with the name of Jesus on his lips.  I am thinking of so many others, given the choice of denying that same Jesus, or dying - and gladly choosing physical death.  I am wondering how many of those in Paris, last night, were as well prepared to meet their Creator!

Such events must, surely, make any of us realise the unpredictability of human life.  How many of those who left for that concert gave even the slightest thought to the possibility that they would not survive it?   Even if that awful massacre had not occurred, any one of them could have been the victim of an accident; or of the mindless violence of an individual thug.

When I was teaching, one of my S1 (11-12 year-olds) courses had to do with "Rites of Passage" - when we looked at the four major stages that appear to be, and to have been, celebrated by every culture at every time - birth; coming of age; marriage; and death.   We spent some time on the subject of "death" (probably the only Department that did deal with it as a specific topic!).  One of the things we learned is what is discovered by those caught up in a situation like last nights - and there have been many of them just in the year that is rapidly drawing to a close - that our basic mind-set seems to be that death will not touch us; at least, not until we are in our eighties, or older!

May I lovingly say that each one of us needs to be prepared for the moment of our own death?  Not one of us knows when that will be.  I might live for another twenty years; I might die before I have completed typing this post!

How may we prepare?  By repenting (turning away from our sin) and placing our trust in the Lord Jesus, for salvation; obeying and serving Him.  You see, our Creator God is holy. Although He is Love, He also has wrath and anger over sin, and shows no partiality.  Listen to the inspired words of the prophet, Isaiah: "Listen! The Lord's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call.   It's your sins that have cut you off from God.  Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore." (Isa 59:1-2; NLT). 

It is our sin that is the problem, and it must be dealt with.  I know of only one way - to come to Father God, confessing your sins and sinfulness, and seeking the forgiveness that was won for you, at great cost, on a hill called Calvary. Whoever you are, humble yourself before God. Realise that you are in serious trouble with God because of your sins - about all of which He knows! There are no secret sins before his eyes. Sincerely and humbly ask him for mercy and forgiveness. Commit your heart to him. Turn from all known sin. Ask God to also reveal anything in your life that needs to change. Do it today. Don’t delay. Tomorrow may be too late. No one is guaranteed another day to prepare for death.

I have often said that, in Victorian days, the taboo subject was sex, but that everyone was familiar with death because it was so common, and because families prepared the bodies of their loved ones for burial.  Today, everyone seems to know everything there is to know about the physical act of sexual intercourse; but because we have made an industry out of death, and someone else "undertakes" to make all of the arrangements, we are no longer familiar with it, and it has become the taboo subject.  Perhaps that simply adds to our confusion, and revulsion, when it occurs in our midst on such a large scale.

I grieve for those, in Paris, and in the Lebanon, and in many other parts of our modern world, who are bereaved and injured.  However, I grieve even more for those who will have been totally unprepared for the death that so swiftly overtook them.  

Are you fully prepared?  Are you?

 

Postscript to 9/11.

No, not the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, but the post that I published here on September 11th, this year!  For some reason (I would be grateful if anyone could e-mail me with a solution - please use the e-mail address above), this blog no longer seems to accept comments, and has not done so for a considerable length of time.  This means that there were no comments directly to the blog.  However, I made the same point on a number of Facebook pages, and was castigated (albeit, mildly!) for my lack of compassion.  At least one brother in the Lord has been treated in much the same way for having made similar points.

However, the news reports that Daesh (aka ISIS) are crucifying thousands in Syria surely makes it clear that, as I have stated often, compassion must be tempered with discernment.  Daesh have made no secret of their willingness to 'use' the genuine refugees as a 'cover' for them to infiltrate Western Europe.  They will, undoubtedly, claim to be Syrian Christians fleeing persecution in order to be welcomed by their intended victims.   This is, to Muslims, "taqiyya" - the use of deceit to gain an advantage over one's enemies.  Muhammad declared, as a justification for murdering unarmed prisoners after offering them safe passage, “war is deceit”. (from the Hadith - collected sayings of Muhammad).  

The tradition continues.  On May 10^th, 1994, just a few months after signing the Oslo Accords (September, 1993), the late Yasir Arafat addressed an assembly of Muslims in a Johannesburg mosque where he justified his actions by explaining: “This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our prophet Muhammad and Quraysh.” And he concluded by calling on the worshipers “to come and to fight and to start the jihad to liberate Jerusalem.”

What did he mean?   He was referring to Muhammad having signed a 10-year truce with the Arabian pagan Quraysh tribe in the city of Mecca (the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, 628 AD). At the beginning of the second year of that ten-year period he found a pretext to justify breaking the truce. He pounced on the Quraysh in a surprise attack, conquered Mecca and defeated the Quraysh, who were not prepared for more hostilities since they were honoring the 10-year accord and assumed that Muhammad was too.  Since then this agreement between Muhammad and the Quraysh has been an example for Muslims world-wide of how to trick the enemy in wartime. In other words, Arafat explained to his Muslim audience that he gave his word to President Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin, and signed the Oslo Accords, only because he planned to annul his commitments and attack Israel as soon as it was expedient for him to do so.  He lied to Clinton and Rabin; but once he was out from under the scrutiny of western media and in the comfort of a Muslim group whose support he could assume, he told the truth to his Muslim audience.  Apparently, he was unaware that his speech was being recorded.

The desired policy of many of Europe's 'leaders' (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is an honourable exception!) of 'open doors' is, of course, simply playing into the hands of those terrorists who wish to make Western Europe part of a worldwide Caliphate - with its inhabitants given a simple choice to 'convert' to Islam; pay a special "subjugation" tax (the jizya); or die!

So - if we are disciples of Jesus, let us "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, ..." (Col.3:12).   However, let us neither forget, nor ignore, the words of the Saviour: "... be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matt.10:16).   Let us not be so insistent on being the latter, that we fail to be the former!