GENESIS

April 1, 2017

 By Pastor Kim Hickcox

(All Scripture taken from One New Man Bible unless otherwise noted)

 

Today we are back in Genesis and on chapter 19, which is about the destruction of the city of Sodom. The Biblical story of the sin of Sodom is about the men of the city trying to break down Lot’s door when they discovered he had male visitors and they ALL wanted to have sex with them. Which in and of itself would be enough in my humble opinion. Rape, be it homosexual or heterosexual is a terrible thing. 

 

But when we look at the Book of Jasher (pages 38-41) we find all sorts of reasons why the Lord told Abraham that, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, ²¹I shall go down now and see whether they have done everything I told them, which has come to Me.” (Genesis 18:20-21)

 

So in Jasher there is a subtitle called Sodom’s Wickedness. And the first paragraph reads like this:

In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord. (pg 38)

 

So as to give them a fair trial and not paint the sinful cities with just one brush, let’s look at what this historical writing says was going on:

 

1.     Four times a year all the cities would gather together for what can only be described as a paganistic free-for-all at the surrounding fountains in the countryside about a half a day’s journey from town. Then they all sang and danced and had a good time! Then we read that it culminated with the following:

And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor’s wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word.

 

2.     Then when a stranger came to town who was a vendor, they would all converge upon him, take all his wares and split everything among them, so that when he complained or had the nerve to tell a judge, everyone would go to him and show him the little bit that they had of his, saying that he gave it to them, and he was violently ushered out of town empty and broke.   

 

3.     Then all the judges of the five cities got together (Sodom, Gomorrah, Zabnac, Admah and Zeboyim) and had the ingenious idea to put several beds in the middle of the town squares, so any strangers who came to town would have a public place to be raped and tortured after the sun went down. 

 

4.     If a poor person stumbled into town, they would all gather together and give them silver and gold (wait for it…) and then make a decree that no one is to give them or allow them to buy any food! And on the assumption that they would not let them leave either, Jasher tells us that should the poor person die of starvation while there, everyone would take back what they had given him, fight over his clothes, and then bury him naked under some bushes.

 

5.     Now in the city of Admah, a traveller came into town, was staying out in the courtyard and asked a young woman for a drink of water. She gave it to him, with a little bread (not good). The next morning when someone discovered that she had been nice to this stranger, she was brought before the Judge who sentenced her to death for it! So the whole town dragged her out, covered her from head to toe with honey and threw her into a swarm of bees where she was stung until she died!! 

 

Are you catching the drift of the whole areas wickedness? Is it any wonder the Lord was upset with these people? But before we get to their destruction, there is a story in here that actually isn’t so bad (comparatively speaking):

 

Sarah sent Eliezer (Abraham’s main slave and the one he would make his heir had the Lord not given him a son) to Sodom to see how Lot and his family were doing. So he went, and when he arrived he saw some of the townsmen beating up on this man (no surprise) and Eliezer went to help him. Well one man picked up a rock and hit him in the forehead making him bleed. Then had the nerve to demand money from him because he released all the bad blood from his forehead. Well Eliezer was astonished by this and they took it before the Judge. The Judge of course sided with the citizen of Sodom and demanded that Eliezer pay him for his medical services, for such is the custom and the law of our land. So Eliezer picked up a rock, threw it at the Judge, drawing blood from his forehead and told him not to bother paying him for his services, but to pay the man he owed! And Eliezer left the man of Sodom with the judge, and he went away. Is that Godly wisdom or what? 

 

Taking all this into consideration, is it any wonder that the sins of these cities and the cries of their victims caught the attention of our Lord? 

 

When 2^nd Peter reviews the destiny of Sodom and Gomorrah, we learn that in the Lord’s eyes, Lot was a righteous man, “and He rescued righteous Lot, when he was tormented by the way of life of the lawless in sensuality, ⁸for that righteous man, as he lived among them day after day, was tormented, a righteous being, in seeing and hearing unrighteous works.” (2:7-8)

 

We may not think of him that way because he does offer up is two virgin daughters to the mob crashing down his door to get at the two angels who he talked out of sleeping in the town square that night (see Genesis 19:1-8).

 

But listen to this exchange, “‘I pray you, brothers, do not behave so wickedly. ⁸Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man: let me, I pray you, bring them out to you to do to them as is good in your eyes. Only to these men do nothing, for therefore they came under the shadow of my roof.’  ⁹And they said, ‘Stand back!’ And they said again, ‘This one came in to sojourn and he thinks he is a judge. Now we will deal worse with you then with them.’ And they pressed sore upon the man, Lot, and came near to break the door.” (19:7-9) We will now see that Lot was standing outside with them face-to-face while this whole exchange was going on! He may not have had all the righteousness he should have had, but you have to give it to him for courage! 

 

And now the angels finish what the sinners started, “But the men put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door. And they struck the men that were at the door with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.” (19:10-12)

 

The next morning, and angels rushed Lot, his wife Ado, and his two [virgin, I think] daughters out of the city before the fire and brimstone came down and destroyed it. Verse 14 tells us that Lot tried to get his sons-in-law to come too, but they didn’t believe him. And why would they? They were raised in Sodom and probably had no clue as to Who the real God was, save for what Lot had told them – and all we know was that it wasn’t enough to convert them, or they would have left with him. 

 

The reason why I think Lot left with his two remaining virgin daughters (just a theory) is because of how this chapter ends. 

 

Back to Jasher for a minute, the city’s turning on Lot and his family wasn’t a new thing. Jasher tells us that he had a daughter named Paltith, who was brought before the Judges for feeding a poor man whom the townsfolk were waiting to starve to death. For this she was thrown into a fire and burned to ashes. Why Lot stayed is beyond me! 

 

But he, his wife and two daughters finally got out with strict orders not to look back. Genesis 19:26 says, “But his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt.” Jasher says her compassion was moved on account of her daughters who remained in Sodom, for they did not go with her. I would assume they were her married daughters, who stayed with their husbands.

 

“You are the salt of the Earth…” Y’shua tells us in Matthew 5:13. Perhaps her witness was more about her heart than it was her momentary and compassionate disobedience. Just a thought. 

 

So I think the two single daughters who were the ones who so shamelessly and sinfully got their father drunk two nights on a row and became pregnant by him, weren’t all that righteous either; and probably weren’t too thrilled with him offering them up like he did the night before as well. 

 

Genesis 19:32-38 tells us how two new tribes of people were born. Lot (although he had no idea at the time, the Bible tells us) and his oldest daughter had a son and named him Moab. 

 

Note the Lord’s mercy: Y’shua has a Moabitess in His family tree. Her name was Ruth, and she was King David’s great, great grandmother. The Old Testament Book of Ruth tells her story. It’s a good one! AND Ruth’s mother-in-law was Rahab, the spy the saved the spies in Jericho! Two non-Hebrew believers in His earthly family.

 

Other than Ruth and David, the Moabites and the Hebrews were enemies off and on throughout ancient history. But when John quotes Y’shua as saying “For God so loved the world…”, it is proven more than once in His own genealogy!

 

Lots’ second family of incestuous descendants were from him and his younger daughter, and he was named Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites. They were enemies of the Hebrews straight up. 

 

But the Lord was good to Lot and Abraham. We don’t hear any more about Lot until Peter calls him righteous, but that also means that he was not forgotten in Hebrew history.

 

And Genesis 19:27-29 tells us about Abraham at that time, “And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD. ²⁸And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain and there is was! The smoke of the country went up like the smoke of a furnace. ²⁹And it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered 
Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelled.” 

 

And I’m more than sure that He made sure Abraham knew that Lot was alright, because He’s merciful. Always has been, always will be. 

 

So when you feel overwhelmed by life or the world’s sinful surroundings – “Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be in awe! Do not be dismayed because of this great multitude! For the battle is not yours, but God’s…Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD with you!’” (2^nd Chronicles 20:15-17)                                                            

                                                                              SHALOM!

Unconditional Trust 3/26/17

 UNCONDITIONAL TRUST

 March 26, 2010

By Pastor Kim Hickcox

We often hear of God’s agape love, that unconditional love that is there NO MATTER WHAT! We know that His love is unconditional because:

1.     1 John 4:19, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (NKJV) So He doesn’t love us through reciprocation.

2.     1 John 4:8, “…God is love.” (NKJV) It’s His very nature therefore it’s neither circumstantial nor emotional.

3.     Romans 8:35 & 37-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...³⁷Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. ³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, not any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NKJV)

Love has a partner, and that is TRUST! His unconditional love toward us needs to generate our unconditional trust toward Him.

·        Would you marry someone you didn’t trust?

·        Would you go into business with someone you didn’t trust?

·        Would you let someone stay in your home you didn’t trust?

·        Would you let someone watch your children you didn’t trust?

If it’s so necessary for us to be able to trust another person before we join with them, how can we not trust the omnipotent [all powerful], omniscient [all knowing], omnipresent [ever present] God? The One Who knows absolutely EVERYTHING – past, present, future and theoretical?

Proverb 3:5 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (NKJV) And why does Proverb 3:5 tell us not to trust our own understanding? Because of what Jeremiah tells us in 51:17, “Everyone is stupid and ignorant…”. A bit harsh in the translation, but just know that our knowledge can’t even fill a thimble compared to God’s.

All the more reason as to how awesome it is to have a personal, loving relationship of unconditional acceptance with THE Creator of the universe, THE author/inspiration of the Bible, the One whose very power holds absolutely every molecule to every thing together – the One without Whom anything would even exist! How can we NOT trust Him?

He made the world. He made us. He gave us a book full of truth. He gave us a foolproof way to be with Him all the time so He can help us with everything whenever we need or want it! How can we not trust Jesus?

Trust is actually another word for faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (CSB) When you have faith in someone to do something – you are trusting them to do it before it’s done. Trust is faith.

All of us have trusted in the truth that when we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, He:

1)    Now lives inside us as does the Father according to John 14:11, as does the Holy Spirit (John 16:7).

2)    Forgave us of every single sin or wrong we have ever committed or will ever commit (Colossians 3:13-14).

3)    Changed our spiritual lineage and heritage from Adam’s family to God’s family, so that we are now co-heirs with Him throughout eternity (Romans 8:14-17).

4)    Changed our eternity from one of never-ending punishment and separation from Him to one of a never-ending paradise with Him (Colossians 1:9-14).

Now if we can trust Him to do all that, just by believing and accepting Him personally as our Savior, how can we not trust Him for anything else? What’s too hard for Him to do? Nothing!

Trust is faith and Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. But you’re not out to please someone you don’t trust, are you?

Trust can keep us out of the grip of uncontrollable fear. Fear not is written 78 times in the Bible! He is not speaking of not getting scared, but He is speaking of the paralyzing fear that is so powerful that it stops you cold. Your thinking is controlled by it; you can’t sleep or function because it is controlling you.

The Lord assures us that this is not necessary 78 times in His Word. Now, being God, He really only has to say something once don’t you think? Why do you suppose He has emphasized this so much? Because it’s so powerful and we are so prone to subdue ourselves to it.

There is a healthy fear, which is just an alarm that goes off in us telling us that caution should be used, but that’s not what the Lord is addressing here. He is talking about the spirit of fear that can control us. Romans 8:31 says, “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJV) The PKV – Pastor Kim Version – translation of the Bible, reads like this: If God is for us, who can be against us, and who cares if they are?

Fear is one of those facets in our emotional make up that can cripple us:

A few years ago, when I was a professional Guardian in Pinellas County, I was summoned before a judge to submit my annual paperwork. The problem was that the attorney I was working with dropped me and it was a legal necessity to have an attorney sign off on my annual reports.

Well, as the time to appear got closer and closer, I went into a full-blown panic! I didn’t have an attorney, and as I was looking for pro-bono work, couldn’t find anyone to sign off with me. This meant that when I went in to the judge and presented my report without an attorney I would be in contempt of court! This carried a minimum $1000 fine and/or 30 days in jail.

Can you understand my panic? JAIL? That’s where they keep criminals! I’m not a criminal! I can’t go to jail! I didn’t have $1000 either! The whole reason I was trying to find a pro-bono attorney is because I didn’t have the $500 they charged just for a signature either!

When I shared my dilemma with others in the field, they just shook their head in remorse, telling me how merciless this particular judge was. So needless to say, I stopped talking to anyone about it.

By the time the night before my appearance got here, all I could do was lie on my bed and quote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”, hoping it would give me peace. It didn’t.

So as I sat in the waiting room, wondering how much stiffer the penalty would be if I just bolted, I just kept telling the Lord that it was just Him and me. I had no one else. I was scared to death, but I knew I was walking in with Him. As I walked in I was shaking.

The judge looked up and asked me if I was alright. No, I wasn’t. I handed him the list of attorneys I had called during the past 2 months, trying to get one to work with me, and explained that no one came to my aide. I apologized for not filing my reports on time, but without an attorney, I didn’t know what to do.

He looked at the list, which was over 2 pages long and covered 3 counties, and instantly became very angry – at them! He went on and on about how terrible it was that no one would help me! Then he dictated a letter for me to type up and sign with a place for his signature also. This letter gave me his personal permission to file all present and future reports to the State with my signature alone!

I danced out of that office! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

I prayed and prayed for Him to lead me to an attorney who would help me. And all I know is: when God did it His way – He received LOT & LOTS of glory and for years! Had He done things the way I asked for, He would have received just a little glory. I would still have been very grateful, but I doubt if I would be repeating this story 20 years later.

Trust means that you have confidence that God can do things His way even when they don’t line up with your ideas:

·        Parting the Red Sea was probably not how Moses visualized crossing it and escaping from the Egyptians. (Exodus 14:10-31)

·        Nor was hitting a rock probably his first idea as to how to get water for everyone in the dessert. (Exodus 17:1-7)

·        Marching around Jericho and then yelling at it was probably not how the Hebrews envisioned taking down their first city in the Promised Land. (Joshua 6)

·        The Disciples were pretty baffled when Jesus fed 5000 families with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish too. (Luke 9:12-17)

Our God is a creator let Him be creative in your life too! It’s the most thrilling roller coaster ride you’ll ever get on!! And the landing is always safe!

[Speaking of being creative…]

Know that when God has decreed something – it will happen! You can put you trust in that too.

In 1^st Kings 20, Israel was going to war. In vss 13 & 28, a prophet of God told King Ahab that He was going to win this war against the Syrians for them, so everyone would know that He is God. So the army killed 120,000 in one day, but 27,000 escaped. So in verse 30, we read, “…the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon 27,000 of the men that were left…” (NKJV) God said the Syrian army was going to lose that day and Israel would win! Syria tried to run and hide so they could regroup and come back – God said no.

And just so you know – Ahab was an extremely evil king. But God was proving that He existed because lots of people (lots of Israelites) were doubting Him at the time.

Trusting in God takes time and experience. Experience means that things are going to happen that you either can’t fix or can’t control at all. But we have another promise from Him that we can hold on to – Romans 8:25-30, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. ²⁶In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groaning. ²⁷And He Who searches the hearts knows the Spirits’ mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints {all believers are saints} according to the will of God. ²⁸We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.” (SCB)

Unconditional trust MUST be the life that we aspire to, because:

1.     Trust is love’s partner.

2.     Trust is faith.

3.     Trust keeps us from living in fear.

4.     And because when God says something is going to happen – IT WILL. For there’s no one or no thing powerful enough to stop it!

I challenge each of you to not try to figure out everything for yourself nor to put all of your trust in other people – but to put your trust in God, the only One who is truly worthy of it! The only One who will never let you down!!

Genesis 3/11/17

GENESIS

March 11, 2017
By Pastor Kim Hickcox

(All Scripture taken from One New Man Bible unless otherwise noted)

THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION

Genesis 17: 9-14

“And God said to Avraham, ‘Therefore you shall keep My covenant, you, and your seed after you in their generations. ¹⁰This is My covenant, which you will keep, between Me and you and your seed after you. Every man child among you will be circumcised. ¹¹And you will circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it will be a token of the covenant between Me and you. ¹²And he that is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought from any stranger who is not of your seed. ¹³He that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money must definitely be circumcised. And My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised male whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.’”

The covenant of circumcision was an outer sign of an inner condition:

As far as being a physical sign goes, it served to tell who was Hebrew and who was not to both the heathen and fellow Hebrew, should proof ever be needed. But more than that, it showed who was a follower or believer in Yah Weh, whether they were of the Hebrew tribes or not.

As far as being symbolic goes, we see this meaning in:

Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and take away the foreskins of your heart…” which is a sign of a follower/believer in Yah Weh.

Deuteronomy 10:16-18 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and no longer be stiff necked,” as in living stubbornly against God. And why should we not be like that? “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, a great, a mighty, and an awesome God, Who does not show favoritism or take a bribe, ¹⁸executing judgment for the fatherless and widow, and loving the stranger, in giving him food and clothing.”

Romans 2:28-29 “For the Jewish person is not the one to be plainly recognized by what he wears, his prayer shawl or kippah, and neither is circumcision  just openly in the flesh,²⁹but the one is Jewish inwardly, and circumcised in his heart in spirit not letter, whose praise is not from people but from God.” In ‘spirit not letter’ refers to being born-again as opposed to just following the Teaching [Law] or Torah, which many do but do not believe in Messiah, both then and today.

It is also mentioned by Stephen during his speech encapsulating Hebrew history (Acts 7:8) just before he was stoned for his faith in Y’shua.

Why was it ordained to be done in the eighth day (verse 12)? Because this is the day, scientists discovered just a few short years ago, when the blood flow to that area is the least that it will ever be. (Why they don’t wait and do it then just on that discovery alone, I will never know, but unfortunately they don’t.)

Speaking as delicately as possible, I believe the Holy Spirit has given me a couple of points of insight as to why this particular covenant was given (making it unconditional). The physical and spiritual signs of circumcision are incredible!

The foreskin taken away during a physical circumcision covers and therefore protects or shields what we commonly refer to as the head of that particular organ. And while this can be a good thing, it also needs to be kept immaculately clean and dry as it is in an excellent atmosphere in which to become infected or even moldy, not allowing proper air circulation.

When our hearts (and minds) are covered by their foreskin, the same thing happens. We become infected by the worldly influences and actually are protected or shielded against the fresh air or calling of the Holy Spirit on our hearts.

The aforementioned physical foreskin is also the covering for that which produces future generations. The foreskin of our hearts will also taint future generations in perpetuating generational curses as well as misconceptions of the One True God and Savior, until it is stripped away, because Truth is what we are really shielded from and the enemy of our soul is the one who really wants us to stay protected from knowing the Truth. “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life: no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

THE CHANGING OF SARAI’S NAME

Genesis 17:15-16

“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶And I will bless her and give you a son also from her. Yes, I will bless her and she will be a mother of nations; king of peoples will be of her.’”

We can also trail the truth of Sarah’s Promise with the genealogy listed in Matthew as we did Abraham’s last week, as it all sprang from Isaac, which we will see in verse 19 will be Sarah’s son from Abraham.

The Lord changed her name from Sarai, meaning My Princess, to Sarah, meaning Princess. This elevated Sarah from Abraham’s possession to his equal, as her name was no longer possessive. She was now his equal by virtue of her new name. This is, of course, the way the Lord originally created us and marriage to be.

Eve did not come from Adam’s head so as to lord over him. Neither did she come from his foot so as to be trampled over by him. She was created from his rib, to be a completing equal and helper for and to him. A partner to go through life side-by-side, as every marriage should be.

ABRAHAM’S SURPRISING RESPONSE

Genesis 17:17-21

“Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Will a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ ¹⁸And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh! That Ishmael might live before You!’ ¹⁹And God said, ‘Sarah your wife will indeed bear a son for you; and you will call his name Isaac. And I shall establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. ²⁰And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He will beget twelve princes and I shall make him a great nation.²¹But I shall ratify My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time in the next year.’”

See? Verse 17 tells me that we ALL have times when we just can’t grasp what God is trying to tell us! (Be it in His Word or by personal revelation.) What we have to remember is that we are loved and adopted by a supernatural God, Who does NOT have to act within the realm of the natural if it doesn’t fit His plan! He is MORE THAN able to go above and beyond the natural to bring whatever He has ordained come to pass.

Look at Y’shua! 100% man and 100% God. How can anything be 200% of anything?! The only way I can even begin to wrap my head around that is to think that He is 100% God on the inside wrapped up in a human suit complete with skin, blood, etc. It ain’t exactly theologically correct, but it works for me. Sometimes.

And I do believe that verse 19, “And God said, ‘Sarah your wife will indeed bear a son for you; and you will call his name Isaac. And I shall establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him’’’ is where the Koran and the Bible split ways.

Although there are those who will insist that Jehovah and Allah are one in the same, and use Abraham and Creation as their proofing ground, please refer to Genesis 17:19-21. There IS a difference.

It is true that Ishmael was loved, blessed and honored by the One True God. His everlasting covenant however, which includes the land that is even now being fought over, was clearly given to Isaac’s descendants. And although we see no real animosity between the two people in Abraham’s day, they, like Jacob and Esau (Isaac’s two grandsons, which we will learn about a bit later), did not remain family such as we know it.

Ishmael became the patriarch of the Arabic people. And although Allah is the word for God in Arabic, when a Muslim uses it, it is not the same God we love.  However, up until the Islamic religion came along, all was relatively peaceful between the peoples of Abraham’s (first two) sons. But then the tide turned, and will never revert back until Y’shua returns.

When a Muslim shouts Allah Akhbar they will tell you that they are saying God is Great. Who can argue with that? However, they are not referring to the King of the Universe. And they are not saying God is Great, but Allah is the Greatest. The greatest means that there are others in the list. You cannot be the greatest if you are in a category of one.

Allah is actually the god of war and chosen out of the 360 or so Canaanite gods. So when you worship a god of war, nothing would be too cruel or too inhuman to do would it? Like recruiting children and training them to be suicide bombers. This does NOT come from the God of Love. The God Who died for the forgiveness of our sin.

So please, pray for the Islamic people. Pray for Ishmael’s people. Pray for those who have adopted this religion. The God of Love still love them! “This is good and acceptable before God our Savior, ⁴Who wants all mankind to be saved and to come to true and precise and correct knowledge. ⁵For there is one God and one Mediator between God and mankind, the man Messiah Y’shua, ⁶the One Who gave Himself, a ransom on behalf of all, His testimony at a suitable time.” 1^st Timothy 2:3-6

“You are the light of the world. A city laid out on a mountain is not able to be hidden: ¹⁵and they do not light a lamp and place it under a peck measure but upon the lamp stand, and it gives light for all those in the house. ¹⁶Your light must now shine like this before all mankind, so that they would see your good deeds and they would glorify your Father, the One in the heavens.”Matthew 5:14-16