Christian leaders have formally responded to a letter that was sent by Muslim clerics to prominent leaders in Christendom and the Western world last month. In their letter the Muslim leaders called for greater understanding between the two religions. They warned that the very survival of the world itself may be at stake, unless common ground could be found between Islam and Christianity, which together make up around half the population of earth. "With terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants". The letter states that both Islam and Christianity admonish their followers to love the one true God and love their neighbour with all their hearts, and that this should form the basis for all future interfaith dialogue between them. Much of the letter is made up of verses from the Qur'an which proclaim the Islamic teaching that Muslims should worship only God and ascribe no partner to him.   

Quote: "Is Christianity necessarily against Muslims? In the Gospel Jesus Christ says: He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. (Matthew 12:30) For he who is not against us is on our side. (Mark 9:40) ... for he who is not against us is on our side. (Luke 9:50)
According to the Blessed Theophylact’s xxiii Explanation of the New Testament, these statements are not contradictions because the first statement (in the actual Greek text of the New Testament) refers to demons, whereas the second and third statements refer to people who recognised Jesus, but were not Christians. Muslims recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, not in the same way Christians do (but Christians themselves anyway have never all agreed with each other on Jesus Christ’s nature), but in the following way: …. the Messiah Jesus son of Mary is a Messenger of God and His Word which he cast unto Mary and a Spirit from Him.... (Al-Nisa’, 4:171). We therefore invite Christians to consider Muslims not against and thus with them, in accordance with Jesus Christ’s words here.
Finally, as Muslims, and in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we ask Christians to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions ... that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God ... (Aal ‘Imran, 3:64). Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).

No Christian in their right mind could agree to the above statement. The Muslims have indeed remained true to the Qur'an in their letter in calling Christians to submit to the will of Allah. While it is true that as Christians we worship only one God, the Scriptures declare that He has revealed Himself to us in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the Qur'an denies the Deity of Christ, teaching that Jesus was a created being.

Quote: "The SIMILITUDE of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him (Adam) from dust, then said to him: ''Be''. And he was.[3:59]  

Thus according to the Qur'an, any person who believes that Jesus Christ is God has committed an unforgivable sin, punishable by death. Of course the Scriptures do proclaim that Jesus Christ is equal with God... 

Philippians 2:5-7
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

The Lord Himself claimed equality with His Father, and it was this statement that caused the Pharisees to take up stones to kill Him (John 10:30-33). And the Old and New Testaments affirm that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8). In our minds we have committed no sin, for there is only one God who exists in three Divine Persons. But in the minds of these Muslims, to say that Jesus Christ is anything more than a prophet is blasphemy. Well you would think that most Christian leaders would balk at such a request, to effectively deny the Deity of their Lord...

Not so. Over 100 prominent theologians, pastors and ministry leaders have so far added their signatures to a reciprocating letter, calling for common ground to be established between the two religions. Signatories include:- Jim Wallis - president of Sojourners, Rick Warren - founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, John Stott - rector emeritus of All Souls Church in London and Leith Anderson - president of the National Association of Evangelicals. The Christian leaders have asked the Muslims to forgive them for past sins such as the Crusades in the Middle Ages, and for excesses in the War on Terror. They called for deeper dialogue between them that will help reshape the two communities, so they will "genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another".

Quote: "Christian leaders urged for an interfaith dialogue that moves beyond “polite” ecumenical talks between selected leaders. Instead, leaders of both faiths should hold dialogues to build relations that will “reshape” the two communities to “genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another,” the Christian letter stated. “Given the deep fissures in the relations between Christians and Muslims today, the task before us is daunting. And the stakes are great. The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace,” the letter added. “If we fail to make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony you correctly remind us that ‘our eternal souls’ are at stakes as well.”

No doubt Gnostics like Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland would have no problem signing such a letter, for to them the "question mark" over the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ was "always there". But the Scriptures plainly teach that any person who denies that Jesus is the Son of God is liar, and he that denies the Father and Son is antichrist (1st John 2:22). But they say, "Jesus is Lord"! Well didn't Jesus Himself say that not everyone who said, "Lord, Lord", would enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21)? And again there are many that have preached in the Lord's name and cast out devils, of whom it shall be said, "depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity", Luke 13:27. Unfortunately prophecy is no longer being taught in our churches. The Blessed Hope of Christ's coming for His Church is too controversial for some, or else they ascribe to the belief that Jesus Christ came in AD70 and that the Church must now work to bring in God's Kingdom on earth. That view is not found in Scripture. The Bible teaches that Christ is coming back to set up His Kingdom, but first there must come a great falling away from the truth. This falling away will blind much of the world to end time events, preparing the way for the coming of the Antichrist and the one world religious system. I believe Christianity, Islam and Judaism will one day unite under one religious authority, headed up by the false prophet. Jesus Christ is coming again for His Church. Is He coming for you? Trust in Him for salvation today.

Revelation 13:11-12
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Source Sufism, Jesus in the Qur'an, Christian Post

I was sent this link by my friend Steve a few days ago, but I didn't read it until this afternoon. I do get a lot of emails on a daily basis and it's not always easy to cover them all, especially when I'm feeling under the weather. I have commented on John Hagee's unscriptural views before on this website. A few of you emailed me expressing your concerns, that perhaps I was mistaken or Hagee didn't really mean what he said. Yes, John Hagee does do a good work in encouraging Christian support of Israel, and that is needed today more than ever before. Perhaps a person in his prominent position cannot actively encourage evangelisation of Jews, and I could understand it if that were the case. But unfortunately not only does Hagee discourage efforts to preach the Gospel "to the Jew first" (Romans 1:16), but his belief that the Jewish people can be saved without coming to Christ may be damning many of them to hell. John Hagee is the main proponent of the "dual-covenant" theology, which teaches that the Jewish people can be saved by simply by keeping Torah, rather than by trusting in Yeshua HaMashiach for for forgiveness of sin. When recently confronted about his unscriptural beliefs, Hagee publicly denied that he believed in a "dual-covenant" system. But in a letter sent to the Christian Institute dated October 18,1994, Hagee confirmed that he believes the Jewish people can be saved through the old covenant system... 

Quote: "“The Jewish people are judicially blinded to the identity of Messiah... Question: If God blinded the Jewish people to the identity of Jesus as Messiah, how could He send them to hell for not seeing what he had forbidden them to see? ... Inasmuch as God has blinded them to the identity of Messiah, targeting the Jewish people for mass evangelism is fruitless.”  

According to this statement, not only does Hagee believe that Yeshua's death was in vain (if people can be saved without it), but he also questions God's wisdom on sending unbelieving Jews to hell. Unfortunately Hagee did in fact mean what he said, and is backing up his statements with a new book he has written, "In Defence of Israel", which he says will shock Christian theology to its core. Now Hagee is claiming that not only did God judicially blind His people to the identity of the Messiah, but that Jesus Christ never came to earth to be the Messiah in the first place. In his own words...

Quote: "[In Defence of Israel] Scripturally proves that the Jewish people as a whole did not reject Jesus as Messiah. It will also prove that Jesus did not come to earth to be the Messiah. It will prove that there was a Calvary Conspiracy between Rome, the High Priest and Herod, to execute Jesus as an insurrectionist too dangerous to live. Since Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah, how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered? Read it in this shocking exposé, In Defence of Israel".  

Now I haven't read this book, and I do not know if Hagee's comments are to be taken at face value or not. If not, then his statements are at best foolish. But if this book claims what Hagee has stated in this commercial, then it seems Hagee is apostate. This is very sad indeed. There are many verses in the Old and New Testament which prove that Yeshua's First Coming was indeed as the Messiah of Israel. The first time Jesus entered the synagogue to read, He quoted from Isaiah 61...

Luke 4:16-21
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

The term "Meshiach" in Hebrew literally means "Anointed One". To say that Jesus Christ did not come to earth to be the Messiah the first time is deception at best and makes God a liar at worst. In Peter's proclamation of the Gospel to Cornelius and his household in Acts 10:38, he once again uses this term, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him". Daniel's prophecy also proves that Jesus Christ came to be the Messiah at His First Coming to earth...

Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (killed), but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Jesus refusing by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah...

John 4:25-26
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

I am told that in the Aramaic, the saying "Thou sayest it" is a positive affirmation. In my country we have a similar expression, "You said it". In other words, the person who is talking with me has issued a statement that I need not affirm as truth, for it is self evident that the statement is indeed the truth. Sadly some false teachers such as Kenneth Copeland have used these verses to promote their belief that Jesus Christ never claimed to be the Messiah of Israel. This teaching is demonic, for it puts a question mark over the person of Christ and His purpose in coming to earth. 

John 18:37
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

The Jewish people as a whole not rejecting Jesus as Messiah...

Matthew 27:24-25
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

The question is, why would Hagee and Copeland deny that Jesus Christ publicly claimed to be the Messiah? Why are others such as Creflo A. Dollar publicly denying the Deity of Christ? The only answer I can come up with is that Satan is preparing the way for the appearance of a false Messiah who will make that claim publicly. Jesus Christ came in His Father's name, He never came to bring glory to Himself. But there is one coming who will claim to be the Messiah, and he will be accepted by Judaism, apostate Christianity and Islam.

John 5:43
I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Matthew 10:33
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Source Apostasy Watch, YouTube, YouTube

This link from my friend Mike. Isaiah Robertson of Buffalo, New York believes that Niagara Falls will be the place the Lord will judge the nations at His Second Coming to earth. Robertson says the reason why he thinks this is because God will take his glory from one of the wonders of the world, and he believes this to be Niagara Falls because the water is like the voice of God. When Christ returns to judge the nations, Robertson says the water at the base of the falls will turn into a lake of fire. The sheep (the believers) will be separated from the goats (unbelievers), and the goats will go to Goat Island where they will be cast into the lake of fire. 

Quote: ""Three Sisters Islands will be the judgment seat of Jesus, said Robertson, also known by some as Prophet Isaiah, and Goat Island will be where he will separate the sheep, his followers, from the goats, who are rejected in the judgment. "There will be two ways to go," he said, "left into the ring of fire or right into eternal salvation." People who believe in Jesus will go right, and nonbelievers will go left. Robertson expects this to happen in 2014. He has erected a 20-foot-tall wooden cross in front of his house on Ontario Avenue to symbolize the Second Coming of Christ.

The rest of Isaiah Robertson's beliefs regarding the tribulation period do seem to match up with Scripture more or less. Now I'm not knocking this man's conviction and he may be sincerely saved, but it's unfortunate that there is so much confusion surrounding Biblical prophecy in the world today. I have been talking with a few friends by email on this topic of late. Some attended churches where prophecy was seldom mentioned, and others have friends that are either oblivious to what is going on in the world or they don't want to know. It seems the Church in general is largely disinterested in the coming of the Lord. And unfortunately those that claim to be Christians and are speaking of the Lord's return are saying, "thus saith the Lord", when the Lord hasn't spoken. If we Christians want to understand what God has purposed for the last days, there is no alternative to studying the Old and New Testaments. The nation of Israel missed Christ's First Coming because they hadn't studied prophecy. Daniel 9:26 predicted the very date the Messiah would enter into Jerusalem, and Zechariah 9:9 prophesied his entrance into the city would be on a donkey, coming in humility and having salvation. Sadly only a few people recognized the significance of what was taking place, and the religious leaders of the day demanded that Jesus' disciples keep quiet.

Luke 19:41-44
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I wonder if Christ came today, would the religious leaders recognize the significance of what had happened? Perhaps not. As we have seen, apostate Christendom is oblivious to what is going on in the Middle East, and is even pressing for the division of God's land. False prophets are rejecting Biblical prophecy in favour of "Divine revelations" which run contrary to God's Word. Isaiah Robertson is just one example, for the Bible clearly states that the judgement of the nations will take place in Israel in the "valley of Jehoshaphat" (Joel 3:12), which is believed to be the Kidron Valley just outside Jerusalem. As prophesied, the Day of the Lord is fast approaching, and sadly much of Christendom is blissfully unaware of what may be about to take place. Praise God that He has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation. Let us watch and be sober, that when Christ comes we may not have reason to be ashamed as we stand before Him (1st John 2:28). 

Luke 21:34-36
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1st Thessalonians 5:1-6
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

Source Buffalo News

This link from my friend Mike. A commemoration of the second anniversary of Pope John Paul II's passing has received a surprise visit from the Supreme Pontiff himself, according to a news report broadcast by the Vatican News Service. Gregorz Lukasik attended one of the events in Poland marking Pope John Paul II's death, but it was only when he returned home and was looking through the photographs he had taken that he realized how significant this commemoration had been. In one particular photograph he had taken of a bonefire, Gregorz believes the image of John Paul II can clearly be seen in the flames. Vatican officials, including a close friend of John Paul II himself, Jarek Cielecki, believe that John Paul II did indeed appear in the flames, as a mark of respect to his faithful followers. 

Quote: "The bonfire was lit during a service at Beskid Zywiecki, close to John Paul's birthplace at Katowice, southern Poland, on April 2 - the second anniversary of his death. Hundreds had attended the ceremony. Gregorz Lukasik, the Polish man who took the photographs, said: "It was only afterwards when I got home and looked at the pictures that I realised I had something. "I showed them to my brother and sister and they, like me, were convinced the flames had formed the image of Pope John Paul II. "I was so happy with the picture that I showed it to our local bishop who said that Pope John Paul had made many pilgrimages during his life and he was still making them in death."

No doubt this will be taken as further evidence supporting the beatification of Pope John Paul II. I feel that Jarek Cielecki's comments says it all, "You can see the image of a person in the flames and I think it is the servant of God, Pope John Paul II". The reality is, if Pope John Paul II hasn't trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, then he is indeed in the flames - of hell. As any one of us will be if we haven't had our sins forgiven, through faith in Christ's atoning death on the cross. Jesus said, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven", Matthew 18:3. When it comes to sin, God is no respecter of persons. Revelation states that the dead, small and great shall stand before God, and shall be judged out of those things which are written in the books (Revelation 20:12). Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be there, US President Bush will be there, and all the Popes will be there if they haven't trusted in Christ for salvation. At the Great White Throne, all vestments of earthly authority will be gone. Praise God that when it comes to salvation, He is also no respecter of persons. There will be many great and important people in heaven who will point to the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross as the only reason why they are there. Nobody in heaven will have any cause to boast. Praise God that I will be there. Is you name written in the Lamb's book of life?

Luke 10:23-24
And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Source Daily Mail