ITS A.D. 2011 
Beware of No. 11

The judgment cloud is rising over 2011, run for cover

2011 is the current year in the Gregorian calendar;  the 11th year of the third millennium and of the twenty-first century. What does this number signify and what should we expect for the year? From a careful study of the Bible we can deduce that the number 11 signifies judgment , disorder and destruction. It is no coincidence therefore that the builders of the Tower of Babel were JUDGED in Genesis 11 and DISORDER set in giving the place its name Babel(Confusion). You can also understand why the name Abaddon, the god of destruction, judgment and disorder is revealed in Revelation 9:11, exposing the spirit behind the 9/11 attack on the United States.

SUICIDE BOMBING

According to the Bible

“Let me die with the philistines” with these words, Samson pulled down the pillars of the great temple killing himself and more than three thousand people in the process and becoming in history the first man to carry out a suicide attack. Today in Gaza strip, the Great Mosque is a tourist attraction as it is built on the exact site where Samson pulled down the temple. The mosque seems symbolic of a new religious system that will perpetuate the dastard act of suicide bombing.

My interest in suicide bombing was triggered by the recent Nigerian born Abdulmuttalab Farouk saga who attempted a suicide attack on an American bound airline and the consequent listing of Nigeria in the US terror watch list. I searched everywhere for the cause, motivation and solution to suicide bombing, the best answers I got came from the Bible. That is what I intend to share with you here. You will be surprised the Bible has a lot to say about suicide bombing.

For while secular writers traced the first suicide attack to the 17th century (400 years ago). The Bible gave the above Samson’s account that happened over 4,000 years ago. I also discovered the Bible (written over 2,000 years ago) foretold the present Islamic terrorism. I arrived at a conclusion: the Bible is more historically complete than a museum of archeological collections and more current than tomorrows newspaper

What is A Suicide Attack?

A suicide attack (also known as suicide bombing) is an attack intended to kill others and inflict widespread damage, while the attacker intends to die as well in the process. Statistics show that the number of attacks using suicide tactics has grown from an average of fewer than five per year during the 1980s to 180 per year between 2000 and 2005,1 and from 81 suicide attacks in 2001 to 460 in 2005.2 These attacks have been aimed at diverse military and civilian targets, including in Sri Lanka, Israel since 1989, Iraqis since the US-led invasion of that country in 2003, and Pakistanis and Afghans since 2005. In short, suicide tactics have become commonplace in the modern Muslim world, with attacks on a global scale as part of diverse regional conflicts.

Samson’s Case

Samson is that Jewish ‘commando’ that could single handedly conquer a city and their military band. No film tricks, this man killed a lion with bare arms, wiped out a thousand military squad with a jaw-bone and took the gates of cities3. But Samson lost his eyes and freedom to his moral weakness. As a blinded Prisoner of War, his enemies praised their gods and taunted him. Weighed down with guilt of sin he asked God for a second chance even if it means dying with his enemies. The Bible completes the story: 

“The Philistine rulers were celebrating in a temple packed with people and with three thousand more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him. Samson prayed, "Please remember me, LORD God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!.... Then he shouted, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life" 4

Note this about Samson’s case

• Samson lived in the Old Testament under the eye for eye law of Moses. He was constantly on a revenge mission just like the Philistines were also out for him. On the contrary, Jesus in the New Testament spoke against that principle. He rather recommend we turn the other cheek.5

• Samson was a prisoner of war (POW). In a war situation, your mission is to destroy your enemy. What other option does a blind, chained prisoner have? Moreover, there was no other scenario that would have brought such dignitaries together. It was divinely arranged for him to destroy his enemies.

• God’s will for us is not that we die with our enemies. The power that can pull down buildings can open blind eyes, but he didn’t ask for it. In spiritual war fare for instance, the Bible said that we should still be standing after a fight6, that’s God’s will for us.

• Samson prayed the wrong prayer. The Bible says that ‘life and death are in the power of the tongue’7. Like Elijah he asked for death and he had it. Words are powerful especially when released by an anointed man

Islam and Suicide Bombing

Statistics show that recent suicide attacks are almost entirely done by Islamic fundamentalists. 224 of 300 suicide terror attacks from 1980 to 2003 compiled by the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism involved Islamist groups or terrorist acts in Muslim-majority lands8. Another tabulation found a massive increase in suicide bombings and that the overwhelming majority of these bombers were motivated by the ideology of Islamist martyrdom9. According to still another estimate, as of early 2008, 1,121 Muslim suicide bombers have blown themselves up in Iraq alone10.

Psychologists and other social scientists have propounded several theories about suicide bombing. All conflicting each other and holding no water. Some theories profiled the bombers as poor, frustrated and brainwashed illiterates. But other findings show the bombers to be rich and educated (like Farouk) a departure from psychologists ‘suicide theories’. Irshad Manji, in a conversation with one leader of Islamic Jihad noted their ideology.

"What's the difference between suicide, which the Koran condemns, and martyrdom?" I asked. "Suicide," he replied, "is done out of despair. But remember: most of our martyrs today were very successful in their earthly lives. In short, there was a future to live for--and they detonated it anyway.”

So all the social scientists have no explanations to the underlying motivation behind suicide bombings. It counters all known theories. Only the Bible gives a clear reason behind it

Islamic Terrorism in Bible’s Prophecy

Muhammad the founder of Islam is an Arabian, they trace their ancestry to Ishmael (Abraham’s first son). Ishmael was that son of Abraham from Hagar an Egyptian maid. He and his mother had been expelled twice for fighting Isaac, the son of promise and father of the Jewish race11. So the hatred of Arabs for Jews did not start today, the Bible gives us the genesis.

During her first exile, an Angel appeared to her and gave the destiny of her child

And the angel also said,

“you are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael… this son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” 12

We need to understand prophecy; here God was neither referring to Ishmael nor the Arabs-his descendants, but to a terrorist minded religion that will emanate from his descendants. This religion will through violence unite the Arabian world and become the headquarters of terrorism in history. Speaking further to Abraham, God was careful to describe the Ishmael- He told Abraham that 12 princes shall come from Ishmael13; Shiite Muslims today recognize 12 princes or Imams in their top ecclesiastical ranking.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible translates the last part of that verse this way “he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him." Islam comes with a dangerous demonic fighting instinct. Apart from the unthinkable acts of the suicide bombers, we can see how wild and untamed Muslims can be when a Danish journalist cartooned Muhammad in 2005. They carried out open rally (some violent) protests in the embassies of the countries where they lived and even killed Christians in Northern Nigeria. A writer described the incidence following the cartoon

"Leaders of Denmark’s Muslim community, which numbers about 200,000, objected when the cartoons were published, saying it was part of a growing climate of hostility against Muslims in Denmark. The editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper apologized for the offense, but a number of newspapers in Europe and elsewhere reprinted the cartoons as an issue of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. In response, demonstrations, often violent, took place throughout the Islamic world. A number of Islamic countries withdrew their ambassadors from Denmark, and in early February Danish embassies and consulates were attacked and burned in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. Many Muslim leaders also called for boycotts of Danish goods14.

Dan Brown published “The Da Vinci Code” in which he portrayed Jesus and the Church in a negative way and became a best selling author with no threat to his life. Salman Rushdie tried the same thing in Islam: he published a book “The Satanic Verses” in which Muslims believed he wrote some blasphemous things about Muhammad. Wikipaedia reports what followed after the book was published:

In the Muslim community, however, the novel caused great controversy for what many Muslims believed were blasphemous references. The book was banned in India, burned in demonstrations in the United Kingdom, and was the subject of a violent riot in Pakistan. In February 1989, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader of Iran issued a fatwa calling on all good Muslims to kill or help kill Rushdie and his publishers. Following the fatwa, Rushdie was put under police protection by the British government. As of early 2010 Rushdie has not been physically harmed, but 38 others have been killed in violence against those connected with the book.15

 Jesus on Suicide Bombing

Jesus warned his disciples that Islamic terrorism was coming but that it should not make them afraid (the goal of terrorism is to cause fear). He said

"I am telling you this to keep you from being afraid…. the time will come when people will kill you and think they are doing God a favor. They will do these things because they don't know either the Father or me. I am saying this to you now, so that when the time comes, you will remember what I have said. I was with you at the first, and so I didn't tell you these things” 16

Jesus obviously was not referring to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperors who did it for political reasons. He was talking about a people that will do it for religious reasons-thinking they are doing God (not god) a favour. In Islam Jihad literally means “the struggle to please God”, the same God of the Christians. So those suicide bombers actually believe they are doing God a favour just like Jesus foresaw. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, sometimes called "the world's most quoted independent Islamic jurist"17, has called martyrdom operations:

“the greatest of all sorts of Jihad in the Cause of Allah. A martyr operation is carried out by a person who sacrifices himself, deeming his life less value than striving in the Cause of Allah, in the cause of restoring the land and preserving the dignity”.18

Faisal Bodi another Islamic cleric wrote in The Guardian (UK) that,

"in the Muslim world, then, we celebrate what we call the martyr-bombers. To us they are heroes defending the things we hold sacred. Polls in the Middle East show 75% of people in favour of martyr-bombings."19 Islamist militant organisations (including Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Islamic Jihad) continue to argue that suicide operations are justified according to Islamic law.

The Killing of fellow Muslims

Pharaoh invited Jannes and Jambres, Egyptian occultists to counter Moses’ plague of frogs, they came and multiplied it20. I start wondering whether the magic was for good or evil. But that is just how the devil works-deceitfully increasing the woes of his adherents instead of abating it. Suicide bombing have killed more Muslims than Christians or Jews. I am forced to ask, is Jihad for victory or defeat? But the truth is that the religion was built on blood: Islam was a religion spread by fighting and killing. Many lost their lives when Muhammad was on a mission to conquer societies for Allah. An account of the spread of Islam reads

The remarkable speed of this religious expansion can be attributed to the fact that it was accompanied by military conquest. Muhammad drew Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula to Islam by his forceful personality, the promise of salvation for those who died fighting for Islam, and the lure of fortune for those who succeeded in conquest. The caravan raids of the early years of Islam soon become full-scale wars, and empires and nations bowed to the power of this new religious, military, political, economic, and social phenomenon.

Norman Itzkowitz

However, unlike Muhammad, when Peter tried to use violence to preach the Gospel Jesus cautioned him

"Put your sword away. Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting.” 21

This is another major reason Muslims are killing each other and fighting everyone-the religion was built on violence. Thus Muhammad activated a pending 4,000 year old prophecy given about Ishmael. Ever since, the Arab world has lived in open hostility against everyone else especially Jews-their brother. The Church may have killed in their backsliding state, but Jesus never did nor encouraged that-He remains the perfect example of a true Christian

The Sword Shall not depart from your house

If you have ever studied world history you will discover that history repeats itself. You will find out that present world events have either happened before in the Bible or prophesied to happen in the future. Here is one case: The curse that came on David and his family for killing Uriah is also the curse that is operating in Islam for the souls Muhammad killed in the name of religion. For killing Uriah and taken his wife, Nathan the prophet cursed the house of David

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house…. Howbeit,... the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 22

That child finally died and the family of David started doing bizarre things: brother raping sister, brother killing brother, son rising against father etc. His children could not link the motivation for their weird activities to their father and if not for the Bible we wouldn’t have known. Like David, like Muhammad-the Islamic world do not even link their killer instinct to their founder. Do you know that just like that son of David later died all of Muhammad’s 5 children died in infancy except Fatima, a lady that later married his cousin (Ali). The Bible said

“Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” Gen 9:6

It is the cry of the blood of Abel (innocent people Muhammad killed in the name of Allah) asking for vengeance23;

it is a case of he that lives by the sword dying by the sword24,

it is the curse of the sword shall not depart from your house25.

These are all confirmations that the scriptures cannot be broken26

The Way out for Muslims

Every Islamic adherent is under a curse, they may not know and some may not be violent. That Farouk’s father was not violent but gave birth to a dangerous (Islamic bred) son tells me that every Muslim is a potential threat to societal peace. The curse runs in Islam-that curse will ultimately motivate them to kill each other and to war. Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, and Afghanistan are Islamic nations impoverished by war, yet they keep crying out for more war. There is a blood tasty demon in operation.

Fortunately the blood price has been paid 2000 year ago by a righteous man-Jesus. He is the present City of Refuge to all sinners. All they need for their freedom is to accept Jesus Christ the prince of peace. The blood of Jesus cleanses a man from all unrighteousness27 and grants us the freedom to live in peace and to love humanity.

Our Duty

Our duty is to pray for them. Samson committed suicide bombing out of blindness, the same way the Bible says that the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot not believe and be saved28. We must pray open their blind minds. The second thing is to ask God for opportunities to reach out to them, God knows how to arrange it. Finally, we must live exemplary lives as worthy citizens of the Kingdom. Jesus said that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. The reason many Muslims resent Christianity is because they think America with all their lewdness (homosexuality, drugs, porn, etc) is an ideal Christian nation. They may have been right 300 years ago when America was still predominantly Christian in philosophy. We believers of the 21st century must shine the light and represent Christ.

References

1. The Moral Logic and Growth of Suicide Terrorism Figure 1, p.128

2. ^ גדות, יפעת (July 6, 2009). "פיגוע אוטובוס 405 [1989]" (in Hebrew). News1. http://www.news1.co.il/Archive/001-D-206364-00.html?tag=09-17-36. Retrieved 2009-07-06.

3. Judges 15, and 16

4. Judges 16:25-30

5. Matthew 5:39

6. Ephesians 6:13

7. Proverbs 18:21

8. Pape, Dying to Win, (2005), p.209

9. Scott Atran, "The Moral Logic and Growth of Suicide Terrorism" p.131, 133

10. March 14, 2008 The Independent/UK "The Cult of the Suicide Bomber" by Robert Fisk "month-long investigation by The Independent, culling four Arabic-language newspapers, official Iraqi statistics, two Beirut news agencies and Western reports"

11. Genesis 16 and 21

12. Gen 16:10-13 (NLT)

13. Genesis 17:20

14. Denmark." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

15. The Satanic Verses. Wikipaedia:The Free Online Encyclopaedia

16. John 16:1-4 CEV

17. a b Bodi, Faisal (2001). "Bombing for God". Special report: Israel and the Middle East. Guardian Newspapers Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,543164,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-19.

18. Fatwa Bank

19. a b Bodi, Faisal (2001). "Bombing for God". Special report: Israel and the Middle East. Guardian NewspapersLimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,543164,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-19.

20. Exodus 7:22; 8:7; 2 Timothy 3:8

21. Matthew 26:52 CEV

22. 2 Sam 12:10,14 KJV

23. Genesis 4:10

24. Matthew 26:52 KJV

25. 2Sam 12:14

26. John 10:35

27. 1 John 1:9

28. 2 Corinthians 4:4

THE MICROSOFT “BIBLE”-

Old Testament Extension

The 20th century Arab-Israeli conflict is a historic repetition of the 20th Chapter of the Old Testament’s book of 1st kings. In 1 Kings 20, Syria and her allies gathered against Israel the same way modern-day Syria and her allies (the Arabs) joined forces against Israel with a mission to wipe them out. In both cases the seemingly disadvantaged Israel (with lower number of military) won. In both cases, the enemies regrouped and re-strategized but were defeated again and again. This is strange especially when we note that the same Arab coalition fought and defeated USSR-a world power within ten years. Why are they powerless against Israel for over sixty years now?

I call this the Microsoft “Bible” because the recent Arab-Israeli war as reported by Microsoft Encarta-(A secular Encyclopaedia owned by Microsoft Corporation) has striking similarity to the Bibles narrative of Israel-Syria conflict about 2500 years earlier. Who says history does not repeat itself? In fact as I was reading from the Encyclopaedia, it was as if I was reading from the Bible’s Old Testament. This write up will strengthen your faith in the Bible, as well as answer the question: What do you do when surrounded by enemies more powerful than you are?

Lets read from the two “Bibles”

The Old Testament Bible
Syria, has been an enemy of Israel right from Old Testament times. They always terrified the Israelites by forming allies with other powerful nations. However, during King David’s time, the Syrians were subdued and became servants to David. This was because David was totally submitted to God1. Below is an account of a war they engaged with Israel during Ahab’s time and how they were constantly defeated. This account is from 1 Kings 20:1-end, CEV

“King Benhadad of Syria called his army together. He was joined by thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots, and together they marched to Samaria(the then capital of Israel) and attacked….

At that very moment, a prophet ran up to Ahab (King of Israel) and said, "You can see that Benhadad's army is very strong. But the LORD has promised to help you defeat them today. Then you will know that the LORD is in control….

“The young soldiers led Israel's troops into battle, and each of them attacked and killed an enemy soldier. The rest of the Syrian army turned and ran, and the Israelites went after them. Benhadad and some others escaped on horses, but Ahab and his soldiers followed them and captured their horses and chariots. Ahab and Israel's army crushed the Syrians. Later, the prophet went back and warned Ahab, "Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans."

“Meanwhile, Benhadad's officials went to him and explained: Israel's gods are mountain gods. We fought Israel's army in the hills, and that's why they defeated us. But if we fight them on flat land, there's no way we can lose. Here's what you should do. First, get rid of those thirty-two kings and put army commanders in their places. Then get more soldiers, horses, and chariots, so your army will be as strong as it was before. We'll fight Israel's army on flat land and wipe them out. Benhadad agreed and did what they suggested. In the spring, Benhadad got his army together, and they marched to the town of Aphek to attack Israel.

The Israelites also prepared to fight. They marched out to meet the Syrians, and the two armies camped across from each other. The Syrians covered the whole area, but the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats. The prophet went to Ahab and said, "The Syrians think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys. So he has promised to help you defeat their powerful army. Then you will know that the LORD is in control." For seven days the two armies stayed in their camps, facing each other. Then on the seventh day the fighting broke out, and before sunset the Israelites had killed one hundred thousand Syrian troops. The rest of the Syrian army ran back to Aphek, but the town wall fell and crushed twenty-seven thousand of them. Benhadad also escaped to Aphek and hid in the back room of a house.

The Microsoft “Bible”
The Arab-Israeli Conflict is a conflict between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East over the land of historic Israel and Palestine. The conflict has led to several wars, beginning in 1948, among Arab nations and the state of Israel. The Arab League (an Organization of Arabian countries) was formed in 1945 to prevent Israel from becoming a nation in their native land. When Israel was finally declared a nation in 1948, the Arabs descended on them that same year with the goal of aborting the embryonic nation. Writing under the topic: "Arab-Israeli Conflict", the Microsoft Encarta tells the story of the 20th century Israel and their historic enemies-the Syrians. Though abridged, the account below is copied verbatim (without modification) from Encarta. Read on

“In the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-1949 Arab forces (including the armies of Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq as well as Palestinian guerrillas) had expected an easy victory over the small and isolated Jewish state, but despite heavy casualties Israel won. Israel also increased the land under its control far beyond what it had been given by the partition plan. ... The demoralized Arab world was unwilling to accept the Israeli victory, and shortly after the war the Arabs began to regroup for more fighting. …

In the mid-1950s the Egyptian government began to support Palestinian guerrilla raids into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Egypt also refused to allow Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal and in 1951 blockaded the Strait of Tiran (Israel’s access to the Red Sea), which Israel regarded as an act of war. In June 1956 Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, which had been jointly owned by Britain and France. In late October, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, defeating Egyptian forces there

The six-day war and the 1973 war
In 1967 Egypt, Syria, and Jordan massed their armies on Israel’s borders, and several Arab states called for war. Assuming the Arabs would attack, Israel struck first, in June 1967, and caught the Arabs by surprise. In the Six-Day War that followed, Israel demolished the armies and air forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. It also gained control of the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights region of southwestern Syria, and all of Jerusalem.

The Arab states continued to call for the destruction of Israel, while Israel for its part, refused to consider withdrawing from the territories it had occupied except in the context of a comprehensive peace plan. The Arabs increasingly threw their support behind the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a political body that had been formed in 1964 to create a Palestinian state. …

Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat reconstructed the Egyptian army in the early 1970s. Syria also prepared for war and received weapons from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Israel, in turn, fortified its forward positions and was supplied with weapons by the United States. The Arabs attacked in October 1973 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and caught Israel by surprise. Egypt and Syria pushed across the armistice lines established after the Six-Day War, which had kept Egyptian troops west of the Suez Canal and Syrian troops northeast of the Golan Heights. The Arab advances greatly restored Arab confidence. Israel, however, quickly recovered from the surprise and again pushed into Arab territory, surrounding or destroying the bulk of the Egyptian and Syrian forces

The camp David’s accord
In 1979, following Camp David's Accord(framework for peace in Middle East signed by US president, Jimmy Carter), Syria maintained its warlike posture and demanded the unconditional surrender of the Golan Heights, and the PLO continued its terrorist assaults on Israel. In 1982 Israel tried to wipe out the PLO by attacking its bases in Lebanon, which had been plunged into its own civil war in 1975. The assault on the PLO, which Israel called Operation Peace for Galilee, quickly escalated into ground battles in Lebanon and full-scale engagements between the Israeli and Syrian air forces. After a siege on Beirut the PLO leadership evacuated from Lebanon and relocated to Tunisia. Arabs were frustrated that Israel had occupied an Arab capital with little intervention from the rest of the world, and the Palestinians of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip felt more isolated and abandoned than ever. Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon by 1985, though it continued to maintain a self-declared security zone inside Lebanon along the Israeli border until 2000.2

Israel's Many Disadvantages

Israel is disadvantaged in so many ways. Below are some of them
1. Trapped and Isolated: Above is the map showing Israel(white) sandwiched between her enemies(light green) and a water body (blue). This setting reminds me the saying of someone ‘caught between the devil and the deep blue sea’. In this position, the option of escape to a refugee camp in a neighboring nation is ruled out. A particular archive article written 1n 1948 said:
“The first week or two after May 15(1948) were the really decisive ones in this war, when the Israelis were very poorly armed. Their secret weapon then was the battle cry of Eyn brerah (There is no alternative!)… Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria declared a blockade against Israel, confiscated freight destined for Israeli ports, and detained Jewish passengers. Foreign ships and planes refused to run the risk of attack, and for a time Israel was isolated until ships under the Israeli flag or under Israeli charter began to operate and until an Israeli air force could clear the skies for commercial transport. But immigration continued unabated, and ships landed at whatever port they could.”3.
2. Tender and Vulnerable: think about baby Moses in a basket escaping the sword of a ferocious Pharaoh and ending in the palace of his enemy. Now picture baby Jesus, tender and vulnerable, yet king Herod with a homicidal mandate is after his life. You get the picture? Juxtapose it with Israel’s situation- a people that have just been reborn as a nation after 1, 878 years of dispersal, and powerful enemy nations with genocidal instincts, are after there existence. Like pharaoh, like Herod, like the Arabs-the devil specializes on exploiting vulnerable moments.
3. Trooper Inadequacy: The 2004 estimate of countries and their number of military personnel4 revealed that Israel has only 168,300 military personnel and the combined military personnel of the allies are 1,128,500 (Syria- 307,600, Egypt- 468,500, Jordan- 100,500, Lebanon- 72,100, Iraq- 179,800) excluding the thousands of Palestinian Guerrillas. Reporting the ‘six-day war,’ Wikipaedia (an online Encyclopaedia), listed the nations above as Israel’s opponents and added that “…The Arab states of Iran, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms”5. So Israel was contending with ten nations

What Do You Do When Surrounded by Enemies Stronger than You?

The victory that Israel had is unexplainable by the science of modern warfare. Therefore, lets look outside of the Pentagon and our Defense Academies as we answer the question: what do you do when you are tender and vulnerable yet surrounded by enemies that are more powerful than you? Here is the answer

Enter into Covenant with God: The major reason the Israelites had constant victory is because of their covenant with God through Abraham. The entire Bible is a document that reveals the details of the two major covenants God cut with man: Old Testament and New Testament (Testament is a synonym for covenant). Both represents covenants made between God and the Jews through Abraham and God and the Church through Christ respectively. Therefore, every time we read the Bible, we are looking at the details, contents, benefits, dynamics, and obligations of God’s covenant with man. In the Old Testament, for instance, the prophet Isaiah reads part of the promises of that covenant, “But the LORD has promised to fight on our side and to rescue our children from those strong and violent enemies”6. Joshua told the Israelites, “Any one of you can defeat a thousand enemy soldiers, because the LORD God fights for you, just as he promised.”7 That is the major reason the Jews are victorious-it is in the covenant pact

But note that the Old Testament is just a shadow of the New Testament8. Though God has not cast out the Jews9, He has entered a better covenant established upon better promises10 with the Church. This Covenant was made through Jesus Christ. America at inception, stands as an example of a nation that entered a covenant with God through this new way and in less than four centuries after its creation the United States became the most powerful nation on earth. To overcome strong enemies therefore, enter into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ the mediator of the better covenant11. That is your victory route in Africa where the combined forces of ancestral curses, poverty, sicknesses and demonic spirits encompass you. Imagine what an Old covenant can do for Israel in the 21st century.

Proper Preparation: The Prophet told Ahab the king, "Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans."12. Divine guidance and assistance does not take away the place of planning. The present Israelites always fortifies themselves with weapons from America and plan their attacks. However, unlike the Jews who are still meddling with the shadows (physical battles) our own warfare are not physical wars13 that is fought with bombs and riffles. The Bible admonishes us to

“Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.“14

The armour we need is listed in the succeeding verses (Ephesians 6:12-18). The best way to contain the tide of Islam therefore is on our knees. While the Jews are destroying the physical Muslims (Arabs are 90% Muslims) by the force of the Old covenant, we can be disarming the spirit behind Islam. (Join our Prayer Network: Click here)

3. Acknowledge God: one secret the Israelites have is their knowledge that God alone (not man) can deliver them. This is the only verse missing in Encarta. The Old Testament version completes the story, telling us the part God plays through the prophets. Israel may get weapons from America but they know very well that America is not their deliverer. For though America is a superpower yet in their deification of science, terrorists brought down the symbols of their strength(the Towers and Pentagon). How can you ever think America who cannot even protect themselves from terrorists living thousands of miles away deliver Israel surrounded by enemies. Remember America backed Southern Vietnam for 13 years and were still defeated in the Vietnam war. So its not the American factor, it is God
David said
“It is better to trust the LORD for protection than to trust anyone else, including strong leaders. Nations surrounded me, but I got rid of them by the power of the LORD. They attacked from all sides, but I got rid of them by the power of the LORD. They swarmed around like bees, but by the power of the LORD, I got rid of them and their fiery sting. Their attacks were so fierce that I nearly fell, but the LORD helped me. My power and my strength come from the LORD, and he has saved me”15

Unfortunately, many believers today attribute their successes and achievements to their father or boss, or to the fact that they are from a particular geographic zone of specially blessed people. It is human nature to think our certificates gave us the job or promotion, our beauty gave us the husband, our skills gave us the wealth etc; those things may have contributed, but God gave us the victory. The horse is prepared against the day of battle but victory is of the Lord16

Finally, the Microsoft “Bible” has strengthened my faith in the Bible. It has authenticated those Bible’s stories that used to sound like fairy tales. If Microsoft (the Information Technology capital of the world) can report that a one-nation Israel defeated the over ten nations Arabs, then its no longer difficult to belief Samson’s exploits in the Bible17. It is now easier to believe that hundred men can defeat ten thousand enemy soldiers18. Please tell them: Tell atheistic scientists that Bible stories are not ‘Jewish fables’ as they had postulated; tell the Jews that they will always win wars but will never win peace until they accept Jesus-the Prince of Peace; tell the Islamic Arabs that the Jews of Isaac’s(not Ishmael’s) lineage are progenitors of the covenant19 and that Jesus Christ (not Mohammed) is the one and only promised seed from Abraham20. Above all introduce them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Please share this message with as many as possible: The Covenant Works

REFRENCES
1. 2 Samuel 8:6
2. Cohen, Shaul. "Arab-Israeli Conflict." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond,
3. 1948: Israel; Collier's Year Book
4. www.census.gov.
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War
6. Isaiah 49:25
7. Joshua 23:10
8. Hebrews 10:1
9. Romans 11:1-2
10. Hebrews 8:6
11. Hebrews 7:22
12. 1 Kings 20:22
13. 2 Corinthians 10:4
14. Ephesians 6:11-13
15. Psalms 118:8-11
16. Proverbs 21:31
17. Judges 14, 15 and 16
18. Leviticus 26:8
19. Hebrews 11:18
20. Galatians 3:16
All scriptures from the Contemporary English Version (CEV)