By EARL COXUpdated: OCTOBER 5, 2016 13:52
Much criticism has been levied against Christians for failing to strongly speak out against terrorism and anti-Semitism and for not doing much to combat the Arab-Muslim violence and atrocities taking place in the Middle East and especially in Israel.Why aren't Christians having a greater impact against Hamas and Hezbollah terror attacks across Israel's borders? And why aren't Christians more strongly protesting the Muslim beheadings, torture and killings of Christians in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa?While Christians do not have a military force to combat Muslim extremists or engage in battles to help defend Israel, Christians should at least project a stronger voice of protest to the world about all the Arab-Muslim atrocities taking place against our brothers and sisters and all other non-Muslims.Today, Evangelical Christians are Israel's best friends, strongest supporters, and staunchest allies. Evangelical Christians operate numerous people-helping charities in Israel, gaining the respect and deep appreciation of the Israeli government and the people. So why aren’t our voices being heard loud and clear? One reason is, unlike the Catholic Church, Evangelical Christians do not have a leadership hierarchy and thus no designated national or international spokesperson to serve as the Christian voice in the media.On the political side, there are spokespeople who are occasionally vocal in defense of Israel but they seem unable to make a forceful case to the world. Why? Because most politicians are either ignorant of the facts concerning Israel and the Middle East or apathetic toward Israel and her right to exist as a Jewish state and therefore they remain largely silent. Sadly, many Christian leaders are in the same boat – ignorant, apathetic or both. There are very few Christian voices being heard loudly and clearly in support of, and defense of, Israel. Even those who were once outspoken have fallen strangely silent.Most Israelis know all too well the dark history of various brands of Christians as relating to the Jewish people. There was the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian Pogroms, and the Nazi German Holocaust among others. While it’s recorded in the annals of history and therefore no secret, many Christians would be shocked to learn that most leaders of past anti-Jewish killings claimed some sort of attachment to Christianity. The Jewish people have strong memories, even today, hundreds of years later, and knowing one brand of Christian from another is not an easy thing for Jews to decipher.Many Muslims today claim that Islam is a religion of peace adding that only a very small percentage of Muslims are militant and engaged in violence. While that may be somewhat true, all Muslims are educated to hate non-Muslims whom they classify as infidels. The Koran teaches Muslims that they have license, in fact an obligation, to kill all infidels and especially Christians and Jews. Those Christians who have a public voice and even those who simply occupy the pews must become stronger and fervently vocal in support of Israel and the Jewish people. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that the Jews are God’s chosen people. In fact, the Bible says in the New Testament, “Salvation is of the Jews.”The United States was once blessed by God not because we deserved it but because we stood with Israel and the Jewish people. Since we’ve removed God and prayer from our schools, government buildings, courts of law and even our churches, God’s mighty hand of protection has been lifted. Crime and lawlessness are rampant, corruption is the norm, lying is acceptable, pornography and pedophilia are no longer so shocking and we are now gender neutral meaning no longer male and female as created by the Almighty. Those who cannot see how we have fallen from grace are truly blind.Scriptures tell us that a Great Tribulation period is coming upon the world. While we do not know the hour or the day, we are instructed to know the season and we are given some strong indicators. Wars and rumors of wars. Nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Famines. Pestilence and earthquakes in diverse places. People shall betray one another and iniquity shall abound. Love for God will grow cold and people will be persecuted for their faith in The Almighty. People will be greedy, lovers of money more than lovers of God and there will be droughts and fires. To me this sounds like current events and headline news.