A Message and Prayer for Peace for the Middle East

The BBC reports that the US Navy has begun "war games" in the Iran
region by sending two aircraft carriers, containing 100 war planes and
over 10,000 soldiers, into the Gulf. Fly over air maneuvers have also
begun. This is the largest "exercise" in the Gulf since our 2003
invasion of Iraq. A French group of ships are also in the Arabian Sea,
one of which has already been launching flying missions into
Afghanistan. Is Shock & Awe about to happen all over again-this time
in Iran?

In Globalresearch.ca, Michel Chossudovsky reports on what he says the
US military has code-named TIRANNT, which means "Theater Iran Near
Term," and identifies targets inside Iran which will all be hit by
bombs simultaneously. Chossudovsky says the Arab media reports that
this will happen in the next 30 days.


Our planet is threatened with the horrors of war and it's aftermath.
The possibility of war in the Middle East is very high right now
if you read the news about the present US standoff with Iran.

Is peace possible in a fallen world on the brink of war?

With man perhaps it is impossible. God's Peace is available for
individuals and like salt and light can spread with God's help in
our
society and beyond. When the Prince of Peace returns the prophets
say
there will be permanent peace...however before that Day comes can we
be Peacemakers in a world being torn apart by hatred? Yes, we can
....God who created the human race and has acted into human history
has
not left us in the dark as to the nature of Peace.

The following quotes, comments, and scriptures will hopefully
shed some understanding and light on that that humanly difficult
thing

to achieve...which is Peace.

War is easily spread by the flames of hate, racism, demonization and
desire for revenge. When people or nations are not just in their
treatment of others ..the seeds of conflict are planted.

Racism as defined by the dictionary is "an irrational belief or
advocacy of the superiority of a given group, people or nation."
Racism is not just a matter of differences in the colour of one's
skin
and
culture..it goes much deeper into issues...such as cultural pride ,
nationalism, non-scientific or untruthful definintions of race,
prejudice, etc.

Racism is widespread in our world and has led to lynchings, mob
violence, genocide and war and has resulted in the death of untold
millions on this planet. Racism and hate if unchecked have the
potential to destroy all life on this planet. Is this what people
want

...If we come to our senses I think not!

What are the roots of racism and hate... The following quotes by
various prophets and sages will shed some light on the roots of
racism

and hate and offer some alternative solutions:

A person who is treated poorly by a person of another race or culture
can
respond with hate or heed the words "You have heard that it has been
said, You should love your neighbour, and hate your enemy, But I say
unto you, Love your enemies....bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and
persecute you.."

The latter is difficult but can defuse a potentially reactionary
situation.

The person who said these words also said:

"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; this is
the meaning of the Law and the Prophets." *

A person who loves will honestly recognize one's own faults and will
hold his breath rather than condem others.

"He who has no sin cast the first stone" -this was said by Jesus of
Nazereth to an angry judgemental crowd who was ready to cast stones
at a women caught in the act of adultery.

No racial group or individual can claim it, or he or she is without
sin...unfortunately we are often too quick in condeming others
while
failing to see one's own
shortcomings.

Jesus had the following wise words to say about blindly condeming
others:

"Condem not, that you be not condemed.
For with what judgment you condem, you shall be condem: and with
what
measure you out, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you
notice the speck that is in your brother's eye, but not see the beam
that is in your own eye? Or why do you say to thy brother, Let me
pull

out the speck out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own
eye?

You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then
you will see clearly to cast out the speck out of thy brother's
eye.".*

Love is willing to forgive and with time and God's help forget.

It is difficult to love our enemies without God's help. He is the
Vine
..we can bear the fruit of love, forgiveness and peace if we abide
in
in God .... "a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself"*

"But if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such
there
is no law." Paul to the Galatians.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" -John the
Baptist

How do we receive the Spirit of PEACE and LOVE?

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh

it
shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer
him
a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy
Spirit to them that ask him?*

- * quotes from Jesus of Nazereth

Faith is gift of God and comes from hearing His Word and His Gospel
of
Peace. This gospel will shed light on who is Jesus of Nazereth.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word

was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made
by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth
in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was
not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was
the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world
knew
him
not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many
as

received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to
them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory, the
glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

- excerpt from the Gospel of John

We cannot justify ourselves before a Holy God if we have broken His
Laws. Our conscience and God's written Law condems us when we break
the moral Law. Depending on personal righteousness when we have
broken
God's Moral Laws leads only to self-righteousness, pride and often
hypocrisy. Self-righteousness feeds pride and hate and is used as a
justification for war and revolutions. ...human history has too many
examples of this.

Lust for power as well as a greed also feed the roots of war and
destruction.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence,
even of your lusts that war in your members? You lust, and have not:
you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war,
yet you have not, because you ask not. You ask, and receive not,
because
you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts." - letter of
James

"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into
the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that
I

am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that
I
possess. And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me
a

sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
rather
than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he
that humbleth himself shall be exalted."* -the Gospel of Luke

Understanding we are only acceptible to God on the basis of mercy and
grace destroys any pride and self-righteousness. In the eyes of God
we

are all poor in sufficent righteousness and if we are honest need to
afirm the words of the publican, God be merciful to me a sinner.

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves:
it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

-from Paul's letter to the Ephesians...please also read Paul's
letter
to the Galatians and Romans to help clarifiy the issues such as the
purpose of the Moral Law, Justification by faith and Peace.

How can we be justified and make peace with God? When we make peace
with God then He helps us make peace with men.

God has provided a way of Peace
by means of atonement..the Passover and Day of Atonement foreshadows
God's atonement when a lamb is slain in substitution.

Isaiah in 700 BC predicted this means of atonement and it can be read
on the copper scroll of Isaiah in the "Tomb of the Scroll" in
Jerusalem, which is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls...
or in the Old Testament.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and
as

a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when
we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised
and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and
we
hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed
him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:
yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the

chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every
one to his
own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He
was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he
is

brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers

is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and
from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people
was
he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the
rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any
deceit
in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his
seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by

his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall
bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53)

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."..
.these are the words of the prophet John speaking of the person who
was called Yeshua or Jesus.

The Lamb of God has power to take away our sins and give us power to
live in peace because of who He is.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever." (Isaiah 9)

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that
is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old,
from
everlasting. " (Micah 5:2)

" I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
(Revelations 1:8)

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers

of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of
his
dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of
sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist."

-Paul to the Colossians

The story of Noah's Ark is a symbol of our oneness in the family of
Man...we are all the children of Adam ..we are all God's children as
He is our Creator. The dove of Noah carrying the olive leaf is a
symbol

of
Peace if we follow His ways. The Rainbow is a symbol of God's Promise
when we have faith and obey

.. ALL men are created in the image of God.
"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him;
male and female created he them." -Genesis

We are ALL His offspring by creation.

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is
Lord

of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither
is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing,
seeing
he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of
one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the
earth,

and
hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might
feel
after him,
and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him
we
live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own
poets
have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as WE are
the

offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth
all
men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he
hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he

hath
raised him from the dead."

- Paul's speech to the Athenians (Acts 17)

Evolutionary theories on the other hand tends to support unscientific
theories of racial superority...Hitler borrowed ideas from Darwin to
justify German racisim claims and genoicide.
War and conflict are due to mankind failing to obey God's command to
love ones neighbour and one's enemies.

The following commandment of God if obeyed with God's help will bring
peace to Jew, Gentile and Arab alike who accept and act on it...

You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you;
That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he

maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you,
what reward have you? do not even the publicans the same? And if
you
salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even
the publicans so?
Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.* -Jesus of Nazareth

.."..So let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one
that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10
Herein

is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son

to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any
time.

If
we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in
us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because
he
hath
given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to
be
the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth
in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God
is

love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the
day
of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is
no

fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath
torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love
him,
because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he
hath

seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this
commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his
brother
also." (1 John 4)

Please spread this gospel of peace and love before it is too late!
Christ said his gospel would not bring peace to individuls who
reject
it or choose not to walk in the Spirit of Peace...however He
promises
a Peace that the world cannot receive or understand to those who seek
it.

Pray for a peaceful end to escalating turmoil in Iraq and threat of
war over Iran.

Pray for your own Peace with God and others

The following is a peace prayer you can pray:

Dear God forgive our leaders and forgive us for not obeying your
command to love our neighbors and those who sin against us. Thank-
you
for sending your Son to die for our transgressions and be our Source
of

peace. May your Holy Spirit give me the love and peace I need to be
your disciple. May your will be done in my life. Come fill my soul
with
your
goodness and grace. I receive Christ Jesus into my life to be my
sacrificial Lamb and Saviour. Thank-you for your peace, forgiveness
and promise to be with me always.

Final references:

Matt.5
[9] Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.

Matt.28
[18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth.
[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
[20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen.

.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: A Message and Prayer for Peace for the Middle East
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    (soc.culture.iraq)
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