It’s sort of like that scene in a Lord of the Rings movie where Soran or Soraman is calling all of the armies of Middle Earth to himself. The Caliphate is summoning all Muslims everywhere to commit violent acts of Jihad all over the Western world to destabilize our way of life and strike terror in the hearts of the kufar (infidel). Robert Spencer recently pointed this out:
In late September, the Islamic State’s spokesman, Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, urged Muslims to murder non-Muslims in the West. “Rely upon Allah,” he thundered, “and kill him in any manner or way however it may be. Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict. Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military, for they have the same ruling.” He also addressed Western non-Muslims: “You will not feel secure even in your bedrooms. You will pay the price when this crusade of yours collapses, and thereafter we will strike you in your homeland, and you will never be able to harm anyone afterwards.”
The radical movement which is known as ISIS, Muslims now claiming only really refers to the Caliphate, loyal followers of Al-Bukr Al-Bagdadi, the leader of the same movement, are launching a global social media driven terror crusade to unsettle the world in the name of Jihad. By the year 2020, they hope to have the sort of events we have been witnessing on the media lately become a daily occurrence on a global scale! Just in October we have a rash of events. On Oct. 20th a Muslim man barrels over two Canadian soldiers where one died and the driver was eventually shot to death, Oct. 23th a Muslim man stormed onto the Parliament building shooting a soldier at the War Memorial and eventually being shot and killed himself, and finally today an axe wielding man attacked two police officers in NYC in broad day light wounding both men striking one in the arm and the other on the head putting him in critical condition! This list could go on and on if we consider all stories both here in America and abroad. Such attacks cause us to wonder, “what in world in going on”?
The truth is, that these “radicals” are merely carrying out the dictates of their own creed in a consistent fashion (see here). It has likewise been fascinating to here liberal media and news pundits talk about the fact that the Old Testament contains stoning and capital punishment for similar things which Islam condemns e.g. adultery etc. Recently Michael Savage pointed out that the Jews have progressed with modern society so that they no longer interpret those parts of Scripture literally. They have progressed with modern times and realize that such civil laws are no longer compatible with civilized society and can therefore be interpreted metaphorically or something else!? However, such liberal readings of Scripture will never do (cf. 2 Tim. 3.16). The problem with both Islam and Judaism is redemptive history. For the Christian, we need not do away with the literal historical aspects of God’s Word. However, neither did Jesus leave us with a theonomic mandate! We are in no way called upon as New Covenant believers to perpetuate the civil aspects of God’s Law. This is why only Christianity can give us a complete view of revelation and the use of the Law today. Paul was clear about the usefulness of God’s Law:
1 Timothy 1:8–11 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
While modern day Judaism has long dispensed with any attempt to enforce a theonomic rule and government, what we are witnessing with Islam today is the religion’s failure to understand the progress of redemptive history. Of course, only the Bible contains redemptive history culminating in God’s Son. Muslims have cut themselves off from God’s redemptive history for humanity and they have cut themselves off from God’s redemptive purposes and redemption itself. Due to this historical and redemptive anachronism, Judaism will continue to empty their religion of historical meaning and Islam will continue the futile struggle for theonomic rule in a post-theonomic age. The reason that followers of Jesus are not running around wielding axes is not because God has never called His people to engage in violence of any kind (cf. Ps. 137.9) but because we would be moving backwards in redemptive history and thus contrary to God’s sovereign purposes in this world.
Sola Deo Gloria
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