Village Schools of the Bible

OFF THE SHELF

"The Truth About Mohammed" and "The Next World War"

From the February 2007 Philogian

As you may have surmised by now, after nearly five years of writing this column for the Philogian, I enjoy reading good books. Oh, once in a while, I read something that I quickly discard into “file 13” as being irrelevant, but most of the time I profit greatly from what I read. Often my reading list is composed of books that others recommend to me that accords me a wider range of reading than I would probably develop myself. So, to those of you who have offered suggestions, I say thanks.

In this issue I would like to share with you two books that I highly recommend. Both books are as current as the morning newspaper or the evening television news programs. Both books take a strong look at what is going on in our world today and seek to offer some suggestions at resolutions of the difficulties.

The Truth about Muhammad (Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2006) was written by Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch, a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Mr. Spencer has authored several books concerning Islam. I had heard Mr. Spencer interviewed on one of the many radio talk-shows I tune into from time to time, and I was intrigued by his understanding of who Muhammad really was. So, I decided to read the book. And I found it to be fascinating. The author uses predominately Islamic materials, including the Qur’an, the tafsir (a Muslim commentary on the Qur’an), and the Hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad). It is this use of Islamic materials that makes this book different from the many other books I have read concerning Islam.

The portrait Mr. Spencer painted was of a person who was the antithesis of Jesus Christ. Muhammad was a man given to fits of anger that led to revenge and violence. He had an hostility toward Christians and Jews that led to his determination that they should be destroyed if they did not capitulate to the Muslim faith. Muhammad acted with treachery toward those who opposed him, often signing peace treaties that were nullified as soon as Muhammad and his followers became stronger. Mr. Spencer states that Muslim leaders still follow this policy, agreeing to peace negotiations in a time when they were weaker, then using that time of peace to regain strength, and breaking those peace treaties once that strength was re-established.

A central feature of the book is a discussion on the concept of jihad or holy war. The purpose of jihad is to advance the religion of Islam against those who would seek to oppose it. The ultimate goal of jihad is the conquest of the world for Islam. In America our introduction to jihad came on 9/11, and since that day, jihad has become part of our vocabulary. Mr. Spencer calls upon his reader to be awakened to that stated purpose of Islam. He calls upon American Muslim groups to work against jihad instead of promoting it. (The author cites a 2005 report by the Freedom House Center for Religious Freedom that found material in American mosques teaching hatred of non-Muslims and stating that apostates from Islam should be killed, in accord with Muhammad’s directives).

I highly recommend this book to those of you who want to have a greater understanding of Islam and its founder. You will not be disappointed.

The second volume I highly recommend was written by Grant R. Jeffrey titled, The Next World War (Water Brook Press, 2006). This book was recommended to me by a friend of the Village Schools. Since reading the book, I have strongly recommended it to others as a “must-read.” The final chapters produce an excitement that stirs the heart, but I get ahead of the story.

In the early part of the book, Mr. Jeffrey takes the reader back to the Genesis account of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac. It is within the context of these men that the roots for the present discord in the Middle East develop. The author even enters the debate as to whom the land of Israel belongs from an historical and biblical perspective. In the middle sections of the book, the author presents the story of Muhammad and the rise of Islam and of the basic tenets of Islamic faith, including jihad. He quotes Michael Youssef, Unlike other religions, Islam has as one of its most basic tenets the endless pursuit of jihad, the ongoing holy war being fought for conversion and domination, and all true Muslims believe in it and pursue it to some extent of another. In 1998, Osama bin Laden wrote, It is the duty of Muslims to prepare as much force as possible to terrorize the enemies of God. This section is very complimentary to what Robert Spencer had written.

But, as I have stated, the final section of the book begins to relate what is happening in the world and what is said in the prophetic scriptures. Let me just share a highlight or two. First, the author is not alarmed by the increase in anti-Semitic hatred worldwide. He quotes the words of Jesus (Matthew 24:9-10) and then says, Jesus Christ warned that one of the unmistakable signs of the return of the Messiah would be the rise of a terrible hatred of the Jews. Friends, one needs look no further than the recent conference held in Tehran that denied the historical realities of the Holocaust. Furthermore, it seems that the majority of political leaders and main stream media view Israel as the reason for the problems, not only in the Middle East, but in the world.

Second, the author develops a fascinating scenario around the Ezekiel 38-39 passage of Gog and Magog and the invasion of Israel from the north. He writes, I am convinced that the burden of prophetic evidence points to the War of Magog occurring at some point in the near future, prior to the Antichrist making his seven-year treaty with Israel. Now both traditional and historical evidence points toward Russia as being the leader of a coalition of nations that will seek Israel’s destruction. That coalition includes the ancient kingdom of Persia (today’s nations of Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan), Cush (today’s Ethiopia and Sudan), Libya, and Eastern Europe including Turkey. [For the past several months I have watched with interest the policies of the Russian President Putin, especially as they related to the Middle East. He is not a passive participant.] Friends, might the next war unite Russia and her allies, along with the radical Islamic extremists, in an attempt to wipe the nation of Israel off the map? Could this event be the prelude to the rapture of the Church and the seven-years of tribulation?

My friends, these are exciting days for the Church of Jesus Christ. As we watch the events of the world unfold, we should be driven to a deeper study of the Word of God, that we might know God’s plans. Remember: He has told us how the story will end. We can read the final chapter. And we should be inspired toward aggressively sharing Jesus Christ with others. These are not days to be in despair. God is still in control. Amen!

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