In relation to the war on terrorism, the best that could happen is for all the Islamic terrorists to be converted to Christ and be as radical for Him and impart life, as they have been devoted to taking it. This is going to happen to some of them. Many of the greatest Christian leaders in the last days will come from radical Islamic movements. They will be as fearless and resolute for the gospel as they have been for Islam, and they will help to bring badly needed restoration to the basic spiritual and moral fabric of the church.
It would also be better for us if Osama Bin Laden is not captured or killed in the near future. I say this because the United States has already become too comfortable because of the seemingly easy military successes. Because of this, the danger for more catastrophes is growing. Bin Laden is but the head of one serpent, and there are many, many more serpents. The pursuit of bin Laden will also lead our government to a far greater understanding of the enemy and the scope of the war that we are in. The longer bin Laden remains at large, the better off we will ultimately be. His trail will lead us to much understanding, and we must stay hot on his trail.
It will be much better for us the more we realize that we are fighting a very patient enemy that is now planning for years down the road. Many think that because they did not hit us hard during this holiday season that they probably no longer have the ability. They do not think that way. They most likely have been focusing more on the next holiday season, or even two years from now, than this one.
The enemy understands very well that we have a tendency to get mad for a little while, throw a few cruise missiles and bombs, and then turn back to our real concern—the economy. They do not believe we have the patience or resolve to win against them in a long, sustained, war. They have studied the way that Vietnam wore the United States down and they are determined to fight for as long as it takes.
It will also be better for us if we understand that we are not fighting a cowardly enemy. Demonically inspired, yes, but not cowardly. I say this because the nature of their attacks will be marked by amazing boldness. The more we think, “They wouldn’t dare attack that,” the more likely it is to be a target.
The Economy
The economy of the United States is a main target of the enemy. The United States emerged as a world military power during World War II. You can mark the beginning of the economic ascendance that we have enjoyed since 1947 to when President Truman resolved to recognize Israel as a nation. Our prosperity as a nation is directly linked to Israel because it is directly linked to the blessing of God that this brings to us, as the Lord promised Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3:
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your
name great; and you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who
curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed (NKJV).
Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, was a bondwoman, and likewise her descendants remain in bondage to this day. That is why there is not a single Islamic nation in the world today that is a democracy, or that enjoys even the most basic freedoms that are the heritage of Western nations that were built upon Judeo-Christian ethics.
Just as Ishmael had to be driven out of Abraham’s household because of his antagonism toward Isaac, there is still animosity between the sons of Ishmael and Isaac to this day. The nature of Ishmael can be understood as the result of this basic rejection. However, the Lord loves Ishmael, and will make the Arab people a great nation, and likewise a blessing to the whole earth (see Isaiah 19: 19-25).
Assyria in this text includes all of the land from modern Iraq to Egypt, which includes the land of the modern Arab peoples. There will be reconciliation between the descendents of Isaac and Ishmael. Their unity and love for each other will bring a blessing to the whole earth. Satan knows the Scriptures very well, and this is why his number one priority in the world today is to keep the strife going between Israel and her Arab neighbors. Just as their unity can bring a blessing to the whole earth, their division can bring strife to the whole earth.
One of the best things that can happen is for the reconciliation, which was begun by one of the greatest and most courageous statesmen of all time, Anwar Sadat, to continue between these two peoples that are in fact brothers. To the degree that friendship between them grows, blessings will come to the earth. To the degree that strife between them grows, peace will be taken from the earth. Therefore, keeping this strife going is the enemy’s top priority.
The tension between India and Pakistan is extremely dangerous. However, it is an intended distraction from the most critical focal point of human conflict in the world—the Middle East. There are also very dark clouds over China. China sees opportunity in all of these conflicts.
As we were told long before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it would be the combining of the remnants of communism and radical Islam that would be a far greater danger to the world than the Cold War ever was. China basically is the remnant of what is left from communism. The Lord is also mightily at work in China, but there is great potential for China to take the place of the Soviet Union in arming and encouraging the Arab states toward aggression, and even joining in the aggression. China has its eyes on Middle Eastern oil.
As Steve Thompson pointed out in our recent New Year’s conference, the wisdom of the wise virgins in the parable was that they were not dependent on others for their oil. One of the wisest things that we can do as a country right now is eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. We can do this, and must. However this will not be done just by developing our own oil reserves, but we must redouble our efforts to develop other sources of energy. This will allow Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world to have more than adequate supplies from Russia, Romania, and South and Central America.
Even though it is helping our economy to have fuel prices drop and get its feet back on the ground, one of the best things that can happen is for the prices to go back up so that it forces us to develop other sources of energy. Unfortunately, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and it will be necessary for us to develop other energy sources, especially from the sun and the wind.
I would also like to interject at this point that if it were not for environmentalists, the world would be facing far worse problems right now than we are from radical Islam. There are extremists in the environmentalist movements, and even some terrorists, but it is wrong to judge any group by its most extreme elements. All Christians should be environmentalists because "the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness" (I Corinthians 10:26 NKJV), and the Lord will “…destroy those who destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18 NKJV). We must continue the quest of reaping the fruit of the earth without harming the earth. It can be done, and it is in everyone’s best interest to insist that it be done.
One of the best things that has happened to us is our President. He is a patient man, and it would be hard to imagine anyone in politics today that is better suited for the job that he faces. He is grace from God and we should pray continually for his protection and guidance, as well as his cabinet, which is remarkably suited for this task. However, there are some in the cabinet who will try to steer away from our unswerving friendship and commitment to Israel. A departure from this would be the beginning of the worst thing that could happen to us.
One of the best things that can happen for all involved, including their Arab neighbors, is for Benjamin Netanyahu to again lead Israel. There is also going to arise a great leader in Africa that will begin to unite Africa, and this too is from the Lord. The Hebrews and the Africans are the only two peoples in history who were enslaved because of their race, and they have a common destiny to lead the world to freedom. That is why it has been a primary strategy of the enemy to destroy both of these people groups, and is right now releasing his greatest efforts to do this. We need to pray for Africa every time we pray for Israel.
Yesterday I was shown a bald eagle in the Spirit. I was told why this symbol of the United States has head and tail feathers that are white. White speaks of purity, righteousness. The head represents our thinking, and the tail of a bird is used to steer it in flight. One of the reasons why the enemy has so assaulted the morality and integrity of America is because he knows very well that when righteous thinking is at the head, and righteousness is what steers us, we will soar to the heights. We are not through soaring. Our feathers may have been soiled for a time, but they are about to become pure white again.
