Anne Lastman
Day after day we hear about and watch global destructive violence which has overtaken our world. Globally the pro-Palestinian rioters who assault, destroy, intimidate Jewish communities and their families. Attack and burn synagogues, schools, homes, places of business. Children fearful to go out of their houses to school. Afraid to wear the Mogam David, star of David, necklace/chain as a Catholic would wear the chain with a cross. Does this look like the work of justice? Does this look like some who want to peacefully protest for rights? No, we see the antics satan and his minions.
During the recent past months and even years satan’s antipathy towards the Jews particularly and Christians, from whom emerged the One (Jesus) who would destroy him, has become more malevolent and he, with help of others, shows his imagined superiority by the use of assault against Jewish and Christian life. We see this not in what we would call wartime situation but in peacetime. In capital cities, in towns, suburbs, streets, in those cities. Institutions of learning (universities). We see assault against Jewish life in settings of home, businesses, places of worship . We see Christians of many denominations and so many Christian/catholic clergy murdered. We see assault on children. This especially in nations which are so called peaceful, even accommodating, accepting their need to be members of a better society than they have come from, of their right to live in the places which they have arrived at as refugees and assisted and been protected by governments and citizens but not given a right to become demoniacs and destroy all who’ve helped them in order to protect and promote a terrorist groups.
This present war is a war by enemy combatants against a nation’s right to exist. It’s not a war about “things” but a war against a people chosen by God to complete a task and their very right to exist. It has always been. Lucifer incites for a time then ebbs for a time before inciting again and so it continues. He slithers off for a time to regroups and then unexpectedly strikes again. October 7th 2023 Saturday, Sabbath, and religious celebration, We saw the festival at which the young were celebrating just like any young people all over the world and their dance parties, when sadly the initial onslaught of murder, kidnapping, raping, merciless cruelty, crushing indignity, violence began. Unexpected. A joyous time ending in terror and followed by not only localised war but demands of Palestinian (Islamic) group for destruction of Israel. Hamas, three wars against Israel since it took control over the Gaza Strip.
The aim of Palestinians and Islam is the total destruction of Israel. To complete the job Hitler had started. This current assault by Hamas, a terrorist group which was elected and has governed the Israeli occupied Gaza Strip for nearly 20 years. Since its takeover of the territory from Palestinian Authority in 2007, has openly declared and vowed the destruction of Israel. Having had 20 years to build and prepare for assault a reminder of Germany’s openly building of gas chambers going on and its citizens passing by either not noticing or choosing not to notice what was happening.
So too Hamas built tunnels and places of security to make it possible for them to fight this new war and win, or so they thought. it came to pass on October 7th. Hamas dissidents, which has led to a long and disastrous campaign with chants “Death to Israel.” “Destruction of Israel” “Israel wiped from the face of the earth” “from the river to the sea/Palestine will be free” slogans of intent. Israel’s retaliation was of course expected which then resulted in thousands of citizens on both sides, dead. Hostages used for bartering, others murdered and still going. Wickedness ebbs and flows. And no peace. A land divided by two “brothers” warring against each other for right of heritage (Ishmael and Isaac) ? eons ago and still continuing. If Hamas were to be successful (it won’t) which country next?
The tragic part in all of this is that if Israel is “defeated” as the global rioters (rent a crowd and local dissidents) hope to accomplish, the people of Gaza whom Hamas governs are left in perpetual poverty, suffering greater poverty than third world life.
There is much which can be said about this ongoing war. But it’s a war about who owns the land. Who has claimed this land. History tells us that for over 1000 years Israel owned the land of Palestine. The land then became territory taken and owned by Palestine thus making both Jews and Arabs (Issac and Ishmael?) owners and for more than a thousand years both have claimed the land which has led to ongoing wars, cruelties, at times by other sides as we see in our day. Wars mean destruction and death of children, elderly, young men, women, young adults. War means that normal moral codes are forgotten and overlooked and that means kidnappings, raping most gruesome torture which we, this time, via the media see.
Going through the whole history of Palestine, to me it’s two brothers at war with one another, a history too long for an article (maybe at a later date) or whole book material. Instead, I want to focus on what we are seeing at this moment in time and the machinations of the wickedness and aftereffects of sin. Malevolence after the rejection of the divine and the wickedness of satan who roams /prowls the earth like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pter 5:8) . Lucifer, satan, the devil never rests, he looks for more victims more wars, more chaos to incite terror. War is a destruction of peace, life, generosity, empathy, humaneness, peaceful enjoyment of life, love of neighbour. War shows no love of God or neighbour. Two main commandments abolished. Satan’s works are always permeated by cruelty, revenge, destruction and death. Response to a Hasidic saying to a question posed by a student to a “Master when does the dawn start? The dawn starts when you look into the face of a stranger and see a brother, sister, as someone you recognise”. This emphasizes the humanity of each. In all conflicts the humanity of the other is not recognised
We not only face the and know about the Middle East War brought to our screens, but the Russo/Ukraine war now begun over 3 years ago again Invasion by Russia into Ukraine (I had a recipient of my newsletter when I wrote it) but this war also with the impetus of satan has ebbed and flowed starting 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine. It also has been a vicious and violent and death dealing war. It’s been the largest and deadliest war in Europe. This war over Europe Israel/Hamas Middle East. Then of course we have other nations at war, civil wars. A globe dripping with blood. Millions of families lost. It seems that what Cain began has not been able to be contained.
There will be said that there is the “just War Theory.” However, when deeply thought there is never a just war. There is war which always means death on all sides. Innocent and guilty. We are minded by Jesus “that the sun shines on both innocent and guilty” (Mt.5:45). War likewise. I argue same for rejection of death penalty. I cannot fight for the life of the tiniest of children intended for abortion and then agree to the intentional, state demanded death of a human being. (murderer/wicked as he might be) Abortion kills a human being. Death penalty kills a human being. Wars kill human beings in all these settings satan is the winner because his lies engender death in all manner.
The belief in the wickedness of satan and his works in modern times began to be slowly erased perhaps when Nietzsche declared that “God is dead.” This opened wide the door for satan to begin the same work as in the beginning (Gen3:4) and all the times throughout history up to this time. In our modern times, we are afraid to speak about such a thing as evil spirits for fear of ridicule, of being considered naïve, fossil, anachronistic. These times are not believed to be primitive but so called enlightened to believe in such myth.as the devil, lucifer, satan, original wickedness, and so he has his freedom to “roam around the world roaring” causing global pain, wars, famine, pestilence, abortions, (a legalised murder in the many millions annually) euthanasia, trafficking, transgender, now artificial intelligence and the list goes on. Intention? The destruction of God’s original human being to replace him. one created a “little lower than the angels” (Ps 8) One created a little lower than himself so he cannot permit to have peace.
We see nature rebel against such hatred of its creator God. Extreme heat, Severe cold, floods, , leading to millions starving in a world of plenty, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, volcanic eruptions. Indeed, there is a dark unseen cloud encompassing humanity and for most modern thought it’s stupidity to even think of word “devil” and his fruit “wickedness” because his greatest success has been convincing humanity that he doesn’t exist, it’s a myth by that lowly creature who sprouted that the divine is an “Opiate of the people” (K. Marx) fantasies to suppress reality.
It’s interesting when we consider that seeing something right before our eyes and we do not quake in fear thinking and seeing how satan walks and works amongst us and yet we fail to see, believe and acknowledge the fact.
All gifts given to human beings by God were of great beauty, but by ugliness destroyed them. Life v death; beauty v ugliness; innocence v loss of innocence; honour v dishonour; love v hatred peace v chaos, et al. Satan’s work is the antithesis of God’s work of beauty and graciousness. Satan wills to continue his envy, pride and hatred of the human being by pitting them against each other till end of time, because of his perceived injustice against himself. His pride could not comprehend or tolerate the vision of a lowly one defeating him. He knows he is totally impotent against his Creator. He is powerless against the divine Son, and silent before the Holy Spirit, and is powerless against the woman, Mary.
The world at this time, seems covered in blood. Indeed, war on this earth replicates the war in heaven and every time we see another war break out, we are reminded that this war is a replica of the one played out in heaven eons ago. Now piecemeal.
Today many nations are at war. Russia, Ukraine, Middle east, Israel, Palestine, Africa (internal states, ongoing) Myanmar, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Congo and more with casualties in the many millions.
We have the horror of human trafficking /child slavery some reports suggest 80-90 million victims per year. We have a world encircled by oceans of blood. We have the human being demeaned almost into disappearance. We have family as decreed by God slowly extinguished into pseudo family. We have children, elderly, disabled legally murdered. Children die of starvation in the millions, yet we have wealth beyond imagination controlled by the very few. Why? The father of lies has risen with another attempt to usurp his own creator using the human being as his instrument for the assault.
In times past (eons ago) people would have seen these events as punishments. These people whom today we consider to have been primitive actually understood God better than the enlightened of our day, who see and believe that these events are just human engendered events and they’ll go on for a while and then stop (ebb and flow?) This society is happier, enlightened, forgetting that God is the author of life and time, and who waits for his creation to really believe this. He is God. He waits patiently but only for a time.
A beacon shines in ways to get us to see Him and know that He is with us, just as we saw His unforgettable power at the Paris Olympics when His Son was offended, the lights of Paris went out. Total darkness, except for Cathedral where Jesus is present. Similar to the time when His Son died on the cross and nature rebelled and the sky darkened. He sees our home (earth) surrounded by oceans of blood and He weeps and waits. He sees his created world at war and may again regret having created man, “the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and it grieved Him to his heart” (Gen.6:6). Wars, hatred, disasters, blood, bring tears to the Father and to the righteous living and praying.
Not to end on such a negative note perhaps we can all decide to do more. To pray more, to help those in need more, to visit the lonely more, to give to those who need more, to feed the hungry more, to comfort the grieving more, to demand a cessation of slaughter of innocents. We have the numbers to do more, that is to call on all humanity to do more, to denounce satan and the warmongers and demand peace for all. We can do more, the only need is desire to do so.
We have the support of those prayers who pray in darkness of caves (cells) like the prophets, the priests who love all life. We have “Peter” our shepherd, we have the quiet unseen, unknown who pray. And above all we pray for “Woman” who must get up and like Rachel, weep for the children who are no more. (Jer 31:15, Mt.w:18). Children killed in abortion war, other mothers and fathers who are killed because of the wickedness of war. Annually there are more infants slaughtered before birth than all the wars ever. Children starved to death. And it must be “woman” who permits this to happen, rise up against the god of hatred, satan, lucifer, the devil, Samael. One wickedness, many names. This ocean of blood through all manner of violence and death cry out to God “How long Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood. ((Rev:10).
The earth with its wars and slaughter especially of innocents through wars, famine, starvation, abuse, trafficking, are painfully waiting for the Lord’s response to the question “How long Sovereign Lord.”
