General

Two weeks ago the eyes of the world were focused on momentous civil unrest in Egypt. More recently, the use of chemical weapons in Syria captured our attention and could lead to an imminent US bombing campaign–as early as this week.

Let’s be honest that the so-called “Arab Spring,” which began two years ago and seemed to set the stage for political upheaval, now appears to be devolving into a disastrous “Arab winter.”

What is really going on? Who are the players involved? And what should be the response to this Middle East madness of followers of Christ and the leaders of free nations?

MIddle Eastern politics is a complex topic, but I would like to examine it with some clarity, and a “total” view of the subject that does not minimize spiritual realities. The modern press rarely mentions the spiritual component because of its secular default and the agenda that accompanies it.

But you cannot understand history without the view from the heavenlies and from boots on the ground.

Let’s begin with some qualifications.

First, it’s nearly impossible to discern what is happening in the Middle East by reading news reports. I was reminded recently through The Unknown Mao by Jung Chang that news reporting, especially of wars and political conflicts, are usually perverted by propaganda. Chang gave many instances in her book of what really happened on various Chinese battlefields during the 1930s and 40s, and what Mao and Stalin told the world via their propaganda machines.

Their accounts were completely opposite the truth.

Many lies are propagated during war-time.

The same is happening in the Middle East.  Because of the spin, it’s important to get the truth from trustworthy sources on the ground who can set the record straight. I will use one of those in this article.

Second, it’s critically important to understand who the real players are in a complex war zone. When the press talks about the military, who are they? Jihadists? Good guys or bad guys? When they describe the insurgents or rebels, what is their makeup, and what do they really want?

If you can’t define the teams you certainly won’t understand the game.

Third, the secular press gives no credence to the spiritual powers that are behind today’s conflict. Heck, during World War II, Franklin Roosevelt led the whole nation in prayer on the radio–acknowledging the Unseen God as well as and the demonic forces that the Allies were arrayed against.

During the American Revolution, our leaders called the people to numerous days of fasting and prayer because they realized that human wars are incited and carried out by invisible satanic forces–and God’s mercy, power and intervention are needed to bring about victory.

So, to begun with, let’s clear up the picture by naming the major parties involved:

1. God and his angelic hosts.

He brought his chosen people back to the land of Israel in 1948. Though most of them do not currently  love and worship Him (most Israelis are secular), He has providential purposes for them which include,  “all of Israel being saved” (Romans 11:26). Right now, more Jews are returning to Messiah Yeshua than any time in the last fifteen hundred years.

If you want to understand the Middle East, you must get this point. The whole globe is obsessed with a tiny geographical swath called Palestine because God is directing history to a consummation that will involve world evangelization, the salvation of the Jews, and the return of Jesus Christ.

There is no other rational explanation for Middle East myopia.

2. Satan and his demonic hordes

No one can state definitively where the Prince of Darkness makes his earthly lair, but one good bet is the Middle East. The wars, tensions, spirit of violence, torture, beheading, anger and hysteria all point to a devilish occupation of that part of the world.

Of course, the devil tries to destroy people everywhere and in every culture–but the Middle East seems to be a favorite playground.

We must remember: There is evil in the world, and there is an Evil Being who is inciting people and societies on the planet. In the same way as “where the Spirit of the Lord (Jesus) is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17), where the spirit of violence and murder is, you see the presence of Satan.

3. Military leaders/dictators that may be Muslim in name (primarily Sunni) but are essentially secular.

These include Hosni Mubarak, the current generals in Egypt, and Bashar Al-Assad, the tyrant in Syria who’s been hanging onto power by killing up to 100,000 of his own people. These are strong men who enjoy power, want to maintain overall order, and really have no religious aspirations.

4. Jihadists in many forms.

 Mohammed Morsi was toppled in Egypt by the military because a large portion the people demanded it and did not want the sharia law/freedom-denying society that was being foisted on them by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Here is a perspective from a brave Christian leader in Cairo who tells us the truth about what happened a few weeks ago: (I have altered the words to protect his identity)

“I’m writing this letter with a very happy heart after the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood from their power. Their displacement will open up the way for the defeat of the jihadists, which they planned to implement in our region.”

“There are still some groups in Cairo and other cities, led by a few jihadists, for whom arrest warrants have been written on charges of inciting violence, funding murder, and theft. The problems are greatest in Sinai, where our soldiers are battling Al-Qaeda who are armed by Hamas.”

Still, I trust the freedom movement will advance. There was a new day that ushered a new age for Egypt (two years ago) in which I hope and pray for a godly constitution, economic growth and peace with our neighbors. What happened is really a miracle accomplished by Jesus, who is moving among our people.”

“I never liked Hosni Mubarak’s years, but I certainly believe that they were more benign than the theocratic suppression the Brotherhood desired to implement. I was longing for the Lord to expose the evil schemes of the Brotherhood and their friends but I have to confess that my faith was small. I believe that if Egyptians would have hired the most powerful consultants in the world and spent lots of money to expose Islam, they would have never seen the results that the Brotherhood brought on themselves when they came to power.”

“I know some Westerners are picturing what happened as a military coup. Not true. The army moved to free our nation  because of the demands of millions of people who took to the streets in protest.  In the Western world you value “democratic elections.” But they are not fool-proof. Let us not forget that Mussolini came to power through a vote of the people”

“Republican governments can come about in countries like Egypt only through great acts and sacrifices from all of us–and this takes time.  As was said by the media, Egypt has seen four million young people turn away from Islam recently and now they don’t know what to believe.  We must share God’s love with them.”

That’s the truth from people who are trustworthy. Muslim jihadists in Egypt, Syria, Iran and other nations are the main forces for evil in this region. They want a global caliphate and forced Islamic rule in every nation. They are exploiting the longing for freedom by many in the Middle East to bring in even darker forms of tyranny.

5. Masses of people, mainly youth, yearning for freedom from secular and Islamic tyrants.

These folks essentially led the protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the demonstrations in Tehran in 2009, and are a part of the coalition fighting for freedom in Syria. A growing percentage are followers of Jesus (like the Copts in Egypt). Others are more secular, yet looking for liberty (as described by the Egyptian leader above).

The freedom lovers were at the heart of the Arab Spring, but their aspirations were hijacked by the jihadists (Muslim Brotherhood) in Egypt, by the insurgents in Libya, and by Islamist factions in Syria.

What we don’t want is a secular tyranny being replaced by a far worse religious one.

6. Followers of Christ in the Middle East and also around the world.

As noted above, God is answering their prayers for freedom–but laying the foundations of liberty take time and great sacrifice.  At the same time, hundreds of millions of believers from all over the world are praying for the light of the Good News to penetrate the darkness of the Muslim nations and bring salvation to the Jews.

This internal and external prayer tsunami aimed at the Middle East is no small thing. It’s the greatest “aerial battle” taking place in the world today.

So, now that we understand the players, what should followers of Christ and leaders of free nations do to see God’s purposes fulfilled in the Middle East. Here are some suggestions:

• We need to up the intensity of prayer for our ME brothers and sisters, for the salvation of Israel, and for the triumph of freedom in this cradle of civilization.
• We must pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and encourage our government leaders to unequivocally support the the only democracy in the region – the Republic of Israel.
• We should send more missionaries to this part of the globe and support those already in the field. The power of the Good News is the key to long-lasting liberty in a nation.
• We need a clear and immediate plan to get off our dependence on Mid-East oil. This neglect is the driver of our economic interest. America can be energy independent–and a blessing to the world–simply by harvesting its own resources.  We must vote for leaders who will make the US energy strong once again.
• We should support the non-jihadist freedom fighters in the nations of the Middle East with arms and know-how to defeat the powers coming against them.
  
• We should support secular dictators over religious tyrants. They are the lesser of two evils.
• The US cannot be the world’s army. We should be a compass, a lighthouse, a good ally and partner in the quest for liberty.
• We should focus our efforts on Iran–the key Islamic nation in the region. As Iran goes, so goes Muslim terrorism around the world and in the Middle East (especially Syria).
  
• We should not tie our actions to the United Nations. It is a corrupt organization that cannot be a vehicle of peace.
• We must look to God, not men, to bring about his glory in the Middle East. Only the plans of the Lord will stand (Psalm 2).

Let’s be discerning as we watch the evening news. Don’t forget the bigger picture and all the players involved in the drama in the Middle East.

And pray for God to use Middle East madness to reach the world with his love.

After finishing The Unknown Mao, I understand that history’s second worst mass murderer, Joseph Stalin, died one week before I was born. Stalin’s protege, Mao Tse tung, went on to murder seventy million people during the time that I was living a “Leave It To Beaver” existence in Christian America.

During that time, I had absolutely no knowledge of the atrocities taking place. Mao murdered seventy million people. Seventy million. That’s like annihilating nearly 25% of of the US population.

Mao died just one month prior to my wedding day in 1976. At that time, I didn’t have a clue that Mao Tse Tung was the face of evil.

I now understand and weep.

Let’s analyze what the face of evil looks like–but more importantly, turn it around to discuss how we should live in this needy world.

I realize that talking about evil is not a pleasant subject. Shirley kept asking me why I was reading about Mao during the lazy, hazy days of summer. I said we can always learn good–even by looking at evil. One of our treasured Youth With A Mission principles is that believers should always move in the opposite spirit of Satan, his demons, and world. We should “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

One way we learn is to understand and expose sin–then ask God to empower us to do exactly the opposite. That’s my prayer for you.

First, her are some items about Mao Tse-tung that you might find interesting:

• He was born on December 26, 1893 in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China into a middle class family. Wikipedia makes it sound like he was a “peasant” who made it big–but that is not true. His family had more than most–which led to his education and rise to power.
• Mao wrote and recited many poems during his lifetime. When Richard Nixon visited him for the second time in February 1976, Mao provided an evening of entertainment which included Mao’s favorite classical poems set to music–which mostly spoke of the tragic end of fallen leaders!
• Mao knew almost nothing about economics and oftentimes got numbers wrong–by either thousands or millions. No wonder the “Five Year” collectivist plans didn’t work so well.
• He loved luxury, and demanded numerous “villas” and palaces all over China. Most of them, he never lodged in.
• Mao rarely traveled out of China, but on a couple of visits to see Stalin in Moscow, he brought a wooden bed with him (he liked sleeping on boards), and had his hosts build a platform on top of the toilet because he preferred squatting.
• When millions were dying of starvation in 1966-67, Mao was dining on special foods provided by his vast entourage. Even his chef and servants stole scraps from his table because they, too, were mal-nourished.
• During his 27 years of ruling China, Mao never took one bath or shower. He preferred his personal servants clean him up with warm towels each day. He also swam in the pools he had constructed in his luxurious villas.
• Russia completely bank rolled the Chinese Revolution in which Mao emerged as the most ruthless–and hence effective leader (from a communist standpoint).
• Mao helped start the Korean War to get Stalin’s help in building his military/industrial complex. He secretly sent 300,000 Chinese soldiers to their deaths in Korea to “wear down” the Americans. He said that the Yankees couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese and Koreans because both had black hair.
• When he reached the pinnacle of power and declared China a communist state in 1949, Mao was the only millionaire in the nation. He had already spent twenty years looting and stealing from the landowners in the countryside.
• Mao spent his last days in a building called 202 in Zhongnanhai. He was taken there after a massive earthquake killed over 240,000 Chinese. His life was filled with hatred, frustration and self-pity. He complained to his aides that after his death there would be “upheaval,” “winds smelling of blood” and that “What’s going to happen to you, heaven only knows.”
• He died a bitter man, with only two “girlfriends” at his side just after midnight on September 9, 1976.

So what were the sinful traits–the face of evil–that one sees so openly in the life of Mao?

 1. Bitterness toward and alienation from his father

Mao’s father, Li-chang, considered Mao, his first son to survive infancy, to be arrogant, idle, and lazy. Mao talked back to his tutors and was dismissed from three schools. He hated his father, and his bitterness manifested itself all his life. He didn’t even attend his father’s funeral.

Mao displayed a rebellious streak from childhood–and it especially showed itself toward his earthly father. This estrangement set the trajectory of his life–and led to great dysfunction in his own family and all subsequent relationships.

2. Immorality

Mao was a grossly immoral man. He “used and abused” four wives over his lifetime, and none of his marriages ended well. Two of his wives had mental problems and went crazy, one was killed in a communist “purge” when she was 28. His last wife–actress Jiang Qing (the infamous Madame Mao), was the up front leader of the “Cultural Revolution” that took three million lives. She committed suicide in 1991.

Mao slept with hundreds of other Chinese women. He once said he couldn’t go “forty days without sex,” and any female would do. He traveled nearly fifty times to a certain city to party and hook up with “young girls.” His eightieth birthday was not spent with his wife Jiang Qing, but with five former girlfriends.

3. Unconcern for children

Mao Tse-tung fathered at least six children, yet unlike the parents of numerous generations of Chinese kids (and others around the world), he never cared for them. Half of his children were “lost” in the various purges and upheavals. His oldest son died in the Korean conflict and Mao was never close to his two daughters by Jiang Qing. Only once did he show interest in a child–after he had a nervous breakdown and was fighting for his life.

Of the millions who died under his reign of terror, a good portion were children who starved to death due to his draconian policies.  During the collective farm era, he even toyed with the idea of doing away with names and calling people by a “number.” That’s what human beings–especially young ones–were to Mao. They were faceless objects, not to nurture and care for, but to serve the interests of the state.

4. Lack of pity for people

One truth about Mao that hit me deeply was his total lack of empathy and compassion for people. In fact, his rise to the top of the communist party was due to his complete disregard for human life.

Mao had compassion for no one. When thousands of people were murdered and lands were confiscated from the “evil” landlords of the nation, Mao exulted in the chaos and said, “Wow, this is fantastic! Kill more. Kill more!” He oftentimes presided over the mass execution of “counter-insurgents,” even burying hundreds of people alive and doing so with a smile.

When thirty-eight million people were starving and died during the man-made famine of 1966-67, Mao ordered the grain rations of the peasants to be cut back so that he could send more military exports around the world. He quipped that the people could live on “tree bark and grass.” When they resorted to cannibalism to survive, he turned a blind eye to their suffering.

5. Self-centered focus and ambition

Mao lived by visions of grandeur–and demoted, purged and killed all rivals who got in his way. During the infamous Long March in 1933-34, he deliberately ordered a rival militia of 100,000 men to march through a miserable swampland knowing that most of them would die. They did. He emerged victorious. In Korea, he sent hundreds of thousands of Chang Kai-shek’s troops to their deaths to “clean out” the Red Chinese army.

During the Cultural Revolution, his cult of personality reached its peak with over six billion of his pictures littering the landscape (ten for every person in China). Mao Tse-tung coveted absolute power in China and ruthlessly did what was necessary to reach his goal. Beyond that, he dreamed of ruling the world--“uniting” it under the banner of communist conquest.

Fortunately, he died before that maniacal vision could be realized.

6. Lying and deception

At every turn in his life, Mao lied his way to advantage.  Early on he didn’t tell the truth about his training to get into the communist party (CCP). When he received orders or cables from Stalin, he would either tell a falsehood, not pass the message on to subordinates, or send back a fabricated answer. His entire empire was built on lies–which is why he needed continuous purges of officials around him and those who were his rivals. No one trusted him because every move he made was usually based on incomplete information or deception.

Mao built his wealth and power on stealing land and goods from others. He called it “land reform”–but that was a lie. It was simple theft. He lied to Stalin about his military successes to gain more access to resources and technology (including atomic bombs). 

7. Torture and murder

This was the hardest part to read in The Unknown Mao. I can’t begin to describe the hideous forms of torture and death that Mao and his thugs used to torment and control the Chinese people. For thirty years, Mao and his minions used brutal means to terrorize the people into submission.

I’ve often wondered why hundreds of millions of people followed Mao Tse-tung. Simple: Abject fear. People were shot in the public square–hacked to pieces with knives–buried alive–gruesomely brutalized to enforce conformity–starved to death without mercy–and on and on. As Mao famously said, “Power comes through the barrel of a gun”–and he used his to kill more people than any man in history.

Seventy million people died through Mao’s ruthless carnage. Millions of others were tortured and scarred for life. There is nothing romantic and inspirational about Chinese communism. It was simply a gruesome “kill culture” (Mao’s own words).

To sum up, when looking at Mao Tse-tung’s life, you are looking at the face of Satan.

This is because the prince of darkness–Lucifer, the enemy of God–is the author of evil. He inhabited Mao. He motivated Mao. If you want to understand Satan, look honestly at the motives and actions of Mao or any other human tyrant.

You can also look into your own heart, because we can be the same–even if we don’t murder people.

To learn some lessons, even from a person like Mao, we must resist the satanic characteristics and move in the “opposite spirit”–which is the character of Jesus. He loved and submitted to his Heavenly Father, was pure in every way, loves little children, is full of mercy and compassion, lived to glorify his Father and laid down his life for us, who always told the truth (He IS the Truth – John 14:6), and came to give us eternal life (not death).

Wow–what a difference!

Rejecting the awful example of Mao, let’s enthrone Jesus in our hearts and live for him on earth:

• Be reconciled to and love your Heavenly Father.
• Commit to a life of purity within the sanctity of marriage.
• Love children and always protect and champion them.
• Live a life of mercy and compassion for others
• Make your ambition to seek first God’s Kingdom.
• Put on the belt of truth and breastplate of righteous living (Ephesians 6:14).
• Live a life of love.

Resist the face of evil in this world.

Light it up with the beautiful face of Jesus Christ.

My summer reading included Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday (her husband). Jung Chang is considered one of the first brave writers to take the mask off of the history of Red China. 

Her epic 615 page book comes with 150 pages of footnotes and source material–showing the depth, breadth and accuracy of her research.

Wow, is it an eye-opener.

Two important principles stood out to me from her book about Chairman Mao. This week I will examine the first that we should apply to our own lives and nations.

It is: when it comes to history, oftentimes, things are not what they seem.

First a little background on the remarkable Jung Chang. She was born in Sechuan Province in China in 1952 and worked as a peasant, a “barefoot doctor,” a steelworker and an electrician before becoming an English language student and then assistant lecturer at Sichuan University.

Jung fled China for Britain in 1978, married Jon Halliday, and obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of York in 1982–the first person from the People’s Republic of China to receive a doctorate from a British University.

In 1991, she wrote an inspiring book on her family heritage called Wild Swans which startled the world with its insider glimpse of Chinese life during the Communist years. The award-winning book sold more than 10 million copies in thirty languages.

That’s a mega best-seller. Why?

Because she was one of the first to tell the truth about what really happened in China during the 20th century.

After fourteen more years of research, including clandestine interviews with Chinese figures both inside and outside mainland China, Jung Chang and her husband followed up with Mao: The Unknown Story–which I’ve just finished reading.

Its revelations got me thinking that one of the biggest surprises for all of us in eternity–when we stand before God and learn the truth about human history–is that reality was significantly different from what we thought or were taught.

Thus, we need to constantly pursue God’s perspective on history and events so that we do not become lost in the lies of human life.

True, we will never see things with perfect accuracy here on earth. But we can get closer to  reality if we are prayerful, diligent seekers of the truth. And when we know the truth, that truth can both set us free and allow us to be emancipators of others through the grace and power of Jesus Christ (John 8:32).

Now a little glimpse into Mao: The Unknown Story. This week I will talk broadly about history and next week, delve a little more closely into the actual character of Mao Tse Tung (Zedong).

Next week’s article will be titled The Face of Evil.

That’s because we should really use Mao–rather than Hitler–as the poster child of evil tyrants. Hitler was certainly Lucifer personified in killing 6-8 million people before and during World World II.

But real history will record that Mao Tse Tung, the communist revolutionary who took over China in 1949 and led the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76, was the greatest satanic tyrant to date–killing probably 70 million fellow Chinese citizens before he died in September 9, 1976.

That’s ten times more murders than Hitler.

And most of what we’ve been taught about Mao and the communist revolution, according to Jung Chang, is wrong.

Things are not what they seem.

Some examples:

• Popular consensus is that communists played on the hopes and fears of the peasantry to launch their take-over of Chinese civilization. We’ve all heard that communist revolutions take place when poor workers are mobilized to fight the landowners and wealthy–that it is the exploitation of the rich that leads to an uprising among the poor. But Mao himself came from an upper class background in Hunan province. He never cared for peasants or the disparity in income and power in feudal China. Jung lays to rest the myth that communist dictators like Mao are modern-day Robin Hoods. She pain-stakingly chronicles that Mao Tse Tung was nothing less than a power-hungry thug. Most of the 70 million murders were committed against the peasant-peoples.
• I have always assumed that the Chinese Communist Revolution was launched and funded in China–that is, it was an internal civil war first against the Manchu dynasty, and then the nationalists, led by Chiang kai-shek, against the communists (or CCP) led by Mao and others. That’s what I was taught in school. But that is not even close to the truth. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and gaining strength on the 20s and 30s, the whole of the Chinese Revolution was financed and led by Soviet Russia, especially under leadership of Stalin. Russian agents and double agents coordinated all of its developments from Shanghai, Stalin himself made all the key decisions from Moscow, and Mao would never have conquered China without millions of dollars of monthly Bolshevik support (a large sum of money eighty years ago). The final conquest was due solely to the Russian supply of equipment and arms. Stalin’s main purpose was to use a “united” (and Communist) China to defeat Japan. This was Russian empire-building via blood and money. It then became Chinese empire building–because Mao’s ultimate goal was to rule the world–by way of torture and bloodshed.
• I’d always heard that the famous “Long March” that brought Mao to the pinnacle of power in 1934-35 was an heroic escape from the bandit-lands of central China that endeared Chairman Mao to the Chinese people. I envisioned him leading bedraggled troops, akin to George Washington at Valley Forge, with great personal sacrifice and courage. Not a whiff of truth! Mao, who loved luxury, always lived in the nicest of dwellings even when others were freezing to death and bloodying their feet around him. In fact, during the vast majority of the 6000 kilometer march, as an 80,000-man army was reduced to 10,000 via famine, exhaustion, executions, and desertion, Mao and his top leaders were lavishly carried in sedan “litters” by the peasant soldiers–wining and dining while those around them perished. This was tyranny with “a smoke and a smile”.
• In every phase of Mao’s rise to power, from the early days in Hunan, to his decade of leadership in the Yellow Earth Plateau, to his triumphant rule in Peking, every step he took was via lies, deception, purgings, deliberately-mis-leading orders to suppress his rivals, torture, mass murder and betrayal. His rise to power was nothing less, at every step, than sadistic satanism without any regard, to wives, children, friends, comrades, or any other human being. Next week I will take a broader look at Mao’s character, or lack thereof, in “The Face of Evil.” It’s the only phrase that comes to mind when studying Mao Tse Tung’s leadership style.

What I gleaned from Jung’s amazing expose of China’s real 20th century story is that things are not what they seem.Much of history and what we “see” is a lie, or at the least, extremely in-complete.

How do we appy this to our own life and times? Here are just a few examples:

1. We need the truth about what happened in Ben Ghazi, Libya when Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other brave Americans were killed. We were first flummoxed to believe it was the result of a You Tube video. Now we are slowly learning that the cover-up may have taken place because the United States was involved in an illegal arms deal to Syria.

Things are not what they seem.

2. The uprisings of the so-called Arab Spring did not take place to usher in a season of freedom and democracy in the Middle East. The election of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt did not portend the coming of liberty to the land of the Nile.

Things are not what they seem.

3. American’s economy in 2013 is not getting better, real estate values have not hit bottom, real unemployment is not seven percent, and seventeen trillion dollars in debt is leading us toward a financial Armageddon.

Things are not what they seem.

4. We must not forget that life on earth is a titanic struggle between good and evil. The Devil and his demons are unseen actors–angels and their commanders do the Lord’s bidding–and much of what we are told in the secular world about history and reality is one big scam from the satanic underground.

So what are we to do to combat our ignorance?

Talk to God about all things. Let his Word be your compass and inspiration. Choose your counselors and sources wisely. Do your homework and don’t believe the demonic cheerleaders. Seek the truth about all events and histories and ask God to enlighten you.

Truth is power– in your own life and in the life of nations.

Don’t just accept what you hear and see. Always remember that, because of the magnitude of human and satanically inspired propaganda, things are not what they seem.