Ignoring Muslims, Christians and Jews

In the last few months, I’ve received numerous letters from readers of my book and visitors to this site, which have prompted me to answer them in detail. I’ve now decided to print some of those answers here for those who haven’t written but could be interested in the ideas expressed. I believe the content of the original letter from a visitor is self-evident in my reply.

Dear Commentator,

In truth, I have little respect for how Muslims, Christians and Jews interpret their Scriptures! I do not learn about their religions from THEM or THEIR CLERGY. Instead, I listen very closely to the Prophets of all three faiths. I wrote my book, “Of Promises and Previews,” in the hope that others would also learn from ALL the Prophets, who told a continuous story. In fact, the Prophets never contradict each other. It has been the clergies that have tried to prove their own religion the “only true faith." By so doing, they have spread the hatred that plagues the world and now threatens to start a nuclear war. But, the Prophets also tell us that we don’t have to suffer that war and the "gross darkness" (Isa. 60:2) they vividly describe. And that is my sole purpose for writing my book: the Prophets precisely described a nuclear winter, but they also told us how to avoid it. And therein lies my whole focus.

You, on the other hand, do not even mention those prophecies, but busy yourself with other matters that fail to capture my interest. For instance, I do not pretend to know the precise individuals God will condemn. In fact, I think it a grave error on your part--and all who join you--in your presumptuous proclamations about who will be saved and who will be condemned!

The God I worship and the Messiah He promised us will take care of judging us. I am solely trying to awaken people to Their Promises and the Previews of them. Some of those Promises can be fulfilled in our lifetime in the form of a nuclear war, the nuclear winter that follows the war and the eventual return of our Messiah to deliver us from our manmade horrors. But some of those Promises told us how we can avoid the prophesied destruction and experience the joyous return of our Messiah. In short, I'm simply not interested in the mysterious statements in the Book of Revelation that occupy you. I stay concerned with the realities of our world, which does not include conjecturing on the identify of "beasts." Nor do I think that mouthing phrases like "trying to live in peace with others” is worth a penny! People have been saying such things for thousands of years--it doesn't work! Nor does preaching "tolerance," and all other fine sounding sayings, mean anything in practical life.

We urgently need an improved and enlarged understanding of God and our promised Messiah, which we can gain by studying what ALL the Prophets told us. Without such understanding, the extremist Muslims will FULLFILL the most dreadful prophecies, which they believe it is their God-given duty to fulfill. And, sadly, they are probably right, since someone must fulfill them, if we refuse to grow wise enough to avoid them!

The Story of Anti-Semitism

The Sixth Commandment issued by Abraham’s God forbids us to murder our fellow human beings (Ex. 20:13). Yet, most of the blood that has drenched the earth has been spilled by “believers” in the God Who gave us that Commandment! Throughout their mutual existence, “believers” have openly hated each other. But few of the “religious haters” realize that the stage on which their hatred bloomed was not the crucifixion of Jesus. The “players” in the “game of hatred” — and the prophesied result of their hatred — first appeared in Noah’s time.

Noah, a man whose very existence is questioned by self-satisfied skeptics, was the forefather of today’s most troublesome “peoples!” The most prominent branch of Noah’s family began with his son, Shem, whose name has lived on to become part of our everyday vocabulary. From his name came the word, “Semite.” ALL of Shem’s descendants are “Semites.” Nowadays, however, anyone who practices “anti-Semitism” is actually against only one branch of Shem’s descendants: the Jews.

The word “Jew” is an abbreviation of Judah, one of the twelve Hebrew tribes. The word Hebrew stems from Shem’s great-grandson, Eber. Eber’s most prominent sons were Peleg and Joktan. The Hebrews descended from Peleg’s eldest son, while Joktan fathered the Semites known as “Arabs.”

Therefore, ALL the descendants of Noah’s son, Shem, are Semites. Some Semites became the world’s first monotheists known as Hebrews.
Because Shem’s descendants are Semites, and all Arabs and Jews are Semites, the way we use the word, “anti-Semitism,” is a gross distortion of its true meaning. What millions of people have actually practiced is pure and simple “hatred of Jews.” And, these days, that hatred is mounting around the world, largely because much of the world perceives the nation of Israel as a source of danger to everyone, everywhere. If Israel didn’t exist, the Semitic Arabs would live quietly in the Middle East — at least, that’s the “popular” anti-Jewish theory!

Do you believe that theory? If so, you are not “anti-Semitic.” You are a plain and simple “Jew hater.” And, while you might prefer to call yourself by a title that doesn’t explicitly label you a “hater,” that’s what you are. And your hatefulness is spurring the world toward the nuclear war that will fulfill the prophecy delivered in Noah’s time:

When the Flood ended, God made a covenant with Noah. He promised, “...never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11). Therefore, if, again, God cleanses the earth of violence, He will not wash away men and the tons of blood men have spilled. Next time, both Testaments warn, “...the earth and the works that are in it shall be burnt up” (II Peter 3:10). “For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace, and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble...” (Mal. 3:19/4:1).

The Prophet Malachi told us that we must turn our hearts to each other (Mal 3:24/4:6), to avoid the “gross darkness” (Isa. 60:2) foretold by Isaiah, the “darkness” we can now recognize as a “nuclear winter.” If hateful Semites won’t even turn their hearts to their fellow Semites, what hope do we have that the hateful Christians will do it? Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t even try! We could be magnificently surprised!!

The Reality of “Our World”

Separately, both science and religion have been trying to answer our questions about man’s role in the universe. But Albert Einstein, perhaps the most publicly quoted modern scientist, thought: “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” The “Still Small Voice” within us, which Mahatma Gandhi described as, “...the Voice of God, the Conscience, of Truth...,” whispers — to all who will listen — that Einstein was right: We need both disciplines to provide us with pieces of the “Truth.”

Einstein, to his never-ending sorrow, helped to create the atomic bomb. But, about 2,500 years ago — 500 years before Jesus’ birth —the Prophet Zechariah spoke of people whose “...flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth...” (Zechariah 14:12).

Believers used to think that surreal Bible prophecy could only become reality through an act of God. Today, we know that Zechariah precisely described the remains of some victims of atomic bombs.

Zechariah told us that he could foretell the future because “...the word of the Lord...” (Zech. 1:1) came unto him. Of course, you don’t have to believe a supernatural Being spoke to Zechariah. But his prophecy of man’s flesh “consuming away” isn’t a modern invention, for it appears in Scrolls that are 2,000 years old. That leaves two possibilities. Either Zechariah’s amazingly accurate description of atomic destruction was an amazingly accurate guess (which skeptics might dismiss as only another of life’s many “coincidences”), or he somehow foresaw what our generation has witnessed.

Long ago, a handful of men brought messages from Someone they identified as the One and Only “Almighty” God of the universe. Their teachings have sustained believers through all manner of natural and manmade disasters. Today, however, even some unbelievers are recalling the messages that tell of a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); of a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isaiah 60:2). In other words, the time of the nuclear winter that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

Because most of us aren’t the persons who could start or prevent that war, you might see no point in thinking about a catastrophe that’s beyond your control, severely depressing, and might never happen, or at least not in your lifetime. Nor do you have to think about it; you can readily dispense with the whole subject. You only need to tell yourself that nations will never engage in a nuclear war: Reason will surely prevail. And you could sincerely believe it — except for those moments when a news report reminds you that “the unbelievable” could become reality, for you, or your children, or your children’s children.

If you’ve suffered those moments, you aren’t “being paranoid.” You’ve simply caught sight of what some professional analysts of world affairs are now publicly stating. For example, when speaking of world “hot spots,” they tell us a nuclear war could erupt in the passionately religious Middle East within the first decade of this new century.

You might have little respect for “expert opinions” on any subject. But many believers in God don’t need political or military experts to make them suspect that “...the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal. 3:23/4:5) is drawing near. And even some skeptics no longer scoff at the thought.

Still, it’s reasonable for us to think that nations with economic or political reasons to engage in war wouldn’t use nuclear weapons, if only because they’d fear the world’s wrath. Or, they wouldn’t want to obliterate the resources they covet. Nevertheless, when religious convictions drive men to war, they firmly believe God is on their side. And if they believe it to be “God’s Will,” they would use nuclear weapons against their enemies, offensively or defensively. While outsiders might think them irrational, they would not be restrained by world opinion, or by the fear of what a desperate world might do to try to stop them.

The above article is an excerpt from my book:
Of Promises and Previews: Urgent Old Messages for a New Millennium

“Utter Destruction”: a “Do-it-Yourself” Project

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Through the Hebrew Scriptures, the “Lord of hosts” (Isa. 9:6) tells us that someday: “…I shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; Lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6). The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews; the “children” are the Christians and Muslims — along with all of “God’s children,” regardless of their beliefs.

The “fathers,” through the Hebrew Scriptures, were the first to speak of the promised Messiah, who will serve as the “…ruler in Israel…” and he shall be “…great unto the ends of the earth” (Mic. 5:3). Under the Messiah’s rule, the Israelites, who had become “a curse” among the nations, will then become “a name and a praise,” and there will be “...peace without end...The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall accomplish this” (Isa. 9:6/7).

In other words, Judaism identifies the Messiah by his deeds, which he will successfully execute through “the zeal of the Lord of hosts.” Obviously, when Jesus lived in Israel, he did not perform the prescribed deeds, since there is no “peace without end,” and the Jews are still cursed the world over. Therefore, regardless of the “children’s” beliefs, the “fathers” have stood firm in their denial of “the Messiah, Jesus,” as Muhammad identified Jesus (Women 4:171). In daily life, it has been that denial that has kept the Jews “a curse and a reproach” (Jer. 44:12)

For 2,000 years, “the children” have cursed and killed “the fathers” whenever they’ve felt “inspired” to cleanse their neighborhood, city, or nation of Jews. These days, however, all nations have become so accessible and modern weaponry so powerful, some Muslims have become convinced they can finally make “God’s religion reign supreme” (The Cow 2:193). To supplant Judaism and Christianity with the “ultimate truth” expressed through Islam, those Muslims believe they could righteously use the weapons of mass destruction that would annihilate “God’s enemies” (including “the great Satan,” as they speak of the United States).

It’s tempting for outsiders to think of those Muslims as only “a fringe group of fanatics,” over which the world will surely gain control before they do any “real damage.” But, in the populous Muslim community, the persons who believe it their sacred duty to “drive Israel into the sea” constitute a sizable “fringe group.” To be sure, all Muslim nations do not openly clamor for Israel’s demise. Still, the rest of the world has no reason to expect Muslims to war against Muslims, merely to prevent a biological or chemical attack against “the Zionists,” their most immediate and mutual enemy. That attack, alone, would launch a nuclear war.

If we truly seek to avoid that war, Jews, Christians, Muslims — and all of God’s children — urgently need to enlarge our understanding of the God revealed by all the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. Only through our improved understanding can we begin to turn our hearts to each other — and distance ourselves from the “utter destruction” we now know how to create as a “do-it-yourself” project!

(Some of the above is excerpted from my book: “Of Promises and Previews.”)

An Identical Role for “Believers” and “Unbelievers”

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What would it actually take to persuade you to “alter” your religious beliefs? I’m inclined to think we’ll have to be sitting in the darkness of a “nuclear winter” before people seriously question their religious thinking! And when I say “people,” I do not only mean what the Muslims, Christians and Jews think! To be sure, the “self-satisfied” atheists and the “removed-from-it-all” agnostics and the “beyond-it-all” believers in “heathen” religions are doing absolutely nothing to help the world avoid the Religious War that will hurtle everyone into the prophesied “gross darkness” of a manmade “nuclear winter!”

The Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam brought messages about the Lord God of all creation that never contradicted each other, as they introduced the world to the One Thinking Source of all the energy in existence. Their teachings have persuaded a huge portion of the world’s population to embrace one of those three “related” monotheistic religions. Yet, amazingly, many Jews and Christians actually believe that “Allah,” the Name used by Muslims for Abraham’s God, is not the same God that Abraham worshiped. That is how “elementary” their ignorance is! Worse yet, each religious “family” embraces their clergy’s interpretations of their own Holy Book. And each “family” is so certain their clergy’s teachings are “right,” they won’t even consider reconsidering their beliefs. So, will the unbelievers learn and save us?

They could, but chances are, they won’t! Even as you won’t, no matter your current beliefs. But, tell yourself the truth! Are you really so satisfied with what you believe — whatever that is — that you are more willing to suffer a nuclear war than to try to improve your understanding? Even if you’re a “non-believer” in Abraham’s God, if enough of you finally came to appreciate what ALL the Prophets taught, the “believers” of the world would finally have a compelling reason to pay attention to you! And you would finally awaken them — which is what you’ve wanted to do all along, but you lacked the “right” message! So, no matter your “religious philosophy,” you could diminish the Religious War that is closing in on every single human being, by learning from ALL the Prophets and speaking of them to others. (You could learn from the individual Sacred Books, or discover the essence of their teachings from my book. The point is, SEEK and you CAN find!)

Deliver Us from Religious Clergies!

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To answer some comments on my previous post, I’m absolutely NOT subtly or openly urging people to become Muslims. Even as I’m not suggesting we should all become Jews or Christians. But if “enough people” (whatever that number must be) embraced the three religions’ COMBINED revelations about God and the Messiah He promised to send us, they could end the Religious War that is currently emerging throughout the world, in which militant Muslims seek to cleanse the earth of "infidels" (another name for “unbelievers”). Still, there remains the sad thought that no one with the slightest knowledge of religious history can reasonably expect “believers” to bring peace on earth!

To make “real peace” among themselves, members of all three religions would each have to alter some portion of their own manmade beliefs. But, in a typical example of “religious unity,” Muslims, Christians and Jews, alike, have always been unwilling to alter any part of their own beliefs! So, each embraces their own clergy’s interpretations of their own Sacred Book — interpretations that have provoked hatreds and wars throughout their shared religious history. And those are the same interpretations that are now driving us into a “shared” nuclear war.

Of course, so many self-centered Christians are so convinced they will be “whisked away” before violence consumes the rest of the world that they have no incentive to alter their own understanding. And stubborn Jews are so accustomed to being persecuted and ostracized, they have long since closed their ears and their minds to the beliefs of “outsiders.” And self-satisfied Muslims believe, so thoroughly, that the whole world will someday be “Islamic”— in whatever way they define “Islam” — they can scarcely bring themselves to denounce the violence their “extremist” members are wreaking. After all, what the “fanatics” are doing could be “God’s Will.”

So, here we are with each religious family too convinced their understanding is too right to be altered. Each convinced the others should change. Each “deep-down” resigned to enduring whatever happens or gladly anticipating their own “deliverance.” And each convinced that all they can do is urge their fellowmen to “convert” or urge them to practice “tolerance” — as though “believers” have ever proven truly tolerant of other beliefs for more than an occasional public minute!

All the while, Jews need to recognize the world’s Messiah, rejected by their presumptuous clergy, because Jesus did not do what they expected the Messiah to do for them -- as though the Messiah had to perform his propheised acts on their schedule! And Christians need to recognize Abraham’s One and Only unseen God, revealed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, which introduced Him to the world. Instead, Christians are taught by their brazen clergy to say "God" but mean "Jesus," instead of revering the God to Whom Jesus prayed! And Muslims need to recognize that they have not become God’s “chosen people,” whose “Holy Land” has been usurped by Jewish “infidels” supported by Christian “infidels,” as their egotistical clergy declares!

The Certainty of Fanatic Muslims

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One of the numberless surveys conducted these days reports that 52% of the people in the western world (not just the U.S.) think the issue with Muslims is political and can be resolved peacefully; 29% think it is a religious problem.

I am part of the minority because diplomacy, whether conducted by Democrats or Republicans, can never settle the religious differences that are driving us toward disaster. If nothing changes, we’re going to have a nuclear war simply because:

1) The “fanatic Muslims” won’t care whether Republicans or Democrats run the United States! When they are ready, they WILL use nuclear weapons against “Islam’s enemies,” which they perceive as “God’s enemies.”

2) The “fanatic Muslims” will use those weapons because they devoutly believe they will be doing “God’s Will,” by cleansing the earth of “unbelievers.”

The dark, cold “nuclear winter” that will follow a “nuclear war” will fulfill the Biblical descriptions of a time when “…the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” (Matt. 24:29); when “…darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples” (Isa. 60:2).

If, however, you don’t believe in Prophets and prophecies, you certainly don’t have to think about them — until the darkness happens. Then, if you’ve survived, you’ll have plenty of time to think. Until then, go ahead and blame Republicans, Democrats, Muslims, Jews, Israel, Iran, Syria, or anyone else that strikes your fancy — except yourself! After all, what could you have done to prevent the war? Obviously, the “fanatic Muslims” have no right to expect you to alter your religious beliefs or unbelief. Besides, you have no reason to reconsider, much less discuss, your personal beliefs with anyone. You’re not forcing others to agree with you and you don’t want others to force you. You just want to live and let live, and you’re sure everyone should do the same.

Because, today, “everyone” doesn’t believe in “live and let live,” I’ll suggest what you could have done, so you can think about it in the darkness. You could have learned how to turn your heart to others, as the Prophet Malachi plainly said we must do, to avoid the darkness (Mal. 3:24/4:6). But, to honestly “turn your heart” to the “crazy Muslims,” you will first need to turn your heart to the One God revealed by ALL the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. You’ll be desperately praying to Someone in the “gross darkness” — why not try learning about the God Who foretold it? If enough of us enlarged our understanding of Him, we wouldn’t have to suffer the darkness!

So, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or someone in another nation “rooting for” a particular political party to win control over the “dangerously aggressive” United States, it’s time to carefully question whatever you believe and disbelieve. Then, you could finally do what you’ve never done before: Learn from ALL the Prophets sent to enlighten and warn you. Their COMBINED teachings would greatly enlarge your understanding of the God Who, long ago, precisely told us what our stubborn ignorance would bring upon us! An enlarged understanding of Him would deprive the “fanatic Muslims” of their crucially-needed certainty that you are an “unbeliever.”

Comments Prove My Point!

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The title of my Monday post reads: Only Muslims Believe It! And the first line of the post begins: The Koran tells Muslims that someday the whole world will be Islamic….

So, of course, only Muslims believe it. But that doesn’t mean it’s wisdom on the world’s part to disbelieve it! Muhammad’s remark can simply mean that someday everyone will know his “Maker” and his “Messiah.”

But the readers’ Comments expressed on the post denote a dangerously narrow-minded view of Islam, the world’s second largest—and most rapidly growing—religion. The ugly remarks about Muslims reflect the very ignorance that I urge my readers to address and correct, by learning what ALL the Prophets revealed. If we will not learn now, we are, in effect, inviting a nuclear war, which will change the world as we have known it—the world we COULD peacefully change, simply by enlarging our understanding. If we need proof of our need to learn, the Comments provide it!

Only Muslims Believe It!

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The Koran tells Muslims that someday the whole world will be Islamic, which can simply mean that someday everyone will know the Lord God of Abraham and “the Messiah Jesus” (as Muhammad identified mankind’s Messiah).

But Muhammad made clear that Jesus is NOT God; he is a “servant of God.” So, from the start, the Jews, obeying their clergy, scorned Muhammad for identifying Jesus as the Messiah. And the Christians, obeying their clergy, scorned Muhammad for denying that Jesus is “God the Son.”

The Religious War to establish Islam as the world’s only religion has already begun — but it often appears that only Muslims (and me) recognize it as a Religious War! Apparently, the rest of the world prefers to believe that some desperately poor people, recruited by evil-minded would-be “world rulers,” are perpetrating terrorist acts for material gain. Of course some individual terrorists are “out for what they can get.” But earthly riches are not the goal of the terrorists. And most Muslims know it, though, to be sure, not all Muslims support the terrorists. Still, all Muslims believe the world will someday be Islamic, so the vast majority are not willing to actively fight terrorism, since they cannot be certain it is not “God’s Will.”

While, today, only Muslims believe that Islam will someday be the world’s only religion, their belief does not automatically mean they are wrong! But it does mean that if enough people will enlarge their understanding of Abraham’s God, we could avoid the nuclear war that Muslim “extremists” are willing to start.

But now I urge you to take a moment to tell yourself the truth: No matter what you currently believe and disbelieve, after reading this, you’re not going to pursue an enlarged understanding of God, are you? Instead, you’re going to do what you’ve always done — browse other web sites until it’s time to work or feed the kids or shop or go to bed! That’s “living” in a reasonably peaceful society — until it stops being peaceful! Yet, I suspect you think you’ll have time to think about it, if your peace is actually disrupted! And I agree — by then you’ll have more time to think than you want — because you wouldn’t take the time to think about it now. In short, most people — including the extremist Muslims — are so set in their religious beliefs, I’m fighting a “lost cause,” when urging us to learn from ALL the Prophets. I wonder when I’ll believe it!

A Note to Sara

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Dear Sara and all who agree with her comments on my previous post "To Iran & Co."
I've decided to reply to Sara with a new post, because her comments are worthy of special attention.

I’m really glad you (Sara) “stumbled on” my blog and wrote me. Your comments are particularly thoughtful. My reference to “nuclear armed Muslims” is certainly not well phrased! And, to be sure, the same expression—-poor as it is-—could be applied to others as well. I could have better expressed myself had I used common
phrases such as “militant” or “extremist” Muslims.

I am actually speaking of those Muslims who sincerely believe it is now their “God-given duty” to cleanse the earth of infidels (unbelievers). They identify “infidels” as everyone who does not worship God as they do—-which includes many of their fellow Muslims. So, of course they don’t represent all Muslims. But they are deeply sincere in their beliefs and willing to use WMDs in their “holy mission.” That, in itself, differentiates them from other “nuclear armed” nations, at least for the present! So far, those nations are reserving nuclear arms for their own defense.

As for the President of Iran’s remark, which you believe is a “mistranslation”—-to the Jews in Israel and to a vast number of people elsewhere, “wiping Zionism off the map” means to destroy Israel. Again, it depends largely on what people “see” in words. You do not equate “Zionism” with “Israel,” but historically, many people always have.

In the same vein, I need to make clear that I am not stressing “a commonality in the message of peace between all three monotheistic religions.” I am urging people to listen to the teachings about God and the promised Messiah, as they were delivered by all the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. Their messages reveal the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator of everything, far better than the individual religions do. If we are to avoid the nuclear war, which will descend upon us if we continue to pursue this very real Religious War that we’re only beginning to recognize, we need an enlarged understanding of the God that all three religions embrace. The clergies have turned believers against each other, in their effort to prove their own religion superior to all others; a better understanding of the God they all worship can turn their hearts to each other. The only way to gain that understanding is through the teachings of ALL the Prophets.

While you refer to this “war” as a political struggle, it is actually a Religious War, which could result in the fulfillment of precisely described ancient prophecies. If too many people deceive themselves into thinking this is all about “politics,” we will not even begin to enlarge our thinking about God—-which I suspect is what will really happen! But, I have to keep trying to awaken us to the real teachings of the Prophets, as long as I have the strength. If you, Sara, or others, don’t agree with what I’ve said, I certainly hope you express your thoughts—or any other thoughts you have on the subject.

Some Urgent “Talk” to Iran & Co. — In Less Than 500 Words

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This message is primarily directed to all “peoples of the earth” who are preparing to arm themselves with weapons of mass destruction, so they can force everyone to worship God exactly as they do.

Through the Hebrew Prophet, Isaiah, the Almighty Lord God warned the world: “…behold, darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples…(Isa. 60:2).

Much later, Jesus spoke of a time when: “…the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light…” (Matt. 24:29). And “...unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.” But he immediately promised, “…those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:22).

Today, we can strongly suspect that those prophesied days of “gross darkness” could be the aftermath of a full-scale nuclear war, when mushrooming smoke would deprive the earth of sunlight and moonlight, and a “nuclear winter” would envelop the world.

Yet, the Hebrew Scriptures also tell us that we do not have to endure “those days.” According to the Prophet Malachi, the Lord God has promised: “Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6).

The “fathers” of monotheism were the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims. Moreover, we’re told that all human beings, regardless of their religious beliefs or unbelief, are the “children” of the Lord God revealed by the Prophets. And unless something happens that will “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,” nuclear armed Muslims could soon act to fulfill the worst of all prophecies. Or, as the leader of Iran recently described their intentions: they will “wipe Israel (the land of the fathers) off the map.” And, ultimately, “darkness shall cover the earth.”

To be sure, the “something” that could “happen,” to spare us a nuclear winter, would be Elijah’s arrival. But, in this worldwide age of religious cynicism and “know it all intellectualism,” too many people might easily fail to recognize him and heed his teachings. So, it could immeasurably help us, if we prepare to better understand Elijah by enlarging our knowledge of the Prophets’ teachings.

To enlarge our knowledge, we only need to listen to the COMBINED teachings of ALL the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. TOGETHER, they revealed the Lord God and the Messiah He promised to send us, without once contradicting each other! But that means, we must listen to the PROPHETS instead of the CLERGIES of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who have never ceased contradicting each other, in their arrogant crusade to declare their own understanding “right” and all others “false or obsolete!”

I'm right!

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My somewhat sarcastic review of our “human situation,” which I posted on New Year’s Day, elicited some comments about how "right" I am! So, I think I need to express some “kindness and gentleness”— which are as much a part of my “philosophy” as my sarcastic complaints.

For instance, there’s practically nothing that we human beings can actually do to change a world overflowing with contempt for other people’s religious beliefs, or their skin color, or their nationality, or whatever else people like to scorn. They are all very, very ancient “hatreds” that nothing I say will substantially lessen. We are, for the moment, here together on earth, and we argue with each other over any opinion that differs from our own — or we abstain from forming opinions — or we abstain from voicing them — or we only seek the company of people who agree with us. And my pleading with people to enlarge their religious understanding, before we engage in a nuclear war, will go “nowhere.” But the truth is, even while I labored for a decade to write a book combining the teachings of all the Prophets, I never thought my effort would make any difference — and sadly — I’m right!

Plain and Simple Ignorance for the New Year

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This message was inspired by those persons who are currently "blaming" today’s terrorism on the “poor” who are simply “protesting their poverty!”

In actual fact, we are experiencing the opening battles of a Religious War, conducted by devout Muslims who sincerely believe it is their “God-given duty” to cleanse the earth of “unbelievers” or “infidels.” They define “infidels” as everyone who does not join in their practice of Islam — a definition that even includes some of their fellow Muslims. So, today’s terrorism has nothing do with the material possessions of anyone, anywhere!

What is “good” about today’s Religious War rests in the fact that it will probably be the last Religious War humankind will have to endure. What’s “bad” about it is it will probably be the last Religious War, because it will be fought with weapons of mass destruction. But it will be a “democratic” war, because it will include everyone in the world, regardless of their beliefs. To explain:

If you are an agnostic or an atheist, you’ll suffer the horrendous effects of a nuclear war, which, in your ignorance, you were utterly incapable of stopping.

If you are a believer in gods other than the Lord God of Abraham, you’ll be as useless as the agnostics and atheists.

But if you are a Jew, Christian, or Muslim, you’ll play a major role, even if you say and do nothing besides cling to your own beliefs, because you know they are “the truth as best man can know it.” As a “true believer,” you will not even consider enlarging your understanding of the God you worship, by learning from ALL the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Instead, you’ll cling to the “truth,” as your clergy declares it, while the war escalates, until the whole world is enveloped in the “gross darkness” foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 60:2).

As a Jew, Christian or Muslim, how “devout” you will be, for making the worst of all prophecies come true! Of course, as a Christian or Muslim, you can also believe that the God of all humankind only loves you and your kind. (At least the Jews you scorn have never displayed that arrogance!) So, as a Christian, you might think that being a “devout hypocrite” is going to entitle you to be “whisked away” and spared the misery you’ve caused others. Or, as a Muslim, you can think your concept of a narrow-minded god, who only loves you and yours, will get you straight into heaven. But, as the Prophets made clear, you’ll have plenty of time to contemplate your ignorance in the "gross darkness" of a nuclear winter.

All the while, this could be our last chance to learn more about God, while the sun still shines. Or, in your plain and simple ignorance, you can refuse to listen to Messengers that aren’t “your own,” or to Messengers that you know “never really existed,” or to the written teachings you “know” have been “changed,” though you haven’t a single piece of proof. By rejecting at least some of the Prophets, you will help the world get to suffer the prophesied nuclear winter — which is one way to learn that the Prophets told us the truth!

The Colors of Hate

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We’re told that Iran is now preparing to enlarge the Nazis’ “dress code for Jews,” by ordering Jews to wear a yellow stripe on the front of their clothes while Christians wear a red badge and Zoroastrians display a blue cloth. That is one colorful prelude for a nuclear war that will envelop the world in “gross darkness” (Isa. 60:2).

I suppose some Muslims agree with the Iranian government’s desire to identify and thereby “protect” Muslims from interacting with “infidels,” through a rainbow of colors on their streets. But I’m sure not all Muslims approve, which means the rest of us have yet another way to differentiate between “friendly” Muslims and “hateful” ones — an impossible task that will cause even more personal misery to all involved.

Still, while the United States is trying to eliminate its own “white, black, brown, yellow and red” skin prejudices, Iran is ready to bring us an enlarged and colorful display of superiority, based on religious beliefs. What a preoccupation with color hatreds embrace! But when the prophesied “darkness” envelops the world, because too many people refused to enlarge their own understanding of God, no one will be able to see skin colors or cloth badges, to identify who is inferior! And I suspect that all who survive will be grateful for the sound of any human voices, without thought of anyone’s “color.”

The Script for World War III

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Some people are already speaking of the current "war against terrorism" as our “third World War.” But those who lived through the Second World War know that combating today’s armed terrorists, scattered throughout the world, drastically differs from fighting national armies. Yet, dead is dead, in large or small battles, and the script for a “more traditional” World War has finally been unveiled by Iran.

We’ve now been told that when the Iranian armed forces are ready and able, they will attack Israel with the intention of utterly destroying it. That attack will serve as the opening salvo of an unmistakable “Third World War,” which will undoubtedly include the use of weapons of mass destruction. A “nuclear war” would ultimately deprive the world of sunlight and moonlight, and “darkness shall cover the earth,” as the Prophet Isaiah foretold (Isa. 60:2).

So, Iran has given us the script for the fulfillment of prophecies, though, until it happens, the opening cast and the opening acts could change. But that doesn’t mean the War won’t happen! It must erupt, as long as there are believers in the One and Only Lord God who “draw lines” between the Prophets, believing some and rejecting others, exactly as Muhammad warned Muslims, and all believers, NOT to do (Women 4:150)!

For example, many Muslims and even some Christian sects do not believe the Prophets who foretold the resurrection of Israel by the Jews, the descendants of the Biblical Hebrews. So, some people, somewhere, are going to start the war that ends in “gross darkness,” simply because Jews, Christians, and Muslims are each absolutely convinced that their “family,” alone, knows the absolute truth about an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Power. Moreover, each “family” knows that everyone who does not believe as they do is just plain wrong! That’s a “fitting philosophy” for a nuclear war, since it gets right down to the “nucleus” of religious belief and behavior: “I’m right; you’re wrong. Believe it or I’ll kill you.”

And while skeptics and heathens might finally be recognizing that their existence is severely threatened by “believers,” they won’t even try to enlarge their own understanding and thereby influence the beliefs that are preparing to end the world as we have known it! Why should they, when they “know” they’re more right than any monotheist? So, a whole world of “right” people are going to set the world on fire — and prove the Prophets right, which is not, in itself, wrong for them to do. But all that horror just isn’t necessary — as the Prophet Malachi explained (Mal. 3;24/4:6), if we had the intelligence to turn our ears and our hearts to ALL the Prophets!

A “Catch Up” Session

Today, to help new visitors quickly understand what I’m “getting at,” I’ll summarize some previous posts, beginning with my first entry:

“Let’s Hear It From the Koran”
When Islam emerged as the third monotheistic religion, Muslims, obeying Muhammad, became dedicated to reducing the number of “unbelievers” in the world, by peacefully introducing Islam to idolaters — or by killing them if they broke their peace treaties. Today, “extremist” Muslims devoutly believe it is time to cleanse the earth of all unbelievers. And they now identify “unbelievers,” or “infidels,” as everyone who does not strictly adhere to their particular “version” of Islam, an identification that includes all Jews, Christians, heathens, skeptics and even some of their fellow Muslims.
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To Begin With, We Must Choose our Weapons
During the war in Afghanistan, some Muslim extremists left a message for everyone, everywhere, on a blackboard in a school where they had trained. They warned us: “We will continue our jihad until the end of the world.”

Because the extremists sincerely believe that God is “with them” in their jihad,their "struggle", to convert or destroy all infidels, they will use whatever weapons they must to accomplish their goal. Therefore, they WILL use nuclear weapons, if needed and when they are able, even if those weapons will ultimately destroy the world as we have known it. After all, they perceive the destruction of today’s “degenerate” world to be their “holy duty,” which they must accomplish one way or another. So, the rest of the world’s population must now “choose their weapons.”

We could try to eradicate an ever-growing coalition of religious fanatics, scattered anonymously throughout the world, by using the conventional tactics and weapons of war. But, to succeed, we’d have to identify and destroy all of them before some of them acquire the nuclear weapons they are willing to use! That method doesn’t look promising.

Or, we can use nuclear weapons against nations that support the extremists, while desperately hoping we won’t destroy the world in our frantic effort to keep them from doing it!

OR, in this time of unprecedented danger, the world can answer the religious fanatics with an unprecedented understanding of religious teachings!
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What Am I Doing?
In effect, I am telling the clerics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam that their divisive interpretations of their own Holy Scriptures have incited every Religious War throughout monotheism’s history, including today’s “Holy War.” All the while, the teachings of the Prophets, themselves, provide a unified knowledge.

The Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, whose messages are preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Bible and the Koran, provided knowledge of the Lord God of Abraham and the Messiah He promised to send us. The combined teachings of all three Books could greatly enlarge our understanding of our omnisicient, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator. But the clerics of each religion have never combined those teachings. Instead, they’ve each interpreted their own Prophets’ messages and declared their interpretations, alone, to be “the truth, as best man can know it.” The “truth,” however, as the clerics see it, has only managed to persuade Jews, who traditionally believe in a coming Messiah, to reject Jesus as the Messiah, which makes Christians hate Jews, which convinces Muslims that Islam has supplanted both religions, which incites Jews and Christians to hate Muslims!
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The Coming War, Part II
Ironically, the essence of monotheism’s never-ending argument is concisely expressed in two of Muhammad’s teachings. First, Muhammad denounced the Jews for denying “the Messiah, Jesus.” Second, Muhammad severely warned the Christians: “Do not say three…God is but one God…The Messiah Jesus does not disdain to be a servant of God” (Women 4:171-172).

Jews and Christians have not only argued over the Messiah’s identity, they have despised each other because of their opposing beliefs about the “One God” or a “Trinity.” But both “families” became enraged by an “illiterate camel driver” who dared to correct their beliefs about Jesus. Forever after, both the Jews and the Christians, each for their own reasons, have imperiously dismissed Muhammad and his religion as “frauds.” And forever after, the Muslims have hated Jews and Christians.
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Of Course I’m Dreaming
The Prophets described a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isa. 60:2). In other words, a time we can now recognize as the “nuclear winter” that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

But the Prophet Malachi offered a “way out.” He told us that if “the fathers” and “the children” turn their hearts to each other, God will not “…smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:23-24/4:5-6.) The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims.

Yet, deliverance from a nuclear holocaust does not have to depend solely on the proud, self-satisfied “fathers” and “children” of monotheism. If enough skeptics and heathens would acknowledge the looming fulfillment of monotheism’s most horrifying prophecies, they would reconsider their total rejection of the Prophets. If, then, they embraced the God Who precisely foretold what could now befall us, their “conversion” would severely shake the self-satisfaction of the “know-it-all” believers of all three religions — including the “fanatic” Muslims!

Muslim extremists are not ignorant, unthinking people! They sincerely believe it is time for the world, as we have made it, to end. And they could be right.

The Prophets spoke of an “end of days,” but we have no reason to believe the world will physically end, since there are also glorious prophecies of God’s “kingdom” on earth. So, we can reasonably anticipate the end of the hate-filled “days” we have known throughout human history. And it now appears it could be the “hateful Muslim fanatics” attacking the “hateful Christians and Jews” who will bring on “the end!” Yet, we’re also told we can end these days without horrific destruction — and I dream of that happening, though my common sense tells me it won’t! Still, I’d rather dream of awakening us than sit idly and watch it happen.

Of Course I’m Dreaming!

In a comment on my last post, a fellow blogger, Daniel Morgan, (see my Links) said that if I really think I can make people “…be more inclusive in their religious views…you're dreaming.”

Yes, for years I’ve “dreamed” that enough people will enlarge their understanding of God and His messages, by believing all the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. By so doing, we could avoid the fulfillment of the most dreaded prophecies.

For example, the Prophets foretold a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); of a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isa. 60:2). In other words, the time of the “nuclear winter” that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

But the Prophet Malachi offered us a “way out.” He told us that if “the fathers” and “the children” turn their hearts to each other, God will not “…smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal.3:23-24/4:5-6.) The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims.

Although some clerical interpretations of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim Scriptures have divided believers and driven them to kill each other, the Prophets’ combined messages can inspire our urgently needed “change of heart.” Some Prophets, however, each in his own way, appear to say that the world will definitely suffer a “...great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). That ominous prophecy implies that too many believers will ignore Malachi’s advice and refuse to turn their hearts to the persons they “know” should be hated!

But it isn’t only current “believers” that could help. If enough skeptics and heathens would acknowledge the pending fulfillment of monotheism’s most horrifying prophecies, they could reconsider their total rejection of the Prophets. If, then, they embraced the God Who precisely foretold what could now befall us, their “conversion” would shake the self-satisfaction of the “know-it-all” believers of all three religions — including the “fanatic” Muslims!

Muslim extremists are not ignorant, unthinking people, blindly obeying their clerics! They sincerely believe it is time for them to cleanse the earth of “unbelievers,” and thereby end the world as we have made it. Therefore, they consider it their God-given duty to do whatever is needed to make the world “Islamic,” which includes the use of nuclear weapons. And, in a sense, they could be right!

Certainly, the Prophets spoke of an “end of days,” (Dan. 10:14; Isa.2:2), which does not mean the world will end, but we will be done with the hate-filled “days” we have known throughout human history. It now appears that it could be the Muslim fanatics who will bring it on! But we can end these days without horrific destruction — and I dream of that happening, though my common sense tells me it won’t. Still, I’d rather “dream” of awakening us than sit idly and watch it happen.

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I'm taking a moment to digress from my "theme," to suggest that visitors to this site take a peek at the sites I've listed as Links. The Links represent a very diverse group of "bloggers," presenting all manner of opinions very opposite mine! I believe if you'll thoughtfully read them, you could find that I am approaching our very real and urgent world crisis with ideas that are extremely unique--which is what we must have in this unique time in human history!

Never before have humans been threatened by a worldwide "nuclear war," and all the chaos it will produce. We need to "get smarter" about the God Who explicitly warned us of this time, through the Hebrew Prophets, who also told us how to avoid the destruction. You have nothing to lose by contemplating the subject except a little of your time--which, after all, isn't yours to keep anyway! And which, after all, may not last much longer if we won't learn enough to persuade the "Muslim fanatics" to rethink their own beliefs.

Correcting an Omission!

When I posted my comments about the Sabbath yesterday, I completely forgot to “tie them into” our discussion of the coming nuclear war. I suppose it was because it is so “natural” for me to talk about the beliefs shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So, I forgot to mention how crucial to peace it is for enough “believers” to embrace all three religions in matters of real importance, especially God Himself!

Consequently, I now must try to “make up” for my lapse. If we’re going to “turn our hearts to each other” to avoid a nuclear war, as the Prophet Malachi said we must do (see my post "Choose For Yourself" on 10.29), we need to become acquainted with at least some of the teachings about God, revealed by the Prophets of the three religions. And for reasons not worth your time to read, I happened to begin with the Sabbath, observed by Jews, Christians and Muslims. I’ll speak more about those commonly held beliefs in the coming days.