Many years ago, it used to be complained about the churches that they are obsessed with sex. Since then, the situation has reversed and while the church remains quiet (or at least unreported) on sexuality, our society has become obsessed with it.
Sex, in almost any form you might like to imagine it, has become the obsession of our culture. Sexual activity in any form is considered a goal in itself, rather than as a part of an ongoing intimate relationship.
In the last two articles, I raised the principles that we are created by God and in that sense owned bu Him. If God “knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13), then He has the right to direct my life and to give me wisdom about how my life works best. In the last few years, there has been a huge amount of attention given to transgenderism and the demands of such people to be not just recognised but celebrated. This movement followed a similar trajectory to the demands of homosexuals to be recognised, legalised and celebrated.
As christians our morality should be shaped by the Bible and not by our own ideas. Our sexuality should be determined by God’s word and not by societal norms.
In Genesis 2 we have the story of how the first man and woman were created. The chapter culminates with this Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
Genesis 2:23-25, NLT
Contrary to the transgender issue, these verses show that God makes us male and female. There are only two genders, not the near infinite number proposed by advocates. Not only that, but our biological sex is written in the DNA in every cell of our bodies. Just taking hormones and having very nasty surgery will not change the reality of any person’s gender. Our gender is not assigned at birth as the activists like to say, it is determined at conception.
The Bible also shows that union of male and female is the norm of sexual relationships. In fact, at several places homosexuality is described as an “abomination” to God. In Romans 1, Paul talks about how God’s righteousness can be seen in nature, but people, instead of worshipping the Creator, started to worship creation. As a result, he says, God handed them over to their own desires:
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Romans 1:26-28
Homosexuality, Paul says, is not a thing to be celebrated or equated with normal heterosexual relations. It is, in fact, God’s judgement on people for idolatry and materialism.
The passage from Genesis 2 says that a man and woman are joined in marriage and become one flesh. The idea here is that sexual relations outside of marriage (being one man and one woman committed for life) are not allowed for christians. The Bible condemns fornication (an unmarried person engaging in sex) and adultery (a married person who has sexual intercourse with a person other than their spouse).
Jesus says that divorce is not permitted unless a partner commits adultery (Matthew 19:1-12). Marriage is for life, so we enter into it carefully and leave it only if the marriage bond is violated. God blesses marriage, and enters into the covenant with the husband and wife. It is God who binds them together and makes them one flesh, so no human should allow that bond to be broken (Matthew 19:6)
We could go on to talk about casual sex- “friends with benefits” and hookup culture. These are abhorrent to God for the same reason.
God made us male and female. He made us sexual creatures. He determined that we flourish best when we value sex so highly that it is reserved for the most intimate and permanent of relationships, i.e. marriage.
This is not about killing fun or being Victorian era fuddy duddies. It is about being faithful to the God who made us and the God who owns us.
From the creation account in the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, it is clear that human beings, along with the rest of creation are made by God and are subject to His reign. They are given a commission to rule over the created order, which has been structured in such a way as to provide everything tat people would need (Genesis 1:26-31).
By the time we get to Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve are faced with a test- will they obey the very clear commandment of God or will they go their own way? As we know, they choose to disobey God and the whole of creation starts to unravel.
It was always God’s intention that our autonomy or freedom is exercised in the context of a relationship with Him. We are meant to rule the creation, but not in our own power. God has made us so He gets to direct our paths.
In an age of individualism and self-fulfilment such as ours, it is unpopular to think that we should be subject to God in any way. We don’t like being told what to do, and will go to any lengths to avoid that.
As Christians, we need to understand that we were bought with the price of the blood of Jesus. We are no longer free to direct our own paths. Our first loyalty must always be to the God who redeemed us, and to the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians we read this:
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:17-20.
You are not your own any more.
As followers of Jesus, our first thought must always be, “What does Jesus want me to do?” This is true of the daily decisions we make as much as it is true of the big life decisions.
When it comes to lifestyle choices such as career, where to live, who to marry, sexuality, money and possessions, everything must be subjected to the will of God. We will often find ourselves having different attitudes to the people of the world, making different choices and so on. That is the way of faith.
Increasingly, christians will find themselves swimming against the tide of popular opinion. We must be faithful to God, regardless of what other people think,
I have taken seriously the discipline of listening to the Holy Spirit for many years now. Mark Virkler’s 4 Keys To Hearing God’s Voice was foundational for me.
Here is a recent article by him explaining the 4 Keys:
Introducing Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice
I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. The thought kept going through my mind: “What if I died tonight? I’m not ready to go to heaven.” Since I could not shake the thought, I got up, went downstairs and waited for my parents to come home from their meeting. When they did, I announced that I wanted to get saved, and they took me straightway to the pastor’s home where he explained the plan of salvation and led me in the sinner’s prayer. I was 15 years old when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my Lord and Savior.
Hearing God but not identifying the fact that I was hearing God
It was God’s voice that was speaking to me that night, calling me into His kingdom. His voice came as a spontaneous flowing thought inside my head. However, I didn’t define this as the primary way God’s voice is heard until I had completed a desperate 10-year search to hear Him clearly.
Christianity is unique among religions, for it alone offers a personal relationship with the Creator beginning here and now, and lasting throughout eternity. Jesus declared, “This is eternal life – that they may know God” (Jn. 17:3). Unfortunately, many in the Church miss the great blessing of fellowship with our Lord because we have lost the ability to recognize His voice. Though John 10:27 promises us that “My sheep hear My voice,” too many believers are starved for that intimate relationship that alone can satisfy the desire of their hearts.
I was one of those sheep who was unable to identify the voice of my Shepherd. I hungered for deeper spiritual intimacy with God, but I could not find it. Then on the eleventh year of my Christian life I had the spontaneous thought that “I should take a year of my life and focus on learning to hear God’s voice.” I decided to act on that thought and devote a year to focused effort, learning to hear His voice. Unbeknown to me, it was the Lord calling me to invest that time.
That year the Lord revealed four simple keys, all found in Habakkuk 2:1, 2, which unlocked the treasure of His voice. Using the four keys together allowed me to easily hear God’s voice daily. It was the most transforming step I have taken in the 57 years of my Christian life! I would like to share them with you so you can try them and see if they do the same for you.
Key 1 – STILLNESS: Quiet myself in God’s presence
STILLNESS: Quiet myself in God’s presence
Habakkuk said, “I will stand on my guard post...” (Hab. 2:1). Habakkuk knew that to hear God’s quiet, inner, spontaneous thoughts, he had to first go to a quiet place and still his own thoughts and emotions. Psalm 62:5 encourages us to silence our souls before God. There is a deep inner knowing (spontaneous flow) in our spirits that each of us can experience when we quiet our flesh and our minds. If we are not still, we will sense only our own thoughts.
Loving God through a quiet worship song is one very effective way to become still. (Note 2 Kings 3:15.) After I worship and become silent within, I open myself for that spontaneous flow. If thoughts come of things I have forgotten to do, I write them down so I can do them later. If thoughts of guilt or unworthiness come, I repent thoroughly, receive the washing of the blood of the Lamb, putting on His robe of righteousness, seeing myself spotless before God (Is. 61:10; Col. 1:22).
Clear focus provides the purest flow: To receive the pure word of God, it is very important that my heart be properly focused as I become still because the intuitive flow comes out of the vision being held before one’s eyes. If I fix my eyes upon Jesus, the intuitive flow is pure and comes from Jesus. But if I fix my gaze upon some desire of my heart, the intuitive flow is affected by that desire. To have a pure flow I must become still and carefully fix my eyes upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2).
Again, quietly worshiping the King, and receiving out of the stillness that follows quite easily accomplishes this. Beginning my prayer time as Jesus taught us to pray is expedient: “Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” Jesus taught us to begin prayer by lifting our eyes up to our Father and beholding Him. We don’t start prayer with our issues. We start our prayer by gazing upon Him!
Key 2 – VISION: Fix my eyes upon Jesus
VISION: Fix my eyes upon Jesus
Habakkuk said, “I will keep watch to see,” (Hab. 2:1,2). Habakkuk was actually looking for a vision as he prayed. Since I believe the Bible is meant to be lived, I decided that I, too, would begin looking with the eyes of my heart into the Spirit world to see what I could see.
Do what King David did! A good way to begin using the eyes of your heart is by doing what King David did: “For David says of Him, ‘I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN” (Acts 2:25 NASB). The original Psalm makes it clear that this was a decision of David’s, not a constant supernatural visitation: “I have set (literally, I have placed) the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Ps. 16:8). Because David knew that the Lord was always with him, he determined in his spirit to see that truth with the eyes of his heart as he went through life, knowing that this would keep his faith strong.
We say, “A picture is worth 1000 words.” I believe that is because pictures are the language of the heart. We notice that Jesus used pictures constantly as He taught (Matt. 13:34). When I use pictures in my prayer time, fixing my eyes on Jesus, I am speaking the language of my heart and that moves me quickly into heart/spirit realities getting me beyond my mind.
Use godly imagination: I choose to do what King David did and I develop “godly imagination,” which I define as “picturing things God says are so.” If I am picturing that Jesus is NOT with me, that would be picturing a lie, which is unwise. I can’t imagine any reason I would want to picture unscriptural things. So I see Jesus at my right hand, always. I add to this Paul’s prayer for God to enlighten the eyes of my heart (Eph. 1:17,18). Then I tune to the flow of the Holy Spirit, and He brings the scene alive. I find I can step from these godly imaginations, into a divine vision.
It is amazing, simple, and child-like! Of course, it would need to be, as we are told that to enter the kingdom we must become as little children. My 6-year-old granddaughter can do this and she shares with me her journaling and the visions of the angels standing on both sides of her protecting her and watching over her. You will find your young children can do these four keys more easily than you can! Try it with them and see.
From Genesis to Revelation God gave dreams and visions, and He specifically said that in the last days, He would pour out His Spirit and wewould see dreams and visions (Acts 2:1-4, 17).
We must look if we want to see! Daniel saw a vision in his mind and said, “I was looking…I kept looking…I kept looking” (Dan. 7:2,9,13). So I needed to repent for not looking and begin presenting the eyes of my heart to the Lord, and looking. As I pray, I look for Jesus, and I watch and listen as He speaks to me, doing and saying the things that are on His heart. Many Christians will find that if they will only look, they will see flowing pictures, in the same way they receive flowing thoughts.
Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). It is as simple as that. You can see Christ present with you because Christ is present with you. In fact, the vision may come so easily that you will be tempted to reject it, thinking that it is just you. But if you persist in recording these flowing pictures, your doubt will soon be overcome by faith as you recognize that the content of them could only be birthed by Almighty God.
A lifestyle: Jesus demonstrated the ability of living out of constant contact with God, declaring that He did nothing on His own initiative, but only what He saw the Father doing, and heard the Father saying (Jn. 5:19,20,30). What an incredible way to live!
Is it possible for you to live out of divine initiative as Jesus did? Yes! It is called “abiding in Christ” (Jn. 15). Fix your eyes upon Jesus. The veil has been torn, giving access into the immediate presence of God, and He calls you to draw near (Lk. 23:45; Heb. 10:19-22). “I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened” and you will see His visions. They are His gift to you, freely given (Acts 2:17). See blog: Can I Live in Continuous Revival?
Key 3 – FLOW: Tune to flow
FLOW: Tune to flow
Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him (Hab. 2:2). Elijah described it as a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). I had always listened for an inner audible voice, and God does speak that way at times. However, I have found that usually, God’s voice comes as spontaneous thoughts or flowing thoughts and His visions as flowing pictures within my mind.
For example, haven’t you ever been driving down the road and had a thought come to you to pray for a certain person? Didn’t you believe it was God telling you to pray? What did God’s voice sound like? Was it an audible voice, or was it a spontaneous thought that lit upon your mind? Jesus said the Holy Spirit is experienced as a River within us which FLOWS (Jn. 7:38,39).
Experience indicates that we perceive spirit-level communication as spontaneous flowing thoughts, impressions, and visions, and Scripture confirms this in many ways. For example, one definition of paga, a Hebrew word for intercession, is “a chance encounter or an accidental intersecting.” When God lays people on our hearts, He does it through paga, a chance-encounter thought “accidentally” intersecting our minds. We consider it a chance encounter in that we didn’t reason it up, however it is purposeful because God sent it to us.
Therefore, when you want to hear God’s voice, you tune to chance-encounter, spontaneous, or flowing thoughts. Even satan’s thoughts come to us as spontaneous thoughts, which is why we are commanded to “take every thought captive” (2 Cor. 10:5). I am sure all of us have experienced spontaneous evil thoughts coming to us, even attacking right in the middle of our prayer and worship times. So I conclude that analytical thoughts are mine, spontaneous good thoughts come from the Holy Spirit, and spontaneous evil thoughts come from evil spirits.
God’s flowing thoughts line up with Scripture and with His various names: Comforter, Counselor, Teacher, Giver of Life, Healer, and Deliverer. His thoughts edify, exhort, and comfort. They are pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering (James 3:17).
Satan’s flowing thoughts line up with his various names: accuser, adversary, thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy. His thoughts condemn and bring despair, rejection, fear, doubt, unbelief, and in general, misery. Satan’s thoughts bring jealousy and selfish ambition (James 3:14,15).
Key 4 – JOURNALING: Record the flowing thoughts and flowing pictures
JOURNALING: Record the flowing thoughts and flowing pictures
God told Habakkuk to record the vision (Hab. 2:2). This was not an isolated command. The Scriptures record many examples of individual’s prayers and God’s replies (e.g. the Psalms, many of the prophets, and Revelation).
I call the process “two-way journaling,” and I have found it to be a fabulous catalyst for clearly discerning God’s inner, spontaneous flow, because as I journal I canwrite in faithfor long periods, simply believing it is God. I know that what I believe I have received from God must be tested. However, testing involves doubt and doubt blocks divine communication, so I do not want to test while I am trying to receive (Heb. 11:6). With journaling, I can receive in faith, knowing that when the flow has ended I can test it. This way I can stay in flow for an extended period of time and have extended two-way dialogue with Jesus. Afterward I make sure it lines up with Scripture (1 Thess. 5:21) and get confirmation from my spiritual advisors.
Remove doubt: Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that recording God’s words and visions is a biblical concept and that God is present, speaking to His children. In the Bible, satan is constantly casting doubt by saying, “Did God really tell you…?” (Gen. 3:1 GNB).
Learn to relax! When we cease our labors and enter His rest, God is free to flow (Heb. 4:10). Sit back comfortably, take out your pen and paper (or computer or iPad), smile, picture yourself as a child, and turn your attention toward the Lord in praise and worship, seeking His face. Write down, “Good morning, Lord! I love You. What do You want to say to me?” Then become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus. You will suddenly have a very good thought. Don’t doubt it; simply write it down. Later, as you read over your journaling, you will be blessed to discover that the content is amazing and that you are indeed dialoguing with God!
Reflections
Hear God through illumined Scripture: Knowing God through the Bible is a vital foundation to hearing His voice in your heart, so you must have a solid commitment to knowing and obeying God’s written Word. We are commanded to meditate on Scriptures (Josh. 1:8). As we pray over Scripture, we find verses leap off the page and hit us between the eyes. This is another very powerful way that God speaks to us. Regular scriptural meditation is commanded by God and is a must for the effective Christian life.
Utilize spiritual advisors: It is also very important for your growth and safety that you be related to solid, spiritual counselors. All major directional moves that come through journaling should be confirmed by your counselors before you act upon them. The Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact is to be established (2 Cor. 13:1). Also, in the multitude of counselors, there is safety (Prov. 15:22). So make sure you walk in meekness and seek out and receive input from your spiritual advisors. This step must not be skipped! I ask them, “Does your heart bear witness this came from God.” So you are not asking what they think, but what their heart is saying.
The four keys appear again in the book of Revelation: John used the same four keys that Habakkuk did. In Revelation 1:9-11 we find he was in the spirit (stillness), and he heard a voice behind him (tuned to spontaneity), saying, “Write in a book (journaling), what you see (vision).” So in both the Old and New Testaments, we find the same four keys being used to receive God’s voice. Don’t worry about the order of the keys. Just make sure you are using all four keys. See blog:The majority of the Bible was written by men using these four keys.
As a PACKAGE these four keys work. Stop-Look-Listen-Write is another way to say the same four keys. These four keys get the job done! People hear. We guarantee that if you use these four keys together, they will work for you and you will hear God’s voice. Try them as a bundle, and see how they work for you. We have free downloadable coaching Jesus encounter adventure. It is available at www.cwgministries.org/galilee. The first part of the recording takes you for a visionary walk with Jesus along the Sea of Galilee, and guides you into using all four keys together. We encourage you to try several times! May you be restored to taking walks with the Lord in the garden in the cool of the day. May you experience the fullness of a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May communion with God be deepened in your life, and may His healing and creative rays fill you through and through.
“Saviour In The Sky” proclaimed the headline in a recent edition of The Courier.
The article was a tribute to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service which has been a literal life-saver for many people in this region and right through New South Wales. Over the years, there have been countless people scooped up from road accidents, farm accidents or major illnesses and taken to hospitals in larger centres where they have received timely care.
Without in any way detracting from the work of this wonderful service, there is a greater “Saviour in the sky” who perform even greater rescues than the helicopter service.
When God first created the world, He had a great goal for the people He had made. Pretty soon, people refused God’s way of living and tried to run their lives on their own terms.
Sin, rebellion, selfishness and disobedience have ruled the world ever since. We live in a world that is separated from God’s love and everybody suffers.
At the right time, God came to earth as a person, whom we call Jesus Christ. He showed people what living God’s way could look like. The rulers didn’t take too kindly to His teaching and so they had Him executed.
If you have ever heard the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down” you will know that Jesus came back to life. He came with a promise: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words if we just turn away from our acts of selfishness, and ask Jesus to forgive us, then we will know eternal life with God.
Jesus not only gives us a command to be good, He also gives us the ability to live the good life and to enter into eternity.
Sometimes you hear some people refer to the Lord as “Yahweh,” and if you feel a bit insecure in your relationship with Jesus or your spiritual gifts, you might feel like you are a second class christian. Should we refer to God as “Yahweh”?
The name of the Lord is given in the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament) in Exodus 3 where Moses asks God “Who shall I say has sent me? What is your name?” The Lord replies: “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14).
In written Hebrew, there were originally no vowels, just consonants. Later the scribes added small marks under each letter to indicate the vowels.
So the holy name of the Lord appears to us as just 4 letters in Hebrew, equivalent to YHWH. When reading the Scriptures, the Jewish people would not read out aloud the name of the Lord, but instead the word “Adonai” which means Lord. (In the Old Testament, this name of God is often translated into English as “THE LORD”.) To remind readers to say Adonai rather than any other name, the written text was given with the vowels for “Adonai.”
The truth is that nobody knows how YHWH should be pronounced. In modern times, the best guess, from the name revealed to Moses, is “Yahweh” which would give something of the meaning of “I am who I am”. It should be noted that the familiar name Jehovah was an attempt by German scholars to understand this name of God, which was imported from German into English.
So the modern pronunciation of “Yahweh” is simply an educated guess.
Here are some reasons why christians should not refer to God as “Yahweh.”
The Jews never said Yahweh when reading the Old Testament. It is unlikely that they addressed the Lord in prayer as Yahweh.
Jesus referred to God as Father, never as Yahweh. Not only this, He told His disciples to do likewise. “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)
The name of Jesus is a better name, even than Yahweh. It is the name above all names. In Philippians 2:9, Paul tells us, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”
I always wonder about the motives of people who refer to God as “Yahweh.” They are often the same people who refer to Jesus by the Hebrew name of Yeshua. Are they trying to take us down the track of Old Testament legalism? Is there a sense of pride that they are more spiritual than other believers who do not use these names?
Jesus makes it clear in many places in the New Testament that the Lord does not care about the words we use in prayer. He sees the heart, not the outward appearances. If you heart is genuine in seeking the Lord, He will hear your prayers.
The use of the name Yahweh, I think, is misguided. Let us refer to the Lord with our favourite English words that express love and honour to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Halloween has only become a big deal in Australia over the last few decades. As a boy growing up, it barely rated a mention, except through the ever present American TV shows. In Australia, it was generally ignored, considered irrelevant.
Recently in a quick trip to my local Woolworth store, I was surprised to see a big crate of oversized orange pumpkins. In America, Halloween is now the second biggest commercial holiday, only behind Christmas. I don’t know that we are at that point yet, but clearly retailers are pushing the band wagon.
The promotion of the dark side of the spiritual realm raises the question, should christians celebrate Halloween. It is not a simple question to answer definitively, but on reflection, the answer is “No.”
The Origins of Halloween
Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain. This festival marked the changing seasons and the descent into winter. Winter was seen as a season of death, because in the places where the Celts lived, plants did not grow , animals hibernated or moved to warmer places.
It was the beginning of the Celtic year and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves.
In 837 Pope Gregory III named November 1st as All Saints Day, a day to celebrate al the saints who have reached eternal life in heaven. All Saints Day was also known as All Hallows Day and the night before became known as Hallows Eve or Halloween. In Christian Europe it was a time to reflect on the character of the great saints.
The pagan beliefs and practices never died out completely. With the decline of christianity as a cultural force in much of the West, it is not surprising that Halloween has been reinvented as a season to celebrate the dark side of spirituality.
Our Response to Halloween
The starting point for a christian response to Halloween is to recognise that the spirit realm is real- demons are real, witchcraft is real, spiritism is real.
In the past the church has responded to cultural forces such as Samhain by christianising them, that is appropriating them and converting them to a christian purpose. As the light of the gospel is being rejected by our culture, the darkness of Halloween is gaining ground. The old approach of appropriation no longer applies.
Some argue that christians should be shining the light of the gospel at this time of the year. How that can be done varies from place to place. In parts of the USA the main focus on Halloween is not the spooks but on fancy dress and parties. Clearly christians can and should be involved in being light in these situations.
Some churches, again in the USA, opt to produce other Halloween celebrations that are more in line with the gospel.
However where people are asked to celebrate the occult in any form, christians should generally not be present. Not only are these things unhelpful, they can lead to demonic oppression by participating in things that the Lord has specifically forbidden.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 we read: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?”
The celebration of Halloween presents just one more opportunity (or challenge) for the believer to be in the world but not of the world.
The historical data from coins can’t be altered, obscured or rationalised.
Coins from the emerging Arab Empire tell a frightening story (it’s only frightening for those who believe in Islam).
The story they tell undermines the standard Islamic narrative.
“The earliest history of Islam is questionable at all levels,” remarks Al Fadi, on a CIRA International video. “The so-called Islamic coins debunk Islam itself.”
All minted coins from the 7th Century come from the north or east. None come from Mecca or Medina, where supposedly Islam got started.
First off, there are no coins minted in Mecca or Medina during the 7th Century (when Arabs arose). According to Islam’s narrative, Mohammad and his followers rose out of Mecca and Medina to conquer the world with the powerful sword of Allah.
But NONE of the earliest coins minted by his followers emanated from either Mecca or Medina. (The coins have the city of minting on them.)
They were minted hundreds of miles to the North in Jordan and Lebanon: Illya, Yubna, Amman, Jerash, Baysan, Abila, Tebariya, Dimashq, Ba’albak, Hinis, Tartus.
(This survey excludes coins from Yemen and Oman, from the Byzantine Empire based in Modern Turkey and the Zoroastrian coins from around Modern Iran and Kuwait.)
Since rulers minted coins from their homebase, this tells us that none of the early Caliphs were based where they were supposed to be in the Hejaz (of Medina and Mecca).
A timeline of Islam. The earliest coins of Arab leaders show Christian symbols. This changes come in 692, 60 years after Mohammad’s supposed death, when Abd al-Malik makes an anti-Trinitarian proclamation. Later, Islam emerges.
In fact, according to ancient maps, Mecca didn’t even exist.
This is troubling for Muslims because if their history is questionable, logically everything they believe is likewise questionable.
But it gets worse for the standpoint of their historical narrative.
The earliest coins of Arab rulers show they were Christian, according to Dr. Jay Smith.
Coins from the Sassanians (651-660) have crosses on them, showing they were Christian (as opposed to Zororastrian coins which had an emblem of fire altars on them). According to the SIN, the Sassanians were Muslim.
The first Umayyad Caliph, Mu’awiyah (661-680) put three crosses on his western coins, a nod to the Trinity. According to the SIN, Mu’awaiyah was Muslim.
Source: CIRA International video
“If Mohammad died in 632, we’re 50 years later, the coins are either Christian or Zoroarastrian,” Dr. Smith says. “There is nothing at all that is close to Islam.”
The first hint of Muslim doctrine comes in 692 when Abd al-Malik announces his leadership to the world with a coin that says: “There is no god but Allah and MHMD is his prophet.”
This is the proto-shahada proclamation that Muslim use to make converts (their version of a Christian’s “sinner’s prayer.”)
Dr. Smith puts forth an intriguing theory that Abd al-Malik may NOT have even been a Muslim, but rather a Christian anti-Trinitarian.
“It’s attacking Byzantine Christianity,” Dr. Smith contends.
New Life Narrabri 
