The way to destroy ISIS

Submitted by MIchael S (United States), Dec 2, 2015 at 10:09

Tovey,

First of all, let me point out that the Paris attacks did not take on the appearance of hatred: They were a methodical military operation. As in any such situation, the "targets" are dehumanized in the killers' minds. Being no longer human, those targets are no longer the objects of hatred. I've used the "hatred" reasoning myself at times, wrongly. ISIS is not motivated by hatred, but by a perverted idea about what is "right".

The world-wide attack on Israel is also in this category. Ask any Muslim in Israel's "territories", and they will tell you they do not hate Jews. Jews are people, and those Muslims don't want to believe they hate people. "Zionism", however, is an impersonal ideology; they can seek to destroy it, even with vehemence, without sensing they are doing something "wrong": Jews are people; but "Zionists" are dehumanized "targets". That is how the perversion works.

Now to your preaching about Jesus -- the one whom Jews know as Jesus, Christians know as Jesus and only Christian Messianics and Hebrew-roots Christians know as "Yeshua". You said,

"...replacing empty religious manifestations of hatred with the reality of God given love, as exampled by the love of Yeshua HaMashiach in Jerusalem two thousand years ago."

The odd thing in all this, is that I am a Hebrew-roots Christian; but I find fault with what you said. I have never carried out an ISIS-style killing; in fact, I filed for dismissal from the Army on the grounds of conscientious objection. I have hated people, though. One group I've often conjured up hateful visions of, in fact, is Islamist extremists who (not hatefully, but calmly and methodically) kill innocent people.

Do you think the "example of the love of Yeshua HaMachiach" replaces these hateful thoughts with God's love? It doesn't. Instead, God's holy spirit quickens my mind to focus on the greater reality, to see Him on the throne forever, while those angels of evil suffer in eternal hellfire. That assuages my anger, to the point that I actually feel sorry for them. Unbelievers cannot deal with anger and hatred in this way, because they don't have eyes of faith to see God on the throne. Instead, they nurse their hatred until it eats up not their enemies, but themselves.

How does Jesus/ Yeshua fit into this picture? Jesus proclaimed the message of the Kingdom of God, that same kingdom I spoke of above. He was greatly opposed by unbelievers, the chief of whom were the Chief Priests and scribes -- people who ought to have believed, but didn't -- and was put to death by their manipulation. Then God rose him from the dead, exposing them as evil and him as righteous; and in so doing, we also were given the hope of the resurrection, who believe and hold steadfast in Jesus' teachings.

I believe Jesus, in one heavenly manifestation, is the seven-eyed Lamb:

Rev. 1:
[4] John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
[5] And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood...
[13] And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
[14] His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
[15] And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
[16] And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
[17] And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
[18] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death...
[20] The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

God, of course, has never died; so the one speaking is Jesus, who walks among the menorah of the seven churches. Jesus is also represented by Michael ("lit., "Who is like God!"):

Rev. 12:
[7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
[10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

"MIchael" is depicted in heaven as the one who defeats Satan; but in earth this act translates as the church defeating him (the church being the body of Christ). That is how the three depictions -- those of the seven-eyed lamb, of the white-robed Son of man and MIchael -- are shown to represent the same person, namely, Messiah, of whom you and I are both members. We are the ones who cast Satan to the ground; and we do it through our faith in Jesus and in his resurrection.

Those Islamist crazies fo the things they do not because of any external reality; but because of the perverse doctrine they trust in: a doctrine that does not teach a genuine resurrection (Jesus, or "Iesu", is not depicted as truly mortal), and does not teach the doctrine of "sonship", of intimate connection with God in Christ. They obey a false god, who impels them to fight and kill God's people. Their problem is in their faith; and we destroy that false faith by replacing it with the gospel -- even if we must ourselves be killed in the process.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".