Transcript [00:02] The Jerusalem channel is made with the [00:04] support of you, our viewers. Thank you [00:07] for watching. [00:11] What we're seeing right now is the death [00:14] of the age of reason and common sense. [00:18] Moral equivalence is a term being [00:21] deceptively used in political debate, [00:24] usually to deny that equal comparisons [00:27] can be made concerning two sides in a [00:30] conflict. But moral equivalence is [00:33] nothing more than moral confusion. [00:36] And as Bible prophecy continues to [00:38] unfold, we will encounter increasing [00:42] moral confusion. Tragically, there's so [00:46] much churchianity today devoid of this [00:49] Bible. People are no longer studying [00:52] God's word. Just a little happy Bible [00:55] verse in a one minute daily devotional [00:58] is not going to cut it, nor prepare us [01:01] for the days of moral confusion that [01:04] we've entered into. [01:17] Shalom. I'm Christine Dar. Today's press [01:20] is guilty of perpetuating the lie of [01:24] moral equivalence when it comes to life [01:26] and death conflicts. And when it comes [01:29] to media coverage of violence against [01:31] the one and only Jewish state, the press [01:35] reads like a chess match. Hamas refuses [01:39] to halt rockets, so Israel targets and [01:42] eliminates a top Hamas leader. Then [01:45] Hamas aggressively strikes again and [01:48] Israel retaliates. The reporting is [01:51] tipped for tat like two equally [01:54] justifiable sides making moves and [01:58] counter moves. [02:00] Well, Jean Kirkpatre, the United States [02:03] ambassador to the UN during the Reagan [02:05] administration, was an early popularizer [02:08] of the expression moral equivalence. [02:12] In 1986, Kirkpatrick published an [02:15] article called the myth of moral [02:18] equivalence in which she sharply [02:21] criticized claims that there was no [02:24] moral difference between the communist [02:26] regime or the former Soviet Union and [02:30] democratic nations. [02:32] People who look at the Middle East with [02:34] moral equivalent eyeglasses know little [02:38] if anything about Bible prophecy and [02:42] what God's mind is on the matter. [02:45] Meanwhile, physical attacks on Jewish [02:47] people are rising globally amid all the [02:50] moral confusion that stems from today's [02:53] tragic biblical illiteracy. [02:57] Amos 8:11 is a prophecy which has not [03:01] been exhausted by just one fulfillment [03:04] and it's happening again. That verse [03:06] says, "Behold, the days come, sayaeth [03:08] the Lord God, that I will send a famine [03:10] in the land, not a famine of bread, nor [03:13] a thirst for water, but of hearing the [03:17] words of the Lord." [03:20] The Hamas terrorist organization, which [03:22] is funded by Iran, is officially [03:25] designated a terrorist group by Israel, [03:28] the United States, the European Union, [03:32] and the United Kingdom, among others. [03:36] The charter of Hamas quite clearly calls [03:39] for the destruction of Israel, declaring [03:42] in part that the Islamic resistance [03:44] movement strives to raise the banner of [03:47] its God over every inch of the land of [03:51] Israel that they call Palestine. [03:55] But as a sovereign nation, Israel has [03:57] the absolute right to defend its [03:59] existence. [04:01] And it also has the moral obligation to [04:04] protect its civilian population. [04:08] Tragically, Israel will have to go to [04:09] war all over again as long as the [04:12] Iranian regime and Hamas and other [04:15] jihadists continue their quest to drive [04:19] the Jews into the sea. [04:23] Bible prophecy doesn't mention the names [04:25] of Twitter or Instagram or Tik Tok, but [04:30] it does declare in Zechariah 12:3 that [04:34] Jerusalem will become the stumbling [04:36] stone of the nations. [04:39] Various influencers are dangerously [04:42] legitimizing anti-semitism on social [04:45] media, which is all part of endtime [04:48] propaganda. [04:50] In fact, the Somalibborn Dutch American [04:53] activist and author Ayen Hersy Ali [04:57] recently wrote that Instagram activists [05:00] have turned false narratives into deadly [05:03] fantasies. [05:05] Anti-semitism is no longer confined to [05:07] the fringes of society, she wrote. But [05:10] instead, anti-semitism has started to [05:13] leak into the mainstream. [05:16] Social media has turned Jew hatred into [05:18] a contagion, [05:20] normalizing anti-Semitic tropes and [05:23] attacks. [05:25] Nobody can explain the conflict [05:27] involving thousands of years of history [05:29] in a few screenshots on social media or [05:33] a short quippy paragraph. [05:36] Well, following the recent outbreak of [05:39] violence in the Middle East, the [05:40] Anti-Defamation League's center on [05:43] extremism found in just one week [05:46] 17,000 tweets, which use variations of [05:51] the phrase Hitler was right. [05:54] So, anti-semitism is ferociously [05:57] spreading across the mainstream social [05:59] media. This is in part due to a group of [06:03] popular influencers who use their [06:05] platforms to promote Palestinians to [06:08] their millions of young impressionable [06:11] followers. And in their zeal for the [06:14] Palestinian cause, Ayen Hersy Ali asked, [06:18] "Do they realize they are also harming [06:20] Jews, including those Jews living [06:23] outside of Israel in the diaspora?" [06:26] Supermodel Bella Hadid has almost four [06:30] times as many Instagram followers as [06:33] there are Jews in the entire world. Yet, [06:37] she joined a protest in Brooklyn, New [06:39] York, and chanted, "From the river to [06:42] the sea, Palestine will be free." That's [06:46] an anti-Semitic slogan coined by the [06:48] Palestinian Liberation Organization to [06:51] call for the complete elimination of [06:54] Israel. [06:55] The chant is also associated with Hamas, [06:58] whose charter explicitly calls for the [07:02] genocide of Jews. [07:04] But in today's agitated and overroought [07:07] climate, a celebrity can use such a [07:10] chant and receive applause. [07:14] When the Israeli government accused [07:15] Bella Hadid of advocating for the [07:18] elimination of the Jewish state, her [07:20] fans defended her, claiming she was [07:22] innocently advocating for a free [07:25] Palestine without any harm to the Jews. [07:28] But this is a semantical nightmare, and [07:31] it will take the return to earth of the [07:34] Prince of Peace to sort it all out. [07:38] One of my favorite columnists, Melanie [07:40] Phillips, also wrote about the murderous [07:43] doctrine of moral equivalence. [07:46] She bewailed the tsunami of [07:48] anti-semitism that continues to inundate [07:51] the West. In America, anti-semitic acts [07:55] reportedly rose by 80% this month and in [07:59] Britain by at least 500%. [08:04] She also woefully noted the more than [08:07] 17,000 variations of the phrase Hitler [08:10] was right on Twitter. And in Britain, [08:14] after the Actors Union Equity called on [08:16] its members to join an anti-Israel march [08:19] in London, where demonstrators burned [08:21] Israeli flags and displayed anti-Semitic [08:24] slogans, [08:25] Jewish actors had begun to hide their [08:28] religious jewelry and symbols at [08:30] auditions. [08:32] Melanie Phillips observed that the new [08:35] anti-semitism and moral equivalency [08:37] mindset is effectively she said a [08:40] takeover of millions of western minds by [08:44] Soviet style brainwashing. [08:47] In the meantime, there are many other [08:49] prophetic signs of the times screaming [08:51] the truth that this world's governments [08:53] are living on borrowed time. [08:57] Soon the King of Kings will return and [09:00] the government will be on his shoulders. [09:02] He will take care of all environmental [09:05] concerns, the M East conflict, [09:07] pandemics, and the other problems that [09:10] stem from a world spinning out of [09:12] control. [09:14] Meanwhile, a contemporary Christian [09:16] musician recently described himself on [09:18] social media as an exeangelical, [09:22] saying he now follows the new age [09:25] universal Christ. [09:27] And this year marked the first time [09:29] since Gallup started tracking data that [09:32] fewer than 50% of Americans say they [09:35] belong to a church or a religious [09:37] organization. [09:39] In fact, people exiting the church are a [09:42] new growing demographic known as the [09:44] nuns, meaning they answer the word none [09:50] to religious affiliation. [09:53] As we consider today's moral confusion, [09:55] we shouldn't be surprised because it was [09:58] predicted in this word of God. The new [10:02] demographic of people known as religious [10:05] nuns reject all religious affiliation. [10:08] But some are also calling themselves [10:10] exeangelicals, [10:12] former evangelicals. [10:15] And to understand how serious this [10:16] movement is, let's review the definition [10:19] of an evangelical. [10:22] An evangelical is somebody like myself [10:24] who believes in the teachings and [10:26] authority of the scriptures, who accepts [10:30] the importance of the gospel of Jesus, [10:32] and who is willing and desires to share [10:35] our faith. [10:37] So if you're an exeangelical, you're no [10:40] longer zealous to share your faith and [10:43] you no longer accept the teachings and [10:45] authority of the scriptures. [10:48] This is serious. Their overall movement [10:51] is called deconstruction, [10:53] meaning deconstructing one's faith and [10:56] leaving the church. Many who are [10:59] deconstructing are like sensitive [11:00] [snorts] [11:01] snowflakes who express bitterness about [11:04] their experiences of getting hurt by [11:07] individuals inside the church. [11:10] Others, and this is very telling, cite [11:13] their rejection of biblical teachings on [11:16] sin and sexuality as the reason why they [11:20] are exiting the church. They'd rather [11:23] maintain a non-biblical lifestyle and [11:27] worldview than renounce their sins. [11:31] So, as I see Bible prophecy this week, [11:33] deception and moral confusion are the [11:35] primary signs of our times. Recently, we [11:38] heard a preacher ask, "What is the D [11:41] word that best describes the signs of [11:44] the times?" And my answer would be two [11:46] words that begin with the letter D. [11:49] Deception and doctrine. In many [11:52] passages, scripture warns us against [11:54] deception and false doctrines. And [11:57] concerning the prophesied great apostasy [11:59] that many Bible teachers believe we are [12:02] experiencing at the present time, the [12:05] Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4, "Now [12:08] the spirit says expressly," meaning in a [12:12] very emphatic and lucid manner, "Now the [12:15] spirit expressly says that in the latter [12:18] times some will depart from the faith, [12:20] giving heed to deceiving spirits and [12:24] doctrines of demons." [12:26] This is what the exeangelicals are [12:28] doing. They're departing from the faith. [12:31] Paul's prophecy forewarned that [12:33] individuals once professing to be [12:35] believers will deny the truth by adding [12:38] what is false. Or it could be said they [12:40] will become disbelievers altogether. [12:44] Furthermore, Paul said that they will [12:46] pay attention to seducing spirits and [12:49] doctrines of demons. [12:52] Now, the word doctrine itself is [12:53] neutral. So of course there can be both [12:55] good doctrines and bad doctrines. There [12:58] can be sound doctrines and unound [13:00] doctrines. Those who follow the [13:02] doctrines of demons will fall away from [13:05] the faith. Paul also stated in 2 [13:08] Thessalonians 2:3 that the day of the [13:11] Lord will not come except first the [13:14] falling away happens. This falling away [13:17] apostasy is to take place in the latter [13:20] times. It's a serious matter because [13:23] we're talking about a departure from the [13:25] truth of the gospel. The implication is [13:29] that apostasy will be general, [13:31] widespread, and will concern great [13:34] numbers of individuals. [13:36] For although Paul stated, "Some will [13:39] depart from the faith, yet by some, many [13:43] are to be understood. [13:45] Some, but not all, thank God. not the [13:49] whole church, but a considerable part of [13:51] the church. And so, if we're not [13:54] determined to possess the truth, error [13:57] will simply overtake us. The prophesied [14:00] apostasy will be discernible, not just a [14:03] few folks, because there have always [14:06] been backsliders. But the great apostasy [14:09] occurs when evil corruptions and false [14:11] doctrines are generally accepted and [14:14] generally defended. [14:17] Well, what exactly are the doctrines of [14:19] demons? [14:21] The immediate context of Paul's [14:23] statement gives an idea of the teachings [14:25] to watch out for because he wrote in 1 [14:28] Timothy 4, they will forbid people to [14:31] marry and command them to abstain from [14:34] certain foods which Paul said God [14:37] created to be received with [14:38] thanksgiving. [14:40] And for everything God has created is [14:42] good, and nothing is to be rejected if [14:45] it's received with thanksgiving because [14:48] he said it is consecrated by the word of [14:52] God and prayer. According to this [14:55] passage, we should not follow any person [14:58] or group that forbids marriage or that [15:00] places restrictions on certain foods. [15:04] So Paul rebuked persons or groups that [15:06] claim holiness comes through a select [15:09] diet or from sexual abstinence, the [15:12] forbidding of marriage. We can identify [15:15] the doctrines of demons by immersing [15:17] ourselves in this truth. And so this [15:21] requires regular reading and studying of [15:23] our Bibles, not just a five minute [15:26] devotional in the mornings. When we know [15:29] what God's word says thoroughly on any [15:32] matter, then any deviation from the [15:36] Bible's teachings will send up a red [15:38] flag. [15:40] Since demons are not visible, they [15:43] disguise and promote themselves. [15:45] Unfortunately, through false teachers, [15:48] as Paul said very forthrightly in 1 [15:51] Timothy 4:2, [15:54] they speak through the insincerity of [15:56] liars whose consciences are seared. And [16:00] of course, Jesus warned us in Matthew [16:02] 7:15, "Beware of false prophets who come [16:05] to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly [16:07] or ravenous wolves." [16:11] But the closer we cling to our good [16:13] shepherd Jesus, the safer we'll be from [16:16] the wolves. [16:18] But with the departure of so many from [16:20] the historic faith, we're seeing demonic [16:23] doctrines proliferating [16:26] rather than embracing the faith that has [16:28] been once and for all delivered to the [16:30] saints. Demonic influencers would have [16:33] people either add or subtract to what [16:36] God has revealed in his word. Yet Jude, [16:39] the half-brother of Jesus, wrote in the [16:42] New Testament in Jude 1:3 [16:45] that we should earnestly contend for the [16:47] faith which was once delivered unto the [16:50] saints. Let's look more closely for a [16:53] moment at that marvelous exhortation by [16:55] Jude that we should earnestly contend [16:57] for the faith once delivered to the [17:00] saints. And by the saints, of course, he [17:02] meant all genuine Christians, all [17:05] genuine believers. [17:07] This word to contend is wonderful and [17:10] very graphic, implying a fight, implying [17:13] a defense of the faith. And as the [17:15] commentaries point out, we must always [17:17] engage in spiritual warfare while [17:21] building the work of the Lord as [17:23] illustrated in Nehemiah chapter 4. [17:27] Because Nehemiah built the walls of [17:29] Jerusalem while also fighting [17:31] opposition. [17:34] And for what are we contending? We are [17:36] contending for the substance of the [17:38] faith and it's been once and for all [17:41] delivered to us in this book and no [17:44] change in the faith is possible. [17:47] Jude explained why he urged believers to [17:50] earnestly contend for the faith because [17:52] he said in the next verse that certain [17:55] men had crept in unnoticed, ungodly men [17:58] who had turned the grace of God into [18:01] lewdness and who denied God in the Lord [18:04] Jesus the Messiah. [18:07] Let's notice the verb that these false [18:09] men had crept in. [18:11] Such is the nature of satanic stealth [18:15] and why deception creeps in is [18:19] particularly dangerous. [18:23] You see, a dog that barks gives warning [18:26] and he can be prevented before he bites. [18:28] And a serpent that hisses or rattles [18:30] gives a warning. But a creeping enemy is [18:33] hard to detect and therefore to prevent. [18:36] We're told, for example, that Sharia, [18:38] Islamic law, is creeping into all [18:41] elements of our society, including the [18:43] churches, through so-called Krislam. [18:47] Well, one way false teaching creeps into [18:49] the church is by mixing up sound and unh [18:53] wholesome doctrine together. The Apostle [18:56] Paul therefore exhorted us to examine a [18:58] teachers or a preacher's teaching as a [19:00] whole. A teacher may teach some truth in [19:04] regard to certain important doctrines. [19:06] And yet, if he is obscure or distorts or [19:09] keeps back other truths, or if they [19:12] tamper with our justification by faith [19:15] or the atonement, the teacher is to be [19:18] denounced as a deceiver and an [19:20] antichrist. [19:22] You see, often false doctrine twists the [19:25] free mercy of God, Jude said, into a [19:28] pretext for self-indulgence and [19:31] gratification of the carnal mind and the [19:34] flesh. [19:36] Furthermore, the Apostle John wrote in 1 [19:38] John 4:2, "By this you know the spirit [19:42] of God. Every spirit that confesses that [19:45] Jesus the Messiah has come in the flesh [19:47] is from God. And every spirit that does [19:51] not confess Jesus is not from God. And [19:55] this, he said, is the spirit of the [19:56] Antichrist of which you have heard that [19:59] it is coming and now is already in the [20:03] world. [20:05] Watch also for this. Demonic spirits [20:07] will curse the Lord. Paul wrote in 1 [20:10] Corinthians 12:3, "Therefore, I want you [20:12] to understand that no one speaking by [20:14] the spirit of God ever says, let Jesus [20:17] be cursed." And no one can say Jesus is [20:20] Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Amen. [20:26] Today, demonic forces are working [20:28] overtime because they know their time is [20:31] short before the second coming of Jesus. [20:33] So, their aim is to lure and to [20:36] sidetrack as many souls as possible to [20:39] depart from the true faith that God has [20:42] revealed. In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle [20:45] Paul wrote prophetically, "Know this [20:48] also that in the last days perilous time [20:51] shall come. For men shall be lovers of [20:54] their own selves, covetous, [20:57] boasters, proud, blasphemers, [21:00] disobedient to parents, unthankful, [21:02] unholy, without natural affection, truce [21:06] breakers, false accusers, incontinent, [21:08] fierce, despisers of those who are good, [21:11] traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of [21:15] pleasure more than lovers of God, having [21:18] a form of godliness, but denying the [21:21] power thereof. of from such turn away. [21:25] Now, this description of high-minded [21:27] traitors made me think of a character in [21:29] the Hebrew Bible by the name of [21:31] Aiitohel. [21:33] Aito was a trusted counselor of King [21:36] David and a man who was greatly renowned [21:40] for his wisdom, but he became a [21:43] notorious traitor and the Judas of the [21:46] Old Testament. And I believe the Lord [21:48] wants believers in these last days to [21:50] brace ourselves for dealing with all [21:53] sorts of unscrupulous characters even [21:55] within the churches who have crept in. [21:58] Individuals who tragically will be part [22:01] of the great falling away. The [22:03] traitorous way one of our coordinators [22:06] for our overseas gospel events behaved [22:10] was indeed one of the big shocks of our [22:12] lives. We watched in horror as he became [22:16] more and more unscrupulous and vicious. [22:20] In the Bible, Aito was a sad example of [22:24] the kinds of people we will have to [22:26] endure in a fallen world as we try our [22:29] best to do the will of God in the midst [22:31] of spiritual warfare. [22:35] Everyone recognizes that ingratitude in [22:37] disloyalty or grievous detects in [22:41] character. The account of Akitol's [22:44] apostasy in the Bible teaches us that [22:47] men with great gifts sometimes become [22:49] perverted and ungodly. [22:52] During the revolt of David's ambitious [22:54] son Abselon, Ahitoel deserted David and [22:58] ruthlessly supported the rebellious son, [23:01] ganging up against the king in a [23:03] shocking attempt to dethrone and to [23:06] murder him. The appalling account of [23:09] Aito being amongst the conspirators with [23:13] Abselon is found in 2 Samuel chapter 15. [23:18] On hearing of the shocking defection of [23:21] his counselor, David prayed to God to [23:24] frustrate the usually excellent council [23:27] of Akitol. [23:29] And that's exactly what happened. It's [23:32] tragic when God's servants are betrayed [23:34] by brilliant people who waste [23:37] themselves. [23:38] According to the Bible's own record, [23:40] before his defection, Aito's wisdom had [23:44] bordered on that of the angels. At one [23:47] time he was the wisest statesman in [23:49] Israel but he became the Judas of the [23:52] Old Testament. [23:54] The council of Ahitoel which he [23:57] counseledled in those days was as if a [24:00] man had inquired at the oracle of God. [24:04] Meaning that Atoll was so gifted that he [24:07] was consulted on a level similar to [24:11] consulting the breastplate of the high [24:13] priest where the will of God was [24:15] discerned. [24:17] But in the hour of peril, Ahito became [24:20] an enemy and withdrew his counsel and [24:23] friendship from King David. And he was [24:26] therefore, according to the rabbis, [24:28] doomed to die this honorably. [24:31] In rabbitic literature, the two gifted [24:34] sages of the world were Balum, a gentile [24:38] prophet, and Israel's sage, Ahitoel. But [24:43] they both failed to show gratitude and [24:45] loyalty to God for their wisdom and [24:47] spiritual gifts. And thus they both [24:50] perished in great dishonor to both Balum [24:53] and Ahito. [24:55] Jeremiah 9:23 can be applied. Let not [24:59] the wise man glory in his wisdom. [25:03] The Talmud speaks of Aito toel as a man [25:06] like Balum whose great wisdom was not [25:09] received in humility as a gift from [25:11] heaven. And so his gift became a [25:14] stumbling block to him. He was one of [25:17] those who lost the things they possessed [25:21] while casting longing eyes upon things [25:24] not belonging to them. I think that [25:28] statement requires a sa moment. So I [25:31] want to repeat it. Alito lost the things [25:33] he possessed because he cast covetous [25:36] eyes upon things not belonging to him. [25:40] And while his learning in the Torah was [25:42] extensive, his disposition tragically [25:45] was a jealous one and he was embittered. [25:49] In the end, his devotion to the study of [25:51] the Torah was not founded on worthy [25:54] motives. And according to rabbitic [25:56] literature, Aitol is counted amongst [25:59] those that have no share in the world to [26:02] come. [26:04] Likewise, New Testament scholars often [26:06] see Judas Escariat as an antitype to [26:09] Aito. [26:11] And Aito's suicide is the first [26:14] deliberate suicide on record according [26:17] to the Cambridge Bible for schools and [26:20] colleges. [26:22] King David wrote of Ahitol's betrayal [26:25] which was prophetic of Judas's betrayal [26:28] of Jesus in Psalm 41 saying ya mine own [26:33] familiar friend in whom I trusted which [26:36] did eat of my bread have lifted up his [26:39] heel against me. Well, on a positive [26:42] note, as we see in so many Bible [26:45] prophecies, that Israel is reborn and so [26:49] many prophecies are coming to pass. So, [26:52] we can joyfully confess to the Lord that [26:55] you are watching over your word to [26:58] perform it every day. We're encouraged [27:01] to know that according to Isaiah 55:11, [27:05] the Lord's word does not return empty to [27:07] him, but God says, "It shall accomplish [27:10] the purpose for which I am pleased to [27:13] send it, and it shall prosper in the [27:16] thing whereto I send it." So we bless [27:19] the Lord that he is a God who answers [27:22] prayer. And with all the prophetic [27:24] fulfillments in today's world, we [27:26] rejoice that when God begins a good work [27:30] in Israel and in us, he will complete it [27:34] both with Israel and with us in the [27:36] church, the bride of Messiah. [27:39] So with all of my heart, I encourage you [27:41] in these days of apostasy to ask God to [27:44] reveal to you the truth about Jesus. And [27:47] he will seek the Lord while he may still [27:50] be found. Because in John 14:6, Jesus [27:54] said, "I am the way, the truth, and the [27:57] life. No man comes into the Father [28:01] except by me." Jesus said, "Amen." [28:06] Well, we have an extensive free video [28:08] library for you to watch at our website [28:10] anytime exploits.tv. [28:13] Please connect with me on social media. [28:16] And don't forget to download our free [28:18] Jerusalem Channel mobile app to watch [28:20] our videos on your phones or tablets. [28:23] Until next time, I'll always be [28:25] contending for the faith and praying [28:27] earnestly for the peace of Jerusalem. [28:30] The grace of the Lord be with you. I'm [28:32] Christine Dar. Shalom. [28:36] It's great to be able to keep in touch [28:38] in this digital world. And when you [28:40] download our free Jerusalem Channel app [28:42] to your mobile phone or tablet, you'll [28:44] be the first to see all our new video [28:46] teachings. You can also explore our [28:49] bookshop and read the Bible. And you can [28:52] help to support the channel through our [28:53] donation page. So look for Jerusalem [28:56] channel in the Apple or Google store and [28:59] start to share in the good news of the [29:01] gospel. [29:05] Heat. Heat.
