HOLY WAR
Matthew 24:4-8 - KJV - "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows."
***THIS DEVOTIONAL IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE
ARMED SERVICES, AND THEIR FAMILIES. MAY THE HAND OF GOD BE WITH YOU, PROTECT
YOU, LEAD YOU TO VICTORY, AND BRING YOUHOME SAFE. OUR NATION SALUTES YOU AS
YOU SERVE SO THAT WE MAY BE FREE. IT IS NO ACCIDENT GOD HAS RAISED YOU UP, AND
CALLED YOU TO THIS IMPORTANT MISSION. KNOW THAT HE IS WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF
THE WAY. GOD BLESS YOU!
A HOLY WAR. After a little over 2 years, this is by far the most difficult
Devotional I have ever had to write. My purpose each day is to encourage
you, and challenge you in your daily walk with Christ. I do my best to deal
with the real day to day issues we all face in this life, many issues you
never hear spoken of, and putting them in the context of our faith. I have
never gotten deeply involved in prophetic events in these Devotionals, since
being something still to happen, the study of end times events is very
subjective and there are many interpretations that could be correct. Please
understand though that the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Days are NOT
the same thing. The Second Coming of Christ is an event NO MAN knows the
date or time of. Only God. However, Christ clearly talks of what will
generally happen in the Last Days in Matthew chapter 24, and Paul speaks of
the general events to mark the Last Days in Second Timothy 3, and Second
Peter 3. These passages help us to at least see what to look for as we
enter into the final chapters of this world. God was clearly speaking
through me as I shared a Devotional on September 6th, 5 days before this
horrific tragedy in our nation, talking about the Last Days. This was not
done to make you afraid, but to challenge you in regard to the role God is
asking us, His children to play. That is the purpose of today's special
message to you.
I have always been very honest, and very frank with you each day in this
Devotional. I refuse to candy-coat the Truth of God's Word. What I share
on each subject has always been very Biblically sound. My job is simply to
tell you what God says, the rest is up to you since He gave you freewill to
accept or reject Him and His truth. I have prayed much over these past days
about what is coming. I am NOT a prophet. I didn't have a vision or a
dream. I am simply a man, yielded to God, striving to stay as connected as
I can every minute of every day, serving Him with everything I have to give,
and studying diligently His Word. We often hear of the anointing. It is
many things, but one thing it clearly is, is a special touch from God given
to someone who is actively seeking after Him. It is given to perform a
service for God. It is something you simply know in your gut when it is
there, and when it is not. It is under a rich anointing from God that I
share these words with you today. Take a moment and pray now, asking God
to open your heart to receive these words.
Many have emailed me about whether as Christians we should be engaging in
war, which will involve killing innocent people. The fact is, there is very
strong Biblical support for war, when it is the defense of you nation, your
faith Make no mistake about it, our nation was attacked last Tuesday and
there are people that would love to destroy us. We have every right, and
the responsibly to defend ourselves! God often called His children to war
to defeat the enemies of God throughout the Bible. We enjoy the freedom we
have today, because of the sacrifices made by our forefathers. If we are to
insure those same freedoms for our children, that we must respond and defend
our nation against those who would destroy it. Yes, there will be innocent
people killed. Innocent people were already killed last Tuesday. That is
why you must always keep the big picture in focus at all times. Death is
part of the human experience. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, one
day we will all die. Everyone will die by some means. Some by disease,
some by accidents, some by murder, some by wars. That is why nobody should
miss their opportunity to accept Christ by faith, you may never have another
chance since death can come at anytime, and is final. We live this life in
service to God. That is our purpose. When we have fulfilled God's plan for
our life, we are called home to live for eternity with Him.
Here is what God has showed me about the upcoming events that will be
unfolding in the coming days, weeks, months, years, and even decades. From
my Devotional on Wednesday September 12th, the day after the attack, I wrote
these words, "In my spiritual gut, I believe today was a VERY big day in
the
overall end times events." Things will never be the same again in our
country. As we embark on our military campaign, our initial goal is very
clear, makes much sense, and has major support worldwide. That is to wipe
out terrorism. No doubt we will send troops into Afghanistan and we will
capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. The resolve is there, it will happen. It
is after this phase that the picture will get very cloudy. You see, most
everyone in the world condemns what happened in the US. They condemn
terrorism. Once we accomplish the goal of getting Bin Laden, the next phase
is than to start rooting out other terrorists and terrorist cells around the
world. It is in this second phase, that this will cease being seen as a
mission of defeating terrorism, and slowly turn into what the world will
perceive as a war on Islam. As this second phase moves forward, the battle
lines will soon become drawn on lines of faith. The US, which is seen
worldwide as representing Christianity, along with Israel, against Islam.
As you can see, this is where many allies in the Middle East who supported
our initial efforts to get Bin Laden, will now have a change of heart.
Islamic people worldwide will see this simply as Holy War on Islam by the
west and Israel. Ultimately, this will change from being a war on terrorism
to a Holy War.
Of course, the ramifications as things escalate into this phase are beyond
comprehension. However, one key element to never forget will be the world's
oil supply that comes from that region. Nuclear weapons are readily
available on the world market. Germ and chemical warfare is very advanced
and available worldwide. Many will have access to these incredible deadly
elements and will have no conscience in using them. What happened last
Tuesday, our required response, and the years to follow will unleash events
over out planet that I believe strongly fits in with the general references
Jesus and Paul made about the Last Days. I am not even getting into the
specific events spoken of in Revelation. God will decide when Christ
returns. There will be all of the judgments and destruction talked of in
the last book of the Bible. Only God knows for sure how all of that will
play out. I am simply sharing that what has happened, and will start to
unfold, is setting the stage for all of those events. All of this could
take many decades to play out, but as they do, the world will be looking for
answers, looking for hope, and that is where our opportunity comes in.
Please hear my heart today. Just as I have tried to put much of what has
happened recently in context for you, I want you to understand that what I
have shared today is not meant to frighten you, or cause you to lose hope.
Quite the opposite. The fact is, God has chosen us to part of the most
exciting time of human history. We will have opportunities to share His
love and hope like never before. Already, we have seen a glimmer of how
hungry people have become for answers, for God. Churches all over our
nation were packed last weekend. Any preacher who didn't give an alter call
last Sunday, in my humble opinion, missed what God has called him to do. I
am excited each day to serve Him. Just the thought God allows me, Bill
Keller with all my faults and weaknesses to be part of His team, to play a
small part in His plan, is awe inspiring. He has given you that chance too.
The fact that He has raised us up in this day and time in human history, to
share His love and hope with a world that will be in turmoil, is an
incredible responsibility. It is our turn to do great things for God!!!
Just like a football player trains hard, practices hard for the big game,
now is the BIGGEST GAME OF ALL. God doesn't expect us to be on the bench,
but on the field, working hard. Unlike the football player who plays hard,
but doesn't know if his team will win, we have extreme confidence, because
we already know the final score!!! God wins!!!
I love you, and care about you very much. It is my responsibly to be honest
and open with you. I have done that each and every day these past 24 plus
months now. I can't stop now. As the events of the coming weeks, months,
and even years unfold, I will be here as long as God allows me, to share
each day from my heart, to help you see His will for your life in all that
is happening. It is no accident God raised this ministry up when He did,
that you are getting these Devotionals every day. Now is time to get very
serious about being a Christian. We have been blessed to be living in an
exciting time, and part of the winning team. All we have to do is get up
each day, and be faithful and obedient in the work He has for each of us to
accomplish. Never forget, no matter what, God is in control, and the end of
the book says, GOD WINS!!!!!
In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller