I heard a minister recently talking about the rapture and trying to make the point that every prophecy necessary to the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. One of his points was that the Gospel has already been preached in all the world, according to the promise of Jesus, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” Matt 24:14. This minister said, “Now we’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.”

If you are one of those standing in line waiting for the rapture, like a ride at Disney World, consider these statistics on world evangelism that I have collected from a variety of sources. As you read these keep in mind that in the United States there is one ordained minister for every 200 people:

– For every million unreached Muslims there are less than 3 missionaries.
– In Afghanistan there are 17 million people, 48,000 mosques…but not a single church.
– In Turkey there are 44 million people, but less than 200 Christians.
– In India alone, 500 million people have yet to hear the Gospel.
– 30% of the world’s population (more than 2 billion people) have had virtually no exposure to the Gospel.
– The New Testament has been translated into the mother tongue of over 80% of the world’s population. However the remaining approximately 20% will require over 5,500 new translations.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). The word, “nations” is “ethne” in the Greek meaning “ethnic people groups”. In the light of this meaning, consider the following facts:

– There are an estimated 6,700 unreached or nearly unreached people groups.
– The countries with the most unreached people groups, in descending order, are India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh.
– 98% of all unreached people groups are located in the “10/40 Window”.

The great commission is still unfulfilled! Oswald Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; but half the world has never heard of the first.” Regardless of whether you are “pre-trib”, “post-trib”, “mid-trib” or some other “trib”, we must all confess that there is something desperately wrong with the type of doctrinal philosophy that makes us happy to escape with our own hides, while the world burns and billions of people are lost. Where is the heart of Jesus in that? The Bible tells us that God’s heart desire is, “…that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance.”
Here’s some food for thought; Jesus died more than 2 000 years ago. If it was God’s ultimate goal to rapture us all out of this “old God-forsaken world”, then why are we still here? What are we still waiting for? One person told me, “Jesus is building my mansion in heaven.” Really? It took him 6 days to create the entire cosmos, yet he’s been hung up with your “mansion” for 2 000 years? Not likely.

Heb. 10:12, 13 says, “but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.” Since we are His hands and feet, then He must be waiting for…us. If He is waiting for us, and we are waiting for Him, it would seem we are at an impasse. This is why Jesus told his disciples, “go into all the world and preach the Gospel”. No more waiting and debating…just go and preach.

“In the vast plain to the north, I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been” — Robert Moffat

Daniel Kolenda is the president of Christ for All Nations Ministries international. For more info: 0861 232 672  or www.sa.cfan.org.za

As events unfold rapidly around the world, more Christians are becoming interested in what the Word has to say about the end-times – and how the events in the news fit into a Scriptural context. However, it can be very confusing trying to understand clearly what the Bible is telling us about the times we are rapidly entering. There is a need for teachers who have been given “understanding of the times” in the Body of Christ.

Events flow in patterns
Those  who  follow Perry Stone’s teachings   believe that  he  has  received  advance  warning  of events which unfolded years after he predicted they would occur. He understands that, at times, the future is concealed in past events and these events flow in patterns. In  his  most  prophetic  book  to date, Stone  shares  his  understanding of cyclical  prophetic  codes  in the Bible  and what  this  means  for  believers, regarding  the  future. This dynamic exposé also goes into detail about those repetitive cycles which could be affecting America and its leaders.
As he explains: “The Bible itself has various layers of wisdom and understanding; this had not been taught in my denomination. We were told, ‘There is the plain simple meaning of Scripture, and when the plain sense of the Scripture makes sense, seek no other sense!’ This is the level of casual reading, applying a particular passage to your situation or building faith through the promises of God. This is the main application taught from most pulpits, and Christians learn at this limited level. Most believers are uninterested in digging deeper into the other spiritual and prophetic applications as this requires time, effort, and understanding Hebraic levels of hermeneutics (methods of interpreting the Scriptures).”

Tapping into hidden truth
Initially, Stone encountered criticism when he began to share what the Lord had revealed to him concerning types and shadows hidden in the Scripture, but he was undeterred and continued to dig deeper: “I discovered the Bible is a divinely layered book; too often it is read and not studied. It is viewed as a storybook – a nice story here, an interesting narrative there. However, the words of the Bible are more than ancient stories; they are divinely inspired writings that can have many practical applications. You will discover that some conceal prophetic codes – events from the past whose details will repeat at some point in the future.
To tap into these hidden truths requires knowledge of the Bible in its entirety, historical context and details of parallel events, and an understanding of Biblical prophecies. It demands insight to prophecy predicting the signs and circumstances prior to the return of Christ. One of my most amazing discoveries is how God moves world events in a circular motion. These events are repeated, sometimes hundreds or thousands of years apart, yet using parallel dates, the same names often mirror the same type of event or place.”
It is God Himself who said: “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” Isaiah 46:10.

Wisdom for the future
“That is what this book is about, how the past can repeat in the future – and how what has been is what will be. Through divine wisdom, we can see what is coming, based on what has occurred. It is not a theological thesis on doctrine, but an explanation on how prophetic revelation is continually in motion – not so much in a vertical line as Westerners think, but in a circular pattern. This repetitive cycle, when properly understood, can allow us to imagine the future and at times, predict outcomes before they occur.”

Topics covered include:

Three  ways  of  counting  time  in  God’s  cosmic  calendar 
Visions  and  dreams  concerning  America’s  future  events 
Amazing  prophetic  patterns  of  American  presidents  and  world  leaders
America’s  fall and  what  people  need  to  do  to  prepare
Six prophetic warnings of General Booth
How to know when the time of the end has come
The vision of blackbirds and padlocks in Washington
Plans to control your healthcare and your Life
America’s final visitation at the time of the end
Which cycles include personal warning patterns for America’s leaders.

This book certainly makes for interesting reading and is for  anyone  who  seeks understand  end-time  events  and  how  they  are  unfolding. 
Perry Stone director of Voice of Evangelism Ministries. He also hosts Manna-Fest with Perry Stone, a weekly television program. See www.voe.org for more information.

Although women sometimes complain that they have an overactive, demanding husband, the complaint most often heard is the opposite – wives experience their husbands being withdrawn and disinterested.

Absent-father syndrome
We are well aware of the so called ‘absent father syndrome’ that refers to the father of the house being present in body, but absent emotionally. These fathers do not participate, support, educate, socialise, encourage, console, motivate, guide, assist or lead by example, when it comes to interpersonal relationships or the education of children. 
Communication is essential for all interpersonal relationships and especially so for relationships within the family set-up. Communication, in its essence, is the need to connect and work together in order to achieve mutual goals. If one of the family members withdraws, the motivation to communicate is also lost. If no communication takes place, meaningful and healthy interpersonal relationships will not exist, or be maintained. Withdrawal is an indication of social and emotional isolation. This is not good for the individual, but is also detrimental for the emotional security and safety of the family unit.

Children learn by what they see
One very important reason for all family members to be actively involved with each other, is because this is where children learn from parents how to treat and respect one another and other people. Learning gender roles starts in the family. By observing their father, boys see how men should treat each other – but more importantly, they see how men should treat and respect women.
Daughters need to see how Dad treats Mom so that she will one day look for those same good qualities in her future husband. The absent father is detrimental for the child’s conceptual development of authority and authoritative figures. For children, what they learn at home will become the blue print for all future issues related to authority, discipline, rules, regulations and laws. Included here is the development of responsibility and commitment to others, but also submission to God and the Ten Commandments. Their attitude is, “If Dad doesn’t care, why should we?”

Reasons behind your husband’s isolation
The first logical step in this situation would be to try and determine what the cause, or reason is, for the father’s withdrawl. A physical problem might exist. This can range from chronic illnesses, like diabetes, to vitamin deficiencies or latent pain. Being overweight, a lack of exercise and poor diet can cause low energy levels and could lead to psychological problems like depression. See a doctor if need be.
A husband’s unwillingness or inability to participate in family activities might be for psychological reasons like depression, feelings of guilt, inferiority, work-related-stress, poor self-image, feelings of being dominated or insecurity. Also the dynamics of the family group might cause Dad to withdraw and stay “on his own planet”. If he is your second husband, he might feel that he is being compared.
Even personality traits may play a role – your husband might be an introvert who finds it difficult to open up and share on a more intimate level. The way Dad was raised (his parents’ parenting style) might be the example that he now employs with his own family. As with most interpersonal problems, the only solution is to talk about it, communicate or get professional help to at least start, or maintain the process.

Suggestions on how to respond to a disengaged man
Turn to the Bible to find the best recipe for healthy family relationships. The Word teaches us that that Dad must be the head of the house and he should be treated that way – the entire family’s sense of security depends on it. Try to involve Dad in activities that he enjoys, like sport, cars, construction or photography. Use this as a starting point and then slowly introduce other activities and excursions.

Having regular family meetings is a safe opportunity to learn how to share and communicate on a regular basis. Join family support groups, so that Dad can see how other families operate and also for him to recognise that all families have their own unique issues that they have to work on, “work” being the operative word; making the sincere effort to reach out by using meaningful  communication. 

By 1741, George Frideric Handel was a failure. Bankrupted, in great physical pain and the victim of plots to sabotage his career, the once-great opera composer scheduled a “farewell” appearance in London in April. That summer, however, he composed Messiah, which not only brought him back into the spotlight, but is still deemed by some to be “an epitome of Christian faith.”

Opposition begins
It was greeted with significant opposition from church leaders who were appalled at the Word of God being spoken in the theatre by common actors and singers.
“What are we coming to, when the will of Satan is imposed upon us in this fashion?” cried one minister. The Bishop of London apparently agreed and prohibited the oratorio from being performed, whilst the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral was outraged and initially refused to allow his musicians to participate.
But the controversy wasn’t strong enough to keep away the king, who stood instantly at the opening notes of the Hallelujah Chorus, and it has become a tradition ever since.
Today, it is still one of the most popular pieces of music performed at Christmas time, (Although it was originally written for Easter).
You don’t have to be a Pentecostal or Charismatic Christian to echo the sounds of the Hallelujah chorus, nor a Theologian to appreciate the words of Isaiah 9:6, as they ring out, “His Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.”

Wonderful Counsellor
As our “Wonderful Counsellor”, Jesus has the answer to every question and the solution for every problem. If you are weary, Jesus says, “Come unto Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matt 11:28.
If you require basic needs, Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things will be added unto you” Matt 6:33.
If you are worried and concerned ,Jesus says, “Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid”  Matt 14:27. When you want to be a witness to the lost, Jesus says, “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be witnesses of Me” Acts 1:8.
Jesus Christ is the “Wonderful Counsellor”. He has counsel for every crisis; a plan for every problem; a direction for every dilemma; a prescription for every pain; and a message for every man and woman.  He is always available and will guide and direct you in the right direction.

The Mighty God
Isaiah foresaw the arrival of the Messiah, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… and His Name shall be called… Mighty God” Isa. 9:6.  All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He was there in the beginning and created it all. Incredible as it may seem, this Child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, is the Mighty God. In the book of the Revelation, Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Jesus came down from the glories of Heaven. He was born in Bethlehem, hidden in Egypt, raised in Nazareth, baptised in the Jordan, and tempted in the wilderness.
Christ performed miracles on the roadside, healed multitudes without medicine. He conquered everything that came up against Him. Then, Jesus Christ went up to Calvary and died for our sins. He was buried in Joseph’s new tomb and, as prophesied, rose out of the grave with the power of His omnipotence. Jesus Christ stands for freedom and salvation. Today, social scientists are able to put a new suit on man, but only Christ can put a new man in a suit. Jesus precedes all others in their priority, exceeds all others in their superiority, and succeeds all others in their finality. Indeed, Jesus is the Mighty God, the Christ of Christmas!
The Everlasting Father
He is also the, “Everlasting Father”. Jesus said, “He that has seen Me has seen the Father.” And again, “I and My Father are One,” John 14.9 and John 10.30.  If you know Jesus, you know the Father.  As our Heavenly Father, He is the One who gives us life and we have been given His nature. We have inherited His characteristics and one day, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”. 
This is a difficult doctrine to understand , but as C.S. Lewis said “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say.
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said, would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else, he would be the devil himself. You must make your choice. Either this Man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman, or something worse. You can call Him a fool, you can spit at Him, or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

The Prince of Peace
Someone has pointed out that, in the past 4000 years of human history, there has been less that 400 years of peace. Even the most optimistic person is forced to admit that there is something seriously wrong with a world that has such a passion for destruction.
Can you imagine what would happen if a man from Mars was sent to report on earth’s major business? He would, in all fairness, have to say that war is the world’s chief industry. He would report that the nations of the world are vying with each other, in a race to see which can make deadlier weapons and amass bigger armies. He would say that earth’s people are too quarrelsome to get along with each other and too selfish to live peacefully together.

Isn’t it tragic that after thousands of years of life here on earth we are no nearer peace than were the ancient tribes of History? We see strife all around us. In a million different forms, we meet up with rivalry, suspicion and distrust. We see one class oppose another;  one race belittle another;  the rich oppressing the poor;  the poor cursing the rich; nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Petty jealousy and rivalry infects and mars the harmony of every organisation. Even churches and Christian organisations are disturbed by wrangling and self-seeking. We see it in our family lives, filling homes with anger and bitterness. It sets husbands against wives, fathers against sons, mothers against their daughters. We see it in strikes and industrial disputes, in the acrimonious wranglings of politicians and parliamentarians.

It is in this very world, that we are to stand out as lights in a dark place. It is in this world, that we are called to walk as peacemakers. It is this world that desperately needs the Prince of Peace.  He alone is able to provide the peace that passes understanding.  He provides the peace of God and peace with God.
2 700 years ago, Isaiah prophesied that a Saviour would come into this broken, bleeding world. He would be a Wonderful Counsellor, mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.  That is the message and meaning of Christmas. 

Recently Boko Haram declared North Eastern Nigeria an Islamic Caliphate. ISIS has declared a Caliphate over Northern Syria and Iraq. This begs the question, “What is a Caliphate?”

Dictatorship
A Caliph is “the commander of the believers”. A Caliphate is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader known as a Caliph. The Caliph is believed to be a successor to Muhammad. The Caliphate is a unitary state composed of all faithful Muslims (the Ummah), ruled by a Caliph under Islamic (Shari’a) law.
The Sunni branch of Islam stipulates that the Caliph should be elected by Muslims, or their representatives. However the Shiite Muslims believe that the Caliph should be an Imam chosen by Allah, and not answerable to any electoral base.

Assassinations
The first Caliph (successor to Muhammad) was Abu-Bakr (AD632-634). Abu-Bakr was also Muhammad’s Father-in-Law through his third wife, Ayesha, whom Abu-Bakr gave to Muhammad to be his wife when she was only six years old. None of the Caliphs lasted long. The Caliph Umar (AD634-644) was assassinated, while in prayer. The third Caliph, Uthman (AD644-656), ordered all Quranic documents in the world to be collected and destroyed – to preserve the unity of the text. He was murdered. The Caliph Ali, nephew and adopted son of Muhammad, married Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima. He was also murdered.

A trail of terror
The Caliphates have always been stricken with violence, rebellions, civil wars and monumental upheavals. The Rashidun Caliphate was swiftly overthrown and replaced by the Umayyads (661-750) Caliphate, which conquered all of North Africa, the Middle East, Persia and parts of India. The Emirate (756-929) and Caliphate (929-1031) of Cordoba – the Iberian peninsula where Portugal and Spain are today, were supplanted by the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258), which is often considered the “Golden Age of Islam.”
The Abisaad Caliphate ruled from Baghdad. The Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) had Cairo as its capital from 969. The Ottoman Caliphate ruled from 1453-1924, with Constantinople (now Istanbul), as its capital. There have been numerous other attempts to establish a Caliphate, including the Sokoto Caliphate established in Nigeria by the Fulani Jihad, from 1804-1903.

The Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is a military deliverer who Muslims believe will forcibly subjugate all peoples under Shari’a law. If you have seen Charlton Heston’s depiction of General Charles Gordon, in the blockbuster epic Khartoum, then you would be aware of one of these claimants to the title, Mahdi: Muhammad Ahmed Bin Abd Allah (1844-1885).

The Battle for Khartoum
Muhammad Ahmed, known as the Mahdi, rose from the Sufi sect which predominated in Sudan, and led a brutal campaign which culminated in the storming of the capital, Khartoum, 26 January 1885. As his 60,000 Dervishes swarmed across the defences, overwhelming the thin line of starving troops, the Mahdists slaughtered both soldiers and civilians indiscriminately and put the entire city of Khartoum to the sword. The fact that most inhabitants of Khartoum were Muslims, did not save their lives. The Mahdi had them all slaughtered to establish his Caliphate.

Disaster and defeat
Six months after the fall of Khartoum, the Mahdi died and a succession of poor harvests, epidemics, and tribal wars reduced Sudan to misery. An attempted invasion of Egypt by the Mahdists in 1891 was soundly defeated. The Caliphate of the Mahdi was finally defeated at the Battle of Omdurman, by General Kitchener, in 1898. The great grandson of Muhammad Ahmed, Sadiq al-Mahdi, launched the Umma Party in an attempt to re-establish a Mahdist Caliphate in Sudan in 1966. It was finally overthrown in a military coup in 1989.

“Islam is anti-Christ” – Luther
The Reformer, Dr. Martin Luther, taught that Islam is anti-Christ. Expounding on Daniel 9, Luther taught: “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation…
He will cause deceit to prosper and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take a stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” Daniel 8:23-25. Martin Luther noted that our Lord Jesus Christ warned about false prophets coming from the desert (Matthew 24:24-26) and this certainly includes Muhammad.
John Calvin taught that Muhammad is “Apollyon” (which is Greek for the Hebrew word, Abaddon, which means Destroyer) and the army of locusts and scorpions described in Revelation 9:1-11, are the Arab and Saracen armies which waged Jihad in Muhammad’s name. John Calvin maintained that Islam is one of two horns of anti-Christ.

Deliverance from oppression
The 1643 Westminster Assembly’s Larger Catechism calls on Christians to “…pray that the kingdom of sin and satan may be destroyed, that the Gospel be propagated throughout the world…The Directory for Public Worship of God instructs congregations to: “pray for the propagation of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ to all nations….the fall of anti-christ and the deliverance of the distressed churches abroad from the tyranny of the anti-Christian faction and from the cruel oppressions and blasphemies of the Turk.”
Truth conquers
John Calvin taught that the anti-christ forces of Islam will be defeated by the Word of God: “Christ will scatter the darkness in which anti-christ will reign, by the rays which He will emit before His coming – just as the sun, before becoming visible to us, chases away the darkness of the night with its bright light.
This victory of the Word will therefore be seen in the world. For the breath of His mouth means simply His Word…as in Isaiah 11:4…Sound doctrine is…destined at all times to be victorious over all the devices of satan…”

Understanding Islam
It is essential that we understand Islam. For this, it is vital that we understand the history of Islam, and how it can be defeated. “Slavery, Terrorism and Islam – The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat” (300 pages, 250 pictures), was produced to cut through the layers of misinformation to understand the Islamic agenda for tomorrow, by discovering what they did in the past, and how Christians defeated Islamic Jihadists.
“Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust… all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.” Psalm 72:9-11. 

PETER HAMMOND is a missionary, Bible-teacher and author. For more information, contact:
021 689 4480; www.frontline.org.za; or email
mission@frontline.org.za

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