Ralph Higgins

Ralph Higgins
color pencil sketch by Gayle Higgins

Quotes I Like


“Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

A Great Counterfeit



 A past post took a brief look at Islam, which identifies itself as a religion of peace.    Their motto should be, “Join the Religion of Peace, or I’ll Kill You.’  It may be ironic, but it’s also true.  Islamic Jihad has been on a killing spree all the way back to Muhammad himself. 

            I know I’m preaching to the choir on the subject of Islamic terrorism, so I tried to think of a topic that is rarely mentioned, but a topic that may have a bearing on our understanding of Islam’s ultimate objectives.  I may have found it in Muslim eschatology.

            Eschatology is just a fancy word that refers to end time theology, i.e. the final events in human history.  We have been inundated with movies and books concerning Armageddon, the mark of the beast, the number 666, the tribulation and other aspects of biblical predictions concerning the “end times.”  It’s obviously a fascinating subject.

            The Muslim religion has its own eschatology and what is amazing about their concept is that it mirrors the Christian eschatology point by point.  But the Muslim picture of the end times is the exact opposite of the biblical prophesies.

            If the Koran is the word of Allah, it is the opposite of the Bible, which is the word of the Judeo-Christian God.  Jesus is not Deity in the Koran, but simply a prophet and not a very pleasant one at that.  This information is from the Koran and also the Sunna, which represents traditional teachings of the prophet Muhammad.  Like the Catholic Church, where the bible and tradition combine, the Koran and Sunna combine to form Muslim theology.

            Many people assume that Allah is the same God that Christians and Jews worship.  Since Jesus plays a prominent role in the Muslim religion, some even think that the Muslim “Jesus” and the Christian Jesus are one and the same. Neither is true.  This is the key point.

            According to the Koran, “Jesus” was only a man.  He wasn’t divine.  He did not die, but was taken alive up to Heaven where he stands next to Allah waiting to be sent back to earth.  Since he did not die and was not raised from the dead this “Jesus” cannot atone for sin.  In fact, his purpose in being sent back to earth by Allah is to kill the Christians who have misunderstood who he is. 

            The Muslim “Jesus” is a prophet – not God - and plays an important role in their eschatology. The Muslim “Jesus” comes back, marries, has children, dies, and is buried next to Muhammad.  It’s not a role that fits the Christian Jesus in any way.  Again, the Muslim “Jesus” is the opposite of the Christian Jesus.  The true Jesus told us to love even our enemies.  The Muslim “Jesus” kills his enemies, mainly Christians and all unbelievers, according to the Koran.

            You may remember that weird little psychopath who was president of Iran from 2005 to 2013 called   Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad tried to start a war to speed up the return of the 12th Imam.  The 12th Imam is the Mahdi who is the Muslim “savior” and promises to return and bring a universal Islamic caliphate (a form of Islamic government under Sharia law).  This is the end game for Islam. 

            According to the Koran, the Mahdi (false Jesus) is a messianic figure and a descendent of Mohamed who will conquer Israel, killing all the Jews, and establish his rule in Jerusalem on the Temple Mound. He will ride on a white horse and his rule will last seven years.  His army will carry a black flag (note Iran’s black flag) with one word – “Punishment.”

            The return of the 12th Imam - the Mahdi - is one of three men who represent the three great signs for the end of history, according to the Koran.  Remember from my last post that a caliphate is the elimination of all infidels, i.e. Christians, Jews, non-converted Muslims, Hindus, etc. All of these unbelievers will be slaughtered by the Mahdi or Muslim “Jesus.” 

The Christian redeemer is Muslim’s “anti-Christ.”  The Muslim “redeemer” is Christian’s anti-Christ.

            I haven’t even scratched the surface of the Muslim “end time” belief and only briefly focused on the Mahdi.  There is much more.  I wish I had the space to really get into this subject.  I’m  a novice on this topic, but I think that learning what Muslim theology teaches about “the last days” can broaden our perspective of world events, particularly Islamic radicalism, and provide a context for where things are headed and, possibly, why.   

            As I said, if you are aware of what the Bible says about the last days, Christ’s return, the final battle, the anti-Christ, the false prophet and the entire plan, you will find that Islam’s interpretation follows it point by point.  The difference is that the Koran version is the exact opposite of the biblical version.  It is a counterfeit designed to deceive . . . and it seems to work.

Monday, February 2, 2015

How Can It Happen?



Today I was ruminating on how people react to things like Islamic brutality. 

            Countries like France, Spain, and others will be under Muslim control in a short period of time and I wondered why the government and the people of these countries would stand by and watch the unique character of their countries disappear under black sheets with eye holes.

            I remember biology class way back in high school where there was a snake in a large glass container.  The teacher would put small mice in with the snake.  The action in that container stuck with me and always bothered me.  I applied what I saw to human behavior.

            The mice would scurry and scamper around the cage, oblivious to the snake.  It was mouse Mardi Gras. At some point the snake would stir and the mice would respond by halting activities and going through grooming procedures, which indicate stress. Suddenly the snake would eat a mouse and as the mouse “lump” made its way through the snake, the remaining mice resumed their former behavior; totally unconcerned.  Let bygones be bygones.  It’s party time.

            A herd of antelope calmly graze in an open plain as a lion creeps stealthily toward them.  Suddenly the herd bolts as the big cat begins the chase.  A slower animal is taken down and dragged away by the lion. The herd settles down and goes back to grazing.  In anthropomorphic terms, they may have thought, “At least it didn’t happen to me.  It’s not my problem.”

            There is a famous statement attributed to Martin Niemoller (1892–1984) following the Nazis’ rise to power and the subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group. We’ve all heard this before, but it’s good to hear it again:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

            When referring to “working-class” voters, our glorious leader said that they cling to guns and religion.  In addition, they are anti-immigration with antipathy to people who aren't like them. According to this administration, these Americans are the real enemy.

            I would suggest that if there is any single group that will stand up against the demands of Islam, communism, or any other anti-American force, it will be the un-gelded who cling to their guns and their religion.  

            Interestingly, the countries in Europe being swallowed up by Islam don’t have guns to cling to – the people have been disarmed.  Religion went out the window long ago leaving empty cathedrals and a void with no religious faith to resist the intrusion of Islam. Their lax immigration laws; their tolerance and politically correct policies have cost them their ethnic identity. Italians, French, Belgium, and Danes all look alike under the sheets and robes Muslims find fashionable.

            I was just thinking…Picking a Muslim wife must be a “grab bag” where luck is a man’s only ally.  Imagine getting married to someone you think looks good peeking out of a sheet, taking that someone home, unwrapping her, and discovering that your new “wife” is a sexually confused goat salesman from Azerbaijan.