The Vanishing West
“Thus sayeth the Lord unto you, be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitudes; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2Chron. 20:15)
When we look at the situation in the world today, one can but wonder where the comfort and stability has disappeared to, especially in that part of the world known as the (formerly) Christian West. In the book of Daniel chapter two, we read about Daniel’s interpretation of the great image of gold, silver, brass and iron mixed with clay, the last being the Roman Empire that held sway over a large part of Asia-Minor and a large swath of Europe during our Lord’s sojourn on this earth at His first advent.
By the time that this Empire crumbled and fell, most of the migrating tribes of Israel had, under diverse names, reached their designed destination in North-West Europe and the British Isles, the Isles of the Sea, according to the prophecy delivered to King David by the prophet Nathan. “Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people, Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them anymore, as formerly.” (2Sam. 7:10).
Shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire the Papal Church of Rome came into being and started to take control of the independent church taught by the Disciples and the Apostles. Rome dominated the Christian faith until the Reformation took away the dominance of Rome and re-established the true worship of Christ by faith alone. It was after that took place that the West became truly blessed and the Western Christian culture was firmly established.
In Genesis 21, we read how Abraham, on the insistence of his wife Sarah, is compelled to send his son Ishmael away, an act that was endorsed by God, God knowing full well that Isaac and Ishmael would grow into two distinct peoples and cultures that were not, and never would be compatible and therefore could not live together in the same region or country.
Now, some fifteen hundred years ago an event took place that would forever after have a profound impact on the Western world and those that were and became followers of our Lord Jesus. A man named Mohammed supposedly had a vision of God and established the Mohammedan religion, centered in the Arabian Desert with their holy cities Mecca and Medina. Within two hundred years, this religion had conquered and converted most, if not all of the Middle East and all of North Africa and even Spain. In the year 732 AD, Charles (the Hammer Martel), defeated the Muslim armies at the Battle of Tours in Southern France and drove them back into Spain and eventually back to Morocco in North Africa. Then, in the mid fifteen-hundreds, with the rise of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, the Muslims were turned back from the gate of Vienna, thus saving Western Europe again from being overrun.
And now we find ourselves in the Twenty-First century, where through complacency, apathy, political correctness, the teachings of secular humanism and a bombardment of Christ hating propaganda, the so called Christian West is in a very vulnerable position, a very weak condition and a prime target for a cultural onslaught and take-over. The Western World is at this present time being overrun by immigrants and “refugees” from around the world, including great numbers from Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ironically, these folks come and for the most part do not assimilate with the people, but instead cling to a culture and a way of life that they tried to escape in the first place. And whereas in the western countries church attendance is in rapid decline, with even churches being closed down, Muslim and centers for other faiths are being built at an aggressive rate. In European countries, such as England, Belgium and France, it has been suggested that civil authorities are cautious about entering some of the enclaves. Hopefully, the successes at Tours and Vienna are not dissipating before our eyes. Sadly, if we and our Christian brothers and sisters in the Israel nations around the world do not face the facts and implore the Lord God Almighty to intervene, we could well be looking at the Islamization of the Christian West.
Christ was not politically correct when He rebuked and condemned the Religious rulers of His day, so we should not back down from our obligation to our Lord and Savior. The mainstream churches have for decades already preached a feel-good message, with the result that we find very few Christians with any spiritual backbone left and few indeed are they that are not afraid to speak out in favor of their Lord. But all is not lost if only we will apply ourselves. In 2Chron. 7:14 God proclaims that if His people, that’s us, will repent and pray then God would and will, heal their land. Furthermore, in 2Chron. 20:15 we read that the battle is not ours but God’s. What was true back in Old Testament days is still true today, for God changes not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! Yes, that means when God’s timetable is complete, He will deliver us, His people. In the meantime, let us labour in faith for the furtherance of His Kingdom that is to come.
