Perhaps you will remember when, upon hearing that Osama bin Ladin had been killed, people across America – especially young people – took to the streets in celebration. They were rejoicing over the fact that, from their point of view, one of the main sources of extremism in the world had been struck down. For most of their lives, these twenty-somethings had grown up under the specter of Bin Ladin, Al Qaeda, fanatical Islam and the War on Terror. Bin Ladin’s death was, for them, the equivalent of Dorothy’s house falling on and killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Their response to the news was emphatically, “Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead!” Yet, from the perspective of these who live in the Land of Tolerance and Co-Existence , there is still the powerful sister – the Wicked Witch of the West – to contend with. That, ladies and gentlemen, would be those they view as the other extremists of the world – that is, folks like you and me.
When you live in a mixed state of mind and think that all philosophies, ideologies, religions and lifestyles are acceptable, then anything or anyone who takes a stand and resists this mindset is considered extreme. Think of it this way: when Y’shua spoke of Laodicea failing to be hot or cold, but lukewarm, He was saying they were living in a mixed state of mind. I would argue that He was telling them, “If you’re not going to be hot (righteous) then go ahead and be cold (wicked); at least then everyone will know what you are.” When you are mixing these two “extremes,” no one can be certain of what you are and that is, in fact, what the Adversary is counting on; mingling has the appearance of “good” while hiding the evil intent. This is the tactic he has used from the beginning and how he most often deceives people.
My point is this: most people in the world don’t fall under the category of being completely and blatantly wicked like Osama bin Ladin but most people certainly don’t fall under the category of being completely righteous either. Most people in today’s world would be a mixture of these two – lukewarm. The result is, from that mixed point of view, either way you look – to those who are hot (righteous) or those who are cold (wicked) – they are extremes. Consequently, a “tolerant” person can’t detect the difference between fanatical Islam and people like you and me. In my opinion, the party that broke out after the death of Osama bin Ladin was a preview of what the world will do when the two witnesses are struck down by the beast.
“For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.” – Revelation 11:9-10
As I mentioned, I’ve been saying this for some time and, therefore, I am not surprised that a document, originating with the US Dept. of Defense, that has just surfaced labels people of faith, particularly those who take the Bible literally as extremists. These are the types, according to the Defense Department, who will speak of individual liberties, states’ rights and things of that nature (Wow! How incendiary to speak of liberty). Not only that, the same document suggests that those who fought the Revolution – men like Washington, Jefferson, Adams and the minutemen of Lexington-Concord – were “extremists.” Under the section titled, “Extremist Ideologies,” the document is quoted as saying: “In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples.”
This is not only alarming but maddening. Still, remember what Y’shua said: “Everyone will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17). This hatred will, unfortunately, only get worse as the nations continue skipping down the yellow-brick road to Babylonian Revival in search of their “all-powerful” wizard. (Didn’t he turn out to be a phony?) Therefore, let us determine to come out from among them and be a separate – or, if you prefer, extreme people – so that they will know we are His. Shalom.
Below are links to articles regarding this document.
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