A Nation Prays
What a difference a year makes! Last Christmas we were embroiled in corruption, spin, and stealing elections. Those days seem more like a distant memory now, as our country is united, patriotic, and praying. As in the time of Pearl Harbor, the recent invasion brought this country together and back to its knees. It has been said that the best way to unite people is to give them a common enemy.

Even the military, which had a dismal morale and recruiting problem, has come to life in response to this new threat of terror. Now young and old are volunteering to serve. Just three days after that fateful destruction at the World Trade Center, our Commander in Chief called for and presided over a National Day of Prayer.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001....(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010913-7.html)

Held at the Washington National Cathedral, the event assembled former Presidents, members of Congress, officials from state and local government, and people of many faiths. Leading in the prayers at this memorable event were clergy members from Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths.

Less than two weeks later, an outpouring of citizens gathered at Yankee Stadium with an even greater diversity of religious leaders represented. More than 20,000 joined together as Oprah Winfrey hosted “A Prayer for America” and set the tone with her opening speech. She then introduced a long list of ministers from Protestant, Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, and Sikh religions to offer their prayers.

That event brings to mind Elijah's famous challenge:

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.... Call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God...and [they] called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice.... And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice.... And...Elijah the prophet came near, and said, ...Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God.... Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. (I Kings 18:22-38)

One Faith
The September vigils offered many high-sounding prayers all right, but as with the prophets of Baal, they were not to God. If they weren’t praying to God, you ask, then to whom were they praying? I’m glad you asked.

...I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: ...and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Revelation 17:1b-5)

The “great whore” will be the one great world religion (Revelation 17:15), based in Rome (v. 9), which will support and eventually be destroyed by (Revelation v. 16) the first Beast of Revelation 13 (the Satanic world leader). We’re getting a preview of the harlot, also called the apostate church, in this movement to embrace all faiths as one.

But who are we to say that God will not honor these other religions? They're sincere aren't they? Yes, sincerely wrong. The God of the Bible is very clear about whom we are to worship.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits...Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:13-16a, 22-23)

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:18-21)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

A good way to determine the nature of a religion is simply to ask the question, “What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42). The national prayer services freely named Mohammad but shunned the title Christ. It was particularly distressing to hear the speaker's butchering of that magnificent passage at the end of Romans 8 in an attempt to make it politically correct.

What’s wrong with religious people getting together? Aren’t religious disputes one of the primary problems with this world anyway? If those Jew/Arab, Moslem/Christian, Protestant/Catholic conflicts would just stop, we could achieve true nirvana. Some day there will be one faith, but it won’t have anything to do with Oprah (Revelation 20:6; 21:3; Romans 14:11-12).

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Regrettably, what we’re witnessing is lost people turning to the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), the prince of this world (John 12:31), prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13) who transforms himself into an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14), who is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Indeed, when Satan tempted Christ he offered Him all of the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-6), because they were and remain his to offer.

We hear much about tolerance these days. It's politically correct. Well, I've got news for you. It's theologically incorrect. God does not tolerate evil—He judges it. God cast Adam out of Eden (Genesis 3:23-24), wiped out nearly all life in the flood (Genesis 6:5-7), rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom (Genesis 18:20; 19:24-25), and sent His Son to die in our place as a sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:14-15: 10:10, 12). Neither can he tolerate the empty worship of false religion. He set the terms in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-5). Jesus left no doubt about how He regarded the religious leaders of His day:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity...Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:27-28, 33)

Tomorrow
Without question, Christianity is unique with its: miracles, fulfilled prophesy, claims of Christ to be God, virgin birth, and resurrections from the dead. Unlike other religions that demand adherents earn favor with god, the Gospel offers it as a gift (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:5). And of course the Christian faith is all about a love relationship between man and his Heavenly Father (John 3:16, II Corinthians 5:15-16).

A man who leads this country and claims to be a Christian yet calls Islam “a great faith” must be putting politics ahead of religion. Indeed, abortion and many of the other abominations of this land continue unhindered now after he has spent nearly a year in office. With this kind of affront against God, should we be surprised if the attack on the World Trade Center is just the beginning? Our enemy is not merely physical, and our protection comes not from weapons and political power but from the restraining hand of God.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (II Samuel 22:1-4)

There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22)

But surely we’re a godly nation; IN GOD WE TRUST is even printed on our money. Yes, some remnants of a godly past have not yet been erased. The Bible says that we cannot serve both God and riches (Luke 16:13). Sadly, it’s the wealth of this world, the Almighty Dollar, that is America’s God. How fitting it is that the first judgement in this phase was against our financial nerve center (I Corinthians 1:21-29).

Certainly these are sobering times, and now, there’s an urgency about it. As Christians, we have a job to do as we watch this judgement unfold.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)

In our trust is the Gospel. Our challenge is to lead this lost nation back to the truth, which starts with the good news of the Savior sent from God.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

News from Home
I have the same job. It moved to a division with better job stability, but without the many perks. Laura recently moved to the coast, but that did give me the chance to get most of the furniture back. This year the house went from sparsely furnished to re-furnished.

The other big news is my new website http://www.ronharrod.com and (hopefully) my last email address change (ron@ronharrod.com). I plan to post this, previous (eventually) and future Christmas letters out there for the whole world to “enjoy.” So if you’re ever suffering from Christmas letter withdrawal, just go to my website and get your fix. There you’ll also find a log for Christian radio teaching, a Christian page, investment help, and other useful information. At last, after about six months, even some popular search engines have picked up the site.