Ready for the Thief

On this day in 1453, Constantinople fell to the Turks. The city, which was named after Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, was renamed Istanbul. Its Christian treasures were confiscated by the followers of Islam.

For more than a thousand years, this city had been a symbol of Christianity. But its empire increasingly had been battered with problems: plagues, declining revenues, and a series of attacks from its enemies.

Muslims had conquered nearby Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt between 634 and 642 AD. Constantinople was crippled by rivalries among Christians, who often were more concerned with fighting each other than standing united against Islam.

After the failure of the Crusades, Constantinople was left even more vulnerable. The rising tide of Islam conquered the remnants of Byzantine Asia Minor early in the 14th Century. In 1354, the Ottoman Turks overran the Balkans before the final defeat of Constantinople. It was a sad day for the Church.

Today, our world faces renewed threats from Islam. According to Operation World, the growth rate for Muslims in the 20th century was “significant—from 12.3% in 1900 to 21.1% in 2000.”

How are Christians reacting to this threat? Will we be divided, preoccupied, and distracted as the Christians were when Constantinople fell? Or will we realize that we face serious threats? That a thief is coming? That we need to be more committed than ever to serving God and His Kingdom?

Are you armed? On the alert? Strong in the Holy Spirit? Ready for battle? If you prepare your heart, He will give you victory!