B'ANN WROTE:

Again, during this season of celebrating the Birth of Jesus, I have to address the act of suicide. There is a popular religious belief that is sweeping our nation/nations that advocates taking ones own life for their religion. Suicide is addressed in the Bible and it occurred only when there was no HOPE. We know these individuals are without hope because the Bible says that Christ is the HOPE of the world.

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

For those that feel that they need to commit suicide to please a higher deity, let me offer My Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ to them. This is offered in the simplicity of John 3:16 by a Messiah that was born in the humbleness of a manger.

There are two suicides in the Bible--one involving Saul, who was mortally wounded in battle. He felt that he had no HOPE in his physical body The account is as follows:

I Chronicles 10:2
And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
1Chronicles 10:3-5
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.
Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.

Note in verse 3 that Saul's sons were slewn in battle before him; and that, (1) He was in the service of the Lord when he was wounded, (2) he did not plan out his suicide before it occurred, and (3) he did not accept money for his suicide. After his death he was lamented and honored by all that knew him. Also, everything in the Scriptures points to the fact that Saul entered into the Lord's rest just as Jonathon did.

II Samuel 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
II Samuel 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
II Samuel 1:23 Saul and Jonathan [were] lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

The other recorded suicide was Judas Iscariot who was driven to the act because of his betrayal of the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. Note that (1) He acted out of extreme guilt, and (2) he did not plan out his suicide before hand. Nothing in the Scriptures even suggest that he entered into the Lord's rest as did Jonathon and Saul.

Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Matthew 26:15 And said [unto them], What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
Matthew 27:2 And when they had bound him, they led [him] away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
Matthew 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Matthew 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What [is that] to us? see thou [to that].
Matthew 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Matthew 27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
Matthew 27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

My summation is this!!! Saul was mortally wounded in his physical body and fell upon his sword. Judas was driven by the guilt accompanying a completely selfish act. But the suicides/homicide acts being done today in the name of religion are done by people that are mortally wounded in their spirits. They practice a religion that has brainwashed them from infancy! a religion that they did not choose! Because they've had no choice in the matter, these individuals feel completely HOPELESS. It is for this reason that they are committing this great error of judgment. They may contend they have a great relationship with God, but their actions reflect that they do not. God would not have them to take money for a suicide which would purposely involve the killing of other people--money which would be given to their families. In essence, they are worse than Judas because he did not plan to commit suicide to get the thirty pieces of silver. These new zealots plan their suicide so that they can get the money for their families for the terrorist acts they commit--and so that they can earn a special place in heaven with rewards that will supposedly satisfy their fleshly desires! Most importantly, they do not embrace the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and since he is the only door to heaven, they have no hope for this life or for the one to come.

John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

I Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.

This brings me to the main reason for this writing. Christians everywhere have the responsibility to share the true HOPE of the world.

Romans 10:8-15
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

...

Romans 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If you know anyone that follows a strange god that asks them to commit suicide, please share this Scripture, along with the others in this writing. It is our fervent prayer that they willaccept this promise:

Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Islam is a lie, and a liar

I use this title, not to offend those born into the Muslim faith, but to get them to analyze what they have been conditioned into believing and practicing!!!

In B'Ann's WRAP, she dealt with the Muslim's insidious practice of murder and mayhem (i.e., the destruction of people's lives due to serious wounds from bomb explosions) and the resulting hopelessness that comes from being mentally conditioned as a child to embrace a religion that teaches "murder by suicide" is acceptable to God and the highest form of worship--a hopelessness that drives them to the act!

In addition, I would also like to address another ungodly aspect of the Muslim religion: i.e., their practice of falsehoods. For example, Moses is honored as a noble prophet in their teachings, yet they do not teach the law that God gave to Moses! If you will look at the following verses taken from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible, YOU WILL SEE WHY!

Exodus 20:1-20
And God spake all these words, saying,
I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:
For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw [it], they removed, and stood afar off.
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

The Muslim teachings also concede that Jesus was a great prophet, but, again, we see care taken not to teach what Jesus taught! How many Muslims reading this (and I hope there are many) are aware of the following words of Jesus? And how do you resolve the following with what you have been taught all your life?

Luke 6:27-38
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
And unto him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not [to take thy] coat also.
Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask [them] not again.
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

(For an eye-opener, click on the following Bible On The Web, and type love in the "Search the Bible" box.)

Please understand that although I abhor the Muslim's grievous, ungodly acts, I do not totally condemn the individuals themselves for they did not choose to be born in a violent culture that is steeped in spiritual darkness and enemies of God and man. It is my fervent prayer that each and every Muslim have an encounter with God. Hopefully, it will be because of the witnessing of a Christian. If not, perhaps God would see fit to give them an experience similar to the one by the Ethiopian Eunuch...

Acts 8:
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

or the one experienced by the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus...

Acts 9:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

We have a world in dire need of HOPE which is found only in Christ Jesus--THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We feel that the Holy Scriptures can set all peoples free if they are just allowed to hear and read the Bible. May the God of Mercy intervene on the behalf of people everywhere.

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