'No War with Iran' - a Biblical call to peace

Below the line is an altered copy of a message to tell you about a petition to sign. But before you get to that, I think I need to give a word of introduction. I recognize the controversial nature of what I am about to write, but I truly believe there would be no controversy if so many believers in America today were not deceived by the war propaganda. The overriding thing compelling me to action is the Spirit of Christ that lives within me. It was Jesus Christ who shocked the world with his radical teaching, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28). For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, we also have a specific mandate from our Lord, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). The duty and earnest desire of every Christian is to herald the Kingdom of God. Jesus is Lord, and the Bible speaks of his reign in this way, "The end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Corinthians 15:23-24). Once all is under the rule of Jesus, he will destroy death (see context) and usher in eternity. Those who desire to see the completion of the Kingdom of God have at various times misconstrued the manner in which they should "look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12). Peter says, "You ought to live holy and godly lives" (3:11). However, some today are advocating political manipulation to try and force a war of Armageddon and usher in the end of days. See this story for a full explanation: http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=11541 In brief, this article explains John Hagee's " grand plan for a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ. While Washington insiders wonder and worry whether President Bush really is bent on a military strike against Iran, Hagee already has spent months mobilizing the shock troops in support of another war." Another noteworthy statement in this article is Rabbi Daniel Lapin's statement that Hagee, "without question, yes, absolutely" has the ear of the White House. As unbelievable as it sounds, a great number of well-known pastors and televangelists are backing Hagee as he advocates war with Iran to usher in the End Times. And our President is influenced by these pseudo-Christian war-mongers!

"Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:11-14)

As the people of God, we must stand against this unbiblical lunacy and get about the business of the Kingdom: proclaiming the Gospel, the Kingdom of Messiah, the forgiveness of sins, repentance and faith, and the true mark of the Christian, according to Jesus: LOVE (John 13:35). Wars will come, but we are taught by the apostle, " If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:18-21).

Whether or not you choose to sign this petition, I encourage you to go to http://www.prayforiran.org/ to learn better how you can pray for the people of Iran, and for the Church there.

If you feel compelled to pass this message on to others, you have my permission to do so, but please cut and paste the message in its entirety. Thank you.

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Incredibly enough, while everyone else is saying that we should end the war in Iraq and talk with Iran and Syria, President Bush is now sending more troops to Iraq, and clearly preparing, in words as well as actions, to launch a military strike against Iran. (Or let Israel do it for him.)

A wider war in the Middle East would be a humanitarian catastrophe unlike any we've seen before, and could very possibly usher in a wider war. I signed the "No War with Iran!" petition, which is being organized by the group Peace Action, and would recommend it to you as well. You can sign the petition by cutting and pasting the following url into your internet browser:

http://democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/Peaceact/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=358

Thanks for joining me in signing the "No War with Iran" petition!

You can find out more about Peace Action at their website, www.peace-action.org