Tom Kovach
Iran and the parallel universe
Don't be fooled by the Prince of Persia
By Tom Kovach
As we begin 2007 on the Western calendar, the world is puzzled by a message from the official Iranian news agency, and a similar one from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran. The message is puzzling for many reasons, from the spiritual to the pragmatic. Unfortunately, there are too many people in modern America that think any "spiritual" message should be ignored. But, what if the spiritual message is that another country plans to destroy your country with nuclear weapons?
background
As news leader WorldNetDaily reported a year ago, President Ahmadinejad seriously believes that, during a speech at the United Nations, he was bathed in a supernatural light. That same article goes on to quote Hamidreza Taraghi, head of the Islamic Coalition Society, who warns that the U.S. is "trying to place itself as the new Mahdi." For those Muslims that take their faith seriously (and, terrorists take Islam very seriously), Taraghi's quote would be quite inflammatory. I'm sure that was by design. President Ahmadinejad believes that not only the average Iranian citizen, but also other world leaders, are influenced by the spiritual element of his speeches. In fact, in his recent New Year announcement that prompted this column, "Mad Mahmoud" even directly addressed the Christians of the world with his brand of "spiritual politicism." The obvious goal of Ahmadinejad's invocation of the popular "What would Jesus do?" theme is to inspire modern Americans into a "surrender mentality" in much the same way that "Tokyo Rose" did sixty years ago.
Unfortunately, there are many Christians that will likely fall for Ahmadinejad's ploy. Why? Because, for decades, the "mainstream" media (music, "news," and entertainment) have hammered Western society with messages that dilute the divine authority of Jesus Christ, and turn His message into merely "one of many" that promotes global Socialism. As I wrote years ago in "Louder Than Words", the hijackers of "9-11" flew right past the United Nations headquarters. Destroying that building would've had even greater news significance than destroying the World Trade Center. But, the terrorists did not attack the UN, because the UN preaches the same global Socialism that underlies Islamist terrorism! And, ultimately, both Socialism and Islamism are working toward a world without Jesus.
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." (Saint Paul, in 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, New King James Version)
The end result of a world without Jesus will be a world without peace — until He comes back to restore it. Some people look forward to that day. Others dread it.
just what is "The Lie"?
In two places, the Holy Bible warns people in the End Times not to believe The Lie. (Romans 1:25, and 2nd Thessalonians 2:11 — from the New King James Version. Interestingly, in the Complete Jewish Bible translation, Jeremiah 13:25 also uses the phrase "the Lie" — the capitalization is in the original.) Many languages of the world do not use "articles" (the words "a," "an," and "the"), but the English language uses them extensively. So, it seems that — from both a Jewish and a Christian perspective — there is a specific lie that is so offensive to God, and so persuasive among people, that it is singled out by the term "The Lie." Just what is that lie?
Bible scholars have made cogent arguments regarding a number of possible answers to that question. One of the most reasonable of several modern presentations is that "evolution" qualifies as The Lie, because it has turned so many people against spiritual thoughts in general, and against belief in God in particular. But, in this writer's opinion, there is one specific lie that is even more powerful: that "we all believe in the same god". By believing in that second lie, a person can still be "spiritual" — and thus have a "good feeling" about themselves and their relationship to "a higher power." The problem is that people can then also be more easily manipulated into believing in the wrong god.
And, that concept is at the core of the wars between Islamists and everyone else. Many that live in the wimpy West have fallen for The Lie that "we all believe in the same god." If that was the case, then why did God put "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" so high on His list? If we all believe in "the same god," then how can there be "other gods"? The logic is simple, yet the question is profound.
Going back to my column "Louder Than Words," I wrote that the root cause of Islamist terrorism is simply that "their god is at war with our God". And, because "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." (1st Corinthians 14:33), it is impossible for God to be at war with Himself. Therefore, it is impossible for God and Allah to be the same. Again, while the statement is simple, the concept is literally earth-shattering. (Not only from a spiritual point of view, but also from a literal point of view — especially when considering a global exchange of nuclear weapons.)
well, then, who is Allah?
Shortly after the "9-11" attacks, the church that our family attended at that time held a seminar with the goal of inspiring peace between Christians and Muslims. The church paid to bring in a professor from a Christian college. That professor actually proclaimed, in a church sanctuary, that God and Allah are the same! (And, he was not run out on a rail. In fact, the pastor praised him, and most of the attendees bought into his folly. We left that church shortly thereafter.)
In the Q&A session after his presentation, I challenged the professor's assertion. I asked him about the archaeological proof that Allah is actually the pagan moon god of Arabia. The professor tried to laugh me off. But, I persisted, and asked him what proof he had for his assertion. The only explanation that he gave was, "Well, if you ask the average Muslim on the street in the Middle East, they will tell you that we all worship the same god." Immediately, I retorted, "But, professor, if you ask the 'average Christian on the street' here in America, they still believe in Santa Claus!"
While it is true that Muslims believe in one god, they do not believe in the same God as do the Jews and the Christians. That point cannot be emphasized strongly enough, because resisting The Lie is central to a proper understanding of current events. Muslims believe that every non-Muslim is an "infidel," and that infidels must either convert to Islam, live as second-class subjects (Dhimmi, in Arabic), or die. The leaders of Muslim countries — especially Iran — routinely refer to the United States as "the great Satan," because of their view of the US as a Christian nation. (This is an amazing twist of logic. If the Muslims claim that they revere Jesus, and that "we all worship the same god," then how can they denounce a Christian nation as being "the great Satan"? And, how can a Muslim nation be at spiritual war against their "brother" Christian nation? But, logic is not a feature of Islamic globalism.)
a war of Biblical proportions — literally
The war of Islam versus everyone else can only be understood when one understands two key points. First, the Muslims will not rest until they have brought the entire world under Islamic domination. (That is a major goal of that "religion of peace.") Second, the god of the Muslims is at war against the God of the Christians and Jews. And, that war has been going on for thousands of years.
Six hundred years after Jesus walked this earth, Mohammed got a notion to unite the Arab tribes under the religion of only one god. Perhaps he was envious of all the Arab converts to Christianity in the wake of the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. Whatever his motivation, Mohammed decided that the Arabs needed to have a monotheistic religion — like their neighbors, the Jews and the Christians.
But, for centuries, the Arabs had believed in a whole group of gods. That group is known in English as the Mesopotamian Pantheon. (The first word is from the ancient name of that desert part of the planet, and the second word is from the Greek for "all the gods.") The chief god among that group was the sun god, Baal. (Yes, that Baal — the one that was at war with the Lord God in ancient Hebrew times.) For whatever reason, Mohammed chose a different god from the Mesopotamian Pantheon as the focus of Arab unification. Instead of the sun god, Mohammed chose the moon god. The moon god's name is Allah, and the moon god is the son of the sun god, Baal.
father against father; son against son
Yes, that's right. Just as the son god Baal was at war with God the Father of the Old Testament, the moon god Allah is at war with God the Son of the New Testament. If this was a the figment of someone's imagination, then how did they go back and arrange at least 4,000 years of recorded human history to create this figment? And, if it is not a figment, then don't we need to pay attention to the global significance of this cosmic warfare?
a demon by any other name
There is a famous story in the Holy Bible about the Prophet Daniel. He was praying for an answer from God, but the answer did not seem to be coming. Eventually, the angel appeared and spoke with Daniel. The angel explained that God had heard Daniel's prayer, and had sent the answer immediately. But, the "prince of Persia" (a chief demon that operated in the kingdom of Persia) blocked the angel's progress. The holy angel fought with the demon, and the angel needed help from the Archangel Michael to break free and deliver the message to Daniel. Then the angel would need to return and finish the fight with the "prince of Persia." The angel then warned that, "After that, the prince of Greece will come."
In ancient times, the Persian Empire took center stage after defeating the Babylonian Empire. That defeat was predicted in a miracle that Daniel had interpreted. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his son took over as Emperor of Babylon. At a party shortly after the change of power, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall, but no one could understand the writing. Daniel interpreted the message, which said, "You have been weighed in the balance, and found wanting." That message foretold the fall of Babylon, which occurred in a single night.
Iraq is modern-day Babylon, and Iran is modern-day Persia. Saddam Hussein actually rebuilt the city of Babylon during his regime. After the fall of Saddam Hussein (who was recently executed for his crimes against humanity), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is rapidly rising to prominence in the Middle East. It is interesting that this "succession of power" is taking place in exactly the same order as in ancient times, and that a parallel succession was predicted in the Book of Daniel to occur in the future — during "the time of the end." Babylon has fallen once again, and Persia is now rising. According to Daniel's vision, there are two more empires left: Greece, and the "new Rome" — which will be ruled by the "terrible beast."
These events cannot be mere "coincidence." So, one must consider the significance of Ahmadinejad's announcements in light of their spiritual meaning, as well as the practical implications of his attempts to develop nuclear technology — and possibly nuclear weapons. (Ahmadinejad has proclaimed that Israel should be "wiped off the map")
It is highly significant that President Ahmadinejad also proclaimed recently that Jesus will "accompany" the Imam Mahdi at his predicted return. The Holy Bible clearly states that Jesus will return to earth "in glory," "with his armies," and will be "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." That is language reserved only for a leader, not a follower. Christians believe that Jesus would not "accompany" anyone, for He is supreme. Thus, while calling for sympathy from Christians worldwide, Ahmadinejad has simultaneously insulted us. And, he has insulted Jesus!
The Bible also predicts that the coming Antichrist will set himself up "above everything that is called god," and that he will do so in Jerusalem. The official Iranian prediction about the coming of their Mahdi, and his military capture of Jerusalem, is strikingly parallel to the Biblical prediction about the Antichrist. Will the political and spiritual desires of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad merge into one? Will he proclaim himself to be the Mahdi? Will he set himself up in Jerusalem as the ultimate representative of Allah? If so, will he build some sort of temple to himself on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? And, if he does so, and if he has control of nuclear weapons at that time, then will his rule in Jerusalem fulfill the Biblical prediction of an "abomination that causes desolation"?
The comments of the past year or two by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicate that he has a vision for the future that fulfills some sort of "parallel universe," in which he is at or near the top of a worldwide Islamic government. The Bible discusses several global governments: the one that God destroyed by flood in the time of Noah, the one that was started by Nimrod two generations after Noah (when God came down and confused the languages at the Tower of Babel), the one that was confronted by Jesus (when Pilate asked, "Are you a king?"), and the global government of the Antichrist — which Jesus will destroy when He returns.
Has the current President of Iran set himself up — by insulting Jesus, and by proclaiming that the Mahdi will capture Jerusalem from "the Zionist state" by military force — to become part of an unholy alliance with the predicted Antichrist? (Or, perhaps, to become the Antichrist himself?) Do the recent announcements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad constitute the "rumors of wars" that Jesus predicted for the End Times? Is the current President of Iran operating under the demonic influence of the "prince of Persia" that the Bible describes? Are we living at the brink of the most predicted, and dreaded, period in all of human existence?
Or, is he really just "Mad Mahmoud" — living in some delusional parallel universe? Either way, he needs to be watched closely, and his threats to obtain nuclear weapon technology need to be taken quite seriously.
© Tom Kovach
As we begin 2007 on the Western calendar, the world is puzzled by a message from the official Iranian news agency, and a similar one from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran. The message is puzzling for many reasons, from the spiritual to the pragmatic. Unfortunately, there are too many people in modern America that think any "spiritual" message should be ignored. But, what if the spiritual message is that another country plans to destroy your country with nuclear weapons?
background
As news leader WorldNetDaily reported a year ago, President Ahmadinejad seriously believes that, during a speech at the United Nations, he was bathed in a supernatural light. That same article goes on to quote Hamidreza Taraghi, head of the Islamic Coalition Society, who warns that the U.S. is "trying to place itself as the new Mahdi." For those Muslims that take their faith seriously (and, terrorists take Islam very seriously), Taraghi's quote would be quite inflammatory. I'm sure that was by design. President Ahmadinejad believes that not only the average Iranian citizen, but also other world leaders, are influenced by the spiritual element of his speeches. In fact, in his recent New Year announcement that prompted this column, "Mad Mahmoud" even directly addressed the Christians of the world with his brand of "spiritual politicism." The obvious goal of Ahmadinejad's invocation of the popular "What would Jesus do?" theme is to inspire modern Americans into a "surrender mentality" in much the same way that "Tokyo Rose" did sixty years ago.
Unfortunately, there are many Christians that will likely fall for Ahmadinejad's ploy. Why? Because, for decades, the "mainstream" media (music, "news," and entertainment) have hammered Western society with messages that dilute the divine authority of Jesus Christ, and turn His message into merely "one of many" that promotes global Socialism. As I wrote years ago in "Louder Than Words", the hijackers of "9-11" flew right past the United Nations headquarters. Destroying that building would've had even greater news significance than destroying the World Trade Center. But, the terrorists did not attack the UN, because the UN preaches the same global Socialism that underlies Islamist terrorism! And, ultimately, both Socialism and Islamism are working toward a world without Jesus.
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." (Saint Paul, in 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, New King James Version)
The end result of a world without Jesus will be a world without peace — until He comes back to restore it. Some people look forward to that day. Others dread it.
just what is "The Lie"?
In two places, the Holy Bible warns people in the End Times not to believe The Lie. (Romans 1:25, and 2nd Thessalonians 2:11 — from the New King James Version. Interestingly, in the Complete Jewish Bible translation, Jeremiah 13:25 also uses the phrase "the Lie" — the capitalization is in the original.) Many languages of the world do not use "articles" (the words "a," "an," and "the"), but the English language uses them extensively. So, it seems that — from both a Jewish and a Christian perspective — there is a specific lie that is so offensive to God, and so persuasive among people, that it is singled out by the term "The Lie." Just what is that lie?
Bible scholars have made cogent arguments regarding a number of possible answers to that question. One of the most reasonable of several modern presentations is that "evolution" qualifies as The Lie, because it has turned so many people against spiritual thoughts in general, and against belief in God in particular. But, in this writer's opinion, there is one specific lie that is even more powerful: that "we all believe in the same god". By believing in that second lie, a person can still be "spiritual" — and thus have a "good feeling" about themselves and their relationship to "a higher power." The problem is that people can then also be more easily manipulated into believing in the wrong god.
And, that concept is at the core of the wars between Islamists and everyone else. Many that live in the wimpy West have fallen for The Lie that "we all believe in the same god." If that was the case, then why did God put "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" so high on His list? If we all believe in "the same god," then how can there be "other gods"? The logic is simple, yet the question is profound.
Going back to my column "Louder Than Words," I wrote that the root cause of Islamist terrorism is simply that "their god is at war with our God". And, because "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." (1st Corinthians 14:33), it is impossible for God to be at war with Himself. Therefore, it is impossible for God and Allah to be the same. Again, while the statement is simple, the concept is literally earth-shattering. (Not only from a spiritual point of view, but also from a literal point of view — especially when considering a global exchange of nuclear weapons.)
well, then, who is Allah?
Shortly after the "9-11" attacks, the church that our family attended at that time held a seminar with the goal of inspiring peace between Christians and Muslims. The church paid to bring in a professor from a Christian college. That professor actually proclaimed, in a church sanctuary, that God and Allah are the same! (And, he was not run out on a rail. In fact, the pastor praised him, and most of the attendees bought into his folly. We left that church shortly thereafter.)
In the Q&A session after his presentation, I challenged the professor's assertion. I asked him about the archaeological proof that Allah is actually the pagan moon god of Arabia. The professor tried to laugh me off. But, I persisted, and asked him what proof he had for his assertion. The only explanation that he gave was, "Well, if you ask the average Muslim on the street in the Middle East, they will tell you that we all worship the same god." Immediately, I retorted, "But, professor, if you ask the 'average Christian on the street' here in America, they still believe in Santa Claus!"
While it is true that Muslims believe in one god, they do not believe in the same God as do the Jews and the Christians. That point cannot be emphasized strongly enough, because resisting The Lie is central to a proper understanding of current events. Muslims believe that every non-Muslim is an "infidel," and that infidels must either convert to Islam, live as second-class subjects (Dhimmi, in Arabic), or die. The leaders of Muslim countries — especially Iran — routinely refer to the United States as "the great Satan," because of their view of the US as a Christian nation. (This is an amazing twist of logic. If the Muslims claim that they revere Jesus, and that "we all worship the same god," then how can they denounce a Christian nation as being "the great Satan"? And, how can a Muslim nation be at spiritual war against their "brother" Christian nation? But, logic is not a feature of Islamic globalism.)
a war of Biblical proportions — literally
The war of Islam versus everyone else can only be understood when one understands two key points. First, the Muslims will not rest until they have brought the entire world under Islamic domination. (That is a major goal of that "religion of peace.") Second, the god of the Muslims is at war against the God of the Christians and Jews. And, that war has been going on for thousands of years.
Six hundred years after Jesus walked this earth, Mohammed got a notion to unite the Arab tribes under the religion of only one god. Perhaps he was envious of all the Arab converts to Christianity in the wake of the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. Whatever his motivation, Mohammed decided that the Arabs needed to have a monotheistic religion — like their neighbors, the Jews and the Christians.
But, for centuries, the Arabs had believed in a whole group of gods. That group is known in English as the Mesopotamian Pantheon. (The first word is from the ancient name of that desert part of the planet, and the second word is from the Greek for "all the gods.") The chief god among that group was the sun god, Baal. (Yes, that Baal — the one that was at war with the Lord God in ancient Hebrew times.) For whatever reason, Mohammed chose a different god from the Mesopotamian Pantheon as the focus of Arab unification. Instead of the sun god, Mohammed chose the moon god. The moon god's name is Allah, and the moon god is the son of the sun god, Baal.
father against father; son against son
Yes, that's right. Just as the son god Baal was at war with God the Father of the Old Testament, the moon god Allah is at war with God the Son of the New Testament. If this was a the figment of someone's imagination, then how did they go back and arrange at least 4,000 years of recorded human history to create this figment? And, if it is not a figment, then don't we need to pay attention to the global significance of this cosmic warfare?
a demon by any other name
There is a famous story in the Holy Bible about the Prophet Daniel. He was praying for an answer from God, but the answer did not seem to be coming. Eventually, the angel appeared and spoke with Daniel. The angel explained that God had heard Daniel's prayer, and had sent the answer immediately. But, the "prince of Persia" (a chief demon that operated in the kingdom of Persia) blocked the angel's progress. The holy angel fought with the demon, and the angel needed help from the Archangel Michael to break free and deliver the message to Daniel. Then the angel would need to return and finish the fight with the "prince of Persia." The angel then warned that, "After that, the prince of Greece will come."
In ancient times, the Persian Empire took center stage after defeating the Babylonian Empire. That defeat was predicted in a miracle that Daniel had interpreted. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his son took over as Emperor of Babylon. At a party shortly after the change of power, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall, but no one could understand the writing. Daniel interpreted the message, which said, "You have been weighed in the balance, and found wanting." That message foretold the fall of Babylon, which occurred in a single night.
Iraq is modern-day Babylon, and Iran is modern-day Persia. Saddam Hussein actually rebuilt the city of Babylon during his regime. After the fall of Saddam Hussein (who was recently executed for his crimes against humanity), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is rapidly rising to prominence in the Middle East. It is interesting that this "succession of power" is taking place in exactly the same order as in ancient times, and that a parallel succession was predicted in the Book of Daniel to occur in the future — during "the time of the end." Babylon has fallen once again, and Persia is now rising. According to Daniel's vision, there are two more empires left: Greece, and the "new Rome" — which will be ruled by the "terrible beast."
These events cannot be mere "coincidence." So, one must consider the significance of Ahmadinejad's announcements in light of their spiritual meaning, as well as the practical implications of his attempts to develop nuclear technology — and possibly nuclear weapons. (Ahmadinejad has proclaimed that Israel should be "wiped off the map")
It is highly significant that President Ahmadinejad also proclaimed recently that Jesus will "accompany" the Imam Mahdi at his predicted return. The Holy Bible clearly states that Jesus will return to earth "in glory," "with his armies," and will be "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." That is language reserved only for a leader, not a follower. Christians believe that Jesus would not "accompany" anyone, for He is supreme. Thus, while calling for sympathy from Christians worldwide, Ahmadinejad has simultaneously insulted us. And, he has insulted Jesus!
The Bible also predicts that the coming Antichrist will set himself up "above everything that is called god," and that he will do so in Jerusalem. The official Iranian prediction about the coming of their Mahdi, and his military capture of Jerusalem, is strikingly parallel to the Biblical prediction about the Antichrist. Will the political and spiritual desires of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad merge into one? Will he proclaim himself to be the Mahdi? Will he set himself up in Jerusalem as the ultimate representative of Allah? If so, will he build some sort of temple to himself on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? And, if he does so, and if he has control of nuclear weapons at that time, then will his rule in Jerusalem fulfill the Biblical prediction of an "abomination that causes desolation"?
The comments of the past year or two by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicate that he has a vision for the future that fulfills some sort of "parallel universe," in which he is at or near the top of a worldwide Islamic government. The Bible discusses several global governments: the one that God destroyed by flood in the time of Noah, the one that was started by Nimrod two generations after Noah (when God came down and confused the languages at the Tower of Babel), the one that was confronted by Jesus (when Pilate asked, "Are you a king?"), and the global government of the Antichrist — which Jesus will destroy when He returns.
Has the current President of Iran set himself up — by insulting Jesus, and by proclaiming that the Mahdi will capture Jerusalem from "the Zionist state" by military force — to become part of an unholy alliance with the predicted Antichrist? (Or, perhaps, to become the Antichrist himself?) Do the recent announcements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad constitute the "rumors of wars" that Jesus predicted for the End Times? Is the current President of Iran operating under the demonic influence of the "prince of Persia" that the Bible describes? Are we living at the brink of the most predicted, and dreaded, period in all of human existence?
Or, is he really just "Mad Mahmoud" — living in some delusional parallel universe? Either way, he needs to be watched closely, and his threats to obtain nuclear weapon technology need to be taken quite seriously.
© Tom Kovach
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
