Recently, I saw a tweet from Amy Mek, wherein a (the?) commander of Hamas declared his belief that,
"The entire planet will be under our law; there will be no more Jews or Christian traitors."
and
“We believe in what our Prophet Muhammad said: 'Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake, and I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my nation would reach those ends that have been drawn near me.'"
and
“The entire 510 million square kilometers of Planet Earth will come under [a system] where there is no injustice, no oppression, no Zionism, no treacherous Christianity and no killings and crimes like those being committed against the Palestinians, and against the Arabs in all the Arab countries, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries."
I think one thing (among many) that differentiates Christians from this ideology... Well, actually, wait. Let me clarify. I think one thing that differentiates many Western Evangelicals born after WWII who have adopted much of the post-war liberal consensus about religion and politics, from this ideology is that it's hard for them to conceptualize the marrying of political world domination and fervent religious conviction the way this Hamas Commander does.
In other words, it's easy for us to think that Hamas is merely a group of radicalized Muslim fighters who are upset about the geopolitical implications of Israel as a nation-state and are thus fighting a political war. We can think this way because we have been conditioned to see the political realm and the religious realm as a sort of Venn diagram without any overlap. But for Hamas, and other terrorist groups, there is no such distinction. The religious is the political and the political is the religious. A religious war is a political war and a political war is a religious war.
Their actions–from start to finish–are animated by a religious ideology that justifies what they do. They can slaughter innocent "infidels" because they have a religious ideology that allows for it–commands it, even! This is the way Isalm has always spread. Islam is a religion that spreads under the shadow of the sword. They haven't spread their message by sending their local mosque's youth group to build decks for poor people, complete with matching t-shirts. Immigration (today) and war (historically, and also today) have been their methods of choice. And you gotta hand it to them, it has worked surprisingly well. For now.
But the first thing that came to my mind when I read those words from the Hamas commander was one of my favorite verses. Habakkuk 2:14– For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
This world ain't big enough for two world-dominating Kings. Neither is this universe. Neither is the concept of a world-dominating King. There can only be one. Hamas says that King is Allah. Christians say that King is Jesus. Only one of us can be right. I'll save you the suspense: It's the Christians.
Philippians 2:9-11–
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Revelation 11:15–
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Jesus Christ is the King and God of this universe, and no amount of saber-rattling from Islamic terrorists will change that.
I fear that too many Christians have adopted this notion that Jesus Christ is only Lord of the Christians. He is just the God of First Baptist Church or the local Anglican communion. Indeed, He is the Lord of these places.
But Jesus is Lord of your children's public school, your town council, your governor, your elected representatives, your senators, and your President. He is Lord over every bureaucrat walking from Schuman metro station to the European Commission. He is the King seated above the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the Kim dynasty in North Korea. He is Lord over the modern state of Israel (those who share in Abraham's lineage) as well as the spiritual people of Israel (those who share in Abraham's faith).
He is God over your car insurance provider, iPhone manufacturer, therapist, and favorite author. He is King over both Chick-fil-A and McDonalds. He is the Ruler standing above your favorite Tik-Tok personality and your sleep paralysis demon.
To cite the oft-quoted Kuyper classic: "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"
Jesus says as much about Himself, to quote the oft-quoted Great Commission: "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt. 28:18).
Here's a little theological tidbit: In the original Greek, the word "all" that Matthew uses is πᾶς, which means "all."
We don't get to compartmentalize Christ's lordship to religious things. We don't get to relegate Him to our sanctuaries and "quiet times." He isn't "your own personal Jesus." He is the unmitigated, un-rivaled, unassailable King over all kings.
That Hamas commander doesn't realize that the true God sees him and his men flaunting their weapons, exercising their power, and slobbering out their prayers. God laughs at them. He mocks them. He holds them in derision. He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury saying, "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill" (Psalm 2).
And when God's King arises, they will have no choice but to bow as they behold the wonder of His majesty–the weight of His glory. Through wide eyes and tears, they will confess "Jesus is Lord" only before the One who rules the nations with a rod of iron dashes them to pieces like a potter's vessel. And for all eternity, they will endure the just and holy wrath of the King they derided–whose image they scorned.
The gods of this world are as nothing before Jesus. The gods of the false religions will join their followers under the heel of Christ as He crushes them in the winepress of the fury of His wrath (Rev. 19:15).
The good news is that Jesus came into this world and died on the cross to save people who murder innocent men, women, and children. He came to save liars, idol-worshippers, thieves, and dictators. He came to redeem blasphemers, gossips, and cowards. Any terrorist in the world can lay down his gun, take down his flag, humble himself, and be saved by the King of grace and Father of mercies.
But make no mistake: Every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, either in this life or the next. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jesus Christ, and nothing will change that. Gunshots may fire, bombs may explode, and cities will be leveled–but when the dust clears, Jesus Christ is still on the throne.