Pray for peace

Once again, someone has sent me this spam forward that claims that the Koran (the Muslim holy book) contains prophecies that predicted the American invasion of Iraq and that this is somehow a war that was predicted in the Bible as well. PLEASE, if you get this email too- copy and paste this blog post into a reply email. Best yet make sure you hit "reply all" so that everyone else who received the hoax email can read the truth too.

Here it is, from my column blog (http://tedscolumn.blogspot.com) back in September 2004:

BEWARE of The 9/11 email Hoax!
There is an email hoax going around that claims that Chapter 9, Verse 11 of the Koran says something like this:

"For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace."

It's supposed to get Americans to support the War in Iraq because it coincidenttly is the "9/11" verse. Well it is NOT true!

Here's what I got at U.S.C.'s online translation of the Koran at
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/qmtintro.html

009.011
"YUSUFALI: But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand.
PICKTHAL: But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge.
SHAKIR: But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know. "

Please be careful with internet forwards. They may often be fabricated by people who're seeking to advance political agendas.

If there is a problem for believing Christians with this it may be the false doctrine of "Dispensationalism," that is the belief that Jesus' work was somehow incomplete on the cross and that God will make a special allowance for Israel to accept Jesus. Other people seem to think that Jesus' second coming won't happen until Solomon's Temple is rebuilt where there is currently a mosuque- as if the Temple is some kind of stargate through which Jesus will arrive.

Neither of these ideas is found in Scripture, in fact, Jesus makes two things clear. One is that our relationship with God is no longer tied to physical, geographical, or political places. The other one is that there is nothing we can do to precipitate, or speed-up Jesus' coming.

John 4: 19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Matt 24:36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father....44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

For any politician or party to think that they are a catylist for the end times is either presumptuous or delusional. The greatest fault of Islam is it's unacceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, other than that it is not in itself a violent or malevelant religion. Muslim extremist terrorists are to Islam what the Christian Identity and other white-supremist groups are to Christianity, fanatical cults, not true believers. Please be careful about email hoaxes that perpetuate negative stereotypes.

Sorry to be so "preachy," I'll get off my soapbox now.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." ~Matthew 5:9

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.'" ~Psalm 122:6-7
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...and a similar and related post from another time too:

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

~God, in the Bible; Romans 12: 14-20

Counter intuitive, aint it? I'm telling you, Jesus is a radical.

Did George Bush ask himself "What Would Jesus Do?(W.W.J.D.)" when he started planning the war on Iraq (as soon as he came into office 9 monthe BEFORE 9/11)

Please, PLEASE go read Matthew 5 & 6 and Luke 6 and THEN tell me that you can't call yourself a Christian is you vote for Democrats.

And by the way, I think that "Dispensationalsim" is heresy. PLEASE, look it up on Google and learn more about it! It is not Scriptural. Christians should reject this false doctrine and the mainline denominations like Lutherans, Catholics, Methodist, etc. need to expose it for the apostasy that it is.