Ephesians 6:10-20 speaks of the need of spiritual armor to face the spiritual battles which the forces of Satan and his demons bring against God’s people. Revelation 12 reveals Satan’s terrible attack against the people of Israel during the coming Tribulation. Consider these four issues about Satan’s war against Israel and against all believers, especially those who stand up for His people Israel.

1. IT IS ROOTED IN PRIDE!

Isaiah 14 discusses the “King of Babylon” and it appears from the context that Satan himself is behind this historical personage. The same facts are presented in Ezekiel 28 about the “prince of Tyre” who also appears to be a personification of the devil himself. Isaiah 14:12-14 presents the five “I wills” of Satan that reveals his deep-rooted pride:

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (other angels) of God: I will sit also up the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH.” Those last words tell the story. Ezekiel 28:17 adds: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of they brightness.” Satan’s problem is PRIDE!

In choosing leaders for God’s Church, Paul instructed in I Timothy 3:6: “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with PRIDE he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

2. IT IS REVEALED IN HIS METHODS OF DECEPTION!

The Bible speaks in Ephesias 6:11 about the “wiles (methods) of the devil.” Revelation 12:9 calls him: “that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world.” He deceived Eve about the purposes and motivations of God Himself (Genesis 3:1-6; II Corinthians 11:3). He deceived King David about numbering the people (I Chronicles 21:1) and we learn that the basic plot was “against Israel.” He deceives the leaders of Israel about having peace with their enemies (Jeremiah 6:13-14; 8:10-11; 23:1-40; Ezekiel 13:1-16). Isaiah 9:16 says: “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”

The Bible also mentions that he and his demons deceive the nations of the world to come against Israel at Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16). He deceives according to the Bible by using false prophets and teachers to confused the people of God (II Corinthians 11:13-15; Ephesians 4:14; II Peter 2:1-3). He will also deceive the whole word through the coming Antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:8-10; Revelation 13:4-9).3.

IT IS RECOGNIZED BY HIS EFFORTS TO KEEP BELIEVERS FROM SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH NON-BELIEVERS!

In I Thessalonians 2:18 the Apostle Paul says “Satan hindered us.” In II Corinthians 4:3-7 Satan is called the “god of this world” and is described as the one who “blinds” the unbeliever so that the light of the gospel will not penetrate his mind and life. II Thessalonians 3:1-3 requests prayer that we would be kept from the evil one and delivered from “unreasonable and wicked men” that he uses to thwart the purpose of God as we share the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

4. IT IS RESISTED BY DEPENDENCY UPON GOD!

The situation of Satan’s war is NOT hopeless! We are told the following encouraging things in the Bible:

(1) God’s POWER is greater than Satan - Ephesians 6:10; I John 4:4

(2) God’s PLAN allows Satan’s war to exist - Revelation 16:14 cf. Zechariah 14:2

(3) God’s PROTECTION limits Satan’s ability to attack us - Job 1-2; Psalm 121

(4) God’s PURPOSES are being accomplished in spite of Satan’s attacks and temptations - II Corinthians 12;7-10; I Peter 5:8-11

(5) God’s PROMISE of ultimate victory is clear!

The power of the devil was destroyed by the death of the Messiah (Hebrews 2:14-15; I John 3:8). Future victory over all of Satan’s accusations and attacks is guaranteed (Revelation 12:9-10). The devil and all his angels are destined to spend eternity in Hell - the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 10:10).

May the Lord encourage us to trust Him with all of our hearts!

IS MOSLEM PEACE WITH ISLAM POSSIBLE? NEVER!

History Professor Moshe Sharon of Hebrew University told a counter-terrorism conference Thursday, “There is no possibility of peace between Israel and the Palestinians whatsoever, never.” (courtesy of Arutz Sheva)

Sharon, speaking at the annual conference of Herzliya’s Counter Terrorism Institute, said that Iran is dead serious about obtaining and using nuclear weapons in order to bring about its vision of an Islamic End of Days.

The veteran expert on Islam says that Western officials fail to grasp that the Arab and Islamic world truly see Israel’s establishment as a “reversal of history” and are therefore unable to ever accept peaceful relations with it. From Moslems’ perspective, “Islamic territory was taken away from Islam by Jews. You know by now that this can never be accepted, not even one meter.

So everyone who thinks Tel Aviv is safe is making a grave mistake. Territory which at one time was dominated by Islamic rule, now has become non-Moslem. Non-Moslems are independent of Islamic rule and Jews have created their own independent state. It is anathema. Worse, Israel, a non-Moslem state, is ruling over Moslems. It is unthinkable that non-Moslems should rule over Moslems.”

Sharon dismissed various peace treaties signed by Moslem and Arab officials over the years as “pieces of paper, parts of tactics and strategies… with no meaning.”

Sharon’s assessment focused on the danger posed by Iran. From studying Iranian culture, literature, newspapers, broadcasts and interviews with major players in the Islamic regime, Sharon concludes that a deep belief in a Shiite messiah is at the root of Iran’s nuclear project. “They truly believe that the Shiite messiah, the 12th Imam (also known as the Mahdi), is here, and that he will reveal himself… What moves the Iranian government and leadership today is first and foremost the wish to bring about the 12th Imam.”

Addressing the theological doctrine of how exactly the this Messiah will be revealed, Sharon explained: “How will they bring him? Through an apocalypse. He (the Mahdi) needs a war. He cannot come into this world without an Armageddon. He wants an Armageddon. The earlier we understand this the better. Ahmadinejad wants nuclear weapons for this!”

Sharon has in the past insisted that the Western world was engaging in great folly by differentiating between radical and peaceful Islam. “All of a sudden we see that the greatest interpreters of Islam are politicians in the Western world,” he wrote sarcastically. “They know better than all the speakers in the mosques, all those who deliver terrible sermons against anything that is either Christian or Jewish. These Western politicians know that there is good Islam and bad Islam. They know even how to differentiate between the two - except that none of them know how to read a word of Arabic.”

“The difference between Judaism, Christianity and Islam is as follows: Judaism speaks about national salvation - namely, that at the end of the story, when the world becomes a better place, Israel will be in its own land, ruled by its own king and serving G-d. Christianity speaks about the idea that every single person in the world can be saved from his sins, while Islam speaks about ruling the world. I can quote here in Arabic, but there is no point in quoting Arabic, so let me quote a verse in English: ‘Allah sent Mohammed with the true religion so that it should rule over all the religions.’

“The idea, then, is not that the whole world would necessarily become Moslem at this time, but that the whole world would be subdued under the rule of Islam.”

That is what Ariel Sharon insisted, and so does Ehud Olmert now, it is the plan, in black-and-white, of the Iranian regime.

“This is why [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad seeks nuclear weapons,” he emphasized. “The faster we realize this, the better.” By Ezra HaLeviIslam

EDITOR’S NOTE: The only real peace for this world will come with the Messiah - but He will NOT be an Islamic Messiah - He is the MESSIAH of ISRAEL, sent by the only true God there is - the GOD of ISRAEL! He is called in the Bible - the PRINCE of PEACE!

“Peace WITH God” (Romans 5:1) is only possible through personal faith in the Person and work of the Messiah Who died for our sins and rose again that we might live forever! Believers can experience the “peace OF God” (Philippians 4:6-7) through prayer with thanksgiving! By David Hocking

Hope for Today Ministries PO Box 3927 Tustin, California 92781