Throughout the Old Testament, God warns the children of Israel of the consequences associated with their rebellion against Him. As the end of the divided monarchy approached, He said through Jeremiah, “…my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer 2:13). Because of their sin, which included God’s commandment to observe a sabbath year, the children of Israel were taken into a 70-year captivity in Babylon (Jer 25:9-13; 27:6; 32:28; Dan 9:2, etc.). Israel was warned that her continual rebellion against her loving Lord would lead to her becoming a proverb and a byword among the nations of the world (Deut 28:15,37; 1 Kings 9:7, etc.), and so it happened. The children of Israel have faced unique persecution, a persecution worse than that experienced by any other people.

It is imperative that everyone who follows Jesus Christ understands that we are in a war. It's a war that is spiritual, but it may have physical consequences. If you're not aware that you are in that kind of war, you very likely have already been taken captive. If you are a pacifist in this war, you have been at least effectively neutralized. Neutrality is capitulation. There is no fence-sitting as the battle rages. Jesus said that he who is not with Him is against Him (Matthew 12:30).

So, if we are indeed in a war, what's it all about? It's a war for the hearts of humanity—and the adversaries are God and Satan.

"Tom, are you serious? Are you telling me that God couldn't defeat Satan in a heartbeat—that one of His created beings is a match for Him?" No. I know that God could wipe out Satan in an instant and, for that matter, all the rest of God's created, rebellious beings collectively, should He so desire. He did it once before, save eight.

The war on God's part is not about defeating His adversary. It is a battle over the prize. It's about winning the hearts of mankind. "My son, give me thine heart" (Proverbs 23:26).

[Dave Hunt’s “A Call to Repentance” cites numerous Christian leaders and dozens of passages of scripture as it indicts 21st-century Christianity. It is as compelling today as it was when first published. We hope that it blesses you as it has us.]

It is now nearly 500 years since October 31, 1517. We need a new Reformation—this time more biblical and thorough. We are drowning in “political correctness.” Having changed from a president who couldn’t define “is,” we have one who persists in calling Islam “peace” in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary. What the Bible clearly calls sin is whitewashed as “alternate” styles of living. Nothing is wrong, so nothing is right. The church has joined the world, the gospel has been compromised, and we think God doesn’t care. Elijah’s words come across 3,000 years of history to rebuke us as he did Israel:

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Ki 18:21)