Getting to the Root Cause of the Problem by Knowing Which Came First.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Genesis 1:3

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

NKJV

The first thing mentioned in the Genesis account of creation is the creation of light.  Interestingly, however, the creation of the sun and moon is not until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-16).  Sceptics of the creation account in Genesis see this as an impossibility and thus have ammunition against the belief that God created the heavens and earth.  However, as a Christian I believe in the inerrant truth of God’s Word which presents an interesting question, since light came before the sun and moon, what was the source of light for the first three days of the earth’s existence? 

Jesus proclaimed Himself as the light of the world in John 8:12.  Since Jesus is God, this proclamation means that the Godhead is its own source of light and was the supply of light for earth for its first three days of existence.  In fact, when the Kingdom of God comes to earth, God’s glorious light will once again dwarf that of the sun (Revelation 22:4). 

It is appalling to me that our President did not feel it was important to go, or at least send representation, to Paris for the unity demonstration.  Granted, he did later send Secretary of State John Kerry, along with James Taylor to sing You’ve Got a Friend, hoping I guess a song would mend relations.  Of course, this is the same administration that refuses to realize the fact that attacks, such as those that occurred in Paris, are the result of the teachings of radical Islam that encourage hate and murder of innocent people just because they do not choose to adhere to the teachings of the Koran and Sharaih law.  Instead, this administration and liberals want us to believe that terrorism came first and that they are using Islam to justify their actions. 

The failure of this Administration to recognize that radical Islam is the breeding ground for the hatred behind terrorists and groups like ISIS means that we are only treating the symptoms of the problem instead of getting to the root cause of the problem, radical Islam, a theology of hatred people are indoctrinated into from their birth.  However, in countries like the United States where everyone has freedom of religion, there are legal obstacles to just shutting down the practice of Islam.  However, this does not mean the situation is hopeless. 

Just as Satan in the form of the serpent was able to deceive Adam and Eve by convincing them that God was depriving them of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan through radical Islam targets individuals who believe they have received a raw deal in life.  Void of any belief in a loving moral God, these individuals are easily deceived into believing people that do not believe as they do are infidels and that Allah condones killing them.  In fact, dying in the process of killing infidels means Allah will reward them. 

The key to defeating radical Islam is in realizing that what came first was the deception of Satan and that Satan, the deceiver, is using radical Islam, just as he used the serpent, as a vehicle to carry out his deception.  When we realize the deception of Satan is the root of the problem, we also realize that the only solution to the problem is the one spoken of in Genesis 3:15 that bruised the serpent’s head, Jesus Christ. 

Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world.  This includes a light in the hearts of men and women that dispels the darkness of deception, even the deception of Islam.  This does not however mean we abandon all efforts to disarm terrorist and openly accept them into our countries.  No, this is a call for Christians to begin praying for those deceived by Satan through the teachings of Islam.  In addition, if God presents us with an opportunity, we should share the peaceful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, knowing that God has our back and is protecting us.

Imagine what could happen if Christians prayed for people deceived by Islam and peacefully shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with the same passion radical Islamists violently force others to convert or die.  This is what occurred in the early church and even though many died for their faith, they were rewarded with eternal life and the message of the Gospel continued to grow.  Our hope is that the Prince of Peace is coming back and when He does, the deception will end.