I have been doing a lot of research into the days of Noah recently and hope to write a few articles about it.
The “Darkness” and violence was one of the key signs of the time and the decline of human civilization.
There is no where you turn that you don’t see it. And it’s not just that there is violence, it how real we have made it with CGI and media.
It was one thing for Bugs Bunny to hit Elmer Fudd on the head, we could distinguish between cartoon and reality, but now there is no distinction. It is hard for us to tell what is real and what is not. Our eyes are deceived!
I have been watching as little as possible of the news coverage related to the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. I realize it is a major news story, but I’m just sick of the fact that the emotional outcry is simply a cut and paste from a long line of other mass-murder shootings. Everyone is shocked by the event, but nothing is changed by it.
The world was just a few days short of the first anniversary of the massacre in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 people, and a year later they are still in the process of deciding his fate. Since Breivik can only serve a maximum sentence of 21 years in Norway, with time severed, he’ll be a free man in two decades.
The liberal media wasted no time trying to blame the shooting on a conservative group. ABC News’ chief investigative reporter Brian Ross said, “There is a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year.”
There was no effort of the part of Ross to contact the organization to verify if Jim Holmes was the shooter. The press must have some secret policy that gives any reporter the right to initially pin mass murder on any conservative of their choosing. The same thing happened last year, right after U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot. Jared Loughner was tied to the Tea Party, but in fact, he had liberal viewpoints.
Using the same standards that Brian Ross uses for reporting, one can uncover some serious charges against him. If you Google Brian Continue Reading »
Largest Dust Storms in a Century Roll Back into Dust Bowl
According to meteorologists, the huge dust storms are becoming more frequent, forming during the monsoon season from June until the end of September. This summer’s dust storms are the worst to have hit since the massive “Dust Bowl” disaster that struck the Midwest in the 1930s. At that time, more than 100 million acres of topsoil were stripped from the land when the strong winds struck in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Massive storms gathered up the drought-parched topsoil and dumped it into the Atlantic Ocean, destroying the land for future farming, and creating the “Dust Bowl” region.
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6.6-magnitude earthquake hits off Papua New Guinean island
Tsunami warning centers in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami from the earthquake, which was initially measured as having a magnitude of 6.6. “No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.
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6.0 quake strikes near Guatemala-Mexico border
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala near the country’s border with Mexico Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Local agencies offered different assessments of the quake, which occurred at 6:22 a.m. (8:22 a.m. ET).
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Ebola outbreak in Uganda kills 13
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has killed 13 people in Uganda and efforts are under way to contain the hemorrhagic fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. There is no treatment and no vaccine against Ebola, which is transmitted by close personal contact and, depending on the strain, kills up to 90 percent of those who contract the virus.
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Chronic drought to become commonplace, scientists warn
The four-year-long drought that affected western Canada and the U.S. at the turn of the century was the worst to hit the region in 800 years, say scientists who warn that dry spell was nothing compared to the “megadroughts” still to come.
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Grain prices threaten growth – except in Canada’s breadbasket
Grain prices, which are hitting record highs as crop failures ripple around the globe, are likely to remain strong for at least three more years, the World Bank says, threatening to push the price of nutritious food beyond the reach of the world’s poorest citizens. While the massive drought in the United States has garnered a lot of attention, the situation is made worse by a shortage of rain that has damaged wheat crops in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. India’s monsoon rainfall is also about 20 per cent below average, hurting crop prospects in the world’s second-most-populous country, while excessive rain is pinching farm producers in many European countries.
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Deadly Seal Flu Virus Poses Threat To Humans
The strain is closely related to one that has been circulating in North American birds since 2002. But unlike the bird strain, it has adapted to living in mammals. It has also evolved mutations known to ease transmission and cause more severe symptoms. Specifically, the virus has the ability to target a protein found in human lungs. Dr Anne Moscona, from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, who led the researchers, said: “There is a concern that we have a new mammalian-transmissible virus to which humans haven’t been exposed yet. “It’s a combination we haven’t seen in disease before.”
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Weather station temperature claims are overheated, report claims
Global warming believer-turned-skeptic Anthony Watts, a former TV meteorologist, posted a new report online questioning the reliability of weather stations in the U.S. Historical Climatology Network, a 120-year-old weather system that forms one tent pole of climate measurements. As the country has evolved, building urban metropolises and airports and pouring parking lots, the weather stations haven’t moved — and poorly cited stations are spoiling the data.
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Uganda says avoid handshakes as Ebola returns
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday advised people to avoid shaking hands, casual sex and do-it-yourself burials to reduce the chance of contracting the deadly Ebola virus after an outbreak killed 14 people and put many more at risk.
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Drought and wild fires destroy Russian harvest
Russia is currently in the grips of an extremely strong heat wave. City and town residents are suffocating from the sweltering heat. For example, it is about 30 degrees in Moscow with prospects of the thermometer going up in the next few days. The heat wave situation is aggravated by wild fires producing clouds of poisonous smoke.
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Japan heat wave death toll rises to 30
At least 30 people have already died due to extreme heat in Japan, with more than 8,000 others rushed to hospital, including elderly people.
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Heat record broken Monday
The mercury rose to over 30 degrees Celsius for the first time this summer in eastern Finland as meteorologists warned of severe thunderstorms later in the day.
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Little Rock, Ar. hits third highest temperature ever recorded: 111 F
Triple-digit heat intensified across Arkansas on Monday, setting records in at least two cities and increasing the danger for wildfires. Temperatures exceeded 100 in some areas, and are expected to stick around for much of the week. Low humidity also is settling in, increasing the threat for wildfires.
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Earthquake rumbles Mineral, VA
Almost 1 year after Central Virginia was rocked by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, a smaller tremor was felt early Tuesday morning. According to the latest reading from the U.S. Geological Survey , it happened just after midnight.
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Second India blackout in two days cuts power to 670 million
Grids supplying electricity to half of India’s 1.2 billion people collapsed on Tuesday, trapping coal miners, stranding train travelers and plunging hospitals into darkness in the second major blackout in as many days.
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Corn Ratings Worsen as U.S. Midwest Drought Expands: USDA
The condition of the U.S. corn crop worsened for an eighth straight week amid the worst Midwest drought in a generation. Soybean ratings also fell. About 24 percent of the corn was in good or excellent condition as of yesterday, down from 26 percent a week earlier and 77 percent in mid-May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a report.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
I do believe that the hardest word in the English language to say is, “No.” I am not speaking of correctly pronouncing the word. It’s very simple to pronounce. Just place your tongue at the roof of your mouth, grab an “N” and come down with an “O.” When you’re finished, you lips will have formed the word “No.”
My reference to the usage of the word “No” is the inability of many to use this word as a response to others or even self.
Are you one of those who have little time for yourself because you’re running everyone else’s errands? If you’re helping those who cannot help themselves, then you are to be commended, but what about those who choose to sit on their ever widening posterior and use you to do what they could do for themselves? I know some who allow family members, for example, to simply use them, because they just can’t say the word “No.”
I have even seen church members who are worked to death, because they just can’t say “No.”
Elaine works long hours every day at a grinding job. Yet when she comes home it doesn’t stop there. There is a house to clean, dinner to prepare, and a sack of potatoes snoring in the recliner commonly called a “husband.” In addition, there are three little rug rats who demand constant attention.
Joe also works long hours every day for a boss that is a jerk. When he arrives home at his castle, there are outside chores that must be done, and a soap opera buff lying on the couch among potato chips and cookies and no dinner prepared. His offspring are each clamoring for a ride to soccer and cheerleading practice.
Pastor Bob and his lovely wife Beth spend many hours taking care of menial church chores at the little church out in the country. While he works on the roof, Beth is cleaning inside. In addition to their secular jobs, they teach Sunday School, visit the sick and just do whatever is needed. Their congregation wonders why they seem so tired on Sunday mornings.
Lazy people often sit on their gluteus maximus and have others, whether it be family members or friends, run their errands and wait on them hand and foot. Again, I’m not referring to those who cannot help themselves, perhaps for health reasons for example. I am referring to those folk who are healthy and have the means to take care of their own responsibilities, but are just too cotton-pickin’ lazy to do so.
If you are one of the suckers who just can’t say “No,” then who is to blame for your quandary? You are.
I realize that the Lord expects us to put others first, but does He expect us to be doormats for lazy people? I don’t think so. The following verses come to mind:
“10Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”11Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.12We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.13As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.14Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.15Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-15 NLT)
I have listened to many people complain about how busy they are and how little time they have for themselves. More often than not, the reason lies in that person allowing others to dictate their time.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
God warned of famine and drought in the last days, it is not just the US but every bread basket in the world right now is experiencing a drought or on the verge with drought like conditions.
The heat will continue, it will continue to get worst.
But do not fret, because the Lord said we should not put our hope in this world but in him and his Blessed assurance that he will keep us from the worst.
We do not belong to this world but to Christ in heaven, and he has promised to return for use.
Are we not suppose to make plans and live our lives fully here on this planet? Of course not.
We need to make plans, live our lives for Christ, as a reflection of His love.
We need to hold on to those plans loosely, palms up, hands open, and be ready for his return.
Corn crops have been severely damaged by the drought. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
A month of scorching temperatures across the country’s midwest has sent corn and soybean prices to record highs, while wheat prices have reached levels not seen since the last food crisis in 2008.
The severest drought since 1956 in America’s agricultural heartland has dashed the hopes that were alive just a couple of months ago of a bumper harvest. Traders and economists warned that the effect will ripple out from the US because it is the world’s biggest producer of corn and a major supplier of soybeans and wheat.
“This year we have a rally in prices that is driven by the fundamentals,” said Shawn McCambridge, an analyst at Jefferies Bache. “I really do anticipate these prices staying strong and producers will have to try to pass the cost onto consumers.”
The dizzying gain in prices has shocked many in the industry. Corn prices have surged 51pc over the last month, wheat is up 40pc and soybeans have gained almost 20pc. The prospect of another bout of food inflation will alarm governments in developing countries where the run-up in prices in 2008 caused widespread hunger and revolts. It also presents a new headwind for western countries trying to kickstart economic recoveries.
For now – at least – all eyes are on the weather forecast for those US states that have been hardest hit, including Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. While light rain fell in some parts day, there is little more forecast over the next two weeks.
The drought forced the US government last week to cut its forecast for corn production this year to 12.9bn bushels from a prediction of 14.8bn it made last month. “I get on my knees every day and I’m saying an extra prayer right now,” Tom Vilsack, the US agricultural secretary, said today. “If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it.”
Dan Basse, president of AgResources in Chicago, said that the government’s prediction will prove too optimistic if the dry weather persists. “We’ve been traipsing through the fields of southern Illinois and it is worse than the government says,” explained Mr Basse.
A sharp difference with 2008 is that speculative money is playing a far smaller role this time, said Mr McCambridge. Although rapid, analysts say the sharp increases over the last month are an appropriate response to the pullback in production and uncertainty over the eventual size of the corn, wheat and soyabean crops. Corn futures hit a record $8.16 a bushel on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange today, while soybeans touched $17.49 a bushel. If there is some good news, it is that rice – a staple for many of the world’s poorest – has escaped the increases.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Tension is rising in the Middle East again. The civil war in Syria is worsening, Western sanctions on Iran are intensifying, large-scale military exercises by both Tehran and the West are on the cards. This is all worrying and cause for alarm.
Yet, it is an unprecedented, largely ignored national address by Iran’s supreme leader that is most alarming. On Friday, July 6, a number of Iranian state-run media outlets ran stories highlighting remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In his address, Khamenei warned his people all over the world that Iran must prepare for war, and that we are now living in “the end of times.”
More specifically, Khamenei warned of the imminent return of the Mahdi, or the 12th imam. “The issue of Imam Mahdi is of utmost importance, and his reappearance has been clearly stated in our holy religion of Islam,” he said. “We must study and remind ourselves of the end of times and Imam Mahdi’s era. … We must prepare the environment for the coming so that the great leader will come.”
The belief of a returning Mahdi, or 12th imam, is a defining doctrine within the most populous group of Shiites known as Ithna Ashari, or “Twelvers.” In addition to Iran’s supreme leader, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also belongs to this influential group. According to Twelver theology, the Mahdi’s return will be precipitated by planet-engulfing wars, the likes of which will destroy one third of the world’s population, and another third as a result of widespread hunger, disease and social unrest. Finally, the destruction will be capped with the annihilation of the Jewish state and the killing of all infidels, after which the seed of Islam will be planted in the four corners of the Earth.
Here in the West, most people mistakenly ignore this theology and the depth of commitment Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their followers have to it. This is to our own peril. Twelvers don’t just believe the Mahdi will soon return: They consider it a personal responsibility to create the apocalyptic conditions that will surround his return.
Frankly, ushering in the Mahdi is the guiding principle of Iran’s foreign policy!
The line that really struck me that I had never been able to put into words before but had an urging to try was about the questions we get so often from friends and family that maybe don’t agree with our believe in the imminent Rapture.
See if this sounds familiar: If you really believe in the Rapture, then why plan at all for next year or beyond?
Pastor JD summed it up the best I have ever heard.
We are to hope, pray, and look for Christ’s return for us every day. It is our blessed hope and assurance.
Do we plan for next year or ten years out? Of course. We want to be as ready for his return next year or in ten years as we are today. If we do not have plans to keep us going and prepared then would we be in a position to be ready for his Return? Which servant would we be? Have we truly “Occupied” until his return?
We are to make plans, both short and long-term, but we need to hold them in our hand palms up, loosely, not like you hold a bike handle (tight and rigid) but as you would water in your palm (open and loose).
Our plans should not own us, we can not serve two masters. Does the plan control our actions, do you serve it, or do we control the plan based on God’s word and whispers to us during our prayers.
We need to put ourselves in a position where we can enact God’s will in our lives until that blessed day he returns for us.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Amazing graphic and article on how we have seen technology expand exponentially in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.
Daniel 12:4 – (NKJV) – “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
We have an amazing ability to transfer of knowledge!
PUBLISHED: 08:05 EST, 18 July 2012 | UPDATED: 10:21 EST, 18 July 2012
You almost certainly use it every day, but until now nobody has really known what the internet actually looks like.
However, Fortune magazine and graphic designer Nicolas Rapp teamed up with telecom data and infrastructure company GeoTel Communications.
The company maps fiber optic cables and geographic information systems (GIS) that connect people all over the world, which were used to create the stunning image below.
It shows the key locations for fiber optic cables, the high speed connections that form the backbone of the internet.
What the Internet really looks like: Each yellow line is one of the major fiber-optic cables that carry Internet traffic around the world. These are the ‘plumbing’ of the internet, and many are routed undersea.
It also reveals that much of the online world is actually underwater, and under the world’s largest oceans.
These cables transfer data in the form of light to and from power repeaters in major cities — such as Hong Kong and New York — in a matter of milliseconds.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Amazing article by Jack Kelly, he really lays out what we have seen happen over the last 100 years as God sets the stage for the last days. From Israel’s return, to the fall of the USSR making way for the revived Roman enpire, to the fall of the USA we are seeing today. He makes clearly focuses on not just what we have seen but what we should have our eye on. God’s promises to us, His church, and His will for us until His Son returns to claim His bride in the air. It is really something to ponder…
There are lots of news reports, articles, and even books devoted to the deteriorating state of America and speculating on the likely outcome. Reading them has brought several things to my mind.
As an example, I remembered something Hal Lindsey said 20 years ago about the then current world situation. He said he had been wondering how God was going to fulfill end times prophecy while the Soviet Union was standing in the way of the revived Roman Empire taking its prophesied place in the end times.
The term “revived Roman Empire” comes from Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as a prophecy of “Gentile Dominion”, the time during which Gentile Empires would rule the world. (Daniel 2:31-43).
In the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a large poly-metallic statue, and Daniel interpreted it to represent four Kingdoms. Many scholars believe the head of gold stood for Babylon, the chest and arms of silver symbolized Media Persia, who conquered Babylon. The belly and thighs of bronze pointed to Greece who defeated the Persians. The legs of iron represented Rome who replaced the Greeks.
Finally came the feet and toes, part of the legs and made partly of iron like the legs, but different in that they were also composed partly of baked clay. Daniel called them a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly weak (Daniel 2:41-42).
The Roman Empire was never completely conquered. Instead it split into eastern and western legs, versions of which have always been visible on the world scene. Since the feet and toes are the last phase of Gentile Dominion before the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom of His own (Daniel 2:44) and since the statue only represents four kingdoms, scholars call them the revived Roman Empire.
How Will This Happen?
OK. Let’s go back to Hal’s question. Remember, before its fall in the early 1990s all of Eastern Europe including half of Germany was under Soviet control. This was a significant portion of the old Roman Empire. He wondered how the USSR would be defeated so the end times version of the Roman Empire could emerge.
Then we all received the answer loud and clear when for all intents and purposes the Soviet Union suddenly ceased to exist. It wasn’t defeated by an external enemy, but crumbled from within under a crippling burden of debt. The debt was the result of a combination of problems, including a disastrous war in Afghanistan, an unsustainable arms race with the US, and the inability to support the resulting increase in government spending in a declining Soviet economy.
Remembering Hal’s comment made me think how similar the world situation is today, only now it’s the US standing in the way of end times prophecy. Israel can’t experience the utter abandonment that will leave God as its only hope against powerful, hate filled enemies until the US has been neutralized. Like the Soviet Union, we could crumble from within for the same reasons they did. A catastrophic natural disaster, a coordinated series of terrorist attacks, or the rapture of the Church would also get the US out of God’s way. But something will have to happen to clear the way for the next phase of the end times, because just as the USSR was not part of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, neither is the USA.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
This is really the trifecta of articles I have read in the last hour.
I am amazed at how deceptive this ad can be in stating it is the Catholic Bishops that are the threat to Religious Freedom, when the exact opposite is true.
Whether you believe in the Catholic point of view on religion is beside the point, they should have the freedom from being forced to support something their faith preaches against.
Then in her statement she says she is a “cultural catholic”, that she is no longer a believer and even wrote a play on the matter called “Letting Go of God.”?
How does that work? Is this a growing phenomenon? Apostasy? A falling away?
And then the closer, join our cause to help keep the bishops from forcing their dogma on everyone (Who is forcing who here?) and help keep church and state separate (Who is joined with who again?).
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is known for creating a stir, particularly among people of faith — a cohort the group so regularly targets. In recent months, the atheist non-profit has set its sights primarily on Catholics, first running a New York Times ad that read, “It’s Time to Quit the Catholic Church.” Now, the FFRF has released a new television spot slamming what co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor calls the ”Catholic Bishops’ war against contraception.”
Coincidentally, the 30-second ad, which features former “Saturday Night Live” actress and comedian Julia Sweeney (she played the popular character “Pat”), will run from June 21 through July 4. Interestingly, this is the same time frame during which the Catholic Church’s “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign is going on (yes, an intentional action on the part of the atheists).
The 30-second spot featuring personable Julia Sweeney is running approximately 1,200 times over a two-week period on a variety of national TV — but in regional markets. Those who may view the ads have the following TV or cable carriers: Dish, DirecTV, Cox, Comcast, Verizon and Viamedia.
We’re getting a lot of phone calls at the FFRF office in response. Some callers are giving our female receptionists a hard time, making unprintable comments. But others are our kind of folks, such as a grandmother in Pennsylvania who said she was raised Catholic but is “98 percent atheist,” and is disgusted by the Catholic Church’s attempt, as she put it, to “put canon law over civil law.”
Ever since the so-called Arab Spring first had its inception, the amount of apologias for the Muslim Brotherhood and other organizations involved in that supposedly enlightened and revolutionary event reached something of a critical mass. Yet despite being a critical mass, it quite obviously was not analyzed critically. In fact, now that Egypt has begun its path towards a new state unencumbered by the remnants of the previous Mubarak regime, Westerners are seeing more and more cause for concern, especially where the Muslim Brotherhood’s virulent antisemitism is concerned.
Nevertheless, until now, no Muslim Brotherhood operative had actually outed himself as an outright antisemite on a Western television show. In that respect, Nader Amram, of Egypt‘s Peace and Freedom Party’s foreign relation’s committee, is truly a trailblazer. The Weekly Standard reports:
News channel France 24 hosted a panel Monday night to discuss Egypt’s first civilian president, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi. One of the guests on the panel, via satellite from Cairo, was Nader Amram, a member of the Freedom & Justice Party’s foreign relations committee. (The Freedom & Justice Party (FJP) is the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party.)
Nader Amram
When Amram learned that an Israeli journalist was also included on the panel, he protested that he had not been informed beforehand that he would have to appear with an Israeli. He then launched into a mini-diatribe about how Israel is the real problem in the Middle East and refused to discuss matters further with the Israeli.
This is insane, extremely concerning. How is this not upside down and backwards.
All the group is doing is talking about their religion, they are not forcing anyone to believe, they are just sharing their beliefs.
These are kids, ages 7 to 18, that are spewing all this hate. Where did they learn this from?
They are throwing full water bottles, milk crates, cans, trash, rocks, and anything else that is not nailed down.
How is this not upside down? A group can not protest?
The cops said that they were the ones creating a danger to society, not the ones throwing rocks, how backwards is that?
It intensifies at about the 9:10 mark.
It is painful to watch. By turning a blind eye to this evil and hate, what are we setting ourselves up for as a society?
Do they really think they can reason with this crowd? What happens when they gain more power?
How can people say this is a religion of peace?
The Chamber of Commerce refused to allow a free speech zone. I thought our country was supposed to be a “freedom of speech” zone?
Be sure to watch to the end, as they are being police escorted in the van away from festival, they get pulled over and end up have 12 officers there.
What is our country become?
Update: I found the full unedited version of the video. This group was preaching the truth but was a little more provocative than the edited version shows. It is long, about 1 hour in length but I wanted to make sure you saw the raw video. The pig was inappropriate as well as some of the language, I wish they would have used more of the Love message that Jesus used, still the response is inappropriate.
At the 40 minute mark the group moves for I believe the last time and they get pelted with a barrage if stuff, the crowd turns into a pack of animals, it is INSANE!
The conservative preoccupation with presenting Sharia law as a threat to the United States’ culture as well as its national security has long been an unwarranted source of liberal derision. They may Continue Reading »
Nothing like having a balanced panel, three non-believers but the poll is troubling.
It matches the Lord’s promises though.
There is so much deception out there, both the media and the internet.
If there is anyone questioning, they need to read their Bible, not the internet. This is the reason why prophecy is so important.
The Lord predicted all these things, over 2000 years ago so that we would know His word is the truth. He put them in His book for us to read and verify what we are seeing so we could discern the truth.
He has never been proven wrong and has a 100% track record if you actually read the Bible. Study the Bible, the internet and other books can be a good supplement, but everything must be taken back to the Bible to be verified.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
This is just out of control. A volunteer police chaplain has been told to stop using the name of Jesus when he prays at official police ceremonies or he’d lose his position. And it’s all because of ‘tolerance’ and political correctness:
CBN NEWS – Volunteer chaplains in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department have been ordered to stop using the name of Jesus in their prayers at official ceremonies.
Maj. John Diggs, overseer of the chaplain program, explained that the goal is to be more sensitive to all religions. The department’s employees include Muslims and Jews as well.
“(It’s a) matter of respecting that people may have different faiths and that it is not aimed at any one religion or denomination,” he said.
Pastor Terry Sartain, with Horizon Christian Fellowship, said he was saddened by the new policy.
“I’m a pastor and Jesus is the only thing I have to offer to bless people – his life and his person,” he told FOX News Radio.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
I think this is a new favorite article for me from Jack Kelly.
He does a fantastic job laying out the basics in a way that cuts right to the heart of the matter.
What is the only thing we need to do to accept the glorious gift of salvation God has offered to us and what the difference is between a Christian doing good work and a non-believer doing the same good works. (Hint: It has to do with motive and intent.)
I have never heard this concept explained so well.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)
The Great White Throne Judgment fits descriptions we have about the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur. It’s was believed that on the first of Tishri the books in which all the deeds of God’s people had been recorded were opened for review. The names of those whose behavior in the previous year had been exemplary in every way were immediately inscribed in the Book of Life. Those whose behavior had been totally without merit were scheduled for death in the coming year. Almost everyone was somewhere in between these two extremes so for the next 10 days, called the days of awe, the people conducted a thorough self examination and went around frantically trying to right the wrongs they had committed during the year because the forgiveness by God required prior reconciliation between men (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance). On the 10th of Tishri, Yom Kippur, the books were closed and those who had righted the wrongs of the previous year were inscribed in the Book of Life for another year. During the 10 days of awe, a common greeting among friends was, “May your name be written in the Book.”
The difference in Rev. 20:11-15 is the absence of the 10 days of awe. The unsaved dead will be resurrected and immediately taken to judgment without any opportunity to make things right. Anything that was not dealt with before the person died will be there to condemn him or her at the Great White Throne. Therefore only those who died in a state of total righteousness will find their names written in the Book at the resurrection of the unsaved.
Traditional Or Conditional?
There’s a lot of talk these days about degrees of good and evil, and some of it has even evolved into a re-thinking of our traditional view of the eternal state of unbelievers. The traditional view is that anyone who fails to personally accept the pardon that God purchased for us with the blood of His son will spend eternity in a state of agonizing punishment in the Lake of Fire.
But some have begun to question this view, asking why an unbelieving humanitarian who led an exemplary life in service to others but failed to acknowledge the Lord as his Savior should receive the same punishment as someone like Hitler or Stalin who murdered millions of people in cold blood. They say it’s not like God to do this, and back it up by quoting Revelation 20:12 that says in part, “The dead were judged … according to what they had done.”
Paul, since the first time he mentioned “Harpazo” has always put forth the positive unfearful, longing for the Blessed Hope.
The definition of the Rapture and how we got there via translation is a topic for another article, though worthwhile as that seems to be an area of much concern and attacks from critics. But today I would like to focus in of the phrase “My Blessed Hope”. It was the name I felt led to call this site and it has great importance to me as God’s promise for me, and you.
Hope.
We seem to hear this word a lot these days. I feel the use of the word has been cheapened somewhat by the over use on things of this world.
The “blessed hope” is not the kind of hope that says “I hope my uncle gets well.” or “I hope it doesn’t rain on my wedding day.” This word for hope has much more certainty. It is a Bible word that speaks of “a blessed confidence.” It speaks of a future event that has long been guaranteed by God Himself. This hope is future, but it is as certain as the one hundred Old Testament prophecies that speak of our Lord Jesus’ first coming. Which is now historical fact. – (paraphrased from Perhaps Today)
That is the Rock, the confidence Paul is saying we should have in Christ’s promise to Harpazo His church, the Rapture.
It is a promise given to us not of this world but in the world.
It is the Hope we should live everyday for as we go about striving to accomplish God’s will.
It is my blessed hope and I truly hope it is yours as well.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
This is a very good article in laying out a Theory of how certain prophecy puzzle pieces may fit together.
I have always found it believable that the Rapture could play a role in accelerating certain prophecy events and I am amazed that most consider the events independently without looking at the “what if’s”.
What if, this happens, then what would be the fall out.
It is an interesting read on where we find ourselves today and what could lie ahead.
We discussed the conditioning process that must be necessary in order for the antichrist to accomplish all that the Bible sets out for him in a brief seven years. It is one thing to control the global economic, governance and religious systems, it is another thing altogether to centralize it first.
It takes no time at all to assume power over something, provided that something is fully developed to that purpose. The antichrist doesn’t have the time to develop the systems or prepare the public to accept them.
The Scriptures say that he takes control of the levers of power, he doesn’t create them. While the Scriptures say that he has a “look more stout than his fellows” and a “mouth speaking great things” — he must first have a willing and receptive audience, or he is just another fierce-looking politician.
When the One was elevated to office in 2008, he certainly looked and sounded pretty fierce. And he had a willing and receptive audience. But what he didn’t have at his disposal in 2009 was the necessary global infrastructure.
Nonetheless, the practices and policies of the Obama administration are so similar to those outlined by the Scriptures for the last days that he’s made a lot of people to wonder aloud, “Could the One be THE One?”
Not likely. Some of the stuff ascribed to the antichrist for the last days will require real leadership, not just empty words and lofty rhetoric (although he will be good at that, too.)
So on that score, Obama isn’t likely to be THE One. But it could be argued that he has done more to move the world in the direction necessary than any leader of any nation since World War Two.
One of the main obstacles holding back the revelation of the man of sin is public acceptance. While the conditioning process is complete across much of the world, America has, to this point, remained a stubborn hold-out.
The Russians, Chinese, Europeans, NATO and the UN are more than merely prepared to turn over the reins of power to a strongman, they are actually seeking one.
The EU has been attempting to create a super-dictator to impose the EU’s will on an unwilling population since the Treaty of Rome set European reunification as its ultimate goal back in 1957.
I found this article a while back and started watching daily the earthquakes. From the headlines alone you can see that we are really close to seeing a 6.0 or greater earthquake EVERY day! It has clearly increased if you are watching it.
Every month, spreadsheet job/reader/contributor Tony Ring generously sends us the monthly crunch of long-term earthquake data. What he does is log into the USGS database and then slices and dices by month, subtotals and figures. Even he was amazed at what’s coming out:
WOW! I’ve been running these graphs for at least a year, no? Every month they change a little. This month every one of them changed dramatically. Take a look…
Not only did I look but since we have monthly data going back to 1973, an extension out 26-months which would get us to May 2013 (our high risk area for big CME’s off the sun, since those usually peak on the backside of a solar cycle) makes human future look pretty shaky if trends continue…
Not clear enough? Well, until 2006, the world was bumping along with a 7.0 quake in the range of 3½ to 4½ times per month. If the 5th order polynomial extension is anywhere near right, it suggests that by December of 2012 that we’ll be in the 7 major quakes per month range and heading for 9 major quakes per month.
Around 30-months out, the world would be having a 6.0 or larger on a daily basis, too… Continue Reading »
A though that has been top of mind recently is a line from a song by the Sidewalk Prophets (You Love Me Anyway):
Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside
It was the “edge of this world” line that really drills me to the core. I find that if I am strong in my walk with the Lord, and on the narrow path, then I feel like I am on the edge of this world. Not really accepted or belonging to it.
When I am off the path, I feel more comfortable with this world. I feel it is a little piece of truth I have uncovered for myself and hope to pass along to others that haven’t yet.
My devotional this morning had scripture from Luke: it stated “deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.” (Luke 9:23)
Deny ourselves is what jumped out to me. It is certainly a foreign concept to this world and not something you hear very often. Deny ourselves what? I think it is part of the key to why it feels so good to live a disciplined life: controlled, measured, and simple.
Simplicity: another word that I don’t really think means the same thing today or at least is not thought of/used the same way. The devotional also had a prayer that I think I am going to use daily. It really sums up well the gift we have been given and what we should be attuned to each day.
Dear Lord, thank You for making me a citizen of heaven freely by Your grace. I do not deserve this privilege, but I thank You for it. I sincerely desire to live each day in conformity to Your will. help me to avoid earthly minded decisions and “set [my] affection on things above.” May I commit all my ways to You. Use my life as You see fit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
My hope is that in reading/saying this prayer each day it will help attune me to God’s will in these last days and the appropriate perspective that I should have on my life and the things of this world.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
This weeks update from JD is very good but start around the 9 1/2 minute mark as he has some fathers day stuff at the beginning, which if you’re a father is nice but I understand that your time is valuable.
This weeks discussion is around the Rapture! My blessed hope!
The Quote that struck me: “It is time to be ready, it is too late to get ready.”
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
According to the article, the four countries are preparing 90,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks for the massive joint maneuvers, which are to take place along the Syrian coast within a month.
The report states that Russian “atomic submarines and warships, aircraft carriers and mine-clearing destroyers as well as Iranian battleships and submarines will also arrive in Syria” and that Egypt has agreed to let 12 Chinese warships cross the Suez Canal for the exercises.
According to Israel Radio, Bouthaina Shaabana, a Syrian official and President Bashar Assad’s special adviser, said the reports about such a drill are “baseless” and false.
The IDF spokesman’s office called the report a “political matter” and declined to comment.
“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say; ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.’ (Ezekiel 38:3-6)
From time to time Scripture gives us brief glimpses of the supernatural powers behind Earthly thrones. Isaiah 14:3, Ezekiel 28:12, Daniel 10:13,20 and Daniel 12:1 are examples of this. When these supernatural powers are referred to as the king of a particular country, as is the case in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 it tells us God has Satan in view. When the power behind the throne is called a prince, it’s one of Satan’s underlings.
Some years ago, I came to the conclusion that Gog is one of these supernatural powers, perhaps Satan’s counterpart to the Archangel Michael, who is also called a chief prince (Daniel 10:13) and who is responsible for the defense of Israel (Daniel 12:1). A review of Genesis 10 shows that Gog’s name does not appear in the human genealogies there, nor can he be found among their descendants by any other means, but he appears to be well known to God.
On the other hand, Magog does appear in Genesis 10 as the 2nd son of Japeth and brother of Meshech and Tubal. Most scholars believe Magog represents modern day Russia, while Meshech and Tubal likely settled nearby in eastern Turkey, and there’s universal agreement that Persia is now known as Iran. In the past we’ve pinned down the modern equivalents of the other nations involved in the Ezekiel 38 scenario, so for the purpose of this article I want to focus on the growing relationship between two of the key national participants, Magog (Russia) and Persia (Iran).
Some scholars observe that when the Lord lists groups of nations, He often does so in priority order, with the most important ones first. If so, then placing Persia first in the order of nations that will be joining Magog and his brothers in the coming attack against Israel is a sign of Persia’s importance to the group’s objectives.
The Sleeping Bear Has Awakened
As Russia has moved to re-assert itself as a player on the world stage, one of the first steps has involved the Middle East. This began with the agreement to help Iran build nuclear reactors, supposedly for peaceful purposes. After numerous delays caused primarily by Western objections, the Bushier reactor has finally come on line. It’s the first of what was originally announced as an agreement to build 10 such power plants. Through out all this Russia has been steadfastly opposed to any military efforts aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program.
Todd does a good job laying out what we are seeing today and how that links to prophecy. The days of Noah and the Days of Lot were cruel and evil times. Are we seeing that these days? Has it gotten worst?
Paul also laid out in his letters what it would be like in the last days when he laid out what men in the last days would lust after and gravitate toward.
I read somewhere that there is no word in the English language that describes a person who enjoys the misfortunes of other people. We have plenty of adjectives like “cruel,” “evil,” and “sadistic” that we can apply to someone’s nature, but we lack an appropriate noun. To find a word that fits the bill, we have turn to the German language for the word “Schadenfreude.”
The folks at Merriam-Webster need to find a word we can call our own because we live in a world that thrives on Schadenfreude. It has become the core foundation of much of what passes for entertainment, and I think this mindset is doing major damage to the moral fabric of our society.
Television has become so fractured that networks have been forced to turn to the cheapest forms of programming to fill their daily schedules. One of the most cost-effective formats is a show that features videos of people making fools out of themselves. One of the pioneers of this field is America’s Funniest Home Videos, which first aired as a special on November 26, 1989, and is now in its twenty-second season.
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
JD does a great job laying out seven prophecy puzzle pieces we are seeing come to pass right now.
Wonderful!!
(Updated 6/13/12 – I added the follow video that continues the puzzle and begins connecting them. He also does a great segment on the Laodicea Church at the end of the second video.)
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
All nations will stand/turn against Israel or put another way, no one will stand with them. This is occurring as we speak. Israel is more aware of this than we are and they are becoming bolder out of necessity.
Great article about what we are seeing… it is simply stunning to see God’s Word fulfilled.
It has never been wrong, ever.
He is the Rock we need to build our faith and our lives on.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again thrown down the proverbial gauntlet. Despite his playing to the news cameras and to the international community diplomatic forces trying to force the Jewish state to divide the city where Jesus was crucified, when push comes to shove, Netanyahu says a resounding “NO” to Jerusalem being divided.
The prime minister has, as pointed out before, learned to talk the talk in playing the game to agree on matters of forging some sort of a peace. This is a trick long utilized by PLO head Yasser Arafat and most other Islamists when it comes to seeming to agree to move ahead with peace, but always changing some things at just the right time in the process to prevent negotiations from ever actually coming to fruition. Netanyahu, however, makes no bones about the status of Jerusalem in his thinking.
He said, upon becoming prime minister the first time around: “I will never allow Jerusalem to be divided again. Never! Never! We will keep Jerusalem united and … we will never resurrender those ramparts… Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years since the time of King David and we don’t expect to change that for the next 3,000 years!”
This is the prophecy that weighs on my mind and heart the most recently. I have to constantly ask for the Lords aid in lifting this worry/concern. It grieves me greatly to see so many being mis-led and deceived.
I find myself constantly checking and double checking the background/core beliefs of any “new” author I hear of or are recommended. It is a minefield out there. Some days I just want to throw up my hands and say “Lord, where do I turn for help and understanding?” And I always hear the same response, “My Word.”
It is really the answer. Anything man has touched can be corrupted but God’s Word, His Son, and His Word are true and everlasting. It is easily said to rely on “His Word” but sometimes we need a little help interpreting what it all means or lack the patience to stick with it as long as it takes for its meaning to be revealed.
I agree with Jim on his statements below. We really need to be very guarded with what we believe, taking everything back to God’s Word for validation. We need to look before the surface to see what their core beliefs are.
This is a fight that needs to be fought to help protect our children and wake folks up from the rampant deception of this world. It is a hard fight, but we must lean on the Lord.
That’s tongue-in-cheek, of course—barely. I’ve written before about what I am calling the “War on Bible Prophecy,” and the truth is, I could write about it endlessly, because it is so pervasive in American evangelical circles today.
Never thought you’d read a statement like that, did you?
I didn’t, either.
This is not a mystery. The future scenario outlined by God in Genesis 3—the enmity between the woman and her Seed, and the serpent and his seed—is clearly played-out today, as the world loathes both Israel and the Messiah.
So then, a key battleground in this long war against Israel is the current direct attack on Bible prophecy.
In his book, The Emerging Church, Dan Kimball makes the following statement:
“The basis of learning has shifted from logic and rational, systematic thought to the realm of experience. People increasingly long for the mystical and the spiritual rather than the evidential and fact-based faith of the modern soil.”
A couple points. Those young people today who are leaning in this direction are doing so because Dan Kimball and his friends are pushing them in that direction with their mystical teachings. Secondly, his comment of course is heavily biased; there are also plenty of people left who will respond to that approach that Emergents so hate, the “evidential and fact-based” apologetic that worked so well the last 2,000 years, between the time of Christ and the apostles…and Dan Kimball.
At a Catalyst Conference in March, 2011, speaker Christine Caine said, “God is still in the miracle business today.”
He certainly is, but the problem for Caine and her friends in Emergent is that they so dislike the eschatology of their parents and grandparents that they are ignoring the biggest miracle in our world today: the fulfillment of predictive prophecy, centered around of course Israel.
Emergents (Caine might dispute that she is Emergent, but the fact is, she pals-around with tons of them) hate Bible prophecy because it pushes against their own understanding of prophecy: man can save himself and is carving-out a glorious future.
This latter view is in direct contrast to the biblical view, which is crystal clear: the Savior must return to prevent man from destroying himself. Of course, if you are a Purpose-Driven pastor or follower drunk on your own accomplishments, this is a hateful view!
Let me digress just for a moment, and attempt to show you what we are up against, in the battle for the hearts and minds of young people—all of whom could find the freedom they so long for, in the God of the Bible.
Brad Lomenick, who leads the Catalyst team (www.catalystspace.com), periodically lists people he’d love to meet. A few months ago, he published another list, and added a list from his assistant, Michelle Hoeft. Among the folks they’d love to have dinner with:
One of the most obvious signs that we are living in the end times is the existence of Israel. Israel as a country was created in a single day and has existed since, just as Ezekiel prophesied God said it would. It is one of two key prophecies that push me to a premillennial perspective. As soon as they were joined as a nation again, Zachariah’s prophecy 12:3 began to slowing creep toward fulfillment.
Zechariah 12:3 has been amazing to watch it come to pass. I remember when I started reading the Left Behind Series and getting into prophecy that it was one that I just couldn’t get over. I had so many questions, there were so many theories/beliefs to unpack. But Zechariah 12:3 is one I just couldn’t see happening. How could every nation, turn its back on Israel? Surely not the US, the UK, and Canada? But here we sit, everyday our administration continues to take a stronger and stronger stance against Israel and for her enemies. It is simply amazing.
Jim does a great job laying out the stunning nature of this change in the winds we are seeing. Prophecy is in the process of being fulfilled right in front of us, all we have to do is take he time to look.
There is a key element of reality in our world today that most entire countries simply don’t get. They don’t get it because they have bought into the propaganda that the Bible is not credible.
Too bad for them.
Whenever someone asks me, “What is the one sign we are living in the last days?” I always answer one word: “Israel.”
It’s obvious. And the obviousness of the painfully obvious is lost on a clueless world.
I don’t think people who ask me this question are stupid; I do think the global community as a whole is stupid for blatantly rejecting the specialness of Israel and the Jewish people.
We have more clues this week that Bible prophecy is true, and the broad lines of the time of the end can be seen.
HonestReporting posted an article exposing the bias of The Guardian, the British paper that printed a “correction,” alleging that Israel’s capital is Tel Aviv, rather than Jerusalem.
(We must understand, “Israel Watch” readers, that appealing to the Bible holds little weight in today’s culture. In what is called a “postmodern culture,” the Bible is derided as an outdated myth.)
The paper’s own style guide says: “Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel; Tel Aviv is.”
This isn’t a surprise, since the British long ago ceased to be a Bible-believing people. It follows that the British media would concede the Jerusalem issue to the Muslims.
There’s been plenty of drama leading up to Egypt’s presidential elections later this month. But in addition to the infighting and violence, there is an overarching fear surrounding who will assume the presidency. In the post-Hosni Mubarak world, some fear that radical Islamist ideals will overtake the nation, leading to increased hostility and volatility. And a recent comment about “jihad” from Mohammed Mursi, a top candidate being touted by the Muslim Brotherhood, will only add to worries.
Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi
According to The Voice of Russia, an international media outlet owned by the Russian government, Mursi is calling for a Constitution that is based on the Koran and sharia law.
“The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,” Mursi apparently said in an election speech at Cairo University on Saturday evening. “Today we can establish Sharia law because our nation will acquire well-being only with Islam and Sharia. The Muslim Brothers and the Freedom and Justice Party will be the conductors of these goals.” Continue Reading »
Terry really nailed what I have been feeling over the last couple of weeks. I have been reading a lot of articles and listening to a lot of video on current events without a lot of time to post them.
His article below sums up precisely what I have been feeling. It is well worth the read and time to ponder the message.
My mind is impressed, as the day of Israel’s sixty-fourth birth into the modern era arrives, that God’s dealing with man seems about to make full circle. By that, I mean that the Book given to humanity that is his love letter and His manual for living life on this planet, given through His chosen nation, opens, in my spiritual mind, to the pages of the time of Lot and his life in Sodom.
It seems to me that we can sense, if we consider the headlines today, the angels of judgment at the gates of our own nation. Are they there, sent by the Lord of Heaven, after having entertained the efforts of God’s servants–like Abraham those thousands of years ago—to find, percentage-wise, ten righteous people who have a heart for the things of the Lord?
Israel is the prototype nation–i.e., all successive nations have had Israel to use as a template of how to act, not act, react, and conduct the affairs within the human conditions of their time in the spotlight of history. We are at just such a time of examination, in my estimation, of our own much blessed country.
It is striking to me that a first-time author has hit it big with a book that deals almost precisely with the premise of this commentary. The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn uses just such a template to dissect the Almighty’s dealings with Israel as juxtaposed against the recent history of America.
This isn’t a review of that book, so I won’t say a great deal about it. Suffice it to say that I find the relevant points of similarities between the two nations quite remarkable, as presented by the author. I recall my own opening remarks in a book written not long after the attacks on the U.S. of September 11, 2001, as I reflect on what Mr. Cahn has written.
Television screens across America and the world repeatedly flashed videotape of the huge passenger jet crashing full-throttle into the enormous building. Dazed people watched in awestruck disbelief while trapped victims leaped from the building’s top floors, some holding hands with others when they jumped. The massive twin towers disintegrated and crumbled to flaming rubble. It was the most heinous terrorist attack ever recorded. Almost immediately, angry, frightened people began demanding answers to the insanity now forever etched in their memories. Many churches were filled the Sunday following the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. There was an instinctive sense that those murderous acts of terrorism were somehow foreordained. That the carnage now known as “Ground Zero” and the uncertain future is, in some troubling way, linked by prophetic destiny. (Prophecy at Ground Zero: From Today’s Middle East Madness to the Second Coming of Christ.)
The author of The Harbinger reaches much of the same sorts of conclusions as did the authors who collaborated with me in our book, released in 2002. He gets much more specific about Ground Zero in Lower East Manhattan than did we, providing some really chilling similarities between things written in prophecy about Israel and their fulfillment, and what has happened in America since that fateful 9/11 date. He does a credible job of postulating–with strong scriptural backing—on how the U.S. judgment looks to have begun taking place in earnest at the time the towers fell on September 11, 2001.
The bottom line is that events just this past week bring home in an almost eerie way that the angels of judgment must be at the very gates of our own nation. We have long recounted the many signals of impending prophetic fulfillment. The nation Israel is at the center of hatred in the U.N.; the reviving Roman Empire is rearranging daily into prophetic configuration; the “Roadmap to Peace” plan is being pushed to make Israel conform to the wishes of the international community; the world is moving swiftly toward one world–especially toward global economy that threatens to bring the dollar down and install some sort of electronic funds transfer system.
As if that weren’t enough evidence of where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline, there is Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the whole Islamic world coming together in a way that indicates the Gog-Magog prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 is shaping for soon fulfillment. China represents a growing hegemonic threat not only in all of Asia, but in the whole world, economically speaking.
And now, astonishingly, the first sitting president of the United States in history, on the heels of his vice president first doing so, puts America directly at the gates of Sodom with his declaration that marriage should be made legal as between a man and a man and a woman and a woman. That is, it would indeed be astonishing—except that the U.S. citizenry have been desensitized by years of news and entertainment media inculcation, putting forward the idea that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual relationships. So, where at one time–no more than a decade ago—an incumbent president proposing such a thing would have sealed his own defeat, we now have no way of knowing if it will adversely affect his election chances.
Again, we hear the words of Jesus echo in forewarning of when He will next catastrophically intervene into earth’s history: “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).
Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.
If you have not asked Christ into your life, the essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Mark Stein, substituting for radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, was asked by a caller to the program on Friday, March 23, something like the following: “What do you think is China’s reason for building their military at such a rapid rate? Is it because they think they need to prepare to defend their interests against an attack? Or is it because they intend to attack others in a first strike at some point in the future?”
The British-accented political pundit said he personally senses that China is trying to bankrupt the American economy in much the same way the U.S.–under Ronald Reagan’s presidency—caused the Soviet economy to implode. The twist, Stein implied, is that China is accomplishing the bankrupting process through the debt owed China by this nation. Fully 80 percent of China’s military buildup, he believes, has been funded to this point by the interest on the debt America owes the Chinese communist government.
I have pointed out in this column before that students of Bible prophecy have long wondered about the 200-million-troop army, described as the “kings of the east” in the Revelation 9: 5-16 and 16:12 prophecy. In context of the modern red Chinese army, it has been a longstanding question: How could such a force be outfitted, given China’s weak economic position?
Amazing stats, interesting things to ponder, but take some time to think about those that surround you each day as you read the article below.
At work? At school? At events you attend? At church?
Do these pan out in your life? How many people do you know are truly living God’s word day in and day out?
Are you?
I know I struggle with it, the culture of our society is so seductive.
(I don’t necessarily agree with 100% of her assertions, or the harshness of the delivery, but it is an eye-opening exercise and probably most likely true.)
AOL recently printed an article on the religiosity of America as a whole. A Gallup poll taken in 2011 separated people into three main categories: very religious, moderately religious and nonreligious. I’ll give you an overview of the information gathered.
People who stated that religion is an important part of their daily life and who attend religious services every week or nearly every week were considered ‘very religious’ and comprised 40% of the population. Those who said they were ‘moderately religious’ were classified in two ways. Either they said religion is important but they don’t usually attend services or they attend church services but don’t consider religion to be important. These folks comprised 28% of the population.
Why one would bother going to church if religion was not important to them beats me! Maybe it’s the let’s-go-to-church-to-be-seen-because-that-is-what-a-good-person-does crowd, and therefore they feel content that they did their duty to God and can live like hell the rest of the week. After all, we know that “I’m a good person” will absolutely not cut it with a Holy God when “I’m a good person” stands before Him. And, boy oh boy, there are a bazillion “I’m a good person” kind of folks in America. That’s about the only kind of person I talk to!
Then there is the last category. These people are probably the most truthful of the bunch. Religion is not an important part of their daily life and they seldom or never attend religious services and are, of course considered ‘nonreligious.’ They made up 32% of the American population.
It is really astounding how far technology has advanced. It is certainly prophetic but also plays into, I believe, the enablement for the Mark of the Beast and Rule of the Antichrist.
So much stage setting is going on these last few years, and at lightning speed over the last 12 months.
The size of this complex is mind-blowing when you think how much data can be captured on a micro SD card smaller than a penny…
The U.S. government is in the process of building the world’s largest data complex. Located on a 240-acre site near Camp Williams, the 1-million-square-foot facility will become operational in September of next year.
The blandly named Utah Data Center is being built for the US National Security Agency (NSA). A project of immense secrecy, its purpose: to intercept, decipher, analyze, and store vast amounts of the world’s communications from satellites and underground and undersea cables of international, foreign, and domestic networks. The heavily fortified $2 billion center will house near-bottomless databases for all forms of communication, including private emails, mobile phone calls and Google searches, as well as personal data trails–travel itineraries, purchases, and other digital “pocket litter.” It is the realization of the “total information awareness” program created by the Bush administration–which was killed by Congress in 2003 after an outcry over its potential for invading privacy. (http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/05/features/the-black-box)
Amazing connections and aligns with end times prophecy…
(Go to the original article for a link to a segment of GBTV where Glenn discusses it in detail.)
This aligns both the One World Government and One World Religion, ah and sets up Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83. Jerusalem will be their capital. Isn’t it amazing that our own state department will not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but we will sit down and discuss peace and politics with these guys, who got a very warm reception in their white house visit.
It was predicted: The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and its goal of establishing a global caliphate. Now, something Glenn Beck and others who have paid careful attention to the Arab Spring have warned about may be coming to fruition. On Monday, The Blaze reported that during a rally for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammad Mursi, Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi spoke before an adoring crowd of thousands, proclaiming, “The capital of the United States of the Arabs will be Jerusalem.“ This ”United States.” And this is not even a veiled reference to an authoritarian Islamic regime, as Higazi goes on to use the word “caliphate” specifically.
“We can see how the dream of the Islamic caliphate is being realized, God willing, by Dr. Mohamed Mursi,” Higazi promised the crowd. “Our capital shall not be in Cairo, Mecca or Medina.” According to JPost, after hearing Higazi’s bold declaration, Mursi, along with other Muslim Brotherhood officials nodded in agreement.
Watch below as Higazi declares his goals for a “United Arab States” in the form of an Islamic caliphate headquartered in Jerusalem. He vows the “martyrs” will march to al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem).
But this may not come as a surprise given that back in 2006, Israeli Radio reported that Israeli-Arab Islamic cleric Sheik Ra’ad Salah also proclaimed that Jerusalem would soon become the capital of an Islamic central-state.
On his Tuesday evening broadcast, Beck reminded viewers that he had warned a radical Islamic group bent on destroying Israel would seek the revival of a worldwide authoritarian regime based on Shariah law.
What’s more, GBTV’s unprecedented documentary, Rumors of War III, explained in painstaking detail, just how entrenched The Muslim Brotherhood is in American government. A full list of administration officials with these dubious family ties can be found here.
Meanwhile, Senator John Kerry, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other Obama administration officials have heartily maintained that a dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood is imperative, even offering its members a seat at the political table. This comes of course after James Clapper made his now infamous declaration that, despite the religious reference in its very name, the Muslim Brotherhood is in fact, “largely secular.”
Beck noted the oddity that while the Obama administration legitimizes the Muslim Brotherhood, there are still no pictures from the militant Islamist group’s recent White House visit.
So while Israel is America’s greatest ally, a group now embraced by the Obama administration unabashedly welcomes the displacement of Jews from their ancestral land, Jerusalem, to make way for the establishment of an authoritarian Islamic state that governs by Shariah law. Does that sound, in any way, shape, or form, “secular” to you?
Noting the irony, Beck said that the left silences those who attempt to warn Jews that 1938 is repeating itself, while at the same time “dumping miracle grow” on the seeds of anti-Semitism in the region. He added that the same leftists dismiss anyone who says these seeds could then sprout Nazis and Communists — both of whom murdered Jews en masse.Such tactics play directly as if from the Saul Alinsky handbook, according to Beck.
The Caliphate
While the words of the Islamic cleric featured above are obviously frightening, it is important to understand what the caliphate is, its place in Muslim society and its significance.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -- Ephesians 2:8-10
What the Internet really looks like: Each yellow line is one of the major fiber-optic cables that carry Internet traffic around the world. These are the ‘plumbing’ of the internet, and many are routed undersea.
myBlessedHope 