October 16, 2014 (Thursday)
Maybe you are like me, and wonder why the news from the Middle East sometimes speaks of “ISIS” and at other times, “ISIL.” Well, it never was a secret, but hardly anyone took the time to ‘splain it to guys like me, so I looked it up.
The first three letters are the same in each anagram: “ISI,” and stand for “Islamic State Iraq.” The final letter, “S” means “Syria,” and the alternate final letter, “L,” means “Levant.” So, here’s the deal: ISIS means “The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” and ISIL means “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.”
They have a guy that has declared himself the leader of either or both, and the idea is that there is a new Islamic State now that includes the Levant. So, what is the “Levant?” It is a word that describes territory at the Eastern End of the Mediterranean: Southern Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. This new Islamic state intends to do away with all those national names and turn the entire area into one big and powerful state, ruled by a branch of Islam that has zero tolerance for any beliefs other than their own. Their basic message to everyone in their path: convert to our brand of Islam or die.
I wrote a little about this in the August 14 blog. The conditions that now prevail throughout the Middle East trouble me. Our nation is weary of war and no one wants another one, but the question before our nation is, “What can be done about this growing threat?”
One thing that all of us can do is pray. When we pray, we know we are talking with someone who cares about the world. We know He loves us. We know that His providential care is evident in the history of our own nation. That blessed assurance keeps us strong in faith in the midst of a troubled world.
Hope from the Scriptures:
God’s control extends to the whole universe:
He is the only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15): His throne is in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19).
He sustains the whole universe by His powerful word (Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:3).
The government of the entire universe is His (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 135:6; Daniel 4:35).
Read more