Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

"While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."¹

Yesterday we talked about visiting Athens, Corinth and Ephesus, and other ancient historical places, and ending in Istanbul, a city largely populated by M'slims.

Istanbul was certainly a fascinating ancient city but hearing the M'slim call to prayer was just another reminder that radical M'slims throughout the world are on the march and while many M'slims want to live in peace, the increasing number of radicals believe the only peace is when Jews, Christians and Westerners either convert to I'lam or are dead. And they have no qualms about killing us.

Frighteningly, far too many leaders in the West are wanting appeasement with these I'lamic fanatical fundamentalists when, in reality, there is no such thing.

Mathias Dapfner, CEO of the large German publisher, Axel Springer, blasted Europe for its weakness in confronting I'lamic fanaticism. He talked how appeasement with Hitler cost millions of Jews and Gentiles their lives ... how appeasement contributed to the stabilizing of the Communist Soviet Union and the former East Germany, and "crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo.... And in the end it is also appeasement at its most grotesque when Germany reacts to the escalating violence of I'lamic fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere by proposing a national M'slim holiday."²

And here in America, while most M'slims want to live in peace, a recent poll by the Pew Research Center reported that: "One out of four young U.S. M'slims believe homicide bombings against civilians are OK to 'defend I'lam,'"³ at least under certain circumstances.

I'lam claims to be a religion of peace but peace is highly unlikely between Jews and Palestinians or between radical M'slims and the Western world until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, returns to earth to finally put an end to all wars and bring in lasting peace. In fact, as the Word of God reminds us, "While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."¹

The reality is that throughout the world there is an urgent need for a great spiritual awakingâ€"an awakening to the reality of today's volatile world and our urgent need for God and the need to live in harmony with his will. Without God there is no hope for any lasting peace and any end to a world filled with hatred and violence.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding to see the reality of today's volatile world situation and our world-wide need for a great spiritual awakening. And please start Your work in me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. The Apostle Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:3, NIV).
2. Mathias Dapfner, CEO of the large German publisher, Axel Springer. Editorial: â€œEurope, Thy Name is Cowardice,â€� published in the German periodical Die Welt, November 20, 2004. http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/dapfner.asp
3. Poll: 1 in 4 U.S. Young M'slims OK With Homicide Bombings Against Civilians, Fox News. May 23, 2007. http://tinyurl.com/ywmyoz

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