Gods At War With Darkness

Ron Wood
Ron Wood

The Book of Daniel in the Bible is filled with dates and details. Daniel wasn't a myth but a historical figure. He was a prisoner in Iraq all of his adult life. He was taken from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel in 605 B.C. Daniel was still alive in Babylon when Cyrus conquered it. Soon, Cyrus sent the Jews home to their Promised Land. Why? He was impressed with Israel's God! Two of Israel's prophets wrote about Cyrus, before he was even born, telling how he would defeat Babylon.

This epic story occurred 2,500 years ago. The countries in the Middle East are in turmoil today, still in conflict with Israel. Ancient rivalries can't explain all of the hate and enmity. From my studies, I think evil powers are stirring up strife and murder. The Bible calls these invisible demons, princes of darkness.

The idea that invisible spiritual powers can provoke irrational behavior isn't new. Psychiatrist ­­Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled wrote about people afflicted by evil. Ignoring this reality allows evil to incarnate itself as we tolerate it.

Newt Gingrich recently returned from France. After the carnage in Nice, he told Fox News he's in favor of deporting Muslims who believe in sharia. Islam wants sharia law enforced everywhere. That tension produced a coup attempt in Turkey. Turkey used to be a secular nation that accommodated Muslims but now it's headed toward Islamism. No wonder NATO resisted their entry!

Sharia doesn't respect women's rights, other religions, or allow free speech. Sharia destroys democracy. If Islam wins, sharia law will be imposed, like it or not. It's incompatible with western civilization or our Constitutional rule of law.

Gingrich spoke about ISIS like a man who was not feminized. He seemed like an angry father who saw his family threatened. His resolve ought to be the posture of any president. Our Constitution says the government exists to defend our nation. Sometimes, in order to keep the peace, you have to go to war. I think it's time for the whole world to declare war on radical Islam.

Do you remember the great Gregory Peck movie, "To Kill a Mockingbird?" It had a scene of a rabid dog slowly approaching the house of a peaceful man named Atticus Finch. It shocked his daughter, Scout, when he raised a rifle and shot the dog.

That's how you handle a rabid dog. It can't be cured. Its bite will kill you. There's no such thing as a mild case of rabies. You can't negotiate or compromise with it. Implacable evil shows its victims no mercy. It shouldn't be given any mercy, either.

Civil authority is good, ordained by God, armed. Agents of the law like the police are God's servants. They protect the innocent and punish the evil. They ought to be respected. (Rom. 13:1-10) By contrast, ISIS embodies evil despite using Islam to justify genocide. Its militants are brutal. They kill children, boil soldiers alive, butcher peaceful Muslims, torture Christians, rape women, enslave girls, and take over villages or countries by force and intimidation. No voting is allowed.

In the Bible, the Lord had Joshua exterminate certain tribes in the Middle East. Why? The same false gods had turned people into cruel baby killers. Where idolatry exists, where the gospel is absent, the lords of darkness -- cruel demons -- rule.

If ISIS isn't evil, then what is? Call it by its name! For the sake of humanity, the governments of the whole world must stand up to evil and do the right thing.

Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Contact him at [email protected] or visit www.touchedbygrace.org. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 08/11/2016