Church of God News

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria (Dragan TATIC Österreichische Außenministerium)

COGwriter

Islamic terrorists struck in Egypt today:

9 April 2017

Two blasts targeting Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday have killed at least 40 people, officials say.

In Alexandria, an explosion outside St Mark’s Coptic church killed 13 people. Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside and was unhurt, state media reported.

An earlier blast at St George’s Coptic church in Tanta killed 27 people.

So-called Islamic State (IS) says it is behind the explosions. The group has recently targeted Copts in Egypt.

Four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed in Alexandria, the interior ministry said. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church.

The first explosion in Tanta, 94km (58 miles) north of Cairo, took place near the altar.

Security forces later dismantled two explosive devices at the Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque, also in Tanta, the state-run Al-Ahram news website reports.

The explosions injured at least 78 people in Tanta and 35 others in Alexandria, the health ministry said. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39544451

Sweden and Russia were also hit by Islamic terrorists in the past week. Those affected are in my prayers.

Terrorism is so wrong.

But the Islamic terrorists do not care. They hate.

There are Islamic writings that encourage terrorism. Notice something from the Qur’an:

003.151
YUSUFALI: Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority: their abode will be the Fire: And evil is the home of the wrong-doers!
PICKTHAL: We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers.
SHAKIR: We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they set up with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and their abode is the fire, and evil is the abode of the unjust. (The Qur’an Translations of the Qur’an, Surah 3: AL-E-IMRAN (THE FAMILY OF ‘IMRAN, THE HOUSE OF ‘IMRAN). Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement. retrieved from http://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/religious-texts/quran/verses/003-qmt.php#003.151 12/04/15)

More items about Islam, war, terror, and deceit, can be found in the article Differences Between Islam and the Continuing Church of God. That being said, I do not believe that the group calling itself the Islamic State will end up controlling the Middle East and North Africa–this will be a different coalition–one led by the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43).

Despite this, Pope Francis claims that Islam is not a religion of war:

08/01/16

“I do not believe it is right to identify Islam with violence,” said Pope Francis. “This is not right, and it is not true. I don’t like to speak about Islamic violence. There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence.”

Bizarre.

Of course there are violent Catholics. But when a bomb goes off in a café in Israel or a terrorist shoots up a café in Paris, we don’t think for one minute that the perpetrator is a Catholic.

That’s because Islamic terrorist acts are not only a reality, they have become the norm throughout the entire world.

Denying it’s true doesn’t change reality. http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/are-pope-khan-right-about-islam/#ZFC1sLkrvz5Du1XO.99

In its publication Dabiq, the Islamic State had an article last Summer titled, Why We Hate You & Why We Fight You. It gives reasons why. Here is the first reason it gives on page 31:

1. We hate you, first and foremost, because you are disbelievers; you reject the oneness of Allah – whether you realize it or not – by making partners for Him in worship, you blaspheme against Him, claiming that He has a son, you fabricate lies against His prophets and messengers, and you indulge in all manner of devilish practices.

But the prophets DID teach that God would have a son. Notice what the prophet Isaiah was inspired to write:

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Notice what the Psalmist prophesied:

6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

7 “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You. (Psalms 2:6-7)

Jesus was begotten to be the Christ:

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-12)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Muslims supposedly believe the Old and New Testaments–though they claim that they were altered. Yet, there would be no reason that the Jews would have altered a prophecy in Isaiah to point to a Son being born who is called the ‘Mighty God’ as that would support views of Christians. Nor would they have altered the Psalms for the same reason.

It is NOT a lie to point to Jesus as the Son of God, and His arrival was prophesied (see also Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour).

The Islamic State should not hate Christians for believing what the Bible teaches about Jesus. But that is part of its wrong reasoning.

In Why We Hate You & Why We Fight You, here is the second reason from it on pages 31-32:

2. We hate you because your secular, liberal societies permit the very things that Allah has prohibited while banning many of the things He has permitted, a matter that doesn’t concern you because you Christian disbelief and paganism separate between religion and state, thereby granting supreme authority to your whims and desires via the legislators you vote into power. In doing so, you desire to rob Allah of His right to be obeyed and you wish to usurp that right for yourselves. “Legislation is not but for Allah” (Yusuf 40). Your secular liberalism has led you to tolerate and even support “gay rights,” to allow alcohol, drugs, fornication, gambling, and usury to become widespread, and to encourage the people to mock those who denounce these filthy sins and vices. As such, we wage war against you to stop you from spreading your disbelief and debauchery – your secularism and nationalism, your perverted liberal values, your Christianity and atheism – and all the depravity and corruption they entail.

The Islamic State is correct that Western societies should not promote pornography, fornication, “gay rights,” and other vices.

Yet, instead of engaging in a terroristic war, those in the Islamic State should heed the words of Jesus:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,  45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

If those in the Islamic State think that Allah is the God of Abraham, which they claim, then they should heed Jesus’ words.

While the Islamic State, and other Muslims, believe that “Christians” are a warring people, the biblical reality is that Christians were never supposed to be. Nor, have real Christians been so throughout history (see Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence?).

Furthermore, the Bible says:

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:8-11)

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

True Christianity is based on love (see The Philadelphia Remnant: It’s All About Love). Hate is not the way.  All who embrace selfish hate need to repent.

In a different article in Dabiq, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) said that it had “bloodthirsty knights of the Caliphate” to wage their war of terror. Of course, that is an indictment against the so-called Islamic State itself. Consider what Jesus said:

31 If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31)

34 Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34-36)

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)

Now, Satan, like the Islamic State, mixes truth with error–that can deceive people (e.g. 1 Timothy 2:4).  And that is what the Islamic State has also been doing.

If people would repent and properly accept the truth it would set them free–they would not even want to be considered as ‘bloodthirsty.’ But because they deny the truth they become slaves to sin and Satan’s influence.

The Bible shows that one day, Satan will be bound for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-2), “so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:3). During that 1000 years, the millennial reign will occur (Revelation 20:4-6; see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?)–that is part of the good news of the Kingdom of God.

But until then, we will have sorrows and troubles (Mark 13:8), with a temporal/false peace (Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), to be followed by the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?). Yet, the good news is that the Kingdom of God will be established and terrorism will end.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 9th, 2017 at 7:30 am and is filed under Religious News.

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