When the question is posed: "Is Jesus a socialist?" The clear answer is "Of course not!" The claim that Jesus was a socialist was recently posed by Gregory Paul in The Washington Post who tries to argue for a biblically mandated socialism from the early chapters of Acts. Paul’s claims are nothing new and have likely arisen out of the overall debate our nation is involved in concerning socialism vs. free markets.
Passage: Isaiah 17
The last three years has seen a clear heightening of tensions between Syria and Israel. Over a year ago, Israel clandestinely bombed a Syrian nuclear facility that was being operated in conjunction with North Korea. Needless to say, such a venture did not make Syria very happy with the Jewish state. Syria has spent over three billion dollars the last few years strengthening most aspects of her military, anticipating an eventual conflict with Israel...
Passage: Isaiah 24:21-23
I have always been fascinated by Isaiah’s "Little Apocalypse," which is chapters 24 through 27. When I was nineteen, I remember riding in a car with a friend and trying to convince him that Isaiah 24:1–6 referred to the pollution of the 1960s and 1970s. It was not! I was taking that passage out of its context. It speaks of the mounting sin that will be judged during the seven-year tribulation, a time future to our day.
Most of you have most likely heard the recent public declarations coming from all quarters that Islam is a peaceful religion. From President Bush, to most religious leaders, to the average American calling in to a talk radio program, we are hearing that Islam is a peaceful religion. It is said that Osama bin Laden and the Taliban represent an extremely radical Muslim fringe that is not really a representative interpretation of true Islam. It may be that such an assessment is, to a small degree, more extreme than historic Islam. However, it is certainly not true that Islam is in any way a peaceful religion, especially toward outsiders...
What do you think of the modern state of Israel? Hardly a day passes without seeing this small country, about the size of New Jersey, in the newspaper or on television news. Why? Because Israel is God’s elect nation and He is preparing her and the world for "a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall" (Matt. 24:21). The emphasis is upon preparing, because we are still in the church age and not yet in the seven-year tribulation...