In the Bible there is a certain place known as Mt. Carmel. This is where one of my favorite biblical events took place.
It was the Prophet Elijah who did a number on 450 of Baal’s false prophets. It was Elijah who challenged them and Israel to choose whom they should follow.
“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him’” (1st Kings 18:21).
Those words from Elijah carry the same message for the unbelieving world today, including those who adhere to the false teachings of Muhammad.
I bring up Islam due to the fact it is indeed the 2nd largest religion in the world with Christianity being the largest, which means we believers in Messiah have a lot of work to do when it comes to that particular group of people. And, praise the Lord, the Good News is being spread in the oppressive Islamic regime of Iran like never before. Please pray for the Iranian people who risk their lives just for believing in the truth of Jesus Christ while rejecting the lies of Islam. Also, pray for the missionaries there as they risk their lives as they obey Jesus’ command of the Great Commission.
For centuries now, the satanic cult known as Islam has been trying to annihilate not only Israel and the Jewish people, but the Christian as well, or what the Koran refers to as ‘the people of the Book.’
The odds ostensibly are in the Muslims’ favor when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people when one considers the population advantage the Muslims currently hold.
The odds are ostensibly in Islam’s favor. According to World Population.com, there are over 2 billion Muslims around the world. As for the world’s Jewish population… 15 million.
As we zoom in on the Middle East and North Africa, the Muslim population is roughly 320 million (Pew Research Center) while the Jewish population in Israel is approximately 7 million. But, with the God of Israel in all of this, the numbers are meaningless. If there is any doubt about that, let’s read Isaiah 41:8-11.
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.”
So, if Allah is greater, as the Muslims’ mantra goes, why do Israel and the Jewish people still yet exist? Not only have the Jewish people survived a long history of brutality and murder, they are, at this point in their history, not just surviving; they are thriving like never before.
No matter the religion, cult or group, including the manmade moon-god Allah, what the Prophet Elijah said in 1st Kings applies to all gods except the ‘One True God,’ the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the same God of both believing Jews and Gentiles – ‘the people of the Book.’
What Elijah said just may put a bit of a smile on your face as it does mine every time I read it. As the prophets of Baal were anxiously waiting and waiting for their so-called god to respond to their request, we read where Elijah is really giving them the business.
“Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened” (1st Kings 18:27).
Elijah was, for sure, bold as well as humorous.
The Muslims of the world need to realize a couple of things. One: they are fighting against the Almighty God and have no chance. Zero. Nada. And, two: God has an everlasting covenant with Israel, the Jew, and the Body of Christ (the Church) which He will not break, or He would be liar; and God is not a liar.
We need to pray for the Muslims in the same manner as Elijah prayed for the prophets of Baal and the Israelites on Mt. Carmel.
“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1st Kings 18:37).
There is, of course, something quite serious in what was spoken here in 1st Kings, and that is this: Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua/Jesus are to pray for the salvation on behalf of all Muslims in the world, especially those in the Middle East who continually try to not only seize the Land of Israel, but also have an inherent evil and wicked desire to completely rid the world of the Jew and the Christian, along with biblical history itself.
As we carry out the Great Commission, the message to be conveyed to all unbelievers is to acknowledge there is only ‘One True God.’ Also, they must repent and surrender to Him. Paul made the way to salvation quite simple in chapter 10 of Romans.
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” (Romans 10:9-12, ESV).
It is not that complicated. Even a nice Jewish boy understood what this ‘Jew of all Jews’ wrote. That was some 30 years ago. Thank you, Abba, for sending to me a man named Harvey who was obedient to delivering a message of your amazing and saving grace about Jesus the Messiah.
And one more thing. Brothers and sisters, this current pestilence known as the Wuhan coronavirus will hopefully and prayerfully be over soon. First and foremost, it will be His will coming by way of the talents and gifts our Lord has generously given to those in the healthcare field. Or, in His sovereignty, He could just simply rid the entire world of it. Whatever He chooses to do will be right and just. Amen?
However, and this is really the last thing: there is another virus far more deadly than anything I can think of. The sin-virus.
It can only end in death which is a total and complete separation from God for all of eternity in a real place known as the Lake of Fire. The only cure is to be vaccinated with the Blood of the Lamb. To apply it properly and effectively, it needs to be given orally and accepted by faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, ESV).
And, bonus… it is absolutely 100% guaranteed to work when taken by grace through faith. Nothing less and nothing more. Amen?
Let’s remain obedient to what Christ commanded us to do for such a time as this.
Be blessed and stay safe,
Mark Susswein