Sprague Trivia
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Sprague Trivia
I just returned from visiting my aunt, who is a Palestinian whose parents live in Israel. Theresa is a strong Christian and a close part of our family. Her Palestinian family lives in Haifa and had to evacuate when the Hezbollah rained missiles down on Haifa. If anyone of a Middle Eastern background should be upset over Hezbollah, she should. However, such is not the case. When we came to visit her today she had a 34 page colored slide presentation printed out for me to read. It consisted of 34 pages of quotes from various Israeli leaders past and present on their intentions to reclaim huge amounts of Arab territory for Israel. After reading these various quotes, I can understand the animosity that the Arabs feel toward the Jews. The problem is that one could find even more inflammatory quotes on the part of Arabs toward Jews. Consequently, I don't think that there will ever be any possible peace settlement in that area until one side or the other subdues the other to total submission, which on the Arab side means total genocide of the Jewish race. Of course, we as Christians know "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey likes to say. Jesus is coming soon!
I just returned from visiting my aunt, who is a Palestinian whose parents live in Israel. Theresa is a strong Christian and a close part of our family. Her Palestinian family lives in Haifa and had to evacuate when the Hezbollah rained missiles down on Haifa. If anyone of a Middle Eastern background should be upset over Hezbollah, she should. However, such is not the case. When we came to visit her today she had a 34 page colored slide presentation printed out for me to read. It consisted of 34 pages of quotes from various Israeli leaders past and present on their intentions to reclaim huge amounts of Arab territory for Israel. After reading these various quotes, I can understand the animosity that the Arabs feel toward the Jews. The problem is that one could find even more inflammatory quotes on the part of Arabs toward Jews. Consequently, I don't think that there will ever be any possible peace settlement in that area until one side or the other subdues the other to total submission, which on the Arab side means total genocide of the Jewish race. Of course, we as Christians know "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey likes to say. Jesus is coming soon!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Please read the news article below. What I find particularly interesting about the iman's second coming is that the Iman Mahadi is that the iman has been dead since the 874 A.D. and the Shiites belief is that he will come again. This is a very similar description that the Bible gives of the beast (anti-christ) in Rev. 13:2- "and the dragon (satan) gave him (anti-christ) his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him."
What I find as an amazing coincidence is that the Shiite Muslim belief is that Iman Mahadi is going to come back to life as the Muslim Savior. I can easily picture a man rising up out of the Middle East in the future that will claim to be this iman and do miracles as the scripture predicts he will do and the whole Muslim world will think that he is their promised Messiah.
P.S. I can make such comments as above without fear of being proven wrong because I am not a radio, TV, or book writer that has to worry about eating his own words should this theory be proven wrong. I don't believe that this is the end, because there are other events such as the establishing of 10 kingdoms in that part of the world that must be in place before the anti-christ arises. But the point of interest is that there is a belief in place already that does believe in the restoration of a man who has a been dead and appears to come back to life. What is possible is that this crazy Iranian leader "Ahmadinejad sees himself as Allah’s instrument to pave the way for Imam Mahdi" that would not hesitate to do something catastrophic that could pave the way for the 10 kingdoms to arise and make way for the anti-christ.
Iran Hints at Aug. 22 Doomsday for Israel
Noted Middle Eastern scholar Bernard Lewis warns that Iran is preparing for an apocalyptic "end of time” – and that it could come as soon as August 22.
The July 28 edition of NewsMax’s Insider Report pointed to the connection between that date, when Iran leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country would respond to Western demands regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and a possible attack on Israel.
Now Lewis, professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, writes about that scenario. He notes in the Wall Street Journal that this year, August 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the night when Muhammad flew first to "the farthest mosque” – usually identified with Jerusalem – and then to heaven and back.
"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary the world,” writes Lewis, whose most recent book is "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East.”
He also points to an intriguing reason why the Iranians might not fret at all about an Israeli counterstrike – even with nuclear weapons.
What deterred both sides from using nuclear weapons during the Cold War was the concept of MAD, mutual assured destruction. But the "apocalyptic worldview” of Iran’s current leaders works against that concept, according to Lewis.
Ahmadinejad is a strong believer in the Shiite tradition of a 12th imam, the so-called "hidden” Imam Mahdi who Allah has miraculously kept alive since his disappearance in 874 A.D.
Shiites believe Imam Mahdi will return at a time of great global chaos – and the Web site Zionist.com states: "Ahmadinejad sees himself as Allah’s instrument to pave the way for Imam Mahdi.”
According to Lewis, Ahmadinejad and his followers "clearly believe that this time is now.”
He cites the phrase "Allah will know his own” to explain why Iran might be willing to usher in the apocalypse even if it means the death of many Muslims.
"It means that while infidel, i.e., non-Muslim, victims will go to a well-deserved punishment in hell, Muslims will be sent straight to heaven,” enjoying "the rewards without the struggles of martyrdom.”
For people with this mindset, Lewis writes, "MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement.”
He adds: "It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22, but it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.”
And in the long term, Lewis feels, the best hope of staving off an Iranian-spurred conflagration "is to appeal to those Muslims, Iranians, Arabs and others who do not share these apocalyptic perceptions and aspirations, and feel as much threatened, indeed even more threatened, than we are.”
What I find as an amazing coincidence is that the Shiite Muslim belief is that Iman Mahadi is going to come back to life as the Muslim Savior. I can easily picture a man rising up out of the Middle East in the future that will claim to be this iman and do miracles as the scripture predicts he will do and the whole Muslim world will think that he is their promised Messiah.
P.S. I can make such comments as above without fear of being proven wrong because I am not a radio, TV, or book writer that has to worry about eating his own words should this theory be proven wrong. I don't believe that this is the end, because there are other events such as the establishing of 10 kingdoms in that part of the world that must be in place before the anti-christ arises. But the point of interest is that there is a belief in place already that does believe in the restoration of a man who has a been dead and appears to come back to life. What is possible is that this crazy Iranian leader "Ahmadinejad sees himself as Allah’s instrument to pave the way for Imam Mahdi" that would not hesitate to do something catastrophic that could pave the way for the 10 kingdoms to arise and make way for the anti-christ.
Iran Hints at Aug. 22 Doomsday for Israel
Noted Middle Eastern scholar Bernard Lewis warns that Iran is preparing for an apocalyptic "end of time” – and that it could come as soon as August 22.
The July 28 edition of NewsMax’s Insider Report pointed to the connection between that date, when Iran leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country would respond to Western demands regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and a possible attack on Israel.
Now Lewis, professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, writes about that scenario. He notes in the Wall Street Journal that this year, August 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the night when Muhammad flew first to "the farthest mosque” – usually identified with Jerusalem – and then to heaven and back.
"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary the world,” writes Lewis, whose most recent book is "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East.”
He also points to an intriguing reason why the Iranians might not fret at all about an Israeli counterstrike – even with nuclear weapons.
What deterred both sides from using nuclear weapons during the Cold War was the concept of MAD, mutual assured destruction. But the "apocalyptic worldview” of Iran’s current leaders works against that concept, according to Lewis.
Ahmadinejad is a strong believer in the Shiite tradition of a 12th imam, the so-called "hidden” Imam Mahdi who Allah has miraculously kept alive since his disappearance in 874 A.D.
Shiites believe Imam Mahdi will return at a time of great global chaos – and the Web site Zionist.com states: "Ahmadinejad sees himself as Allah’s instrument to pave the way for Imam Mahdi.”
According to Lewis, Ahmadinejad and his followers "clearly believe that this time is now.”
He cites the phrase "Allah will know his own” to explain why Iran might be willing to usher in the apocalypse even if it means the death of many Muslims.
"It means that while infidel, i.e., non-Muslim, victims will go to a well-deserved punishment in hell, Muslims will be sent straight to heaven,” enjoying "the rewards without the struggles of martyrdom.”
For people with this mindset, Lewis writes, "MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement.”
He adds: "It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22, but it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.”
And in the long term, Lewis feels, the best hope of staving off an Iranian-spurred conflagration "is to appeal to those Muslims, Iranians, Arabs and others who do not share these apocalyptic perceptions and aspirations, and feel as much threatened, indeed even more threatened, than we are.”
Saturday, August 05, 2006
_edited-1.jpg)
