“… all who live by the sword will die by the sword” Matthew 26:52
Within the space of three weeks, the images of two men James Wright Foley and Steven Joel Sotloff captured the news and the attention of the world with their pitiful images staring out from behind the lenses of the camera as their executioner stands coldly by. For him, (the executioner) it was simply a job to be carried out …. a necessity …. nothing personal, you understand. All of which made it that much easier to draw the knife. Nothing personal, you see. Completely unmoved by the innocence of the condemned, there was nothing that would sway him from what he was about to do.
The Bible makes it clear that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. And, the thought of Isis in our streets strikes a kind of terror in the hearts of Americans unlike anything we have ever known before. How is it (we ask ourselves) that they can kill with such calculated coldness? Severing the head from the body of their victims with no more emotion than preparing a chicken for Sunday dinner. Dismissing from our thoughts, the burning and dismembering of the most innocent of the innocent in our own society, the 1.21 million abortions that take place in this country each year behind closed doors. Oh, yes …. we are much too civilized to parade our sins in front of the world. Those barbarians Isis may do it, but be assured, there will be no videos of our victims looking pathetic in front of the camera.
Make no mistake, those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.
There is a day of reckoning coming and it may be sooner than we think. I was pondering over the deaths of Mr. Foley and Mr. Sotloff the other day and I found something interesting associated with their names. Something that leads me to believe that they were warnings to America not just from Isis but from God, for the sword of justice is often wielded at the hands of an enemy.
The first to be executed was Mr. James Wright Foley on August 19. Two weeks later Mr. Steven Joel Sotloff met the same fate. Let’s look at their names.
James – supplanter, undermines, grasps the heel” Wright – Maker of machinery, mostly wood, craftsman. Foley– Pirate, marauder, plunderer.
Steven – crown, wealth, reward; a winner of a crown (also, the name of the first Christian martyr in the New Testament. Joel – He that wills or commands; Yahweh is God. Sotloff – unknown – of Jewish origin.
Yes, I believe there is a message in these two names. While Isis intended to use their deaths as a message to America, God has used their names as a message to us as well. From this I surmise that Isis will be the tool God uses in response to the blood of 56 million aborted babies that have cried out to him since 1973. It is imperative that we understand why, what is coming, is coming. Therefore, we must not despise the Lord’s judgment for his judgments are just and true but rather accept them as our just punishment.
We can amass as many armies as we want against them but a long as God has determined to use them as his instrument of justice there is nothing we can do to stop them. In fact, even if we all repented now, it would not be enough to stay God’s hand – for all the remorse in the world will not bring those babies back. Think of it this way – if a man is on death row for a murder ….. he may be sorry and have repented for his crime but this will do nothing to deter the wheels of justice from turning., he will receive his due punishment which is what the law requires.
What we can do is stand firm and repent knowing that when we do there awaits for us a victor’s crown, a martyr’s crown for this is what Yahweh wills and what he requires from us at this time..
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper who love thee” Psalm 122:6
Watching and waiting with YOU for the soon return of Jesus! Cindy