The Prophecy Today team members wish to express their deepest sympathies for those affected by the recent atrocities in Paris. As the world watches in horror and fear, Clifford Hill asks: how can we respond?
The attack upon Paris was a declaration of war against the West! The co-ordinated attack upon soft targets of unarmed civilians was a cowardly act of brutality that has shocked the whole Western world.
Every Western nation knows that it could happen to them. In every country the question is 'Which city will be the next target?' Will it be London or Washington or Brussels?
Immediate Reaction
Amid all the unanswered questions one thing is certain – the Paris atrocity will not be the last. The Islamists have declared war. But the big question facing Western nations is how should we react? Do we send our armies to the Middle East and blast our way through the complexities of civil war and tribal conflict in a vain attempt to destroy the terrorists in their strongholds?
The immediate reaction of President Hollande was that France would mobilise all her forces to destroy the terrorists, which was very similar to the reaction of President Bush after the 9/11 destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City. He quoted Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig-trees have been felled but we will replace them with cedars". But he had not read the previous verse which pours scorn upon such a reaction as driven by human pride. Bush invaded Iraq, which is one of the factors that has led to the present tragic situation in the Middle East.
If we use force to combat force, we will simply use bigger and more powerful weapons of destruction until we reach the ultimate weapons of mass destruction and destroy the world. Humankind has yet to learn the lesson that force is not the answer to force.
Humankind has yet to learn the lesson that force is not the answer to force.
We must stop, and study the enemy. We must not react in haste, or we will encourage a holocaust that will engulf the whole of humanity.
Facing Reality
The huge mistake that all the Western nations have made is to refuse to face the reality of the nature of Islam. We have deliberately suppressed open discussion about Islam and labelled it 'Islamophobia'. We have talked about terrorists as 'extremists' and tried to combat the so-called 'radicalisation' of young men. But all this has been counter-productive and has actually suppressed the truth about Islam.
We have to face the fact that in our ignorance about Islam we have allowed hundreds of mosques to be established across the Western nations where young men are taught that Islam is at war with the rest of the world; they are also specifically taught to hate Jews and Christians who must be either forcefully converted or destroyed. Young men are told that Allah, the god of Islam, requires them to be ready to offer their own lives to achieve such a purpose. This so-called 'radicalisation' is required in the Koran and is a fundamental part of Islam.
The huge mistake of Western nations is to refuse to face the reality of the nature of Islam. Open discussion has been suppressed as 'Islamophobic'.
It was perhaps the Islamist hatred of Jews that was the reason why the Bataclan Theatre in Paris was targeted – because it is Jewish-owned and has staged pro-Israel productions in the past. When the Charlie Hebdo attack took place earlier this year a Jewish restaurant was also targeted.
Different Values
The Western Christian nations have to learn that Muslims live in a totally different world with a totally different set of social values from those that Christians embrace from the Bible.
A Muslim is allowed to deceive and lie if it advances the cause of Islam; they believe that they are serving Allah when killing Jews and Christians and if they die while murdering them they will be rewarded in the life hereafter. This lack of respect for human life is in stark contrast to Judaeo-Christian teaching, where life is seen as a sacred gift from God.
Our Response
How should we react to the Paris atrocities? We should study the teaching of Islam and the history of Muhammad, who indiscriminately slaughtered Christians and Jews and anyone else who opposed him (he would undoubtedly approve of the slaughter in Paris). We need to recognise the spirit that drives those who follow the teaching of Islam, whether it is in the Middle East or in Nigeria or in France.
Most importantly, we should ask seriously: why did God allow this atrocity to happen? Have the Western nations put themselves outside the protection of God by abandoning their Judaeo-Christian heritage - by passing laws that are directly contrary to the Bible - by indulging in practices that are offensive to God?
We should study the teaching and history of Islam, as well as the teaching of the Bible, and we should ask seriously: why did God allow this atrocity to happen?
But we should also study the teaching of the Bible which makes it clear that spiritual forces can only be overcome by a more powerful Spirit. The Apostle Paul says:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12)
He recommends putting on the full armour of God for our own protection and seeking the power of God to overcome the spirit of evil in the world.
It is a very hard lesson to learn, even for committed Christians, that love is actually stronger and more powerful than hatred. Truth, goodness and generosity are more powerful than evil and violence. The battle with Islam cannot be won with human weapons but only through the Spirit of God.
The Bible makes it clear that spiritual forces of evil can only be overcome by a more powerful Spirit – the Spirit of God.
