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03.24.2006

Reaction to Evil

Greetings my friends.

The whole world is waiting to see whether Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, and Iran change their position on Israel’s right to exist and make peace with it, or end up being crushed by the military might of both America and Israel. The ball is in their court. While we wait for Islam’s final answer, Christendom is debating its reaction to all these troubles. Along those lines, I have posted below an exchange with another Christian ministry I recently experienced. It revolves around the wars and rumors of war that are raging in the Holy Land, especially in Iraq. This exchange clearly demonstrates the divisions in Christendom over the proper reaction believers should have to violence and evil that is overwhelming the nations of this world. And more than anything it shows me why I have encountered so much resistance from other Christians over the past few years, including many of my close friends and family members.

The moving story of Sharon’s where her husband teaches their young son the reality of evil men in this world, and how we should respond, is most convincing and appears on the surface to be very reasonable. But as I read her letter, I remembered the counsel of the Word of God….Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding….There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death….But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil. But whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, Proverbs 3:5, 12:14, Matthew 5:39.

As I wrote in my last article “The Judgment Chronicles” which you can read on my web site, the political-religious-economic-military events that daily fill the broadcasts of Fox News are evidence that the God of Israel is about to remove his restraining hand and allow the final seven years of Daniel’s 70th Week to unfold, bringing with it the wrath and judgment of God. All of us in Christendom must decide which Kingdom has our love and loyalty, which then determines whether we are vessels of honor or dishonor, 2 Timothy 2:15-26.

If you are reading this and profess to be a Christian, please ask our Lord for understanding about this exchange I had with Sharon. Their militant patriotism mixed with their faith in Jesus Christ is reflective of most Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians today. After sending my response to her, she and her husband have not yet replied to the principles and teachings that Jesus laid out for all who become members of the Kingdom of God, who are called to witness, warn, and watch for his coming back to this Earth.

Remember that when it comes to patriotism and war, true Christians are neither left-wing appeasing liberals nor right-wing attacking conservatives as defined by today’s American political Eagle. George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry do not represent us. We love and respect them, hoping and praying they individually repent of their ways. But we are followers and ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming to remove both liberals and conservatives from their lofty perches of power from which they manipulate and seduce my friends and family.

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From: Sharon

Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:54 PM

To: mailing list

Subject: The reason we are in Iraq…

The reason we are in Iraq…

The other day, my nine-year-old son wanted to know why we were at war…My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation. My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window.

He said “Son, stand there and tell me what you see?”

“I see trees and cars and our neighbor’s houses.” he replied.

“OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush.”

Our son giggled and said “OK.”

“Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country” my husband said.

“OK Dad, I’m pretending.”

“Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, He throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of this, son….what do you do?”

“Dad?”

“What do you do son?”

“I’d call the police, Dad.”

“OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?”

“Dad………. but the police are supposed to help!” My son starts to whine.

“They don’t want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it,” my husband says.

“But Dad…he killed her!” my son exclaims.

“I know he did…but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you’re pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children.”

“Daddy…he kills them?”

“Yes son, he does. What do you do?”

“Well, if the police don’t want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him,” our son says.

“Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him,” my husband says.

“But Dad, I NEED help! I can’t stop him by myself!”

“WHAT DO YOU DO SON?” Our son starts to cry.

“OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?”

“What Daddy?”

“He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then…he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?”

“Daddy”

“WHAT DO YOU DO?” Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, “I’d close the blinds, Daddy.”

My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him. “Why?”

“Because Daddy…..the police are supposed to help people who needs them…and they won’t help…. You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won’t help either…they won’t help me stop him…I’m afraid….I can’t do it by myself Daddy…..I can’t look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and…..do nothing…so….I’m just going to close the blinds…. so I can’t see what he’s doing……..and I’m going to pretend that it is not happening.”

I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine-year-old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband’s questions and he says! …

“Son”

“Yes,Daddy.”

“Open the blinds because that man…. he’s at your front door… “WHAT DO YOU DO?”

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: “I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD! I’M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD! I’M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I’M GONNA FIGHT HIM!”

I see a tear roll down my husband’s cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says… “It’s too late to fight him, he’s too strong and he’s already at YOUR front door son….. you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what’s right, even if you have to do it alone, before its too late,” my husband whispers.

THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son, THAT is the greatest atrocities in the world won’t affect him.

“YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!” BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS! SUPPORT THEM! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS…”

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From: Jack D. Hook
To: Sharon
Subject: The reason we are in Iraq

Greetings Sharon.

Sharon, thank you for sending me your updates and newsletters, for we are all learning together the ways and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming soon. After reading your latest about why America is in Iraq, I just had to respond. Please receive this in the love and compassion I send it.

Believe me I understand as well as anyone what you are saying. It sounds so right, feels so righteous. For I spent five years in the United States Army as a commissioned officer, spending one year in Vietnam and witnessed the horrors of war. Please read my latest article, “The Judgment Chronicles” which I sent to you last week. It can be found on my web site under “What’s New”.

In the scenario you wrote of with your husband teaching your son, you omitted the most important teachings of how followers of Jesus should respond to evil and violence, 1 Peter 2:21-25. Here are just a few that are missing in your story….(1)Go boldly out your door to Saddam and witness to him about our Lord Jesus, his cross, his love…(2) Place yourself between him and his wife allowing her to flee, while not taking up weapons to destroy him as he crucifies you, with your dying last words to him, “Father forgive him, and lay not this sin to his charge”…(3)Or listening to the Holy Spirit within you, who might say…”cast the demons out of him”.

Sharon, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ live in and represent the coming Kingdom of God. We are forbidden to hide behind the blinds of our windows as your story relates, but our reaction to evil and violence is not “of this world” as you are suggesting to your young son. The prophecies of the scriptures speak of “all” the nations of Satan’s world system warring against each other as the last days draw near, even led by America/Sea Beast/Babylon the Great of Revelation 13&18. Jesus himself in Matthew 24 warned his disciples not to be fearful or troubled, for these things must come to pass with men who refuse to depart from their sin nature.

I plead with you, Sharon, to reconsider what you are teaching and get back to the bloody cross, resurrection, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world system and they that live by its swords shall perish by them!

Your eternal friend.
Jack
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As in all of my articles and letters, I again plead with you to understand what these political-religious-military events reveal. It all comes down to two simple and basic questions. Who do you really love? And who is going to bring true peace to the terrorized nations, the bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ or the Antichrist? In other words, do you believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ is alive in Heaven and coming soon to bring to an end the reign of terror that Satan and his fallen angels have unleashed upon men who have not yet repented and departed from their inborn sin nature? Or do you believe that mankind is capable of establishing a God ordained peace among nations through his own political works and religious self-righteousness, while at the same time ignoring the sin nature we are all born with?

Sincerely,
Jack