Thank you Jim Bramlett for your Tuesday post 'Why Christ Must Return' by John MacArthur, that was a true Blessing to me.
 
I fail to understand how any individual can be confronted with the Truth of the Scriptures cited by Mr. MacArthur, and still fail to accept the fact that Jesus Christ will indeed return as He promised, and will fulfill the remainder of every prophetic passage regarding His Kingdom and the establishment thereof.
 
It may seem that the waiting for the return of our King is nearly unbearable, the anticipation for Him to return and to see Holy Justice prevail upon the Earth.  It has always grieved me and causes me great distress when seeing or hearing of the countless blasphemies which are uttered against our Lord on a regular basis by those who use their freedoms of expression to assail and demean the Holiness of Jesus Christ. I need not go into them in detail, all of you know what I'm talking about, I'm sure.
 
I have found it curious that while our modern day un-intelligentsia, our media celebrities, our Hollywood 'idols' have no problem with insulting and attempting to discredit the beliefs of Christians, we have never seen them speak one offensive word or write one iota of offensive material directed at the cult of Islam. Odd is it not?  They fear to offend the Devil and his disciples, but show no fear of the Holy Wrath of the One True God Jesus Christ/Jehovah/Yahweh. In the end, they will pay dearly for their poor decision making.
 
Make no mistake, Islam IS a cult (I know I'm preaching to the choir here), it is a cult of death, of destruction, it was established with demonic influence and remains a Satanic deception over millions upon millions of souls. The Koran is a perfect example of how the Devil will introduce just enough poison into what in fact may be truth to kill those who accept such deception. It is no secret that many of the passages in the Koran call for mercy, charity, fair treatment for widows, orphans, etc., while it clearly calls for the killing of all 'non-believers', i.e., 'infidels' (that's you and me people) who will not bow down to the Islamic cult of death. If Muslims wish to consider us 'Crusaders' and engage in a so-called 'jihad', so be it. They stand with the father of liars, we stand with the Most High God Himself.
 
I believe that even as they seek to kill us, that we should have great sympathy for those who are entrapped in the Islamic cult. I pray for their Deliverance and for their spiritual blindness to be removed from their eyes and souls. Many of them are sincerely seeking to live what they believe to be holy and godly lives, and they have been deluded into thinking that the teachings of Islam are all they need to eventually reach what they think is paradise, and eternal life.  Like Eve, they have listened to the seductive words of the Devil, they have chosen to go down a path which is not truly of God, and only God Almighty, King Jesus Himself, can save them. Some Muslims have given themselves over to the Wahhabbist doctrines which we saw manifested in the 9/11 attacks, the mass murder of innocent life, and the continuing 'jihad' they are seeking to spread across the globe.  I happen to believe that only when we look up to see our Redeemer King descending from out of the clouds, will we see a true end to the violence and death that lie at the core of Islamic beliefs. (I would qualify these remarks by saying that as much as I feel sympathy towards Muslims and pray for them to find the Truth of Jesus Christ, if I am confronted with a terrorist event, and should I be in a position to defend myself and others, I will not hesitate to employ as much lethal force as the Lord places into my hands at that moment. It is not at all un-Godly to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our fellow citizens.)
 
As we wait semi-patiently for the Lord Jesus to return, it helps me sometimes to remind myself that because God is not constrained by time, (for as we have all heard, a thousand years is like a day to the Lord), that in fact - The Lord Jesus has ALREADY returned for His children, the Tribulation has already taken place, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are burning even now in the Lake of Fire, Satan has been locked up for 1000 years (to be loosed for a little season, and then thrown in the Lake of Fire with his twin fools the Antichrist and False Prophet), and the Earth has already been renewed, death has no further hold upon any of us, and King Jesus is ruling from Jerusalem, even now as I type these words.
 
Sound as if I'm hallucinating? Not at all. Because in God's realm, 'the future is now' - His Word has been fulfilled, His Promises have been kept, and the only reason we are not seeing the physical manifestations of His Grand Work is that we (in the flesh) are still constrained by the limits of time. We haven't 'arrived' yet at the point we all long for. But we will. Because God keeps His Promises.
 
All prophecy has already been fulfilled and accomplished. We just have to 'catch up' with those events which have yet to be revealed to our earthly eyes. Believe it. Claim it. Live for it, Trust God to bring us all to that place we want to be.
 
Regards,
 
John Russell