Christianity Is Jewish

As Edith Schaeffer continues through the Bible, the theme remains the remnant, God’s revelation through them as they put every ounce of trust in the God in Israel. She picks up speed here so hold on. Starting with Gideon who was asked to shrink his mighty army of thirty-two thousand to three hundred men. Gideon had been fearful of even taking a leadership role. Notice, God didn’t begin with, “Hey Gideon, see those Midianites? I’d like you to pick out three hundred of your most humble warriors and go at em!” Isn’t that rich? God often gives us our role in increments. Gideon asked for signs because he was unsure it was supposed to be him, ill equipped and weak; the ‘who, me?’ routine. God didn’t scold him and He didn’t move on to another warrior. God gave him signs.

Maybe God is saying to you, “Here is the college major for you” or He’s putting home school moms in your path, or books are practically falling from heaven into your lap. I have a friend who has been given military addresses to write and send things to, another who keeps meeting people in financial need. Someone else sews beautiful banners for Him but her passion has grown from knowledge the Lord has given her. If He said right from the start, “You will have huge responsibilities as leader of such and such.”…Likely as a student just stepping into the world, you would freak! From personal experience, home schooling is not something you need to know the level of difficulty before you are led to do it! God fed me with bits of encouragement along the way so I knew, even in the unforeseen horrors (yes folks, we do fight!), God was in it. And I don’t know about you, but God gave me much knowledge and spiritual preparation before ‘writing a web page’ entered the picture. Ten years ago, if God had said, “Write me a blog!” I would’ve said, “Huh?” and like Gideon, asked Him, “Are you sure you mean me?” But God truly prepared Gideon by strengthening his trust first. Then, and only then, was Gideon asked to wholly trust by reducing his army to embarrassingly small numbers. At this point, Gideon still could have gone to the U.S. Legislature for advice and decided he couldn’t win! This is a quagmire! I must withdraw my troops. This is another Vietnam! What’s Vietnam?
Thank heaven; the choice was between Gideon and God. The story was always one of my sons’ favorites! The Midianites are faced with their own fears and turn on each other! “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” shouted the three hundred strong army of Israel, as the enemy fled in a fumble of utter chaos.

Obligation of the Shema, number five: On the uglier side, the church of world history came through some barbaric deeds of its own. Dr. Cohen asks Jews to try to get past the very unchristian atrocities which fuel the grudge of Jesus-haters through the ages. “Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will startle the Jewish reader into seeing that evil people were not true Christians, and did these things contrary to the plain teachings of Jesus.” Dr. Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries defends the Truth in Why I Believe by explaining, in fact, the Spanish Inquisition was in many cases a matter of the church persecuting the people who had indeed discovered the true Christian faith of the Bible. In contrast, the apostle Paul (whose letters comprise much of New Testament teaching) wrote, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” (Romans 10:1)

Six: Love God enough to accept the One Sent by Him. Realize that it isn’t a denial of the Jew’s heritage as it inevitably is for an atheist, say. For some, to accept Yeshua as the sin-bearer means an about face. For the Jew, it should be the expected fulfillment of the Promise. This isn’t to say the social consequences aren’t harsh and very real. Dr. Cohen simply begs for Shema to prevail. Should Messiah be found in Yeshua, the only God-blessed option is to invite Him in “to sup with us.”
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” ~Jesus; Revelation 3:20

A gift from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is found in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review today! "The court panel was compelled to state the self-evident: 'The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state...Our nation's history is replete with governmental acknowledgment, and in some cases accommodation of religion.'" Well, Merry Christmas to all...

“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” ~The Shema; Deuteronomy 6:4-5

The Shema maintains an obligation on which Dr. Gary Cohen elaborates in the magazine, Zion’s Fire, “An Obligation of the Shema”. First, allow me to share some of today’s Bible study. The fate of every believer is battle. “…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” ~ Isaiah 54:17 What are we refuting? Lies. How do we do this? “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” ~Acts 4:12 We do this by speaking the Truth in His Name, a double-edged sword—and NO WEAPON FORGED AGAINST YOU WILL PREVAIL.

To love and please God is to fight and seek Truth continually. Of course, Dr. Cohen directs his writing to Jews but I cannot diminish the fact that all creation aches to be restored to completion. People unaware of the Shema will still discover the emptiness of life without God, when all else fails. Amazingly, numero uno obligation on Cohen’s list is an open, honest study of the Word. For you spiritual types, negating intellectual pursuit is a betrayal of who we are…intelligent creations. Learning the Torah, Prophets, and Wisdom of the Bible reveals much about Messiah’s coming. Dr. D. James Kennedy claims over four hundred details about the Messiah are written AND fulfilled. I want to see that list!

Second obligation: investigate those who have claimed messiah-ship, sent by God. Did they fulfill prophecy? How did they demonstrate their claim in their lives? Jesus boldly boasted, “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.” ~John 5:36-37 God testified of Jesus in His Word, first obligation!

Three: “Read at least part of the New Testament” All but Luke was written by first century Jews who believed the Messiah had come.

Four: As the wise men looked beyond earthly things to follow a star, Dr. Cohen implores seekers to look beyond the writings of men. Many have tried to prove the gospels wrong with fabrications of all sorts. Cohen names a few. A Passover Plot book suggests Jesus masterminded the greatest deception of all time! Another accuses Paul (whose letters comprise much of the New Testament teaching) of a similar plan because he didn’t get the promotion he wanted! The Toledot Yeshu, 5th century A.D., butchers the account of Jesus’ life, including a depiction of Christ’s body being dragged through the streets. Are these beyond reason? The best retort for most of the nonsense is: How could the many martyrs of the faith, not just a crazy few, die such horrible deaths for a lie? Could Jesus possibly suffer the cross for the sake of a plot of tomfoolery? And Jesus dragged around like Hector? So the centuries old Church is based on a mangled dead man OR a lie? Wow, I’m thinking the resurrection is comparatively easy to accept!
No, I won’t throw out the conspiracy theories that quickly. It isn’t so far fetched to buy into stories of Plot and Deception. Listen to what the Church is saying: “The prophecies hundred of years old have all been brought to fruition in one man’s life!” Inconceivable! It must have been planned! Now jump to our present situation! The coming together on all fronts of a distinct attack on Christianity, freedom and Western Civilization! Spells conspiracy with the capital C! I conclude, both “plots” are supernaturally driven. Mere men could NEVER pull it off, either one! Historical and Biblical records far better explain the persistence of Christianity, the spread of the faith, despite men’s every malicious attempt to kill, maim, and grossly distort the Story and its tellers. The Church’s survival is Divinely fantastic.

Five and six will go on hold for now.

Dr. Gary Cohen, in his article on the Shema, offers three brief answers as possible Christian responses to doubting Jews.
1. Jesus isn’t another god but was sent by the God of the Shema. Jesus is the long awaited for Messiah. Christ (Greek) means Messiah (Hebrew).
2. The Shema was strongly stated in the midst of Egypt’s and Canaan’s multiple gods and paganism. God was truly trying to protect Israel, His beloved. Here is where the much avoided tri-unity of our One and only God is discussed. Jesus, Son of the Father God, was there at Creation: “The Word was with God and the Word was God…Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (The beginning of John’s Gospel) In brief, the Holy Spirit, the third part of the God of the Bible, is an indwelling in men of faith. It’s not so much that God is broken into pieces as much as we need to have Him broken down for our feeble minds to comprehend His Glory!
He wants us to see more than an awesome, bright Shekinah Glory. He knows we, for the most part, can understand His complexity beyond a blinding Light. God has always wanted us to know Him better. As Dr. Cohen points out, the detail of His Creation, as we learn more and more, directs us to an ingenious, miraculous, wondrous Designer. His plan for all time was to save us from ourselves (Genesis 3:15) and to send a Lamb, the focus of the Old Testament, as the once and for all Atonement.
Prove Jesus was and is God? Prove you’re Joe Green! You have a piece of paper? Jesus has more documents than one single paper! Some things are taken on faith, after the evidence is examined! Jesus declared the Shema! There is no such rule such as: “The One eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, Holy Creator cannot be complex in His Oneness.” (Cohen; Zion’s Fire; p 15)
3. If, just supposing here, Jesus were the One sent from Heaven to earth, Meshea, the Anointed One, the Lamb of all lambs, for the pinnacle purpose of releasing us from our greatest debt, an unpayable debt, for our continual betrayal of God, THEN accepting His life and sacrifice in our hearts is not the rejection of the One True God! Rejecting Jesus IS. To put it another way, seeking the Messiah is a directive from God and must come from within. Finding Him is a discovery, not surrender to outside pagan cultural pressure. You might hear the News from the Christian “religion” but God’s Word, i.e. Isaiah 52:12-53 and the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are where Meshea is to be wonderfully found!

Israel as a nation, and as Chosen individuals in love with God’s Holy Word (as the Shema commands), have “a special obligation to await [the One whom God Himself would raise up and send to them] and should He come, to accept Him and love Him specifically because God sent Him. The essential point of Messiah is that He is God sent.” (Cohen; pp15-16) Putting aside the fact that Jesus Christ our Savior is God, this obligation of the Shema remains plastered in the heart of every human soul.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright Morning Star.” ~Revelation 22:16

Trans-Siberian Orchestra lit the season with rockets red (blue and green) glare and bombs bursting in air (Oh, that was Jeff Plate's drum solo!), gave proof through the night that our Savior's still there! There was enough heart to melt Siberia, enough energy to take the Northern Lights to Australia, and enough Christ to make you think it's fifty years ago but enough Rock to realize it's not, enough Hope to see that this might be the reality fifty years hence for there was enough rejoicing in the Lord and King to believe it was heaven. You have heard of the blinding Light of God? They had that too! BTW, I didn't know James Lewis (singer of rock in the best sense) is from Pittsburgh!

There was a moment when I realized the lost girl in the story, coming home to her father, did find meaning in the lost Church which has strayed from Home...and I caught a picture of a broken Father receiving His child, one at a time. I wasn't sitting in my house-church and we weren't in a box of a quiet church somewhere, like a gift that will never be received. No, this was an arena, with thousands of people and enough excitement to keep Christmas for eternity, if we could only hold it like the angels can. But behold, TSO and Chris Caffery said something about next year!

Until then, I wanna mess with their lyrics--hope they don't mind:
"Kyrie among nations
Hear the strings (bells) ring through the night
Hoping that we'll all understand
Every dream we have's in His (our) Hands
And for every string
May they sing all through the night...
May they ring all through your life."

The celebration included a sincere thank you to our military. The theme was peace and giving; that is what our service men and women, and their families, is all about. We're still praying for early peace and their safe return home.

Something else was inspired by TSO last night. I have been waiting to reveal a new ministry trying to birth here in Pittsburgh so here's a tease. Standing in the Gap hopes to offer support and second chances for the downtrodden, most often anonymously, in the Name of Jesus, as a gift to Him, for His Kingdom and glory. So far, the needs are being brought forth junctured to perfect timely arrival of money. If this is any indication of God's involvement, you will be hearing more soon!

As we walked toward home, the snow fell with such peace that night. The city was being given a clean, white coat. Now I'm ready for Jesus.

...On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided."

One of my more intellectual friends (meaning the balance between faith and thinking is a little off) tried to explain her theory: Because God may not be limited by time and space in any way, perhaps we all reach salvation on His eternal continuum somewhere, in some other state of being…in another existence or as we are passing into death. Purgatory came to my non-Catholic mind. Wayne, Questions and Answers, brought to our attention the dismissal of “limbo” from Catholic doctrine. I see this as a step in the right direction, but back to my friend’s metaphysical beliefs. This idea came after some thoughts she had on the Bible being unnecessary because it only “complicates” things! Really?

In all the webbing of confusion, there is a thread of truth. God did a work of salvation in one place, at one time, which mysteriously did apply itself to all eternity. Concerning the sacrifices in the temple, each lamb was for one time of entering into God’s presence on the Day of Atonement. According to Biblical Law, justice is one human death for taking human life. Jesus’ death was different because He was God. God can do that because He does defy space and time. We, on the other hand, are finite in our physical existence. We have only so much time as limited beings to make our choices and abide the consequences. If there were some other realm, dimension, or life where we could continue making choices, don’t you suppose the imminence declared in God’s Word would have been omitted? And when can we know our time is up? When is our final answer? Is there a last chance? Do we know when that is? Much of the Bible, even if you like to call it mythology, would not jive with the notion of endless opportunity, an eternity of second chances for salvation. But then my friend doesn’t accept the Bible.

Jehovah-Jireh, "The Lord Will Provide", refers to a geographical place so named at a time in human history. Genesis 22:14 “…And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided.’” The Lord did provide the Lamb at this place named by Abraham at a later time in our history. God might not be enclosed by time but He uses space and time for our benefit, one place and time in history. Billy Graham always says, “Don’t put it off. This could be your only chance. You could leave here and never reach home.” God can choose one place and time for all eternity. We must choose our eternity in one place and time.

Nick Queen is to be congratulated on starting an enduring outreach to bloggers, writers and readers everywhere! Presenting the one hundredth Christian Carnival! When is the last time you went to a carnival that started with prayer. Well, this one did and God has blessed and is blessing this wonderful meeting of the minds...from all walks of Christianity. God bless you too as you peruse these delights! Thanks, Nick! Thanks, God.

No other person has come anywhere near the ninety some (Lee Strobel puts it at 110) messianic prophecies which Jesus is claimed to have fulfilled. I confess there are some that are more vague than others, which take place in unseen history and seen only by faith. I challenge anyone who has a detail personality to count up the ones, which literally and physically came true in history in the recorded life of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Gary Cohen continues writing from his experience with defending his faith. The reply of many a Jew in opposition to this Good News uses the Shema as their barricade to Truth: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” Three examples follow.
1) We have our God. We don’t need anything or anyone else. Oh the irony. I have said these identical words to the Mormons who came knocking. I have my Bible, and its prophets are found there. Why would I read your book, which appeared so much later? There is no need for it! I can relate very well to the doubting Jew. There is one difference. I was told in Revelations—‘Don’t look any further’—no more words are to be added! “On the other hand” (Tevye reasons!), Israel was told to watch and wait for their Messiah to come!

2) Our God is One; we dare not add another god, this Jesus, to our equation; one plus one is one too many! Three? A Holy Spirit? Don’t even think about it!

3) Deuteronomy 6:14 – just a little further in the law, God says, “Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you.” When it comes to their faith, Jews were always taught to remain apart.

All of a sudden, it appears no wonder at all that Jesus Christ has been rejected as being God. These arguments are valid unless the Trinity doctrine can be grasped. And we all have a handle on that, eh?
Dr. Cohen offers three brief answers as possible Christian responses, which will be next time. I know you are busy!

Another shove from my Loving Dad, I was searching for a couple of articles this a.m. about this special alliance that seems to be gaining some momentum, if what I'm hearing is any indication. When what to my wandering eyes does appear but my weekly World Magazine, with Holiday Cheer! H-hm, in the sidebar. So here I am, once again following the prompt from above. First hearing was on morning radio with Quinn and Rose, talking about an article in the Wall Street Journal. Remember "Absalom, oh my Absalom!"? David Brog does an interesting comparison of David's reaction to his dear son's death to recent ADL rantings from Abraham Foxman. Are liberal jews biting the hand? Rabbi Daniel Lapin is in complete agreement:
"Our self-appointed “leaders” in the Jewish community do us no favor by denouncing every public expression of Christian faith as if it were a ham sandwich at a barmitzvah. Anti-Christianism is unhealthy for all Americans; but I warn my brethren that it will prove particularly destructive for Jews to be leading the extirpation of all signs of Christian fervor from the village square. Just look at France..." (Toward Tradition)

The December 1 press release, also heralded by Quinn (I think), from the Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation (JAACD) included statements from Don Feder, one of my all time favorite writers! Since his articles in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review are much missed, it is especially good to see him in action. We've got a cold hearth within our own homeland, the embers barely warm...and, coming from a Christian who has found the roots of Jesse, thank God we are finally gaining some outspoken allies in our fight for religious freedom. Amen.

Isaiah 11:1-4
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.”

Fulfillment:
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,” ~Luke 1:68-69

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat…the son of Judah…the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse…the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23-38 (AKA, The Begats)

Joseph, father of Jesus (as was supposed), was legitimate heir to the royal throne of David, but this lineage is believed to be Jesus’ ancestry through His mother, Mary. David’s son Nathan is used for following the bloodline to Mary. Jesus is the spiritual King through His mother and Heavenly Father; He is to be earthly King through the legal line of his earthbound father.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." ~Hebrews 1:1-4

“But to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? ~Heb. 1:13
“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” ~Acts 2:32-33 (Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost)
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” ~Colossians 3:1

The other fulfillment:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob…Jesse begot David the king. David begot Solomon…And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generation, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” ~Matthew 1:1-17

The right was passed through the royal line of David, through Solomon, to Joseph, Mary’s husband. Jesus was to become the earthly King of Israel but He never acquired His rightful reign on earth. Jesus even spoke of this in Matthew 12 when the Pharisees charged Jesus’ disciples with breaking the Sabbath as they picked some grain from a field, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread (the showbread)—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.” The idea being, David and company were never found to be with fault by God. This was during David’s exile, when he was denied his rightful place on the throne. The analogy, according to William MacDonald’s Bible Commentary, “The Lord Jesus was the rightful King of Israel, but the nation would not acknowledge Him as Sovereign. If [Jesus] had been given His proper place, His followers would not have been reduced to eating in this way on the Sabbath or on any other day of the week. History was repeating itself. The Lord did not reprove His disciples, because they had done no wrong.” (p 1247)

Jesus, the Christ, will obtain His earthly throne in this part of the prophecy yet to be fulfilled.
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.” ~Gabriel (Luke 1:32-33)

Isaiah 7:14:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].”

Fulfillment:
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his Kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” ~Luke 1:26-35

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” ~Matthew 1:21-23

Isaiah 9:6-7
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this”

Fulfillment:
“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his Kingdom there shall be no end" ~Luke 1:32-33
The eternal Kingdom of God will be made visible in the end of this age so the fulfillment isn’t quite complete. Coming up: More on the lineage and position of Jesus Christ, King of Kings.

Psalm 22
(Quoting v. 1) “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

Jesus quoted the first phrase on the Cross, bringing to mind, then and now, this prophetic Psalm.

Fulfillment:
“Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.’" ~Psalm 22:18 quoted by Matthew (27:35)

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’” ~Matthew 27:39-40
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” ~Matthew 27:46

Recently, the History Channel ran a two part series about the Crusades. As far as I could tell, it was about as accurate as describing open heart surgery by starting with, “The masked man drugged his victim before slicing him open with a razor sharp knife”. Information crucial to understanding the Crusades was ignored and there was so much politically correct spin I almost became dizzy watching it. I want to make it clear that I am not condoning the brutality exhibited by the Crusaders. I also want to make it clear that broadcasting a one-sided history of the Crusades, as I believe was presented by the History Channel, is a disservice to the public.

First and foremost was the almost complete disregard for the manner in which Islam spread as compared to the manner in which Christianity had spread throughout the same region. Christianity dispersed throughout the Middle East and Europe by peaceful means through the establishment of churches and eventually “conquered” the Roman Empire without lifting a sword! Islam was spread through military gain. There were no Islamic missionaries only Islamic warriors, including Mohammed. The tidal wave of Islamic conquest rolled over the Middle East, North Africa and both the southeastern and southwestern regions of Europe. Charles Martel’s human wall of mail-clad Frankish infantry finally stopped the advance into France in 732. Although the History Channel version did give a nodding acknowledgement to the spread of Islam by force, it did not accurately describe the extent or ferocity of the Muslim invasion nor did it even touch upon the realities of non-Muslims, called dhimma, living under Muslim rule.
In addition to glossing over the fact that Islam was only spread at the point of a sword, the History Channel perpetuated the myth that there existed a peaceful coexistence between the Islamic conquerors and the subjugated native inhabitants. Once conquered these native inhabitants were given three choices; convert to Islam, pay what is called the jizya a. tax which leads into the dhimma status I mentioned earlier or die. Those who chose life without Islam, the dhimmi, were treated to a second class “citizenship” that bordered on slavery. This is the status to which Islamic apologists refer when they say that the “people of the Book” (Christians and Jews) were allowed “freedom to worship”. That statement is both true and incomplete. Freedom of worship was allowed. Freedom to build new churches or synagogues was not; freedom to renovate, repair or expand existing churches or synagogues was not. As dhimmi, there were also sometimes very severe restrictions limiting their participation in many social and legal activities. In addition, the jizya could become very expensive as it could be raised at the whim of whoever was in power at any given time.
This is already pretty long and I do have more. Guess it’ll have to be a two parter.

Resources: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades
A History of the Crusades, Vol. 1
Carnage and Culture

Submitted by Rick

Nancy Pearcey called my attention to her recent article on the philosophical (and scientific)arguments for Intelligent Design at Human Events Online. As the support troops in the battle for Total Truth, these points might take some pondering but Nancy does not hold back on the importance of this front in the culture war. Conservativism and Christianity itself are at stake, from the closeting of Christmas to the strictly secular worldview takeover of public education, as evidenced in the Dover, PA trial. Ms. Pearcey puts Darwin on Trial (of Phillip E. Johnson's pen) as he should be in every Christian mind.

Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (c. 536 B.C. ~Dr. Gary Cohen; Zion’s Fire)

Fulfillment:
“Then saith He to Thomas, ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but believing’” ~John 20:27

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” ~John 1:14

The Jewish nation and the Jewish religion have rejected Jesus as the chosen Messiah. Yet, God prophesies through Zechariah of a day in which He will reach out to the Jewish people in a spirit of grace and open their eyes to the truth. They then will weep and grieve over their rejection of the true Messiah. Large numbers of them will accept Jesus as the Messiah. They will trust in Him as their personal Lord and Savior and thus become part of the “New Israel”—the Church (Romans 11 ~Dr. D. James Kennedy; Messiah)

Romans 11 references Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34 thus:
“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’” ~Romans 11:26-27

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Quoting 53:4-5 “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (700 B.C.; Dead Sea Scrolls Isaiah manuscripts (2) ~Dr. Gary Cohen; Zion’s Fire)

Fulfillment:
“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” ~John 1:10-11

“When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” ~Matthew 8:16-17

“But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him: That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord revealed?” ~John 12:37-38

“ 'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth’ (Isaiah 53:9); who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” ~1 Peter 2:22-24

Also in fulfillment of the complete text: Mark 10:45; 15:4-5, 27-28; Matthew 27:57, 60

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” ~Jeremiah 31:31 (600 B.C. ~Dr. Gary Cohen; Zion’s Fire)

Fulfillment:
“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” ~Hebrews 9:14-15

“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” ~Luke 22:20