THE CLENCHED FIST

Scripture: Whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:33 NKJV).

Josef Stalin, the murderous dictator of Russia. had been preparing for the ministry when he was influenced by the God-hater Nietzsche and broke from Christianity. On Stalin’s deathbed, his daughter said he suddenly sat upright, shook his fist toward heaven, and died. His one last gesture was a clenched fist toward God, his heart as cold and hard as steel.

Stalin ruled the Soviet Union through fear and violence. His policies resulted in devastating famines, sent his enemies to prison camps, and executed those he believed opposed him. The true figure of his killings may be as high as sixty million people.

The Communist leaders who followed continued his repressive policies until 1991, when a coup succeeded against Mikhail Gorbachev and the USSR was dissolved.

Today’s leader, Vladmir Putin, is aggressively trying to reunite the Soviet Republic. Christians are watching the world news closely. Will this lead to the Gog-Magog war prophesied in Ezekiel 38? Many believe the nations who will come against Israel for the final battle will be Russia, the -istan countries of the former Soviet bloc, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, and Germany.

Of even greater concern is the loss of the Judeo-Christian moral values in our own nation. Without God’s intervention, we will fall into the same dangerous atheism as that which infects Europe and will bring about His wrath and final judgment.

Prayer: Father, let us never forget the lessons of history. If we do not cling to You, America too will fall into barbaric immorality and political chaos. We plead for Your deliverance and mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.