Parker's ramblings

Response to teaching that Israel is made up of Edomites:

2010-02-17T04:31:00.000-08:00

I’ve done some researching on what you’ve said about all the people inhabiting Israel being Edomites. As I researched it, I came to four important conclusions that I believe hurt the Church, rather than aid her in her mission. As followers of the one who said, “I am the truth” (Jn 14:6), we should be taken up with possessing and guarding the truth in all things. And as our salvation is a relationship with the Truth (Jn 17:3), all the more.

It does appear that the nation (ethnic group) of Edom (or Esau) has been absorbed into the Jewish race. But this is not a biblical conclusion, nor does it nullify the race of Jews. The fact that the Edomites were absorbed into Israel is a fact of historical, extra-biblical knowledge. And that this fact were true, it does not require that today’s Jews are no longer Jews but Edomites. Throughout OT biblical history, Gentiles were “grafted in” to the Jewish race and religion. We have the story of Ruth, who willingly joined herself to the people of Israel, and in fact is included in the Jewish Messiah’s genealogy.
We have the famous verse that is so often taken out of context and put on wedding cakes:
Ruth 1:16 16 But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
So the Edomites, being conquered by Israel, in no way dilutes the gospel promises to the Jewish nation. In fact, within the Torah, Yahweh gave pronouncements for what to do if such wanted to be included among the Jews.

Secondly, the Jews, or Israelites (descended from Jacob) were not God’s chosen people primarily because of their ethnic descent and purity. Amos 9:7 7 "Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" declares the LORD. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
The Jewish people are God’s chosen because of Yahweh’s free elective grace. The people born into Israel chose no more to do so than the people of Edom. And the Lord chose the place and the times where all men would live (Acts 17:26). So the qualities of being a Jew have to do primarily with the keeping of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 15:18, 17:2-9), and secondarily with the ethnic purity. Now a case could be made that the Jews were prohibited from taking a wife from among the Gentiles, in order to keep the Jewish tribes pure. True. But this was precisely the case because the Jews were the only nation on earth that had Yahweh’s truth in revelation. So in order to protect this truth, and the line through which Yahweh would bring the Messiah into the world, He made this prohibition to keep doctrines of false gods and demons out of Israel.

Thirdly, believers who view the people within Israel are missing what God is accomplishing in the world. He has prophesied that after a time of exile for their sins, God wold indeed bring Israel back into the land He had given them. And God made the land desolate for hundreds of years, until the turn of the twentieth century, when the Jews first began to return, the rains also began to return.
Leviticus 26:32-34 32 'I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. 33 'You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. 34 'Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths
Leviticus 26:44-45 44 'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 'But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.'".

The land was made desolate, by the Lord, so that people could not inhabit the holy land until the return of God’s chosen, the Jews (Isaiah 35:7; 32:15).
Recently, when speaking at Auschwitz, Poland, to mark the anniversary of the end of the concentration camps, Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed to all the world that the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 had been fulfilled. Messianic Jews in America took note. Jan Markell recently made mention of this event, and also stated that the wars of Ezekiel 38 and 39 are expected soon to follow. But I thought this statement was key: "There is a degree of spirituality in Israel, recently with this Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Ezekiel 37 is now fulfilled," she notes. "So I'm encouraged when the top leader in the nation of Israel comes out and stands up for the Bible. This is absolutely tremendously good news." http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=898508

And lastly, I think by the teaching of this erroneous view, it will turn the attention or energies of well-intentioned evangelical believers away from, or maybe even against the current inhabitants of Israel. Having been there and traveled throughout the country, I met and interacted with many of the Jewish people there, and found that indeed, many of them were there now because of making ‘aliyah’ or there migration from the countries to which they’d been exiled. I encountered Russian Jews, which Russia had a large Jewish population. I spoke with some young Jewish men who had flown in for the summer from Germany. I lived in the Slovak Republic from two years, during which time I made several trips to Prague, where they have a walled-in, historic Jewish town, where the Jews were imprisoned under Communist control.
During this time, when according to prophecies, we are living in the last days, the nations of the world are turning against Israel (according to their ruler/god- 1 Jn 5:19), the evangelical Christians are the last true friend and ally who will stand up for the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, through which righteousness and peace will be brought to the earth.

Of recent years, there have been more Jews recognizing Yeshua as their Messiah, than any other time in history. Yet they will not recognize him as a nation, until Yahaweh returns (Zech 12:10), at the battle of Armageddon, and they will look upon Him whom they pierced. And so shall all Israel be saved. This is when the truth of the teaching of Salvation by Grace will be seen in its fullness:
25 So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: a partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. 27 And this will be My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.
Romans 11:25-27 (HCSB)

End of America, Emergence of Maitreya & War with Israel

2010-02-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

These days prophecy is being fulfilled faster than most of us can observe or realize. Many have heard of Ahmadinejad's latest prophetic announcement. Feb. 11 is to be the Demise of America, according to this "Twelver" who claims to be in contact with the Twelfth Imam.

There have been repeated reports that the FBI and CIA are aware of Islamic sleeper-cells throughout America's major financial centers. They are simply awaiting the word from "on high" to launch the next series of attacks to be "much greater than 9/11". http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/60801

On another note, the Maitreya has supposedly begun his emergence, according to his faithful herald, Benjamin Creme. In Creme's words, Maitreya has held his "first interview," though no details of it are given on their site, www.share-international.org. Creme does have a small clip announcing this emergence. He says Maitreya will not use that name though, until enough people recognize him for what he is. He comes in the name of "justice, peace and sharing". 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie (2 Thess 2:11). Could this be the delusion from the Lord?

Another point many bible scholars have been following closely, in Israel's prepartions for war with Iran, who is supposed to have a nuclear weapons this year, and may in fact have it now. They have been wondering if this is the battle that supposedly describes war with Israel's neighboring countries. It's been very interesting to see the pieces fall into place with this upcoming war. With the past decade's history of embatterment from their muslim neighbors on almost all sides, Israel has grown alienated from Turkey . Israeli intelligence declared that Damscus is supplying terrorists with missles to fire on Israel, which makes it likely we'll see the fulfillment of Isaiah 17:1 in the next couple of months (or weeks).

This could all very well come together on Feb. 11. Will this be the time of the selection process the new agers are warning about? We can't be sure, but we know "the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way" (2 Thess 2:7). Amen, come Lord Jesus.

Israel's alienation from Turkey: (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=Turkey&itemNo=1146414)
Damscus supplying rockets: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1143146.html

Israel is the Apple of God's Eye

2010-01-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Just a further validation of this, take a look at this headline:

Israel basks in heatwave as Europe freezes

Normally chilly in January, Jerusalem and the West Bank bathed in balmy 25-degree weather under a cloudless blue sky, with more of the same expected over the weekend and into early next week.

Meanwhile, Paris, London, Berlin and Vienna were freezing and even Madrid had snow in the forecast, while temperatures dipped to minus 21 C in northern Scotland.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1141331.html

Who is God looking on with favor now? I wonder if Mr. Obama is going to get it right?

Syria in Line with Psalm 83 Destruction?

2009-12-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

It appears so. This past Sunday "Iran and Syria signed a mutual defense agreement...." We live in a time where we daily can look at the headlines and see the fulfillment of scripture, and it appears the birth pangs are getting closer and more frequent! Many theologians state that Psalm 83 describes the next war that must take place with Israel, in order to get Israel to fit the description spelled out in Ezek. 38:11, a land of unwalled villages living at peace and dwelling securely.

Isaiah 17:1 is another prophecy that has not taken place yet, and many believe it will occur in the war between Israel and her neighbors. This seems fitting, especially in light of this new information, that Iran and Syria have just made a defense pact. It has been known for some time that Damascus, Syria's capital, is headquarters to some of the terrorist networks in Israel. This pact of sworn defense with Iran just makes fulfillment of Is. 17:1 alot more likely.

You can hear the Savior coming!

for coverage of news article, go to http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=20166.

Global Government Out to Squash Evangelicals?

2009-11-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

We can see in the news the truth about Politicians agendas, and the goal they are moving towards.

Truth about Homosexual Marriage
The DC Election Board has refused an initiative to put the marriage issue before voters. Alan Wisdom of the Institute on Religion & Democracy tells OneNewsNow the city council was offered amendments to protect religious groups, but opted to reject them.

"We at the Institute are warning that this really shows the trajectory of same-sex marriage," notes Wisdom. "The initial appeal is for tolerance, but ultimately same-sex marriage becomes tyranny that is imposed upon Christians and others who support traditional marriage, and they are forced in various ways to accept same-sex marriage."
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=777794

Women bear Brunt of Climate Change
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), birth control and access to family-planning facilities can be a valuable weapon in the fight against supposed "climate change." The UNFPA sites overpopulation as one of the factors in the earth's "capacity to adjust" to climate change.

In an article published on GMANews.tv, a representative from the Philippines notes that climate change could affect women the worst, as women in that country might be driven into the sex trade as climate change reduces income from farming and fishing. The Fund uses this scenario to justify its call for the distribution of birth control and its call to slow population growth.
...
Taylor contends the U.N. Population Fund is trying to link its radical agenda to alleged climate change only to gain support from environmentalists...
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=781330

There is one ponit I disagree with Taylor on. The UN is taking it's direction from the 'Tibetan Master,' Djhwal Kuhl, the spirit guide who dictated through Alice Bailey for the global agenda at the U.N. in the early 1900s. Their goal is to exterminate Christianity, and reduce global population significantly, in honor of "mother earth," who in their worldview, is part of god, as we all are (thanks Shirley Maclaine & Oprah Winfrey).
Asher, the spirit guide of John Randolph Price, informed John that 2 billion people must be exterminated, in order for humanity to be able to make it's societal "spiritual evolutionary leap" in order to save humanity. But the fallen angels, the deceivers, do not know the day nor the hour, but only the LORD Himself. Asher guessed that this 'mass execution' would take place Dec. 31st, 1986.

That was the spirit's first guess. And since then, those spirits have been working overtime to deceive and convert people to the New Age religion. The main belief of the New Age, is that God is all, and in all. This is known as Pantheism and Panentheism. Two of just many new age practices that have this underlying foundation of pantheism are Yoga, and Acupuncture. Both of these practices have the goal of 'realiging' your energies and restoring the 'connection' to your 'higher self,' which every good pantheist knows is god, the universal, into which we are all reabsorbed to become absolutely nothing after our final reincarnation.

But we know Him who is really in charge, and who has the final victory. Christ will catch away his saints... but in the meantime, we who know need to be preparing our friends and loved ones for the final end!

Pop Culture Inspired by Satan?

2009-11-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've come across a website that has horrified and disturbed both my wife and I. It's not an ungodly website, but in fact, a very godly one. It is an expose on pop culture movies and bands. You will see how Satan has worked and advanced his agenda in the popular culture, and through many people you love and appreciate, and in some cases, nearly worship (U2, Beach Boys, Elvis Pressley, Transformers, etc.)! But I warn you before you look into it. It's really disturbing and unreal!

It makes so much sense! But I've been so blind! I just looked up something about Jerry Lee Lewis (yes, he's featured on there), and on his page in Wikipedia, it says:

His mother enrolled him in Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, secure in the knowledge that her son would now be exclusively singing his songs to the Lord. But Lewis daringly played a boogie woogie rendition of "My God Is Real" at a church assembly that sent him packing the same night. Pearry Green, then president of the student body, related how during a talent show Lewis played some "worldly" music. The next morning, the dean of the school called both Lewis and Green into his office to expel them both. Lewis said that Green shouldn't be expelled because "he didn't know what I was going to do." Years later Green asked Lewis: "Are you still playing the devil's music?" Lewis replied "Yes, I am. But you know it's strange, the same music that they kicked me out of school for is the same kind of music they play in their churches today. The difference is, I know I am playing for the devil and they don't" [emphasis mine].

Go in God's graces,

Go to http://theater.goodfight.org.

p.s. try to alert all you know in Christ about this! And try to snatch sinners from the fire!

Persecution Coming To American Christians?

2009-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

You know, serving as a youth pastor, I got in trouble teaching the youth that they must prepare for coming persecution. Before beginning Youth Ministry, I read a book by Richard Wurmbrand, called Tortured For Christ, describing the persecution faced under Communism (i.e. Marxism, Obama's policies). In this book, he describes leading a group of young, new believers before they were baptized to the zoo. He took them to the lion cage, and told them that if they want to follow Christ, they must be willing to be thrown to the lions! Is this so hard to believe, that we consider Christian children "too young" to learn about such things?
I also orderered a video about a group of young people spending their summer smuggling Bible into a Communist nation. I wanted the American youth to see what real faith is all about.
Peter tells us "Everyone who wants to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (1 Ptr. 3:12). Jesus said "Whoever will not take up their cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." (Mt. 10:38).

Looking at a news media, there was an article this morning describing discussions being held on a homosexual blog.

Pro-family activists have drawn attention to a disturbing exchange on a homosexual blog run by Joe Jervis of New York. The exchange takes place between individuals named Fritz and Tex in the comment section of a blog discussing the Maine homosexual marriage defeat and pro-family activists Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel and Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. LaBarbera says the two commentators discussed carrying out acts of terrorism against Christians.

"One guy [Fritz] sort of raises [the concept] and says, 'well, if Obama doesn't give us what we want, you are going to see a very real potential for violence' -- to quote his words...and then he says, 'well, that is not a good thing,'" LaBarbera reports. "Then another activist comes back and says, 'Well what's wrong with that?'"
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=760780

I know there are some people who feel it is okay to remain in sin after they have supposedly been saved. These people do not understand the true meaning of 1 Cor. 6:9-11 and 2 Cor 5:17. That when a person is saved, they are made spiritually alive, and now have God's word (His entire word, not just the parts that's easy to accept) written on their heart (Jer 31:33; Lev. 18:22).

When a person truly repents of their sins (rebellion against God's righteousness), and turns to the Lord, not only do they have a new relationship with God, but they have a new hatred for their sin! This isn't to say that a paerson doesn't struggle with temptations of past sin-habits. But they call sin for what it is and strive to walk in righteousness, and they confess their sins to brothers and sisters, and ask for help/accountability. If this hasn't happened in your life, you need to heed the apostle's admontion:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Correction to my 'Immanency of Rapture/Muslim Attack' blog

2009-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

I know that as the world governments install software to monitor blogs, talking about the soon return of our coming King endangers me to be considered a national threat... but I wanted to make some corrections that occurred to me a couple of weeks ago, but am only now getting to putting down.

First, let me recount a little of what I said...

Many think that the Rapture itself could happen, and cause catastrophic devastation, which would result in mass crime, looting, chaos, confusion… leading to martial law in the States, and effectively bring about the one world government spoken of in the book of Daniel. Another hypothesis is that we could come under attack by Russia, who has had her ships off the coast of Venezuela in S. America, or by N. Korea, who has threatened us with a nuclear attack for so much as “threatening” her. Or it could be a number of enemies to democracy and capitalism, seeking to bring down the U.S., but, that during these attacks we could be ‘caught up’ to be with the Lord forever.

If one has followed the news, we all know Iran has called for the destruction of Israel, whom it calls the little Satan. And these calls have not only continued, but probably intensified. And most media coverage of this is scant, and poorly represented. The reasons this Muslim nation wants to wipe Israel off the map, is that the Qur’an states that they resurrection of the dead won’t occur until Muslims fight and wipe out the nation of Jews. But the one in Islamic eschatology who is to do that is the Mahdi, their ‘savior,’ who won’t appear until there is a time of global chaos. Then the Mahdi, the ‘hidden imam’ who supposedly fell down a well a long time ago, will emerge, and set thing right, and rule from Jerusalem in ‘righteousness and peace.’

One thing that occurred to me after I had written this blog, is that it goes against what scripture teaches will happen. Scripture doens't teach that the church is taken or 'caught up' during an enemy attack, nor really does it lay down any conditions for the 'catching away' to occurr at all. But with the overall teaching of Old Testament scriptures on 'that day,' or 'the day of the Lord,' before that can happen, obviously the Antichrist has to be revealed, where he takes his seat in the temple. So the temple must be built. Okay... and we know that the Antichrist and false prophet cannot be revealed until the one who restrains them is taken out of the way(2 Thess. 2:7-8).

So before Antichrist is revealed the one restraining the man of lawlessness (Antichrist has other scriptural names) is removed. Most theologians think this is the Holy Spirit in the prescence of the true Catholic (Universal) Church. So this would indicate the catching away the inspired apostle writes about to the Thessalonians.

But since God's end-time plan focuses on the covenant promises made to Abraham, what must occur in Israel to have this take place? To be sure, they must have returned from diaspora, after their temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and the Jews later dispersed as their nation came under siege. God promised through the prophets that Israel would be brought back and have their forturnes restored after they had been scattered among the nations of the world. We saw (some of us did) this miracle take place in 1948, when this scattered nation was brought back from the dead, and their dead national language revived, in accordance to what we know most popularly as the story of the Valley of "t'em dead bones (Ezekiel 37)."

37:12 Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 37:13 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. 37:14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah.
Ezekiel 37:12-14

Now deciphering between the battle described in Zech 12, 14 and Ezekiel 38 is a little more difficult to figure out. But in Zech f12 & f14 describe the nations of the world, and the physical return of the Messiah, with his feet touching down on the Mt. of Olives (Zech 14:4). 'That Day' will be a day known only to the LORD, with day or night (v. 6), and the beginning of his millenial reign on earth. (This passage shows that Jesus' reign is not a long-period of time reign from heaven). The battle described here also speaks of all the nations of the world coming against Israel, and being judge by God in the valley of Armageddon, the war to end all wars where the LORD alone is triumphant, and His name alone reigns on earth (Zech 14:9).

Ezekiel 38 describes the battle known as the "Battle of Magog." In this chapter, certain nations are named (in Zech they are not) are all seen to be Islamic nations today (one of the main ones Iran~Persia). Verse 8 describes Israel as having been restored to the mountains of Israel, regathered from war, living in peace and safety. In this battle, the LORD also defends Israel, and decimates the enemy troops by pouring down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him (Ezek 38:22). The result of this war, described in Ezekiel 39-48 is much different from the outcome, in fact, the prophet tells us that the clean-up of this battle will take seven months to bury all the carcasses there in the valley of Hamon Gog (Ezek. 39:12), and seven years to burn up all the weapons as fuel (39:9).

This doesn't fit Zechariah's prophecies, because Israel's eyes will be opened to recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zech 12:10). This is not mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy. Nor in Ezekiel do we ever see the LORD come to the earth, or for that matter, appear to mankind apart from the forces of 'mother nature' that He holds in complete control (sorry global warming advocates). If we continue to read Ezekiel in a chronological sequence after their restoration (Ezek 36, 37), the battle of Magog (chs. 38, 39) and the building of the temple (Ezekiel 40-48), then after this tremendous battle where the entire world sees the LORD defend and magnify His name through Israel, then next logical assumption is that the next step is for Israel, in a national movement back to the Old Covenant system, will rebuild their temple. And we know from news on Israel, that they are even now making preparations to build the temple.

So we can see that in and after the battle of Magog described by the prophet, God resumes dealing with His people Israel. And this is what I lost sight of in my "Immanency" blog. I believe because of the scriptural teachings that the rapture will occur shortly before or in the battle of Magog, and after the LORD has brought the Church to dwell with Him, He focuses His dealings again with the people of Israel.

I have some who object to me focusing too much on the return of the LORD, though I can't understand quite why, when our Lord promises blessing for those who read and keep the words of the prophecies of Revelation. Jesus did indeed say that no man will know the day or the hour (Mt. 24:36), but just prior to this He does tell us that we will know the season! 32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[d]is near, right at the door.... 42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

We see from the signs the season is close. Are you ready to meet the Lord? Your good deeds cannot save you! "Our righteous acts are like filthy rags before the Lord" (Isaiah 64:6) You are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man shall boast" (Eph 2:8,9). If you have never trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, ask him to forgive you of your sins, and surrender your life to Him the best way you know how. The LORD knows your heart.

God's word hidden in our heart?

2009-10-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

119:11 I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalms 119:11

What does it mean to have God's word laid up/hidden in our heart? Some versions translate the word 'laid up' as 'treasured.' That we value God's word above silver and gold. Above game-cubes and video games. Above iphones and tvrs. We value God's word above R-rated movies, so we don't spend out precious stewardship of money on filth that blasphemes God and defiles His saints (TV movies too). When we lay God's word up in our hearts, it's in there. We know it. We can recall it, and it effects our decisions, values and attitudes, that we may share in the divine nature, and escape from the corruption in the world (2 Peter 1:3-10).

Let us forsake the allurements and temptations of the world, that sin so attractively sells us. Let us lay up God's word in our hearts, so that our desires will be His desires, and the things we love he loves, and the things He despises, we despise, that when he appears, we may not have shame before Him at His coming.

Nothing Created Everything!

2009-10-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Think about it. That's what Evolution teaches. Can anyone say "fairytale"?

The Immanency of the Rapture/Muslim Attack on the U.S.

2009-09-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

There are several different scenarios in which one could postulate the ‘catching away’ (1 Thess. 4:16,17). The author of this article believes this is going to happen, and so we will not deal with other views in this article. I’m going to seek to show how and why the Rapture could likely happen in the event of an Islamic attack.

Many think that the Rapture itself could happen, and cause catastrophic devastation, which would result in mass crime, looting, chaos, confusion… leading to martial law in the States, and effectively bring about the one world government spoken of in the book of Daniel. Another hypothesis is that we could come under attack by Russia, who has had her ships off the coast of Venezuela in S. America, or by N. Korea, who has threatened us with a nuclear attack for so much as “threatening” her. Or it could be a number of enemies to democracy and capitalism, seeking to bring down the U.S., but, that during these attacks we could be ‘caught up’ to be with the Lord forever.

If one has followed the news, we all know Iran has called for the destruction of Israel, whom it calls the little Satan. And these calls have not only continued, but probably intensified. And most media coverage of this is scant, and poorly represented. The reasons this Muslim nation wants to wipe Israel off the map, is that the Qur’an states that they resurrection of the dead won’t occur until Muslims fight and wipe out the nation of Jews. But the one in Islamic eschatology who is to do that is the Mahdi, their ‘savior,’ who won’t appear until there is a time of global chaos. Then the Mahdi, the ‘hidden imam’ who supposedly fell down a well a long time ago, will emerge, and set thing right, and rule from Jerusalem in ‘righteousness and peace.’

But Islam must destroy the Satans from the world, Israel, the little Satan, and the U.S., the great Satan! In recent months, the Ayatollah Khomeini has been calling for the Muslim nations of the world to unite, in order to pave the way for the Mahdi. This means the Muslim nations are to fight and seek to destroy all infidels, and their infidel governments. Their prophecy says the Mahdi will only come at a time of Global Chaos, therefore this call for Muslims to unite to pave the way for the Mahdi is a call for Muslims to wreak as much havoc and chaos upon the ‘unbelieving’ nations of the world to incite the coming of their Madhi.

Why do I all of a sudden think that Islam is going to be the coming one-world religion? Let’s look at a few of the similarities between end-time descriptions of Islam and Christianity I listed in response to a blog.

I just read the Islamic Antichrist (found at www.wnd.com), and the similarities between Islam and the Bible is amazing, but Islam is the flip opposite of the Bible. I truly believe Islam is going to be the 'one-world religion', as it goal is world-domination, and all who refuse to submit to it, will have their heads cut off (martyrs under the altar). Their Mahdi (the Maitreya?) will make a seven yr. peace treaty with an Aaronic priest. He will also find 'new' biblical parchments to show Christians and Jews were misinformed and should follow Islam. He'll also recover the ark of the covenant from the area of Galillee. Muslims also believe Jesus is coming back, but he will point people to the Madhi, and will kill all those who don't bow to Madhi, or take the number of His mark upon his forehead! This parallels the biblical description of the false prophet! There are too many other parallels to just be coincidence. Islam is going to be the one-world religion. Just look at how many of the emergent and apostate evangelical leaders signed onto a document saying the worship the same god as Muslims, and agreed to fast in Ramadan! It's happening before our eyes!

Now let’s look at what some of our scriptures say concerning this end-time, before the return of the Messiah (in fulfillment to Yahweh’s covenant promises to Abraham):

Of the antichrist (psuedo or false Christ)
Daniel 7:21-22 21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the 1saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was 1passed in favor of the 2saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the 2saints took possession of the kingdom.

Revelation 13:7 7 It was also given to him to make war with the 1saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

Daniel 7:25 25 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and 3they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Of the false prophet (Muslim Jesus?)
Revelation 13:11-12 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast 1bin his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

Revelation 13:15-17 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even 1speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, 1to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Beheaded Saints
Revelation 20:4 4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

One thing I didn’t mention above, like Judaism has a calendar, and much of the world goes by the Gregorian calendar, Islam also has a calendar, dating from Muhammad’s hajj (or journey) to Mecca. One aspect of bringing the entire world into subjugation to Islam, is changing the calendar system to that of Islam, and the days of worship, “alterations in the times and the law.” Judaism worships on the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Church on Sunday, but Islam would change it to Friday.

These parallels are too uncanny to just be coincidence. This facts and more are listed in Joel Richardson’s new book: Islamic Antichrist. So for this, I won’t go into more of this topic… but I think the parallels are sufficient to show that Islam in the one-world religion, and the Mahdi will be the false savior coming in the name of peace.

We see the Islamic fervor for overtaking America and the world all over, and their desire for the Mahdi. But the Mahdi can’t appear until there is a time of unprecedented global chaos and destruction. What does the Bible have to say in regards to the appearance of the Antichrist? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).

Another reason I think a Muslim attack is immanent against the U.S. aside form the calls of the Ayatollah for the Muslim world to unite, is that of Daniel J. Hill. Hill is a former Musilm special ops terrorist. In 1998 He asked the U.S. govt. help in assassinating Osama Bin Laden, and was refused. He also predicted the attack of 9/11 2001 to the FBI and CIA but was ignored. Hill says that it was eight years from the bombing of the World Trade Center to 9/11, and now it has been 8 years again. He says symbology is very big in Islam, and his sources tell him another attack is very near for the U.S. In 2001, the attack on America came during the month of Ramadan (or shortly thereafter), and NOW is the month of Ramadan for all Muslims.

For this reason, I think that when the Muslims launch their pre-emptive strike on the western, democratic nations of the world in the name of jihad to bring the coming of their Mahdi, this Muslim savior, I think the Church is going to be removed from the earth, according to scriptures, and the Mahdi will make his appearance.

Government Censorship

2009-08-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit since I've been on here. We know under Obama's administration, they (the Democratic majority in the House) are bringing the sweeping change of Communism (Socailism) that's never been seen before in this nation. We know that Obama is lying to the American Republic. His agenda is to make America into a Communist nation by collapsing the Ameridan economic policy. Who was it, F.D.R. who said "You can bet there are no mistakes in politics. If it happens, it was planned that way."
Some of the most recent events are most telling on(sic) the Democratic Party:

Democrats on the bipartisan Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards have been blocking Republicans from sending out franked mailings to constituents that refer to the cap-and-trade bill as "cap and tax," the stimulus bill as the "so-called stimulus," and the healthcare reform bill as "socialized medicine."

"For instance, I can say 'the Speaker,' but I can't say 'Speaker Pelosi' because that's too inflammatory. Well, you know, I understand their problem -- they don't want people to really identify the Democratic Party with Nancy Pelosi," he notes. "But the point is, we are forced to change our vernacular and how we say things in order to comport with their attitudes and their way of believing [how] we should say it."
for full article, see: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=656824

The blessing of Big government. Someone said "The Government who can give you everything can also take everything away." For all those who resist Christ because they don't want God "ruling their life," Something much worse is working to rule it. Get ready America!

The Night of the Demons and the Power of Prayer

2009-07-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

When I lived in Slovakia, serving with Campus Crusade for Christ, we knew reching out to students that we were on the front lines of spiritual battle as we sought to reach out to university students to win their souls from the grasp of the evil one, and bring them to Christ through the gospel. One day, I think I was in my apartment, I heard over the radio and advertisement for a concert coming up for Halloween. It was called ‘Night of the Demons.’ Many theologians and pastors believe the devil was over music in heaven before being cast out as Satan. And Slovakia is a Catholic nation, so they were traces of Biblical themes around the city. The people there are typically quite and reserved. So to have something an event take place called ‘Night of the Demons’ was very shocking and disturbing.

I remember hearing about this advertisement of this concert, and what was going to take place at this debut of godless bands. They were going to have women come out and parade across the stage naked! I remember hearing this ad, and thought, “I’ve got to tell my team so we can pray!” The Lord moved on my heart to pray fervently against this event. The city also had evangelical believers, which when they learned of the event, they too united in prayer against this event, across denominational lines. I notified my team about this, and they too joined in praying.

We knew these two Christian English musicians who were living and ministering in the country, that we had befriended. The Night of the Concert came about, and these two chaps went down to perform, to be a light in the midst of the darkness. They told us about the scene. The stage had been set up, and through the afternoon and evening, the bands arrived by train. But not one person showed up to hear the performance! NOT ONE!!! The bands were very angry that they had spent all this money traveling to this location, and weren’t able to recoup on the cost and make a profit. They were going to hurt the woman who had scheduled and arranged the concert logistically. They came after her, and James and Michael, our British brothers in Christ, grabbed this woman and threw her in their car, and they drove her safely away.

What a testimony to the power of prayer! What a magnificent way for God to show His strength, glory and goodness when His people unite together to pray according to His purpose. How is your prayer life doing today? Do you need some encouragement spending time in prayer with the Lord. Satan doesn’t want us to prayer, and many times our flesh doesn’t want to do it either. But Satan cannot stand against the prayers of the saints. “Stronger is he who is in us than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4).

14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Where's the Birth Certificate?

2009-07-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

That's all that needs to be said. All Obama has to do is to simply produce it, along with all his hidden school and medical records. World Net Daily had a good article covering the U.S. soldier who refuses to follow orders to Afghanistan until Mr. Obama proves taht he is legitamately the U.S. president. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104009

Just think, the man in office right now, making you lose you job, and driving your taxes through the roof, might just be there illegally. Now you don't want that do you? I don't.

A Muslim Call to Strike All Jews! A Call to Prayer!

2009-01-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

It seems that some North American intel has picked up on some Muslim "chatter" on supposedly reputable Muslim sites that Muslims are being called upon to strike Jewish targets and Jews whereever they may be found in America and other western governments.

Part of the article describing what the messages were saying were desirable for targets:

“The call is to strike out against Jewish places of worship, Jewish centers, and schools, especially in the U.S.,” said Doug Hagmann. He added that the more recent postings have risen from “rallying cries to the level of authoritative directions, with the admonishment that it is the moral imperative of all practicing and faithful Muslims to strike out against the Jews, especially those living within the relative security of the U.S. I’m not sure how much more specific of a threat one might expect to get from Internet postings,” added Hagmann.
“Anyplace where Jews gather for school, worship services or social events are being described as “desirable targets,” according to these communications. Emphasis is also being placed on body count and visible carnage, including attacks against children.
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/

This is precisely what the Quran advocates, the destruction of Jewish people. This is where we see the dragon, with his mouth open, pursuing, and trying to swallow up the woman, whichi is Israel. More evidence of Biblical fulfillment right before our eyes.

If this is heeded, and it's very probable, this may be where America ends up exiting the world stage, and be the reason why America is not mentioned in end-time prophecy. And why Barrack Obama could not be the antichrist (well, he doesn't meet all the qualifications either)... he would be to busy trying to hold America together after the Islamic revolt. Most likely with his background, he will placate Muslim interests and turn America's support away from Israel and to the Muslim interest groups.

And not only that, but Amercan media is encouraged to support the Islamic interests and turn people against Israel. They are encouraged to call Israel's acts as genocide, and atrocities, when Israel takes every precaution to strike only the terrorist militants, who hide among women and children in Gaza, making them hostages in their own homes.

Please let us be in prayer for Israel, and try to support them in every way possible. Let's show our support for God's chosen people through our churches, to stand together with His people, before our Lord's coming. We don't have much longer, so while we're still here, let us do our best.

It's Out: Obama's an Immigrant!

2008-12-31T04:29:00.000-08:00

Janet Porter of Faith 2 Action reported on a slip of Gov. Bill Richardson's tongue in a speech to a group of Hispanics:

"In an effort to reach out to the Hispanic community, he admitted what Barack Obama has been trying to hide all these months: 'Barack Obama is an immigrant.'" See it for yourself:
http://www.f2a.org/NewsStory.cfm?Story_ID=2545

She also has a youtube clip of the Gov.'s slip. So now the news is out. We all know the leftist media is not going to play this discovery, or they'll try to downplay it or write it off as some right-wing intolerant hate-monger conspiracy from gun-toting religous zealots who are bitter that their candidate didn't make it in the elections.

This brings up an obvious question to believers. Why can't the liberals, democrats and those on the left (did I repeat myself?) see what's obvious. For one, I don't think they want to. Another thing, which I've noticed increasingly over this past year (though it's been happening gradually for some time) Scriptue says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7). As we have drifted more from the word of God, we have drifted further and further from wisdom, and yes, even knowledge. I could give another example, the case of evolution, which takes a great deal of faith in irrationality (against modern scientific principles, I might add) to believe. So yes, the LORD has given us what we asked for, he gave us over to our sin, and our rejection of His word.

"But word is out that Obama is an immigrant. You don't need a translator to understand what Richardson admitted: Barack Obama is NOT a natural born citizen. That means we have a guy who's planning to take over the White House who is in direct violation of the Constitution."

What seems to be even more interesting, according to Porter's column, evidently the conservative Fox News Channel will not cover it or run ads about the issue either! So it looks like things could get very interesting shortly. And we know Israel is in war, the Muslims are calling for Muslims everywhere to support the Philistines (oops, Palestinians). It appears that the LORD himself is about to bring Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17:1 to fulfillment before our very eyes. In fact, I haven't seen much news on the situation today. It could be fulfilled right now.

To say the least, these are interesting times. Our Lord is returning very soon. You can count on it, as our Lord is truth, and is the Word (Jn 14:6, 1:1-3)

Wall Street Announces Emergence of World Teacher

2008-12-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

The World Teacher about to Emerge?

It seems that an interesting article in Dow Jones & Company’s Market Watch website was recently published. The article made an announcement titled "Share International Reveals Christmas Miracle," tells us all to be prepared for a soon coming miracle that all “of us” will see in the sky, before the long awaited world teacher Maitreya and the masters of wisdom make their emergence on earth.

The article at Share International says:
Many now expect the return of their awaited Teacher, whether they call him the Christ, Messiah, the fifth Buddha, Krishna, or the Imam Mahdi. Millions now know that the Teacher who fulfills all these expectations is already living among us.

On Dec. 12, 2008, the Wall Street Journal’s own Market Watch published a report about Share International Reveals Christmas Miracle.

Look now for the biggest miracle of all. In the very near future a large, bright star will appear in the sky visible to all throughout the world -- night and day.

Unbelievable? Fantasy? No, a simple fact. Around a week later, Maitreya, the World Teacher for all humanity, will begin his open emergence and -- though not yet using the name Maitreya -- will be interviewed on a major US television program. [emphasis mine]

So who is this Maitreya? WSJ’s article describes him for us:
Awaited by all faiths under different names, Maitreya is the Christ to Christians, the Imam Mahdi to Muslims, Krishna to Hindus, the Messiah to Jews, and Maitreya Buddha to Buddhists. He is the World Teacher for all, religious or not, an educator in the broadest sense.
As a modern man concerned with today's problems, Maitreya works behind the scenes of our changing world. The outpouring of his extraordinary energy has been the stimulus for dramatic developments on many fronts: the ending of the cold war; the break-up of the Soviet Union; the reunification of Germany; the ending of apartheid in South Africa; the growing power of the people's voice, leading to demands for freedom and justice; and the worldwide focus on preserving the environment.

The preservation of humanity is not only promised by Maitreya but also the creation of a “brilliant new civilization.”

First John 5:19 tells us that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” In case you haven’t noticed, there is a very real spiritual direction in the assemblage of our international order. Many new-age gurus and mediums have talked about the coming of a world leader, one who has the Christ-consciousness. For us believers, we know that the antichrist cannot be revealed, until the church is taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:7,8). This is another sign that our time here is short!

Sources cited:
http://www.share-international.org/index.htm

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Share-International-Reveals-Christmas-Miracle/story.aspx?guid=%7B9A9C5B6B-E962-411A-B219-B5A559182416%7D

http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor169.htm

Deepak Chopra on the teaching of Christ

2008-11-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Following Hannity's interview with the Illustrious Mr. Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, which Mr. Hannity proudly pointed out is the most-sold book, only to the Bible. In page 91 of his Purpose Driven life, Warren suggests for people to use "breath prayers," which are also know as "centering prayer," "contemplative prayer," or in Hinduism "transcendental meditation." Yoga is Sanskrit for "being yoked to the divine." As one Hindu yogi said, "There is no such thing as Chrisitan yoga." I digress.
Hannity's interview was "smoothly" followed by an interview with new age guru Deepak Chopra, promoting his new book, detailing the before unknown rebellious teen life of Jesus, and the resulting spiritual development (out of His rebellion), to be such a great spiritual leader, pionting people to find the divine within.
Sunday our pastor mentioned John 10 was one of his favorite chapters in the entire bible, and encouraged us to read it. Yesterday morning I did. Watching Hannity's show last night, Chopra referenced this very chapter (thank God for providence), citing the words of Jesus: "My Father and I are one (v. 30)," not mentioning the preceding verses which would void his argument.

31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him.

32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. Which of these works are you stoning Me for?”

33 “We aren’t stoning You for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because You—being a man—make Yourself God.”

John 10:31-33 (HCSB)

From here, Chopra goes on to say how Jesus explained from that point, Jesus explains how we are all god. He goes on later in the interview to explain that we all have that spark of divinity within us, "all" referring to all people, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostic, Baptists, Sikhs, Jews, etc. But is that really what Jesus was saying. Let's look at the text:

34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? 35 If He called those whom the word of God came to ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the One the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?
John 10:34-36 (HCSB)

The passage cited by Jesus is Ps. 82:6:

6 I said, “You are gods;
you are all sons of the Most High.
Psalms 82:6 (HCSB)

This is one of the most often misquoted verses used by cults like the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and New Agers, to point out that we all either can become gods, or we have the "spark of divinity" within us. What is this verse, which Jesus referred to, actually mean? A VERY IMPORTANT principle in Bible study, is to read the verse in the context of its surrounding text. What does the next verse say?
7 However, you will die like men

and fall like any other ruler.”

Psalms 82:7 (HCSB)

So the following verse tells us that these so called 'gods' will die like other men, or like any other ruler. A look at the preceeding verses will show that the 'rulers' are ruling in injustice, showing partiality to the wicked (v.2), being admonished to provide justice for the needy and fatherless; to uphold the rights of the oppressed and destitute (is wealth a right?). These rulers, gods, are referring to the judges of Israel, who stood in the place of God to render His decisions and judgments for the Israeli people, as Moses was God to his brother Aaron (Ex. 4:16).

This is not a passage where Jesus is saying that we all have god within us, or that we can attain a 'God' conciousness. Let's look at what he said in the preceeding verses of John 10:

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (HCSB)

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15 (HCSB)

27 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
John 10:27-30 (HCSB)

Jesus and the Father are one. This was His teaching. And He lays down His life for the sheep, and gives them eternal life. He also teaches later in the good news of John, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me." Not even Deepak Chopra!

A response to pastor Scott

2008-11-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is a note from a friend posted to me of her friend, pastor Scott. She wanted to know my comment, and not taht I am anything, but deception is great in our time, so I thought this deserved attention so people will begin to know what they have got themselves into by electing Barrack Obama.
******

Last year I had the privilege of attending Sojourners Call to Renewal in Washington D.C. Along with amazing thinkers like Jim Wallis, Brian Mclaren, Shane Claiborne, Lynne Hybels, Freddie Haynes, Joel Hunter (who is pro-life and recently gave the Democratic National Convention opening prayer) - I was able to also see the three main Democratic contenders at that time; John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.

(By the way, I ran into and got to speak to Freddie Haynes this week as I was coming out of Whole Foods in Dallas...he is an awesome guy and was nearly chosen to be the next president of the NAACP, but alas he is a disciple of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's brand of black liberation theology and they couldn't stand up to the controversy.)

Anyway, I wonder if you might watch a clip of what I recorded that night from Obama (facebook readers will have to follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQTaaro_Vog -be prepared to turn up the volume -

Last year I had the privilege of attending Sojourners Call to Renewal in Washington D.C. Along with amazing thinkers like Jim Wallis, Brian Mclaren, Shane Claiborne, Lynne Hybels, Freddie Haynes, Joel Hunter (who is pro-life and recently gave the Democratic National Convention opening prayer) - I was able to also see the three main Democratic contenders at that time; John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.

(By the way, I ran into and got to speak to Freddie Haynes this week as I was coming out of Whole Foods in Dallas...he is an awesome guy and was nearly chosen to be the next president of the NAACP, but alas he is a disciple of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's brand of black liberation theology and they couldn't stand up to the controversy.)

Anyway, I wonder if you might watch a clip of what I recorded that night from Obama (facebook readers will have to follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQTaaro_Vog -be prepared to turn up the volume -

What Obama is describing is a Christian view of "the common good". It really is a Biblical idea that turns Cain's question to God around:

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

And, of course, the answer is, "yes".

It also strikes at the very center of the central commandment, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

It is unfortunate that we as Christians often base our political philosophy more on Darwinism than we do on the words of Jesus. It is as if we have taken an extreme notion of "self reliance" and personal responsibility from the pages of On the Origin of the Species; preferring laissez-faire capitalism and survival of the fittest over "whatsoever you do unto the least of these, you do also to me."

The Common Good understands that when an individual in our society suffers, we all suffer. The homeless Vietnam veteran I encounter at the intersection near my apartment...is my problem. The single mother of the little girl that sits beside my son in kindergarten - who is unable to miss work for fear of being fired when her daughter is sick should stay home...is my problem. The 500 Dallas teachers who were just laid off. The families I know who are trying to live on minimum wage... These are my problems.

These "personal problems" affect us all.

We ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" and God says, "Yes."

Often some of my friends will say, "Yes, but it isn't the governments job to __fill in the blank___".
Often, advances in what the "government" provides are demonized as "socialism". But I wonder, who do we think that the "government" is? In this representative Democracy aren't we the government? Isn't this supposed to be a government of the people, for the people, and by the people? If it is we who pay the taxes, we who elect our representatives who pass the laws, and we who are the true "deciders" - then aren't we really saying, "Yes, but it isn't MY job to __fill in the blank___."

Reminds me of another guy who was full of excuses..."Really, God, I mean, am I my brother's keeper???"

Yes, Cain, yes you are.

The next time your kid goes to a public school, you accept an educational grant or subsidised college loan, you collect unemployment benefits, you work 40 hours a week instead of 80, you drive on a public road, go to the mailbox and check the mail, ride in an airplane that doesn't collide into another one, drink water that didn't come from a well, eat out and don't get sick, enjoy the protection of the US military, visit a state park...be thankful that there are a lot of people who believe in the common good.

Now, of course I am not advocating that we sell everything we have and give it to the poor! That would be crazy! But I wonder if we might start taking some steps in the right direction by at least acknowledging that our neighbors problems affect us all...and then on a very local and personal level we do something about it.

The person with the broken down car that you pass in traffic is your neighbor - and his problem is your problem.

The family living with no health insurance - that's not just their problem.

Ahhhh - has Satan convinced you of the myth of scarcity? Do you really believe that there isn't enough to go around? There is - if each of us only takes what we need...but that's another post.

My Response -

Yeah, the emergent church is behind Obama and Rick Warren, and is part of the great Apostasy. Not only does lighthousetrails watching this stuff, so does www.sliceoflaodicea.org, www.christianresearchnetwork.com, www.carm.org, there's lots of them that see the dangers! We've got to be on our toes!
In his paragraph about govt responsibiliities, and personal (Christian responsibilities ~ which ins some cases, b/c of red tape, the Church can't perform it's Biblical mandates, i.e., caring for the orphans and widows, at least, not wtihout going through govt. "training," or conditioning!) he criticizes those who "demonize" socialism, while socialism doesn't believe in personal property. It does not allow people to prosper form their own work and excellence, but takes the reward, or "wealth," and gives it to those who will not work. The Bible says, if a man does not work, he should not eat! Care and helping those in trouble is to be of a free, generous heart, and not through a government collectivized network of paid employees who are not able or equipped to give the compassion and loving care to each individual that the Bible demands.
This great democratic country was birthed out of the Protestant Reformation, before it, nothing like the U.S.A. had been known on earth. As our nation abandons the great, godly heritage from whence it came, we our losing our freedoms, and having enemies increase against us. God has removed His blessing from our nation.

Israel is THE MAIN ISSUE!

2008-11-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Stan Goodenough has written a great blog about how Israel is THE ISSUE in this current election.

The link to this blog is http://www.stangoodenough.com/?p=162

I too agree with his final conclusion. If Barak Obama is elected, will this remove (even further) God's hand of blessing on our great nation?

The Pope's against Proselytism?

2008-10-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here's some quotes from the pope that I thought you might find interesting:

"Other ways to keep this flame alive are to "Continue to educate everyone in listening to the Word of God and arouse, especially in the young, Marian devotion and love for the Eucharist. Spread the practice of the Rosary among families. Patiently and courageously, seek new forms and methods of apostolate, making it your concern to modernize them in accordance with today's needs, bearing in mind the language and culture of the faithful entrusted to you care," the Pope said."

"In contrast with religious fundamentalists, Benedict XVI underlined how "the Church does not impose but freely proposes the Catholic faith, well aware that conversion is the mysterious fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit. Faith is a gift and a work of God, and hence excludes any form of proselytism that forces, allures or entices people by trickery to embrace it."
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=13958

Most Christians wouldn't have to be too concerned with this pronouncement to forbid evangelism, (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=13958) as most of us don't share the gospel (proselytze) anyways. But for those who do.. this could be a problem, not to mention it goes agaisnt the words of Christ in Matt. 28 and Mark 16, the great commission, to go into all the world, making disciples of all nations, teaching them everything Christ ~ God through Scripture, has commanded us.
I don't know your opionion on the church's teachings, but I speak as one who follows Biblical teaching. I think the much of the Church (in all it's forms) is coming to a really dangerous place, and the scripture is being fulfilled that Paul wrote to Timothy :"1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 1 Tim 4:1 (HCSB)

The great apostasy of the church is truly beginning to take place. This might all sound kooky, but the Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled, the biggest being the return of Jews to the holy land in 1948. They are the Biblical timeclock. Jesus said in Matt 24, that this generation will not pass away, till all thies things take place (wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes famines, hurricanes, horrific devastation on earth). This year was the Jews' 60th anniversery. So how long is a generation? Ps. 90 says it's 70 yrs. This year is also the beginning of a new 7 yr. cycle the Jews call shvuas. If NASA is correct in predicting the solar and lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015 on Jewish holy days, that could represent the return of Christ as predicted by Joel and the prophets when the speak of the sun being blackenend as sackclosth and the moon turning to blood.

But if that's Christ's return then this would be the very cusp of what Daniel refers to as the 70th 'seven'. The first 69 were until the Messiah, and the final (70th) 'seven' will be when the antichrist comes to reign by proposing peace, and getting followers from around the world. It is also when the one-world government described in Daniel 7 will come into power. The scriputre says the antichrist will gain control of it, and will require every person to be chipped, in order to buy or to sell. But scripture says those who take the mark of the 'beast,' will be condemned to eternal hell.

www.understandthetimes.org

To prepare for Persecution

2008-10-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just found an excellent message on preparing for persecution that I think all of us might find encouragment and exortation in. To read it , go here: http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/page/how-to-prepare-for-tribulation-corrie-ten-boom/

Blessings, Chris

Obama's Ties To Africa - Should We Be Concerned?

2008-10-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

One thing the Obama campaign doesn't need is for the news about Obama's links and support of dictatorial regimes to come out into the open. It is sad the divide that has taken place in America, and manifested even in the political realm. One thing democrats are scared of... is truth. One investigative reporter, the senior editor of World Net Daily, flew to Kenya to investigate Obama Hussein's connectons with Muamar Khadaffi, Kofi Annan and Kenyan presidential contender Raila Odinga.
Turns out, with Mr. Jerome Corsi's desire to publish the truth and let the world know about Obama's connections, at 10 a.m., this Tuesday morning, Mr. Corsi was detained at the airport, after the Kenyan police shut down his scheduled news conference.

Corsi was set to show Obama and Odinga have been in direct contact since the senator's visit to Kenya in 2006. He was to claim Obama advised Odinga on campaign strategy and helped him raise money in the U.S. for the Kenya presidential campaign.

Corsi was to report Odinga's 2007 presidential campaign strategy called for exploiting anti-Kikuyu tribal sentiments, claiming victory and charging voter fraud even if the campaign knew the election had been legitimately lost. Odinga, Corsi said, also was willing to fan the flames of ethnic tribal tensions and use violence as a last resort by calling for mass action that led to the destruction of properties, injuries, loss of life and the displacement of over 500,000 Kenyans. The purpose was to compel the Electoral Commission of Kenya to declare him the winner or enable him to declare himself the winner by force.

Even though Odinga has not fulfilled his campaign promises to the Muslims who voted for him, he continues to cause concern among Kenyans because he has not declared his position on Shariah law, Corsi said.

Corsi said Obama remained in active phone contact with Odinga through the New Hampshire Democratic Party primary in January. The Illinois senator continued to support Odinga, he said, turning a blind eye to an agreement signed with Muslims and the post-election violence instigated as part of the campaign strategy.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=77268

More info can be had in an interview Janet Folger conducted last week with Mr. Corsi, who was bery eager to meet with the press to expose his findings on Hussein Obama. http://www.f2a.org/radio/archive2003.htm

Has God's patience run out with America?

2008-09-28T03:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw a homeland security report (www.homelandsecurityus.com) saying that instructions for a jihadist attack against America and the wider world the Tuesday following Ramadan… so the article inferred October 7th 2008.

The text addressing the nature, location and timing of the planned attack, although specific to the U.S., appears otherwise ambiguous. For instance, the timing appears to focus on the Tuesday following the end of Ramadan, which would be October 7, 2008. The nature of the attack is less clear. Although the author appears to talk about a strike greater in magnitude than the 9/11 attacks and makes reference to the possibility of it being nuclear in nature, the text references to the nuclear aspect of the attack appear somewhat muddled.

It’s scary, but I believe that the LORD’s patience with us as a nation has run out. I think it’s interesting, an article I saw once described America, being the only nation based on God’s word, other than the Jews… should suffer the same fate as the Jews. The Jews forsook God’s covenant, and he brought against them the Babylonians. We have done the same thing, in our wealth and prosperity, we have grown proud and denied the LORD. Now he is bringing against us the same people.

Jeremiah 22:5-9 5 "But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself," declares the LORD, "that this house will become a desolation."'" 6 For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: "You are like Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon; Yet most assuredly I will make you like a wilderness, Like cities which are not inhabited. 7 "For I will set apart destroyers against you, Each with his weapons; And they will cut down your choicest cedars And throw them on the fire. 8 "Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?' 9 "Then they will 1answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.'"

Jeremiah 25:9 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' declares the LORD, 'and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will 1utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

In God's wrath on our nation, which so deserves it, let us pray He remembers mercy.

Habakkuk 3:2 LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

Tzipi Livni: Real life ALIAS!

2008-09-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Certainly these are some of the most tumultuous times that we are living in! I'm watching the Middle East, and watching Israel, God's time clock. Olmert has come out with a ridiculous (not religulous!) assertion that those who believe in Biblical prophesies of a greater Israel are delusional. Then A'mad says Israel's not going to survive, even a lesser Israel!

So Olmert is being indicted on bribery charges, and has resigned his post of PM of Israel. Tzipi Livni has stepped in from his cabinet to carry out his duties... and if she is able to form a stable government in the next 45 days, she will be the next Israeli PM.

So I was wondering what sort of person she would be to lead Israel. I looked her up, and read some on her, and I was impressed! Remember the series ALIAS, with Jennifer Garner? Well Tzipi Livni is the real live Sydney Bristow! Let me share just a few quotes from this article.

Livni joined Mossad [Israeli Intelligence] after leaving the army with the rank of lieutenant and completing a year at law school. From her base in Paris she travelled throughout Europe in pursuit of Arab terrorists.

“Tzipi was not an office girl,” said an acquaintance. “She was a clever woman with an IQ of 150. She blended in well in European capitals, working with male agents, most of them ex-commandos, taking out Arab terrorists.”

Livni has never talked about her years with Mossad, but a glimpse of the nature of the work was given by her closest female partner on European assignments. “The risks were tangible,” said Mira Gal, who became head of her ministerial office. “If I made a mistake the result would be arrest and catastrophic political implications for Israel.”
And as to her upbringing? Check out her parents!

Both her parents were arrested for terrorist crimes in the 1940s. Her mother Sarah, who died recently aged 85, was a leader of Irgun, the militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine at the time of the British mandate and whose exploits included train robbery.

“I was disguised as a pregnant woman and robbed a train carrying £35,000,” she said in an interview shortly before she died. “Then we blew up another train en route from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.”

Livni’s father, Eitan, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for attacking a British military base. He escaped.

I mean, this is Kimpossible fodder! The author of the article notes that she does support the idea of giving up the West Bank, but she is not playing games with Syria or Iran, and will want to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. If she stays, and Bibi doesn't get it, I think she take out Iran... though I think giving out the West Bank is a bad idea. Hopefully she doesn't hold to Olmert's ant-Biblical views.

For full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article4040016.ece

The Shack - a Novel Truth?

2008-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've heard of it. It's been out a while now. It's a FICTIONAL work of a guy who in the wake of his 6 yr. old daughter's death, meets with God in the Shack where she is killed. First of all, let me say, this fictional work is another new age assault on Christianity and Christian doctrine. You have such themes as the Trinity manifesting themselves as black women, except Jesus, who is presumbably a Jewish Carpenter. And once again, as in all new age teachings, God is with and in all people, regardless of religion or belief. It contains, though subtely woven in the novel, panentheism, that God is in all things.

"Jesus even tells Mack that “God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things—ultimately emerging as the real” (p. 112). This is pure New Age spirituality."

For an excellent review of this book, see: http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/BookReviews/book_reviews.asp?ID=387

Theological Underpinnings of a non-Calvinist

2008-09-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

It seems that poor brother John Calvin gets a bad wrap in modern circles. He is oft misrepresented by the stereotypical view of the Hyper-Calvinist, or those who simply have not thought through the implications of the scriptures they read. What most people mean or speak of when they say “Calvinism,” they are really speaking of “predestinarianism.” Let me say at the forefront, I used to be Arminian, but have since been converted through my study of scriptures. But I digress. John Calvin had a very pastoral heart, and Calvinism or predestinarianism is really a very small portion of this great Protestant Reformers heart.

For those who say that they don’t believe in predestination, they believe that it is unjust for a holy, sovereign God, to elect some to salvation, and others, by logical implication, to damnation. What is man’s merits? How is he described in the Bible, the word of truth? Scripture says 9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick—who can understand it? Jer 17:9. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: 20 There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. Psalm 49 tells us: “7 Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God— 8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying — 9 so that he may live forever and not see the Pit” Psalms 49:7-9. In fact, we see this testimony also in the New Testament, in Paul’s systematic exposition to the Romans. He says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom. 3:23. Later in Romans 6:23, we are told, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now, for all those who don’t subscribe to the doctrine (teaching) of predestination, they are generally classified under the category of Arminian. This paper is not meant to deal with the finer subtleties of theological persuasions, so I won’t deal with the finer nuances. Typically, the Arminian belief is that “God elects (or predestines) those whom he foreknew,” as according to the text in Romans 8:29-30.

Okay, so let’s look at this proposition with a little more scrutiny. God elects or predestines those whom He foreknew would choose Him. Okay, that sounds fair. All the people that God knew would choose Him, he just looked forward in time, and ‘elected’ those folks! Ok… so what does this assume? This assumes that it is in our power to choose God. What does the Bible say about that? In Romans 3:10-11, we are told: 10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. According to this verse, how many people choose God? No one. “Well, you say, but those few who God foreknew, right?” No one. So if there is not one, no one, who understands, who seeks after God, then how is man able to choose God in his own power?

This is where Arminians whip up a solution from thin air (and it floats in thin air), called prevenient grace. Don’t bother checking the Bible for it. It’s not in there. This is a made-up doctrine of man according to saviusous faceus.
But I think that this stems from an incorrect understanding of what happened at the Fall. In Gen. 3:17, we read: 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” The Serpent came to Eve, and called into question the very word of God, 4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. But then as we go on, we see in chapter 5, Moses tells us again and again, “then he died” Gen 5:5; “then he died” Gen 5:8; “then he died” Gen 5:11; “then he died” Gen 5:14; “then he died” Gen 5:17; “then he died” Gen 5:20… and so on through the rest of the chapter. So what point is Moses trying to make here? God’s word is truth.

God did not create man to die, but this a result of his rebellion against his Creator. Now, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There were two types of deaths that occurred. It at first didn’t seem that there was death, but there was. At the instant the human heart rebelled and decided to follow Satan’s advice over God’s command, he died spiritually. The human relationship of righteousness that he enjoyed with his maker, who gave him everything good (Eden was paradise!), and only intended good for him, was broken. Humanity was now spiritually dead, and all offspring of Adam and Eve from this point on, that is, the entire world, is born spiritually separated from God, that is, dead, since God is the giver of life.

How can a man who is spiritually dead choose God? Well, the Arminians say that this is where prevenient grace comes into play. God’s prevenient grace ‘suspends’ this state of ignorance and rebellion toward God and allows that person to decide if they want to follow God or not. Okay, we have already seen that the Bible says man is born spiritually dead, and Jesus testifies to this when he speaks to Nicodemus in John chapter 3: 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again” John 3:6,7, (HCSB). But the Arminian doctrine says that God ‘resuscitates’ that spiritual life for a few short minutes, to allow the person to choose, and if they choose wrongly, drops them back into death. Can you imagine a doctor doing this? Although some do, and Barrack Obama voted for doctors to have to do this to the babies who survive (though mangled) abortive procedures.

But if God already knew what they were going to choose, why should He need to give a ‘prevenient grace’ to allow them to choose.

What did Jesus have to say on this issue? Let’s look at a few of His teachings on the matter. In John chapter 6, where Jesus is known for His ‘hard’ sayings, telling the crowds that if they want to receive eternal life, they must eat his flesh and drink his blood (v. 53) But shortly before this, Jesus made this statement: 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 (HCSB).

Later, when his disciples were complaining to Him that this was a hard teaching, he said: 65 He said, “63 The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted to him by the Father” John 6:63, 65 (HCSB). When his disciples affirmed that they did not want to leave Him, for they believed He had the words of eternal life (v. 68), “70 Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!” John 6:70. Here again, we see the sovereign work of God, having chosen twelve disciples, yet one of them destined to hell.

John 15 has one of my favorite verses, providing me the most comfort. In v. 16 he states: 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. John 15:16 (HCSB). In John 17, Jesus is praying to the Father (a good passage in refute of modalism, but that’s a different paper). Jesus didn’t thank God for the people who by some merit of their preference, chose to follow Him. No, he prayed for the people “you gave me out of the world” (vv. 6-16).

As I said earlier, scripture contains some hard sayings. Election is hard, eternal destruction in flames of hell is hard. Did Jesus go back and amend his words to make his followers feel better? Did he soften his teachings so more people would get on board and follow Him? No, in fact, what did Isaiah the prophet say about the matter?

37 Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. 38 But this was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said: Lord, who has believed our message? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to? 39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said: 40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them. John 12:37-40 (HCSB)

Wow. These are hard sayings.

Bur really, is it just? How did Paul understand the issue? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 15 For He tells Moses: I will show mercy to whom I show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 16 So then it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture tells Pharaoh: For this reason I raised you up: so that I may display My power in you, and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 18 So then, He shows mercy to whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills. Romans 9:14-18 (HCSB)

19 You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20 But who are you—anyone who talks back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Or has the potter no right over His clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? 22 And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction? 23 And [what if] He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory— 24 on us whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? Romans 9:19-24 (HCSB)

ALL OF US were born spiritually separated from God, unable to choose Him, dead in our sins, and deserving of eternal punishment for our rebellion against an infinitely glorious and holy God. An offense against such an infinitely glorious and just God must be served with eternal punishment. AND WE ALL DESERVE IT. It is only due to God’s great love and kindness that He has chosen to not send ALL OF US to hell. He was pleased in His grace to redeem us by sending His only Son to die a sacrifice of atonement for those whom God, in His infinitely perfect wisdom, determined He would be gracious to.

Put simply, we ALL deserved to go to hell. And God would be perfectly just in sending us all there and starting over, but according to His great love and graciousness He planned before the creation of the world to save some of us filthy, vile wretches, and wash us white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). And all this results to the maximum glory of an infinitely wise God who has knowledge of all possible futures. “He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory—“ Rom. 9:23.

Sitting in a Bible course on the book of Romans in a little Baptist church somewhere in the midst of Bucharest, Romania, I came to terms with what God’s word said. This is the verse that changed my outlook forever: 16 “So then it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy” (Rom. 9:16).

* All scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

The Excitement of Fulfillment

2008-09-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about doing this for some time... the fulfillment of scriptures. It's very exciting to see it take place, and to say, "I knew that would happen," for it's written in God's word. I found this report at the Iranian blog on the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The Iranian website Asr-e Iran reported that the head of the Moscow-based Center for Studies on Modern Iran, Rajab Safarov, has presented to the Kremlin a proposal to establish an Iran-Russia strategic and military alliance, following the tension between Russia and the West in the Caucasus and the possibility of Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO.

Under the proposal, Russia would form a security pact with Iran and Syria, and would also maintain military bases in Iranian Azerbaijan in northwest Iran and on the Iranian island of Qeshm, near the Strait of Hormuz, in the Persian Gulf, in order to monitor the movements of the West and NATO in the region.

In exchange, Russia would promise Iran military support in the event of a U.S. or Israeli attack, and would provide it with nuclear technology.

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran

'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of [b] Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army... and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. 5 Persia, Cush [c] and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, 6 also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.

22 I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. (from Ezek. 38)

The stage for the fulfillment of Ezek. 38 continues to be filled out. Tensions are high right now, things are almost in place for when our Savior brings about the consummation of His will to establish His rightful reign on earth (Zech 14:9). Will Psalm 83 be fulfilled, with along with Isaiah 17:1, preapring the way for Magog to come out of the north? Time will shortly reveal... and I can tell you where my hope is! Maranatha!

Is A Prophetic Move In Store for Javier?

2008-09-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I was reading in Isaiah 11, on the return of the Jewish Messiah, and I read this verse:

4 but He will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with discipline from His mouth, and He will kill the wicked with a command from His lips. Isaiah 11:4 (HCSB)

Something about “the wicked” caught my attention. I think I had heard this as a reference to the antichrist before. Thinking about Christ’s return in His power and glory, His return to Mount Olivet while the antichrist is reigning from the temple in Jerusalem. 2 Thess. 2:8 tells us of the Messiah’s return:

“8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” 2 Thessalonians 2:8

It seems to me that “He will kill the wicked with a command from His lips” and “whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth” are indeed the same idea. When Isaiah speaks of the Messiah returning, and killing the wicked with the breath of His mouth, he is speaking of not just a category of people who have rejected Him and His ways, He is speaking first and primarily of the antichrist, whom scripture calls “the wicked”.

In a past blog, you’ll remember that I shared with you about a man whose name is little known by most Americans, Javier Solana. Being born from Madrid, Spain, he has risen to the ranks of the High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU (which calls itself the revived Roman Empire!). We have talked about how this man, more than any other living man on earth (that we know of) fits the biblical description for the antichrist. (http://www.prophecynews.co.uk/content/view/18/27/). And he has already been involved for sometime working among Middle Eastern diplomats, helping to forge a ‘peace plan’ for the Middle East.

This article suggests:

The EU must now prepare itself to keep the process alive from the end of this year through to next spring. Considering such a task we also have to be aware of the particular structures of the Union. The Union, through its Council of Foreign Ministers, should as soon as possible give a mandate to Javier Solana, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, to make himself available, with the approval of Israel, the Palestinians, and the current U.S. administration, as a temporary mediator for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from the end of the year. The EU can act as a temporary trustee for the process, thereby preventing it from breaking down and, given its knowledge of the regional situation, help the parties to find practical solutions for some of the most complicated final-status questions - for example, the political division of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states - only to hand back the process and the role of external guidance to Washington once the new administration there is ready for it. http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/August28/2832.html
for original article see http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/26/opinion/edperthes.php

Something within me tells me that America isn’t going to be in the picture. Three is too much talk and threat of nuclear war going down in the Middle East and of Jihad in America on up to ten major cities at once. Much nuclear fissle material has been stolen since the end of the cold war. I’m thinking that America may see a national crisis this fall, and that our nation is not going to be in a place to act as mediator or facilitator of peace negotiations in the Middle East.

This will very well open the door for the Revived Roman Empire to assume the position of power the United States has held for so long. Then Javier, as the High Representative, and the head of the EU military force, will step up after the Church is taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:7). So, as of yet, it’s hasn’t happened, but it seems to be a very possible scenario, and the scriptural fulfillments are moving rapidly that way. It is very exciting to watch, and as Jack Kelley at www.gracethrufaith.com would say, we can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah!

To Be Truly Saved...

2008-08-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

I just read this article, it's a bit lengthy, but definitely good. Mr. Penfold has quite an explanation on the Three soils that didn't perserver to the end or produce fruit. Throughout the church in America, so many are deceived into believing that they are saved when they truly are not. Penfold does a good job giving examples of this, explaining the soils parable our Savior gave us.

At the end of the article, he gives a test (we are commanded to "test ourselves to see if we are in the faith; 2 Cor. 13:5) that is spelled out in the epistle of 1 John:

A saving faith in Christ (1 John 5:13)?
A real relationship with the Father and Son (1 John 1:2-3)?
A sensitivity to sin (1 John 1:5-10)?
A desire to be obedient to God (1 John 2:3-6)?
A love of the Father rather than the world (1 John 2:15-17)?
An expectant anticipation of Christ’s return (1 John 3:2-3)?
A decreasing pattern of sin in your life (1 John 3:4-9)?
An experience of the world’s hatred (1 John 3:13)?
A love for the believers (1 John 3:14)?
Regular answered prayer (1 John 3:22, 5:14-15)?
Discernment of error and false doctrine (1 John 4:1-3, 6)?
The witness of the Holy Spirit within (1 John 5:10)?

If you have these things in your life, God's word tells us that this is what a believers life should look like.

Fortune-tellers actually speak to spirit-guides?

2008-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so let me tell you how I came to these sites. It started this morning listening to an interview done on christianworldviewnetwork.com w/ a guy who used to be a psychich/medium, who consulted with 15 spirit guides! FIFTEEN!!! Yes, that's what I said... though he said he regularly just spoke with two, Phil and Miriam. Anyway, he's now born-again, and amazed the same thing (of connecting with spirit-guides, a.k.a. demons) is being taught in the church, only under the name "contemplative-prayer," or "breaeth prayers," or "centering prayer."

So I went to check out his website, www.onetruthministries.com, and looked at his links section. 3 that I thought were just great, and deserving of most of you knowing about are:

1. www.sacredsandwich.com - satirical parodies w/ an edge of Biblical truth
2. www.refugeminstries.cc - resource help for those formerly involved in the occult or Satanism
3. www.webtruth.org - speaks of current trends and dangers in the UK church (and thus
abroad).

The Audacity of Honesty

2008-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

It seems some eviedence of our Denocratic presidential candidate has turned up of his connections (and service) with a radical leftist organization [ACORN] that promotes socialism. Of course, this has been taught and is promoted in most of our universities and Ivy League schools (whiile American studies and capitalism, how our coutry has risen and functions)! When you hear the word 'socialism,' think Nazi Germany, Communism, for that's what it is.

"Barack Obama's failure to accurately report his campaign's financial records is an incredibly suspicious situation that appears to be an attempt to hide his campaign's interaction with a left-wing organization previously convicted of voter fraud. For a candidate who claims to be practicing 'new' politics, his FEC reports look an awful lot like the 'old-style' Chicago politics of yesterday," stated RNC Spokeswoman Blair Latoff.

And true to form, once Obama was criticized for his past dealings, he did not explain or apologize for his actions, but pointed the finger.

Obama's camp fired back, accusing the RNC of "outlandish conspiracy theories" and pointing out Sen. John McCain was forced to return $50,000 "raised by a foreign national through a number of contributors who weren't even supporting McCain."
Watch out Obama... you should take the logs [sic] out of your own eye before taking out others' specks.

Last July, ACORN settled what was described by the Washington Secretary of State as the "largest case of voter fraud in the state's history." Government prosecutors had filed felony charges against seven ACORN workers, who ended up receiving jail time.
...
ACORN was also investigated in 2006 for submitting false voter registrations in St. Louis. Nearly 1,500 fraudulent voter registrations were identified in the case, which was tied to at least one campaign, that of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. Four ACORN workers were indicted in the case.
...
ACORN strongly lobbies for gun control, leftist education policies, and the regulation of banks, targeting the lending practices of major financial institutions it sees as "predatory." It has a strong anti-capitalism agenda.

Finally, we hear Obama's truthful confession (though it wasn't intended to be):

"I've been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work," Obama told ACORN members in November. [emphaiss mine]
for Obama's story, see http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73335

Mmmmm. Seems like the virtuous, honest, truthful man who won't practice corruption that I want leading our country!

The presidential mantra has been about bringing 'change,' and Obama will bring it! But IT'S NOT GOING TO BE FOR THE GOOD of our nation, not the way we have historically known it. I mean, seriously, Obama has openely state that he wants to raise taxes on those who provide jobs, making it tougher for them to hire or expand business. He wants to increase government handouts (i.e. healthcare, etc.) which is going to increase taxes, decrease quality of healthcare (see healthcare, Canada), maybe more importantly, TAKE AWAY INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS, and lead more rapidly to the economic downfall of our county.

Kirk Cameron had this to say about the presidential race:

"The hope for our country is not going to be who governs us as a nation; it's really not in the laws that govern us so much as it is in the power of God working in the hearts of people," Cameron explains in an interview with The Associated Press.

Cameron says he wishes he felt better about this year's presidential candidates. "I enjoyed watching Rick Warren's forum with Obama and McCain. You know, it's just one of those deals where you want the godliest man possible in there -- and frankly, I wish I felt better about both of the candidates this year," he adds. [all italics mine]
Yeah, me too Kirk.

for Kirk's full article, http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=224762

False Teachers and Eternity

2008-08-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

The last time I preached on 2 Peter was a Sunday night, so most people didn’t get to hear it. So I want to recap real quick. We looked at the 2nd half of ch. 1. Paul said that he made EVERY EFFORT so that they could REMEMBER the truths that he was writing to them. He went on to describe the certainty they had in the word of God, having personally witnessed with their own eyes and heard with their own ears what God Himself uttered from heaven when they were on the sacred mountain top. So he said that you will do well to pay attention to what the scriptures say… until the morning star rises in your hearts. That morning star is one of the names for Jesus (Rev. 22:16). So Peter tells us there to pay attention (listen, believe, obey) so that Jesus is the absolute focus of our lives. He tells us that they did not originate by the will of man, (which many people today try to write them off as being just another religious book written by man), but men who were moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God (v. 21).

But then Peter goes on to tell of false prophets in the days of the OT, just as he warns US, there will be false teachers among you! In this passage Peter shows us four things. First, he shows us the False Prophets Activity, then he tells us of the Unbelievers Punishment. Thirdly, he tells us that the Righteous Are Protected, and finally, that the LORD Knows how to keep the righteous and the ungodly in their respective states of reward or punishment until the Day of Judgment.

Maybe you know of some False Prophets that existed in the past, started their own religions, or maybe you know of some today! You know of people like David Koresh who led a group of people to commit suicide. You know of people like Muhammed, who took principles of Judaisism and Christianity’s and developed a huge following out of it. You know of Joseph Smith, who later took the form of a protestant religion and has deceived millions with what you know is Mormonism. But they aren’t all. It still goes on. I have preached on Ezek. 38, and how we are in the last days, and the Bible tells us in 2 Thess. That the Day of the Lord will not come until the great apostasy, or ‘falling away’ happens.

You know of Oprah Winfrey, who claims to be a Christian, she has her own religion, her own spirituality now that she is promoting, telling people that God is within them. She is leading MILLIONS in a class called a ‘Course in Miracles.’ These teachings come for a lady named Marianne Willaimson, who in the 1960s, took dictation from a spirit who claimed to be ‘Jesus.’ The first online service Oprah Winfrey led had 2 million attendees. It was dubbed as the World’s largest mass! Her second online service, had 5 million people taking part!!! Her religion teaches that there is no sin, it tells us “Not to cling to the old rugged cross.” It says that Jesus was a good example of man who connected with the divine within, while it totally ignores the scripture’s teaching about what Jesus said or did. It rejects the reliability of the New Testament, and adopts erroneous religious teachings like the Davinci Code!

And there are other false prophets, closer to home. Many well-known evangelical pastors are beginning to compromise the exclusive truth of the gospel, and beginning to merge with other world religions, saying that we can find salvation through all of them, saying that if we think Christianity holds the only way to God, that we are “narrow-minded,” or even “bigoted.” Such statements are coming from people such as Rick Warren. You know him for writing the '40 days of purpose.’!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is real! If you go home today and check your copy of 40 days of Purpose, you’ll notice on p. 91 that Warren suggest saying “breath prayers.” Breath prayers are defined and also called by New Age gurus as “sentence prayers” or “centering prayers.” In these prayers you are told to choose one word or a short sentence from scripture, and repeat it over and over, slowly, with your breath, till that is your only thought, and after doing this for 20 minutes, you come to “find god within you.” Do you see what is happening? Do you realize what these people are doing? They are slowly introducing words or concepts to you from other religions so that they will be accepted and you won’t realize what is happening. Let me give you an example: ~ Do you know how to catch a wild pig?
'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat
the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used
to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides
of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used
to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate
on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and
around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to
eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how
to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

This “breath prayer” is very similar to Transcendental Meditation as practiced by the Buddhists. Some of you may recognize the process I described, what the people are doing, is that they are hypnotizing themselves, so that their mind is open to suggestion, or control from an outside source. What this does is it opens our minds to demonic control and deception. Prayer is not something that is for personal experience, nor does it take a Christian 20 minutes to enter the presence of God! When I utter a prayer, THE VERY MOMENT, I am in the presence of God. The Bible says that as a believer in the LORD Jesus Christ, I am seated at the right hand of the very God all these people are trying to reach!!! So in this you can see the start of the movement to bring the world-religions together. Can anyone say ONE-WORLD RELIGION?

Many of you know of Tony Blair, but what you don’t know, is of his spiritual pilgrimage to Africa, Kenya, I believe, to ‘find himself,’ before he became PM of the Britain. Now that he is out of that position, he has formed an organization within the European Union, that aims at bringing together all religions, so that they can survive peacefully, side by side. And one of the main characteristics that they will not tolerate is religions that view themselves as being “exclusive to having access to God”. That would include religious groups like the Southern Baptists! Now, do we say that other groups don’t have access to God because we are mean, arrogant people? NO! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the Father, except through me.” It is not because we are cold, arrogant, bigoted people. If anything, we should be the most opposite to that description you can get! No, it is because we believe God’s word, and those of us who have laid our lives before Him have had our lives transformed!

Rick Warren sits on the advisory board of Blair’s organization. And not only this, but Rick Warren, and Bill Hybels, pastor at Willow Creek, support and are linked to many of the leaders in the Emergent Church. This form of church has been very controversial, and very popular among the younger generation. These churchs deny much of the traditional hymns, that give so much theological substance to our praise. They also minimize or ignore the work of Christ done on the cross for our salvation. These are the ones who are promoting a Kingdom Now theology. The Kingdom Now theology says that God’s will is for there to be an ideal society on earth, but they disregard the teachings on the return of Christ, and teach instead that it is God’s will to eradicate poverty, fight AIDS and work toward peace. While these things in and of themselves are good, they do not teach on MAN’S MOST ESSENTIAL NEED, a relationship with the living, soon returning God! And they accept the practice of homosexuality as good and normal, along with many of the once devout protestant religions, which now ordain gay clergy, in direct contradiction of Scripture’s teachings!

My brothers and sisters, how much further do I need to go in telling you WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT APOSTASY!!! The Church, which once burned with flames of righteousness, has now given in to the ways of the world, Divorce, sexual promiscuity, Homosexuality, Witchcraft! And they have fallen into the condemnation of what Paul said to the Romans of such ‘religious’ people: Romans 1:25 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for 1a alie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, bwho is blessed 2forever. Amen.
These people also exploit you. The other night I saw Rick Warren interviewed by Sean Hannity, and Mr. Hannity repeatedly congratulated him on the 25 million books he’s sold of ‘Purpose Driven Life.’ Oprah Winfrey and her colleagues have made millions through their books and internet classes. The leaders of the emergent church have also produced and made thousands through books that they are putting out and conferences they hold. So through all of this, they exploit you. And you only need ONE book, TRUTH BE TOLD! But we would rather go out and read books about the Bible instead of sitting down and looking at the Bible itself, and plumbing into its riches. In chapter one of 2 Peter. we are told that grace and peace will be multiplied to us THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And this comes through reading God’s word! Hosea 4:6 tells us that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Secondly, Peter tell us of the Unbeliever’s Punishment. He gives us three examples of this: First he tells us that God did not spare the angels when they sinned. This is a reference to Genesis 6 where it says ‘the sons of God’ married the daughters of men, and gave birth to mutant humans called the Nephilim, which were a race of gigantic men. Peter tells us that because these angels left their proper abode, they were sent to prisons in Tarturus, a dark region of the underworld supposedly located below hell.

Peter also tells us how God didn’t spare the ancient world when he sent the flood on the ungodly people of that time. Genesis 6:5 every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Peter reminds us that God did not spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were burnt by fire from heaven. These he tells us, were shown to be an example of what is going to happen to those who live ungodly lives.

But God is faithful and he Protects the Righteous, those who have the sinless blood of Jesus applied to their lives through faith. The next thing we notice in the text is Thirdly, Peter tells us of the righteous ones whom God spared in his judgments upon a wicked culture. (*story - who preached for 120 yrs. and never saw a convert)!

We see that God delivered his servant Noah, and his family safe, through earth’s Catastrophe above all catastrophes!!! (*At the creation Museum, they had clay models of scenarios from the flood, where people had scrambled to the top of rocky crags, crying out, and you could see people struggling to swim in the turbulent waters – the flood was not a pretty, peaceful event. It was the worst devastation upon the planet that has happened up till this point. You think a tsunami of 2004 is bad, multiply that by x 1000!)

We see earlier in Genesis, when God was going to pour out his wrath on the inhabitants of two wicked cities, God knew of only one righteous person in Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s nephew Lot. And God brought Lot and his family out safely, delivering them from the judgment that utterly destroyed both wicked cities.

Fourthly, Peter tells us, the LORD knows how to rescue the righteous from trials, and to hold the unrighteous under punishment awaiting the great judgment. There is no alternative. There is no limbo-like state after death that is taught in the Bible. When we die, we are either taken to be immediately with the LORD, or immediately we go to a dark prison to await eternal judgment. There are no second chances.

It’s interesting that when Jesus gives his description of the end times, he says that it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. And it’s also interesting how Peter closes out in verse 10, referring to those who will be punished. He says, “especially those who follow the corrupting desires of the flesh, and despise authority.” What were the people like both in Noah’s day, and in Lot’s time? They followed the corrupt, sinful desires of the flesh, and through their wicked sexual immorality, they despised God’s authority over their lives by silencing the conviction of conscience that God had placed in them to guide them between right and wrong.

So in all three examples, of fallen angels, of humanity before the flood, and of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, ALL THREE are examples where beings followed the sinful desires of the flesh instead of God’s righteous plan for humanity. Sound familiar? What characterizes our culture today? You see it in every aspect of our society! Just the other day, we were informed that a homosexual group of students at Cambridge High tried to put up a Rainbow flag for their group under the American flag. Folks, It’s reaching even to here! I dare say it’s in this church.

Who are you following in your life today? Are you following the LORD, and His righteous plan for your life? Or are you selling yourself short for the temporary, fleeting desires of this life, only to gain an eternal future of agony and torment? Don’t sell yourself short! You can come to God today. Today is the day of God’s favor, today is the day of God’s grace.

Friday afternoon, I came home a little early because Tara had a severe crick in her neck, and as I came in the house, the news was reporting a bus in NJ that ran off a bridge and crashed onto an embankment below. I don’t know where they were going or where they were coming from, but I bet they didn’t expect that the day the boarded the passenger bus, they would go flying off a bridge and seal their eternal destiny. Where are you going today? When you leave this site, what is your eternal destiny?

Response on War and End times scenario - part I

2008-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

The following is a response I wrote to a young woman who just moved out of our youth group and is now in the military. She just found out that she had to go to Iraq, and has the noramal reservations about killing other people. I thought my response to her might be good to remind us all of what is taking place today!
****************

M, I didn't know you're going to Iraq!!! I'm very proud of you and of your service. It is a terrible thing when you have to kill another human being... the Bible tells us in Romans 13 that God ordained government for the punishment of evildoers, and as an employee of government, your task will require that at times. You will see horrible things there. Probably the worst I saw in my missions experience was a drunken man who had his arm chopped off by a airplane propeller blade in Sudan. But you'll see much worse. We weren't intended by God to see or deal with this... but because of sin it is sometimes now necessary. You are not sinning by killing in war ordered by your country in a just war. If there was ever a just war, Pres. Bush eradicating Saddam and having troops work to establish democracy in Iraq [despite the lies of news media] is the closest instance of it I've seen. But remember Michelle, in God's eyes, any sin will send someone to hell apart from repentence and salvation in Jesus. 1 Jn 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

M, as you go to Iraq, you're going to NEED to walk with God and spend time with Him every day by studying his word to make it and grow in your faith. If you neglect prayer and God's word in such an environment it [or Satan] will tear you apart emotionally and spiritually. God is our refuge and strength. I mean, that's true for anywhere, but so much more as you go in to Iraq. I hope and pray you will be involved with other strong believers and a worship service on your base. "I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jer 29:11.

M, and not only this, but the Messiah's return is sooo close. Israel is the timeclock for the Messisah's return. They were returned to the promised land in 1948 as prophesied throughout the OT (Ezek. 36,37). Jesus said in Matt. 24 that generation will not pass away till all these [end time signs] take place. Ok, how long's a generation? Well, the Bible has different uses of generation, but in Ps. 90, Moses said 'a man lives 70 years, or if he has the strength, 80.' So Moses defines it as more or less 70 years. This year the Jews celebrated their 60th anniversary! :-D That leaves 10 years before the return of Christ! But before he returns (for good), the 7 yr peace plan and antichrist must appear. So minus 7 yrs, that puts us at 2011!!!

I'm not saying that it's going to be that year, but ALL the many prophetic indicators that inidicate His return are coming true! Go to www.100prophecies.org and www.prophecynewswatch.com to get an indication of how quickly prophetic signs are being fulfilled every day around us. And in the military, where you're going, did you realize you're going to the very place much of the Bible was written and speaks about in the last days!!! How awesome! :- D

The Difficulty of Being Saved

2008-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

21 Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22 But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:21-25 (HCSB)

Jesus told the rich man what was required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Was it that you must sell all your possessions, give it to the poor, and follow Christ in a state of poverty? No. This young ruler worshipped his wealth, his possessions. The apostle John tells us later that we are not to love the things of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of possessions, is not from the Father, but is from the world (1 Jn 2:15-18).

Immediately after this situation, Jesus’ first word to his disciples was, “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” These were amazing words! His disciples were astonished! Jesus, seeing their incredulity, didn’t soften his words. He said it again, if not with more emphasis this time. Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

What Jesus was telling the rich young ruler, and the disciples, is that he requires absolute allegiance! Many times we read these stories and think that they are for other people, not us. But this scripture should hit home with, if anyone, most certainly us!!! Though economically, we are going through a hard time, yet the average American household still has more “possessions” than the average household anywhere else in the world.

If there is anything that takes God’s place in our lives, that is the one thing that we must get rid of us. The rich young rulers idol was his wealth. Jesus told him to sell all his “stuff,” and follow God. He made him get rid of the idol that was in his life, so he could follow God.

Let me talk to you now. What keeps you from God’s word, or from attending and serving in the church? Do you have time to get on the internet to check you email, and your five websites, but don’t have time for reading the Bible? Do you have time to train and practice for sports or band, but can’t come to church? Can you text 40 friends in 30 minutes, but can’t read the Bible for 10!?? Children, HOW HARD it is to enter the kingdom of God!

What keeps us out of heaven is that we all have idols in our lives. Sometimes, even after we are saved we will get idols… What idols do you have in your life? What things are part of your daily schedule that keep you from spending time in God’s word? Our lives must unreservedly given to and following the LORD Jesus Christ if we are to enter heaven. My Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of heaven! Do you need to surrender your life to Christ today?

The Demonic Unfolding Among Us

2008-08-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

Revelation 12:9 9 The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 20:10 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Brothers and sister, loved ones in the Lord... I just came upon on online book written by Hannah Newman as a report to the Jews in regards to the anitsemitic plan of the New Age. This should make us all draw near to God and let us treat and love our Bibles like cell-pnones!

2. The Plan for Reviving the Cosmic Religious War
This aim of the "Masters" to eliminate "the orthodox Jewish faith" is a continuation of an ancient war between the "White Lodge" (the Hierarchy) and the "Black Lodge" (source of Jewish/Christian teaching). Bailey describes it (_Externalisation_ II, p.71-77) as "the great struggle between the Lords of Light and the Lords of Material Form, also called the Dark Forces." [See more on this in the "Gods" section.] In spite of the direct intervention of the "Shamballa energy" itself (or Sanat Kumara himself), the Hierarchy was defeated, bringing about the fall of the Atlantean civilization and immanent global destruction. Bailey refers to the final end of Atlantis in a catastrophe which obliterated all traces of the far superior civilization: "This historical event has been preserved for us in the universal legend of the great flood", she confesses, referring specifically to Noah's ark. (p.124) [Since Bailey relies on the Jewish Bible for information about that time, surely we may also do so - noting the state of humanity during the period the "Masters" held control of earth. It is also revealing that the rainbow, the symbol which declared an end to that war, has been commandeered by the losers as a symbol of their return to fight again.] But it wasn't that the "Masters" were driven out by their Archenemy; "for the good of humanity, the Hierarchy withdrew into the background, leaving man to find his own way out...." (p.125) [A great example of responsible nurturing, to leave mankind alone with the chaos of a world disaster. But perhaps they had their own wounds to lick.]

...

After the Atlantean destruction, the masters of the White Lodge were forced to withdraw into space and leave earth in control of the Black Lodge. But they saw to it that White Lodge teachings were preserved in Babylon, [probably entrusted to the one named in the Torah as founder of Babylon, Nimrod, whose name in Hebrew means "we will rebel"] to be passed down to "guardians of the ancient wisdom" in each generation (collectively called "the White Brotherhood") - Egyptians, Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, Hindus, Buddhists, Chinese (Taoism), American Indians, and assorted enlightened ones who were branded as heretics by "restrictive Judaism and Christianity" . Among the last two, certain groups are identified: the Cathars, the Knights Templar (both connected with "Holy Grail" lore), Freemasons (held to have been established by King Solomon in his more "enlightened" years), Gnostics and Kabbalists (Jewish Lurians, and Christian or "Hermetic Qabalists").

While both Black and White Lodges consist of disembodied spirit beings, they each seek partnership with human beings. The Hierarchy who left is now returning (from a spiritual hideout identified in NA as "Shamballa") to reclaim their "inner government" on planet earth, which will finally put the 'Black Lodge' out of business. In short, they plan to launch (or re-open) a religious war-to-end-all-wars, without which the New World Order cannot be fully established. That is why the "worn-out Jewish dispensation", which includes a certain strain of Christianity as an offshoot, is to be outlawed and replaced by the "New World Religion". This will be mandatory and will have to be imposed ("in any way possible") for the good of all. [emphasis mine]

http://www.lermanet.com/rainbow-swaztika/naD.htm

To deal with this "cancer" which is humanity, not only is the quality of human life to be strictly controlled, but the quantity as well. Drastic reduction of the human "plague" is a NA mandate of the highest order, and therefore (human) over-population is sold by the Western media and government as the greatest menace facing the Earth today, beginning with the landmark book, _The Population Bomb_, by Paul Ehrlich: "We must cut out the cancer of population growth. Coercion? Perhaps, but coercion in a good cause." (p.11) The Georgia Guidestones, a tourist site dubbed "America's Stonehenge", is a monument to New Age priorities, and over-population gets attention from first to last - literally. Engraved on huge granite slabs in 12 different languages (including Hebrew) are a NA equivalent to the Ten Commandments, said to be dictated by anonymous "guides". Guideline Number One specifies that earth's population must be reduced to 1/2 billion in order to "balance with Nature", implying that at least 80% of humanity must be eliminated. Guideline Number Ten reads: "Be not a cancer on the earth - leave room for nature, leave room for nature." While the Guidestones were erected by an anonymous group which cannot claim to represent NA leadership worldwide, prominent figures concur that catastrophic population reductions are necessary for humanity's advancement: "The total world population should be not more than 2 billion, rather than the current 5.6 billion [in 1994]." (Cornell University professor David Pimentel, speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science) The UN was even more specific: "A reasonable estimate for an industrialized world society at the present North American material standard of living would be 1 billion. At the more frugal European standard, 2 to 3 billion would be possible." ("UNEP Global Assessment Report", Phase One Draft, sec.9) [According to the UN Population Census table, its 1 billion limit would take us back to the global population of the year 1804, and 2 billion to 1927.] At the "State of the World Forum", sponsored by the Gorbachev Foundation and attended by many world leaders (San Francisco, 1995), Dr. Sam Keen, a respected NA philosopher, proposed the more stringent Georgia Guidestones level of 1/2 billion: "Cut the population [of roughly 5.8 billion that year] by 90% and there aren't enough people left to do a great deal of ecological damage." (William Jasper, "Global Gorby", _The New American_, Oct. 30, 1995) Al Gore, U.S. Vice President at the time, went so far as to blame over-population in Third World countries for global warming. (_Washington Times_, "Third World Birth Control Tops Gore's List of 'Global Warming' Cures", Oct. 1997) [How an abundance of dark-skinned babies can affect global temperatures more than an abundance of American cars, power plants, shopping malls and air conditioners is a mystery I'm still pondering. The fact that the man wasn't laughed out of office provides yet more food for thought.] [emphasis mine]
http://www.lermanet.com/rainbow-swaztika/naB.htm#guidestones

To see the entire book, go to: http://www.lermanet.com/rainbow-swaztika/default.htm#toc

I praise the LORD that I know the outcome of these things! The time is dark, we live in this present darkness [sic]... and we know that things are going to get rough... possibly very soon for us! Paul tells us in Philippians 1 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, and again:
Philippians 3:20-21 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Amen, so be it, Come, Lord Jesus!

In the House of my God

2008-08-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Psalm 84:10

Hamas leader's Son Becomes Christian!

2008-08-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

HALLELUJAH!!! Even when a time of wickedness grows greater and greater on the earth, God continues to pour out His mercy and show His ever-amazing Grace! I pray He continues to pour out His mercy and grace upon the Muslim peoples who have little or no access to the gospel.

Masab Yousef, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheik Hassan Yousef, revealed for the first time in an exclusive interview with Haaretz newspaper that he has left Islam and is now a Christian. Prior to the interview’s publication last Thursday, Yousef’s family did not know of his faith conversion even though he is in regular contact with them.

“[T]his interview will open many people's eyes, it will shake Islam from the roots, and I'm not exaggerating,” Yousef, who now resides in the United States, said. “What other case do you know where a son of a Hamas leader, who was raised on the tenets of extremist Islam, comes out against it?”

Yousef, who is now 30-years-old, was first exposed to Christianity eight years ago while in Jerusalem where out of curiosity he accepted an invitation to hear about Christianity. Afterwards, he became “enthusiastic” about what he heard and would secretly read the Bible every day.

“A verse like ‘Love thine enemy’ had a great influence on me,” Yousef recalled. “At this stage I was still a Muslim and I thought that I would remain one. But every day I saw the terrible things done in the name of religion by those who considered themselves ‘great believers.’

to read whole article, go to http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080804/top-hamas-leader-s-son-converts-to-christianity.htm

The Role of God’s Servants

2008-08-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was pondering about how Christian pastors in third world countries or communist countries have little or no access to commentaries or biblical study tools, but only have the scriptures, and sometimes not even that. Concerning a believer’s work with God, Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth (1 Cor. 3: 6-7).

The one thing that believers do have in these countries where they do not have access to other teaching or to commentaries, is that they have God’s word and God’s Spirit, and they are often much more reliant on prayer. “It is God who gives the growth.” When we, with our fancy commentaries and laptops that have Bible programs with maps, illustrations, devotions and so on, tend to rely more on our skill and message layout. But God even tells us in chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians, “God has chosen the world’s weak things to shame the strong. God has chosen the world’s insignificant and despised things – the things viewed as nothing – so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something” (1:27b,28) When we truly seek the LORD in prayer, He is the one who gives the growth to our ministries. Oswald Chambers said something to the effect that “Prayer is not preceding the work of God, Prayer IS the work.”

Mission in Baltimore

2008-07-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

This past week at Baltimore was both frustrating and good. It was frustrating dealing with the spiritual opposition and resistance in the lives of our young people. But overall, it turned out good for the youth (and leaders) who went. They are now excited and understand the need for church planting and are ready to get involved in serving the community. I’m really excited, and excited for them!

I had a revelation this past week being involved in the community service projects. I have often spken and taught on how love is action. I also taught on how Christ instructs is to live a life of love, and how he said, “obedience to God is to walk in love.” “He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God predestined before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:8-10).
That passage right there says it all. God wants us to live lives of service, both to the believing and unbelieving world. But of the unbelievers, Paul says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time” Col 4:5 (HCSB). So with the unbelieving communities in which we inhabit, we must live lives of service, opening them to the gospel and engaging them in love.
With the LORD's SOON return, we've all got to be busy engaging and serving our communities. I think that's where many of us as churches have dropped the ball. We focus on doing programs and courses and looking inward at the church and the health of the body, while losing focus on the community right around us. Being part of this church plant for the Gallery church in Baltimore (www.gallerychurchbaltimore.com) was refreshing and opened my eyes to this.

Another thing that was really cool, and that the youth thought was really cool, was that we got interviewed and had an article wrote up about us in yesterday's Baltimore Sun paper. If you'd like to check it out, see http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ci.youth04jul04,0,5831783.story. They even quoted moua!

The Church Deceived?

2008-06-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Imagine one Sunday morning you go to your local Christian church and find that something very odd is going on. As you approach the church building, a stranger wearing a "Gay Pride" T-shirt opens the door for you and says, "Come in. God loves you just the way you are!" Confused, you hurry to the worship service and find that a New Age guru has been invited to preach. After the error-filled sermon, you stagger to your Sunday School class and hear the shocking claim that Christ is NOT the only way to heaven, but that eternal life can be found in all religions. You are then asked to seek a spirit guide to verify this "truth" through Eastern meditation."—Chris Carmichael, When Churches Promote Books Instead of the Book
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/willowcreek.htm

It seems that this is taking place in the church all around us. We already know that the mainline churches are filled with apostasy and compromise. But it seems that deception is even deeper than we realized, certainly than I realized. Evangelical leaders all around us are buying into new age mysticism couched in Christian terminology "Contemplative Prayer." Rick Warren is a proponet of this, and has went so far as joining arms in the cause of the "kingdom of god" with Buddhists and Hindus and Gay activists. Bill Hybels at Willow Creek has also incorporated a 'paradigm shift' into the mystical with their spiritual disciplines.

I would like to cite one more paragraph that I think says it well:

For those who realize that contemplative spirituality is the vehicle through which the kingdom-now, emerging church, dominionist views draw their strength and momentum, Willow Creek's "shocking confession" will indeed be very shocking. As Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and most other major leaders in Christianity today, stand arm and arm with contemplatives and emerging spirituality, those who understand biblical prophecy about the days prior to Christ's return will realize that history is being made. But unfortunately, Scripture warns that Satan will deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9) and that a great falling away will occur. Let us be sober-minded and diligent to stand for biblical truth and the Gospel that alone can save the soul that turns to Jesus Christ in humility and repentance, acknowledging Him to be God, Lord, and Savior. [

by: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/index.php?p=878&more=1&c=1

If any of thes terms seem 'big' to you, don't feel bad. At the following link, their research site main page, they define terms. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/

Contemplative Spirituality/Emergent Church

2008-06-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry I've been gone so long. I had to fill in for the senior pastor one week, and then I seemed to become absorbed into what is happening to the the North American church. And really, this has been going on for some time, and I've even posted on some of it. It seems there is a huge move of mysticism infiltrating the church in the name of "contemplative prayer." This practice was carried out by the 'Desert Fathers' in the early middle ages, but derives its source and main practice from Eastern Religions. This contemplative prayer is Christian terminology for what the Hindus call Transcendental Meditation or TM. It has also been toyed with in the Church in the name of "Christian Yoga," which I hear is on the website for Barrack Obama's former Church under church ministries!

Lighthouse Trails publishing company includes this definition of Contmplative Prayer or Spirituality on their site:
Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.

To see instructions on how to go about it, see the website for the International House of Prayer: http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?id=1000000385

Now I don't know about you, but I don't have to meditate for 20 minutes to find the presence of God, I just bow my head in prayer, and I'm in His presence by the substitutionary work my Savior did for me on the cross, which covers my sin and gives ME His righteousness through faith!

What is shocking is the rate at which all this is occurring and being accepted! When looking at the list of Chrisitans now promoting this New Age/Mystical movement in the Church, my wife started crying! "It seems like everyone is falling!" she said. Indeed, it's quite disturbing. And maybe you know of this movement, or have picked up on it. I was shocked how many books I had from people who are now part of this movement. Chances are, if you've read Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, you've been touched by it.

Let's see who some of these people are: John Ortberg, Erwin McManus, J. P. Moreland, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning , Henri Nouwen , Philip Yancey, John Eldredge, Gary Thomas, Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline and Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home); Bill Hybels, Brother Lawrence, Larry Crabb, Lance Witt, Max Lucado, H.B. London , Erik Reese, Donald Miller , Eugene Peterson, Michael Casey .

If you're anything like me, you're in a bit of shock right at the moment! I own books by several of these people, books I really liked! Wow. This list of names is from the Saddleback church's library of works that contain "strong contemplative propensities." All of these people are aligning themsevles with the contemplative prayer movement that is taking our churches by storm. I got this list of names at Lighthouse Trail's newest newsletter, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletter061608.htm#LETTER.BLOCK11

As if this isn't enough, the emerging church, the 30s something church, is focusing more on a social/marxist/Kingdom Now theology, and not emphasizing the substitutionary death of Christ for the payment of our sins. It's as if they think Jesus was a good example to follow for a better life here and now. Nevermind the fact that you've sinned and grieved a holy, infinite, omnipotent and just God, of whom scriptures say, "It's a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" (Heb. 10:31).

You know how a few months back Tony Blair got religion, his wifes religion, Roman Catholicism? Well, in his zeal (and lack of knowledge, Hos. 4:6) he formed an institution aimed at bringing all the religions arm in arm in peace. One stated purpose of this organization of what they will not tolerate is religous groups who are exclusive to other religons (my paraphrase). HELLO??? Southern Baptist? Any Bible Believers out there? Jesus said "I AM the way the truth and the Life, and NO MAN comes to the Father but through ME" (Jn 14:6). For there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). And guess who sits on the advisory board for this great, ecumenical organization? Rick Warren. Yep. So Warren, and the emergent church leaders (Brian Mclaren, Robb Bell, Shane Clairborne...) are all working to unite world religions (nevermind the exclusivity of the gospel, that's an archaic issue) for the betterment of all mankind. Can anyone say ONE WORLD RELIGION? HELLO!!?
One man went to a conference held by emergent leader Brian Mclaren, and reflecting back on it, had this to say:
I found that the essence of these statements are still proving to be axiomatic after my experience at the “Everything Must Change” conference held at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana with emergent church leader Brian McLaren. I sat through session after session listening to the emergent “gospel;” complete with medieval chants and choruses of despair, apologies to the Native American Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley, as well as to “Mother Earth” for scarring her through our mining and oil drilling operations. The sarcasm with which traditional Scriptural positions were discussed, coupled with repeated swipes at Christians who were (in McLaren’s opinion) waiting to be “snatched away,” “evacuated,” or “beamed up,” brought one particular Scripture passage constantly to my heart and mind. 2 Peter 3:3-13 captures the essence of the conference:

...

The music was all original and was performed by a very gifted young woman. The tonality was “modal” and a-rhythmic; reminiscent of the “coffee house” styles of the 1960s; a sort of “Hillsong meets Joan Baez” blend. Very prosaic in nature, with quickly spoken recitations over guitar and violin, seven or eight words to every two or three beats; all crying out about our rape of “Mother Earth” and other human rights violations. The thing that stuck out to me was that there was no worship poetry extolling the Glory of God or the beauty of Christ in creation. Everything was directed towards an inward, subjective, and very mystical experience, coupled with a worldview which represented more of the Gospel of “Marx” than of “Mark.” Reflecting back to the opening “worship chorus” inspired by Francis of Assisi; Mr. McLaren stated that in one particular city a man rose from his seat and walked out because the song sounded “New Age.” He then scoffed, “Not New Age, but Middle Age”… a comment that drew delighted laughter from his admiring congregation.
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-everything-must-change.html

His article goes on and is very interesting as it gives us a glimpse into the practice and belief of much of the emergent church. My wife kept telling me, "No, no, I don't want to see this. I want the LORD to return and take us, I don't want to see this happen." I didn't feel very sympathetic as I said "I know, but it was written about in the Bible thousands of years ago that it would happen this way." And in an effort to encourage her, I said, "This should cause us to be encouraged, to look up, because our Lord is soon in returning!" So, for all I could muster, I wasn't very encouraging. And I think it will continue to get worse. All I can say is "lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near!" (Lk 21:28).

Amen.

Jihadists admitting defeat in Iraq?

2008-05-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

So it seems some of the Islamic militants are concedeing on their own websites. Check out this article:

A prolific jihadist sympathizer has posted an ‘explosive’ study on one of the main jihadist websites in which he laments the dire situation that the mujaheddin find themselves in Iraq by citing the steep drop in the number of insurgent operations conducted by the various jihadist groups, most notably Al-Qaeda’s 94 percent decline in operational ability over the last 12 months when only a year and half ago Al-Qaeda accounted for 60 percent of all jihadist activity.

...

The author tallies up and compares the numbers of operations claimed by each insurgent group under four categories: a year and half ago (November 2006), a year ago (May 2007), six months ago (November 2007) and now (May 2008). He demonstrated that while Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq could claim 334 operations in Nov. 06 and 292 in May 07, their violent output dropped to 25 in Nov. 07 and 16 so far in May 08. Keep in mind that these assessments are based on Al-Qaeda's own numbers.

...

Put that in your pipe and smoke it all ye calling for a hasty withdrawal.

For a more complete reading, see the article at http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID=721F7435-B29B-4587-B45F-3C716CDEA0F4

Angels in Baltimore

2008-05-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May my family took a preview trip of our summer missions work to Baltimore, MD. Our first morning there, had some time before our first meeting, so we decided to go down to Lexington Market, where Tara's dad had eaten when he was 18!

We drove downtonwn, and reached Lexington Market, which was literally 'inner city' Baltimore. As we walked in, the sights, the smells, the people. We had Christopher on his Elmo leash so he wouldn't wander or get lost in the bustle and snatched! The food plaza was great. It made me think of something you'd see on Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. The plaza was immense. The main floor had hundreds of food shops, and up on the second level, there were tables seated around the sides looking down to the bustling floor below.

We entered in, and were looiking for a particular shop. Christopher loved it. He is still very trusting of people, and would run as far as I'd let him go on his leash. We meandered through the plaza, going around different corners in search of the famous crab-cake shop located somewhere inside. Finally we found it, and got in line to get a ginormous crab-ball, a little larger than a softball! And it cost $13!!! :-O Tara's mom makes a really good 'crab-puff,' so we had to try one so Tara could compare and tell her mom of the taste and ingredients (that Tara had tasted~ my wife's good!).

From there we went across the street t investigate more of the market. There were shops on the outside selling souveneirs, belts, cell phones, combs, etc. We went in the other side, and it was more of a market selling whole fishes, crabs, lobster, though there were still food shops with lines of customers. The entire market was very crowded, bustling with people in their daily routine. Pretty soon, the odor of all the dead fish, seafood and other aromas(!) began to overwhelm us, so we decided to go back onto the sidewalk, where at least the air was open.

We went onto the sidewalk, and began back the direction we had come. I was trying to direct Christopher and keep him from walking in front of a moving car. As we went up a little further, there was this little old black lady walking down the sidewalk. Her hair was short and graying. She had on glasses with thick sides. Her dress was old and faded, and she had on a shawl over her dress. She was passing by us, and didn't look at us as far as I could tell. But as she passed, I heard her say something clearly, sternly without yelling, "Jesus is coming back!"

At the time I thought it was sweet that this old lady was witnessing to people in her way, walking through the busy marketplace. Most modern day methods of evangelism would teach you more of a presentation, or that evangelism happens best in relationship. I think I would agree. As I got to thinking about it, it occurred to me, "What if that was an angel?" Theologically speaking, God has ordained for humans to play a role in the redemption of their fellow humans, showing the transforming power of His life in us, giving us compassion and love for our deceived and enslaved fellow humans. But the meaning of angel is "a messenger of God," and in scripture, we see that it appears more than just heavenly beings can be angels (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18, etc.).

This morning when thinking of writing about this occurrence, and this little old lady, I thought about the prophet Jonah, and his tactics. We know that clearly we are living in the (very literally) last days, when we see that the labor pains are now much closer together than just 59 years ago, when Israel was brought back to its promised land, fulfilling Ezek. 36 & 37. This little lady did just as the prophet Jonah was directed thousands of years ago. She marched through the market, as busy and bustiling as Ninevah in Jonah's day, I dare say, and proclaimed the near return of our Lord to all who might hear her.

Oh, how much more should we all be seeking to warn people to seek refuge in our Lord, who freely offers salvation to all! 11 Knowing, then, the fear of the Lord, we persuade people.
18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5:11, 18-20 (HCSB)

Galatians 6:9 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

2008-05-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe you know about Hal Lindsey, a lot of people give him a bad wrap. One thing about it, he's been watching and studying the Bible about the end-times for a long time! Most people will learn from mistakes and grow in their understanding and wisdom. I thinkt that we might ought to hear him out now. He's been watching political developments in relation to end times prophecy for decades, and the thing is, more and more are beginning to agree with what he's saying!
Everyone knows there were some devastating natural disasters this past week. Let's take a look at Lindsey's analysis:

The world has endured an almost mind-numbing series of shocks in recent weeks, from the unprecedented swarm of tornadoes across the American Midwest to the death and destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis as it tore a path through Myanmar, better known as Burma.

There were 368 documented tornadoes in the U.S. in January and February of this year, shattering the previous record of 243 over that two-month period, set in 1999. February's total of 232 tornadoes also shattered previous records.

...

Back in 1969, the year I wrote "The Late, Great Planet Earth," the USGS identified a total of seven "significant earthquakes." I had noted in 1969 that there was a slight but discernible increase in worldwide earthquake activity since Israel's rebirth in 1948.

During the entire decade of the 1970s, the USGS recorded a total of 44 earthquakes it classified as "significant." The following decade, from January 1980 to December 1989, the USGS recorded 47 significant earthquakes. That is for the entire decade. From 1990 through the end of 1999, the USGS records 57 significant earthquakes. From 2000 thru to Monday's earthquake in Sichuan, China, the USGS recorded an astonishing 109 earthquakes of at least magnitude 7.0 and 13 earthquakes measuring between 8.0 and 9.9 on the Richter Scale.

On the other side of the world, the long-dormant Chaitan volcano erupted May 2 for the first time, say geologists, in more than 7,000 years. The BBC reported that a government volcano expert warned there could be a big eruption at any time.

...

When Jesus was asked by His disciples to tell them what "signs" would precede His return at the end of the age, He warned that "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes in various places," He said (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Using an analogy immediately understandable to all peoples in all nations, he said of these signs, "All these are the beginning of birth pains."
for full article, see: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64375

With all this happening at the same time on planet earth, it seems like the time is upon us. God is sending a messsage to the earth's inhabitants to turn from their wickedness and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
There is no other name under heaven, given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts. 4:12).

What the Hadiths say about Jihad for Allah

2008-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here below are a selection of interesting hadiths taken from Islamic works. It appears that violent, war-like jihad is commanded from the religion of Islam. And it's only guarantee of eternal paradise is through being martyred in the cause of Allah (i.e. killing yourself for Allah's purpose).

The second best deed is to participate in Jihad
Allah's Apostle was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad). The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)? He replied, "To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's Cause." The questioner again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To perform Hajj (Pilgrim age to Mecca) 'Mubrur, (which is accepted by Allah and is performed with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure only and not to show off and without committing a sin and in accordance with the traditions of the Prophet)." Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25, Narrated Abu Huraira:

Muhammad said if someone leaves Islam, to kill him
Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.'" Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260, Narrated Ikrima. Also, see Volume 9, Book 84, Number 64, Narrated 'Ali.

Muhammad approves of killing someone who hurt him and having the killer lie
"Allah's Apostle said, "Who is willing to kill Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, "O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?" The Prophet said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Kab). "The Prophet said, "You may say it." Then Muhammad bin Maslama went to Kab and said, "That man (i.e. Muhammad demands Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) from us, and he has troubled us, and I have come to borrow something from you." On that, Kab said, "By Allah, you will get tired of him!" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him unless and until we see how his end is going to be. .." Volume 5, Book 59, Number 369, Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah.

Paradise was guaranteed to the first to take part in a naval battle
That 'Umair bin Al-Aswad Al-Anasi told him that he went to 'Ubada bin As-Samit while he was staying in his house at the sea-shore of Him with (his wife) Um Haram. 'Umair said. Um Haram informed us that she heard the Prophet saying, "Paradise is granted to the first batch of my followers who will undertake a naval expedition." Um Haram added, I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Will I be amongst them?' He replied, 'You are amongst them.' The Prophet then said, 'The first army amongst' my followers who will invade Caesar's City will be forgiven their sins.' I asked, 'Will I be one of them, O Allah's Apostle?' He replied in the negative." Volume 4, Book 52, Number 175 Narrated Khalid bin Madan:

Those who fight in Jihad have the right to the spoils of the conquered or Paradise if he dies
The Prophet said, "The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostles, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr). Had I not found it difficult for my followers, then I would not remain behind any sariya going for Jihad and I would have loved to be martyred in Allah's cause and then made alive, and then martyred and then made alive, and then again martyred in His cause." Volume 1, Book 2, Number 35, Narrated Abu Huraira.

". . . "This is the Will of Allah, "After the people returned, the Prophet sat and said, "Anyone who has killed an enemy and has a proof of that, will posses his spoils." I got up and said, "Who will be a witness for me?" and then sat down. The Prophet again said, "Anyone who has killed an enemy and has proof of that, will possess his spoils." I (again) got up and said, "Who will be a witness for me?" and sat down. Then the Prophet said the same for the third time. I again got up, and Allah's Apostle said, "O Abu Qatada! What is your story?" Then I narrated the whole story to him. A man (got up and) said, "O Allah's Apostle! He is speaking the truth, and the spoils of the killed man are with me. So please compensate him on my behalf." On that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said, "No, by Allah, he (i.e. Allah's Apostle ) will not agree to give you the spoils gained by one of Allah's Lions who fights on the behalf of Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet said, "Abu Bakr has spoken the truth." So, Allah's Apostle gave the spoils to me. I sold that armor (i.e. the spoils) and with its price I bought a garden at Bani Salima, and this was my first property which I gained after my conversion to Islam." Volume 4, Book 53, Number 370, Narrated Abu Qatada.

". . . . While we were in this state, the Lord of the Heavens and the Earths, Elevated is His Remembrance and Majestic is His Highness, sent to us from among ourselves a Prophet whose father and mother are known to us. Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. tribute); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says:-- Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master." (Al-Mughira, then blamed An-Numan for delaying the attack and) An-Nu' man said to Al-Mughira, "If you had participated in a similar battle, in the company of Allah's Apostle he would not have blamed you for waiting, nor would he have disgraced you. But I accompanied Allah's Apostle in many battles and it was his custom that if he did not fight early by daytime, he would wait till the wind had started blowing and the time for the prayer was due (i.e. after midday)." Volume 4, Book 53, Number 386, Narrated Jubair bin Haiya.

Allah's Apostle said, "Allah guarantees (the person who carries out Jihad in His Cause and nothing compelled him to go out but Jihad in His Cause and the belief in His Word) that He will either admit him into Paradise (Martyrdom) or return him with reward or booty he has earned to his residence from where he went out." Volume 9, Book 93, Number 555, Narrated Abu Huraira:

These were found at http://www.carm.org/islam/hadith_jihad.htm.

Great Earthqaukes & Disasters foretold in the Bible?

2008-05-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading the Bible in part of my devotion time, and I was reminded again of you. I thought I might share some of my notes with you.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives. 31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful.

Prov 11:30-31 (HCSB)

· I just read this in light of the Islamic teaching of Jihad. The wicked (those who deny the testimony of the Lord Jesus - 1 John 5:10-11) are being repaid for their idolatry, and their rejoicing in the power and rage they feel when the commit these acts. The are having their earthly lives cut short, but sadly they are being taught that this is the way to paradise. And this is a sinister lie of the serpent, that sends them straight to hell.

Have you seen the news reports about the wildfires, the cyclones, the earthquakes? All of these are terrible human tradgedies. But you know, all of this was predicted by Jesus, and recorded in three different books of the Gospels (Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).

Matthew 24:5-13 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be bfamines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The bible teaches us that God is a God who punishes unrihgteousness both now and for eternity. I think we agree on that.

Romans 1:18 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Romans 1:21-22 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

See, this is a part of Yahweh's plan, which He has told us about it from the beginning. He took his covenant people, the Jews, descended from Isaac and Jacob, and God, who always keeps His promises, promised through the prophets thousands of years ago to take away the sin of His 'chosen' people, through whom He wanted to bless the earth.

Zechariah 12:9 - 11; 13:1 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem... Zechariah 13:1 "In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.

We see that the words of the prophets is coming true, namely because not only did the prophecies of the Messiah come true in Jesus (www.100prophecies.org), but Israel was restored in line with God's promises to Israel (Ezekiel 36, 37). And politically things are moving into position to fulfill Ezekiel 38 & 39, when Russia and her Muslim allies come against Israel. Then Yahweh Himself will fight for Israel to defend her.

Zechariah 12:8-9 8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 9 "And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

I hope my friend, that you will hear God's Word.

John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 5:9-12 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Iran's Supernatural leader?

2008-05-08T10:05:00.002-07:00

No, I'm not speaking of A-jad. I'm speaking of a something that A-jad said in a recent speech he was making. I read this on Joel Rosenberg's most recent blog. This is incredible, what this guy is saying. Some Shiites may beleive the 12th Imam is guiding the country, but as Chrisitans we know what spiritual force is guiding this man and this nation.

Ahmadinejad has always been a devotee of the Mahdi, the twelfth imam of Shiite Islam, who Shiites believe disappeared more than a thousand years ago and who will return one day to usher in a new era of peace and harmony. But in a speech to theology students broadcast by state television on Monday, Ahmadinejad went further than ever before in emphasising his belief that the Mahdi is playing a critical role in Iran's day-to-day politics. 'The Imam Mahdi is in charge of the world and we see his hand directing all the affairs of the country,' he said in the speech, which appears to date from last month but has only now been broadcast. 'We must solve Iran's internal problems as quickly as possible. Time is lacking. A movement has started for us to occupy ourselves with our global responsibilities, which are arriving with great speed.' http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com/

Of course, as Christians we know and understand who is in true control, but I do believe that Ahmadinehad is in contact with a spiritual being who claims to be the 12th Imam, and that is working to steer events to carry out his will (1 Jn 5:19).

Homosexuals advance attack on Churches!

2008-05-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember a past blog speaking about the Homosexual group Soulforce, which is planning an invastion into a number of prominent Protestant churches. Their intent for this is obvious, to confront these churches trying to persaude them to openly accept the homosexual lifestyle. And they aren't playing games! This is a matter of serious prayer for our nation's pastors, but especially those of these churches they will target. Let's be a shield of prayer about them!

Soulforce is on the march again. On my radio program two years ago, I featured the Provost of Bethel University in St. Paul, MN, my alma mater. The Provost had decided the best option with regards to Soulforce, a militant gay organization led by Mel White, was to welcome them in and let them deal with students as they wished. Other Twin Cities' Christian colleges had literally barred the doors to protect the students. Bethel gave them a lot of room and grace.

...

Calling this "adventure" the "American Family Outing," Soulforce will enter Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen), The Potter's House (T.D. Jakes), Saddleback Church (Rick Warren), Willow Creek Community Church (Bill Hybels), Hope Christian Church (Harry Jackson), and New Missionary Church (Eddie Long). Again Soulforce has not been invited, but these churches aren't turning them away. Perhaps there is always the underlying hope that these colleges and churches can make a difference in the lives of Soulforce men and women.

Soulforce states on its Web site that they wish to "begin a process of changing hearts and minds" in those churches and to educate the national public through the media on the issues of faith, family, and sexuality."

...

This alert is sent out mainly for prayer purposes. The Soulforce campaign runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, and is a great slap in the face to the traditional family. They will challenge what the Bible says, cause disruption and likely stand and turn their back to the preachers in the pulpit. Pray for wisdom for church leaders who will come under this oppression and for opportunities to share the true gospel with these men and women, even though they are hostile to all things biblical.
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/articles/Breaking_News.shtml#newsitemEkEpEVAZAVDvoVToTp

I strongly encourage everyone to visit Jan's site to see the rull article/prayer request. It's www.olivetreeviews.org. Let us stand closer together more than ever as the time approaches for our Savior to come for His children. Let us try to have as much impact for holiness and righteousness as we can in this last time!

What LDS teaches concernning the Son.

2008-04-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

I recently posted a blog that cited from an article that pointed out some distinctive of Mormon belief. I was challenged about this and given a site to go to, www.fairlds.org, and I submitted a response to this man, because I believe that the Mormon religion is not Christian. I was able to cite some LDS sources that state plainly what they believe abou the Son, Jesus, and I thought I would repost the citations of this LDS literature.

-----, Thanks for the LDS link. Of course the LDS will try to cover themselves publicly. You and I both know they believe in progressive revelation through the "prophet" and the get the major source of their teaching not from the Bible. When interviewing with them, they will point out supposed "errors" in the Bible, and then they will show teachings later on from their other books, Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The Bible says not to add to God's word (Deu 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev 22:18)

The president quoted in the link you gave me quotes the Bible in saying the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and create the child within her. But true Mormon teaching differs from this. Let me show you:

"Thus, God the Father became the literal father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only person on eath to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal father." [Gospel Principles; Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, 1992. 64]

"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were born of our fathers." [Brigham Young in Watt, ed. Journal of Discourses, 8:115]

"I will say that I was natually begotten; so was my father, and also my Saviour Jesus Christ. According to the Scriptures, he is the first begotten of his father in the flesh, and there was nothing unnatural about it." [Hebert C. Kimball in Watt, ed., Journal of Discourses, 8:211]

"Christ was Begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers... And Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real, and literal sense that any mortal son is bor to a mortal afther. There is nothing figurative and his paternity; he was begotten, conceived adn born in the normal and natural course f events, for he is the Son of God and that designation means what it says." [Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 547, 742]

"That Child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim, the Eteranl Father, not in violation of natural law but in accordance with a higher manifestation thereof; and the offspring from that association of supreme sanctity, celestial Sireship, and pure through mortal maternity, was of right to be called the "Son of the Highest." [James Talmage, Jesus the Christ (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co. 1981. 81]

"The official doctrine of the church is that Jesus is the liteal offspring of God. He's got 46 chromosomes; 23 came from Mary, 23 came from God the eternal Father." [BYU Proffesor Stephen E. Robinson in The Mormon Puzzle video produced in 1997 by the Southern Baptist Convention.]

I hope that's sufficient to see they believe something different from what you think (or were taught). By the way, I've never seen Godchasers, though I hear it is good. I actually just quoted my sources out of Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints; Bill McKeever & Eric Johnson. Baker Books. 2000.

Greatest Killer - War or Convenience?

2008-04-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Each morning I receive a news mailing from israelnationalnews.com (Arutz Sheva). While reading an article there how the Israeli government approved a homosexual couples adoption, I was noticing on the side the different links for reparative therapy and couseling for homosexuals.

I also noticed an add at www.friendsoferfat.org, which had a banner stating that 50,000 babies die annually in Israel due to abortion! I thought, "That's insane! I'm sitting here, keeping up with all this news about the war going on in and around Israel, being covered by many media, reporting on the deaths caused by all the bombings and katusha rocket attacks, and it pales in comparison to what the peoples are doing in comparison to themselves!"

If you have high speed access, the video is good at www.friendsoferfat.org. And while all the killings done through abortion far surpasses that done of any wars, here are a few sobering reminders about ourselves:

- Of the 1.6 million abortions performed in the U.S. each year[Talk about insane!!!], 91 percent are performed during the first trimester (12 or fewer weeks' gestation); 9 percent are performed in the second trimester (24 or fewer weeks' gestation); and only about 100 are performed in the third trimester (more than 24 weeks' gestation), approximately .01 percent of all abortions performed.
- Approximately 1.5 million U.S. women with unwanted pregnancies choose abortion each year. Most are under 25 years old and unmarried. Women who are separated from their husbands and poor women are more likely to choose abortion than other women. More than two-thirds of the women who seek abortions have jobs. Nearly one-third are in school. More than two-thirds plan to have a child in the future.
- Approximately 6 million women in the U.S. become pregnant every year. About half of those pregnancies are unintended. Either the woman or her partner did not use contraception or the contraceptive method failed.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,880,00.html

Certainly we are to aim for peace and reconciliation among the nations. But if we want to stop the biggest form of murder, we need to focus our efforts against the abortion industry, and insist that our government support abstinence-only education. My wife has repeatedly pointed out how if we could keep one of God's commands, we'd not have divorce, broken families, STDs, aids... The wages of sin is death... but praise God, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. For all of you who have, and for this who will have abortions, there is forgiveness and a new start for you in our gracious Lord Jesus Christ. "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

Joel Osteen and Mitt Romney - Further Distinctives on Mormons

2008-04-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

I came across this end section of an article, and thought it spoke further with to the email I posted the other day about Mormons and Christians. I thought I would post it since it makes use of the Mormon texts of authority (and of their 'prophets').

QUESTION: [From an interview of Joel Osteen by Chris Wallace on Fox News, 12/23/07]:

C.W.: And what about Mitt Romney..? Is a Mormon a true Christian?

J.O.: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe..I am not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are..Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me. I don't think anything would stop me from voting for him.

RESPONSE: Osteen is either astonishingly ignorant about Mormonism or about biblical Christianity, or both. Here are just a few of the facts about Mormonism that he apparently considers to be "little details" of no importance--raising the solemn question whether he is a true Christian himself.

The "god" Romney believes in is only one of an infinite number of such "gods" whom, in distinction to the others, Mormons identify as "the god of this world," one of Satan's titles (2 Cor 4:4). He is a glorified once-sinful man who was "redeemed" by another "Jesus" who died on another cross on another planet (one of an infinite number of each in Mormon theology). Over eons of time, this Mormon man, having gone through the temple ceremonies on that "earth," died. His spirit ascended through further temple-like initiations and finally became the "god" who created this earth on which we live.

Mormonism teaches, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Joseph Smith holds each Mormon's destiny in his hands. His successor, Brigham Young, warned, "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter the Celestial Kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith..He holds the keys.." (Journal of Discourses, 7:289). Another Mormon President, Joseph Fielding Smith, declared, "[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.." (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, pp. 189-90).

Romney is going through the essential secret temple ceremonies. As a "temple Mormon," he wears the magic "temple garment underwear" day and night for protection from evil. He has the ambition to become another god who will create its own earth with another Adam and Eve and fall. Sex with his many wives will produce a multitude of spirit children (including another spirit "Jesus" and "Lucifer"), another "Mary" for him to have sex with to provide a body for the "spirit Jesus" to inhabit in order to become a god after dying on another "cross," etc. Mormons such as Romney must believe this fiction in order to get to Mormon heaven.

The "Christ" Romney believes in, (making him the "Christian" Osteen says all Mormons are), was the half-brother of Lucifer in the pre-existent state. They were each born to the same polygamous "father god" but probably to a different one of his many, many wives.

Brigham Young said, "The devil told the truth [about becoming gods]. I do not blame Mother Eve..for..eating the forbidden fruit." Like Joseph Smith, he taught that only polygamists can become gods (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 132).

The salvation and "eternal life" Romney looks forward to is exaltation to polygamous godhood, which could take eons of time after death. Woodruff, fourth LDS president, declared, "If we were to do away with polygamy..then we must..give up our religion altogether.." (Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, p. 166).

Among the many bizarre Mormon beliefs: when the gods with their physical bodies have sex with their many "goddess" wives who also have physical bodies, the babies they produce to populate the earth (that this "heavenly father god" created) do not have physical bodies but are spirits. Yet, oddly enough, babies born to people on earth have physical bodies.

Thus, each spirit baby produced by the gods in heaven must come to earth to inhabit a newborn baby in order to get a physical body--as did "Jesus." Mormons have large families because so many spirit children, youth, or grown-ups wait anxiously in heaven for bodies to live in on earth.

Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt explained why we don't remember our pre-existent spirit state in heaven: our spirit bodies had grown so large that when they were squeezed into a baby's body on earth it caused a loss of memory.

Romney's Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin but to the "Mormon Mary" after the "god of this world," in his man's body of flesh and blood, had sex with her. For documentation of the above (and much more), see The God Makers book and or DVD.

I don't think that a man who bases his hope for eternity upon such delusion could possibly be fit for the White House.

http://www.thebereancall.org/node/6535

Did God Like Carter's Visit?

2008-04-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

You know how God brought judgment on earth as recorded in the OT through natural disasters (NT too, though not near as frequent)? Well check out this report. I wonder if God' liked Carter's visit to Israel?

Jimmy Carter met Friday with Syrian President Bashar Assad before holding talks with Hamas' exiled political chief Khaled Mashaal.

...

Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage.

...

King Abdullah II of Jordan conferred Sunday with former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and said that Israel must lift the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and stop expanding Jewish settlements on Palestinian land.

...

King Abdullah expressed "appreciation for Carter's active role and contributions towards the establishment of peace in the region, ending the Arab Israeli conflict and boosting world peace".

...

A pair of tornadoes struck suburban Washington on Sunday, mangling trees and stripping siding off several homes, the National Weather Service confirmed.

The first tornado hit St. Charles, Maryland -- about 30 miles south of Washington -- just after 2 p.m. It uprooted several trees, many of which fell onto cars and homes.

The strongest wind from that touchdown was 80 mph -- enough force to blow out windows.

A second tornado followed about 30 minutes later outside Hyattsville, Maryland -- about 10 miles northeast of the capital.

The high-speed winds, peaking at 100 mph...

...

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook southern Illinois early Monday, the latest in a string of quakes that have rattled the region since last week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

http://www.watch.org/showart.php3?idx=103367&rtn=/index.html&showsubj=1&mcat=1

Earthquake activity has often accompanied the fulfilment of prophetic events in the Scriptures. Earthquakes occurred during the crucifixion (Matthew 27:51) and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:2). Again, major earthquakes are prophesied to occur during the tribulation period (Revelation 6:12, 11:3, 16:18), and will mark Christ's return to earth (Zechariah 14:5). And it seems this final earthquake that will hit the Holy Land will be a big one, for it is prophesied to rip the Mount of Olives in two, providing a means of escape for the Jewish people to flee from the onslaught of the Antichrist. Today's earthquakes came after it was announced that the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams had finally agreed upon a joint statement that will be presented at the upcoming international peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The earthquakes also came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was in Egypt, expressing his desires that a final peace agreement should be implemented by 2008.

http://www.prophecynews.co.uk/content/blogcategory/43/2/

You can our Savior coming!

Interesting (unknown) facts of Islam

2008-04-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

There are many hadiths in Islam which Muslims must follow and believe, but some take a great faith... others are just funny!

One speak of Adam being created 90 ft. tall! Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543. Another speaks of Satan sleeping in your nose! And because of this, each night you must flush your nose with water to keep Satan out of your nose.(Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516; Muslim vol. I, no. 462.)

Oh yeah, believe it or not, non-muslims have seven intestines! (Muslim vol. III, no. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXII). Don't ask me what happens when they convert! I know the Bible doesn't require one position for prayer, but a hadith tells us that if we pray with our eyes looking to heaven, they'll be caught out of our head! (Muslim vol. I, no. 863 Chapter CLXXIII).

Here's another one, Satan pees in the ears of those who fall asleep in prayers! Haha, maybe we should talk to him about doing that in church santctuaries during the sermons! (Bukhari vol. II, no. 245).

I put this in here not to anger any Muslims. I think many of them do not realize what their religion teaches. Father Zakarias in Egypt has a ministry where he takes on issues with the Quran. He has some videos on youtube as well. In fact, he's so infuriated the guys on top, that there is a huge bounty for his head. Makes you wonder why Christians "corrupted" the Bible and made it say "love you neighbor"... and "pray for your enemy".

To go to the site, www.islamcomicbook.com. It's great, oh yeah, women are the primary inhabitants of hell! Just thought you might want to know ladies.

Isaiah 55-56

2008-04-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

sThese are some of the ramblings I picked up this morning, after reviewing over the daily Proverb chapter, I reviewed Isaiah ch. 12, and then turned to refresh my memory for Is. 55:11, and was drawn into the text. After all, the word of God is living and active... (Heb. 4:12).

3 Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Prov 21:3 (HCSB)

17 The one who loves pleasure will become a poor man; whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich. Prov 21:17 (HCSB)

6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (HCSB)

11 so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it [to do] .”
Isaiah 55:11 (HCSB)

6 And the foreigners who convert to the LORD, minister to Him, love the LORD’s name, and are His servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it, and who hold firmly to My covenant— 7 I will bring them to My holy mountain and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” 8 [This is] the declaration of the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:6-8 (HCSB)
· This passage shows that God’s salvation will go forth to include all nations. It also speaks of Yah’s regathering of the Jews, beyond those that regarthered at first. And this is taking place today, and will consummate when God fights for the nation of Israel against Gog, and shows his glory before all the earth. Amen.

16 For I will not accuse [you] forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath [of man] , which I have made. 17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and comfort him and his mourners, 19 creating words of praise.” The LORD says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the storm–tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waters churn up mire and muck. 21 There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.
Isaiah 57:16-21 (HCSB)
· Here the LORD promises healing and restoration for his chosen people, who have sinfully erred from His ways. This is such a beautiful, compassionate response, the LORD says, ‘I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and comfort his mourners, creating words of praise!’ Haha, God will heal the sinfully erred people, and restore them to Himself. And we see the beginning of this fulfillment, and that of Ezekiel 36, started in 1948 when the LORD gave the land back to the Jews. Ever since then, the dragon, that crafty serpent has been trying to take it away from them, to wipe THEM off the face of the earth. And even now, through one of his servants in Iran, wants to wipe them off the earth. But according to Yahweh’s word, he will not succeed.
· vv. 20,21 almost appears to be a statement or sentiment more of pity than of judgment, which is normally how this verse is interpreted in contemporary circles.

Universal Health Care, is it really good?

2008-04-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well that seems to be the question a lot of people are answering affirmatively as they look to the Democratic candidates Clinton and Obama. Well, one of the former Repbulican presidential candidates has employed this program in his state. Let's see how it's going for Romney's Massachusetts:

A leading healthcare reform expert says she's not surprised that the new universal healthcare program in Massachusetts brokered by former Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Ted Kennedy is running several hundred million dollars over budget.

Associated Press reports costs are soaring for the new healthcare law in Massachusetts. Bay State lawmakers are considering a dollar-a-pack hike in the state's cigarette tax to help pay for the larger-than-expected enrollment in the law's subsidized insurance plans. Under the law, anyone making less than the federal poverty level is eligible for free care. Those making up to three times the poverty level can get subsidized plans.

...

Turner points out while more Massachusetts residents now may have an insurance card, they also have a bigger tax burden as a result of the state's new universal healthcare law -- and on top of that, they do not have better access to a doctor. "[E]ven people who have private insurance [and] are paying their premiums are finding it increasingly difficult to find doctors who will see them," she notes.

for the full article, see http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=76416

so it seems someone has to pay for all this. The Democratic (i.e. socialist) vision of Universal Health Care, actually results in much higher taxes, and worse health-care.

Will Terrorists attack in 2008 Presidential Campaign?

2008-03-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Joel Rosenberg, former senior aide to presid. candidate Steve Forbes, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Natan Sharansky has brought us another chilling and frightful novel that examines a future that is all to possible considering the context of the Middle East.

“Dead Heat is a novel – it’s fiction, it’s made up – but the themes are quite plausible,” says Rosenberg, who once served as a senior aide to U.S. presidential candidate Steve Forbes, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky.

He notes that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is urging the Muslim world to envision a world “without America.” Is this possible? “It is,” Ahmadinejad insists, “when our holy hatred strikes like a wave.”

for article, see http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com

Feminism's empty promises...

2008-03-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Many of you know of Dennis Prager, who is a syndicated talk show host in LA. He had a recent article talking about why many more women than men find themselves depressed. If we all could just get this message to the masses!

Unless one believes that women and men are the same and therefore the same things bring them happiness, the feminist emphasis on career has been an obstacle to many women's happiness. As a rule, women derive most of their happiness from relationships, not from work. Men need both to be happy far more than women do. Men's very identity is predicated on their answer to the question, "What do you do?" Whether fair or not -- to either sex -- virtually no woman's identity is dependent on what she does for a living. That is why, while both sexes suffer financially from the loss of a job, when men lose their jobs, they often also lose their self-worth as a man. The greater importance of work to men is also manifested in their willingness to work many more hours than woman.

for full article, see: http://dennisprager.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/03/11/why_are_so_many_women_depressed_part_i

Public Education and its Christian origins

2008-03-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many a parent is outraged, or at very least concerned at the rulings of the activist judges in California, legislating from the bench, ruling that it is illegal for (uncertified) parents to educate their children. The government wants to program, er, sorry, educate our children as they know how. Clearly they know best for our children!

I ehard about it, and wanted to do some research as to the origis of public education, how it got its start. Would you believe that it began and came out of the Puritans in colonial New England? Yeah, and it was also strongly tied to the church in these colonies (i.e. respect for authority, honoring parents, personal humility, hard work ethic...) all the bad stuff like that.

The Puritans who founded New England were among the most highly educated persons in England, the leaders and ministers being mostly Cambridge University graduates. All of the original colonists, men and women, were able to read and write and were students of the Bible.

Even more important than formal training to read and write, however, was the totality of family, church, and political society in the formation of children's character, which was the original meaning of education. Education was conceived broadly as the transference to its children of a society's culture, the absolute essentiality for the survival of society, particularly for Puritans in the savage wilds of North America in the early 17th century.

for full article, see http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0906/0906puritanpubed.htm

Homosexuality, Not 'Homophobia,' Is Health Risk

2008-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting report by the FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL:

Some startlingly honest quotes from researchers who have studied the health of homosexual men were published by a "gay" newspaper in Michigan last week. Speaking of one study at a conference of the American Public Health Association late last year, former U.S. Centers for Disease Control researcher Ron Stall, Ph.D., M.P.H., said, "You had a syndemic [interconnecting epidemics] situation going on among a group of men, 80 percent of whom were college graduates, three-quarters of them were white, who were living in some of America's richest zip codes, and yet they had a health profile that looked like they were living in a favela [hillside slum] in Brazil." The gay newspaper article blamed these health problems not on the choice to engage in homosexual conduct, but on society's "homophobia." Yet that "homophobia" obviously wasn't severe enough to keep these men from getting college degrees and earning enough to live in "America's richest zip codes." Another CDC researcher, Richard J. Wolitski, stated that homosexual men report being victims of childhood sexual abuse at "rates that range between 12 and 37 percent [which is] much higher than rates for other men, which typically range from 1 to 4 percent." And those who "came out" as "gay" at an earlier age were the most likely to have had "forced sex before they were 18." Isn't it time we acknowledged that a cycle of sexual exploitation, not homophobia, is the source of these harms?

I mean... how does one person's disagreement of opinion with another inflict disease and STD's?

Sderot's War Children

2008-02-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

This was on today's daily alert email. It breaks your heart to read. As the bible commands, let us pray for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem, and all Israel.

Sderot's War Children - Anat Meidan (Ynet News)

The most gut-wrenching moment of Monday's rocket attack on Sderot was 8-year-old Maria caressing the forehead of her older brother, Yossi, 10, while he was lying wounded on the floor of the supermarket. There was no screaming, no panic, and no crying.
Yossi, despite the rocket shrapnel that was lodged in his shoulder, the blood around him, and the incredible pain, maintained incomprehensible restraint. He merely muttered that his shoulder hurts, and his little sister, just like a kind nurse, kept on caressing him.
He was a child hero who a minute earlier was still having fun, just like other children anywhere else in the world. He went to play soccer, after leaving his school bag at home.
How many times did they imagine the possibility that they will be wounded, and what it would be like, and what they would do? Did Yossi wonder whether he would lose his leg, just like 8-year-old Osher Twito, who was wounded only two and a half weeks ago and will no longer be able to play soccer?
A 10-year-old boy should not be a wounded hero, and it is completely unnecessary for an 8-year-old girl to see her brother bleeding. On Monday, a Kassam rocket wrested away the innocence and put an end to the childhood of Yossi and Maria, Sderot's war children.

Cigar shaped UFO sighting

2008-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Cigar-shaped UFO baffles onlookers
Paranormal
Written by Chris Perver
Thursday, 21 February 2008

Well the children's meetings at the Martyrs have been going really well. I have been helping out on the buses bringing the kids to the meetings, and it has been a real blessing to be able to be involved in such a great work. Over 300 kids have been there each night. Last night was a bit of a challenge, as around four boys on our bus just did not want to behave themselves. But I will miss the meetings when they finish. It was also encouraging meeting a few new friends. I haven't been feeling the best this week. I have had sore eyes and a sore throat and head, so I have been glad of this break from updating the website too. But thankfully not much has been happening this week, so you haven't really missed much!

I saw this article this morning, relating to the UFO phenomenon that we have been discussing lately. This not a recent news event, but some of the comments on this sighting do confirm what we have been saying in regards to the end-time deception. In March 1977, a large cigar-shaped object was observed hovering in the skies of Everton, England. The object was sighted by at least half a dozen eye-witnesses, who's accounts are listed in the article. The object was a dull grey colour and bore no discernable features. It's immense size, measuring around 1000 feet to a mile in length, was what took many onlookers by surprise. It's presence was accompanied by a low throbbing sound. It appeared for a short period of time and then seemingly vanished into thin air. One of the eye-witnesses happened to be a medium, who senced something about this object that the others didn't pick up.

Quote: "John Kelly, a medium who lived on West Derby Road, was walking his dog in Newsham Park that day in March, when he felt an overwhelming urge to look directly overhead. He said: "I saw this greyish long craft, at least a thousand feet in length, just stationary in the sky. "The dog began to whimper, and I experienced a tingling sensation in my head. I got the impression that someone in that UFO – or whatever it was – wanted to be seen in the sky. "I felt that there was someone up there with a huge ego, and I felt he had not come from another world, but another dimension, another plane of existence. It dematerialised and not long afterwards and went back to the world it belonged to."

While I don't condone what this man practices, what he has to say is very interesting. For coming into close contact with these demonic spirits through the occult, he may have been able to sense something that the average person cannot. And it seems what he was able to sense was a very powerful presence behind this object in the sky. If Ufology is closely linked with the occult, and if there are demonic spirits that are manifesting themselves in such a manner so as to deceive mankind, then it should be no surprise that he should sense a being with a "huge ego" wanting to be seen in the sky. Of course the Bible states that it was Satan's ego that ultimately caused him to sin and be cast out of God's presence.

Isaiah 14:12-15
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Jesus Christ said that He beheld Satan as lighting fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). Today Satan and his angels dwell in the first and second heavens (atmosphere, outer space), Ephesians 2:2,6:12. But the day is coming when they will be thrown out of the heavenly places and be cast down to the earth (Revelation 12:12). His lightning descent will not stop there. When Jesus Christ returns to earth to set up His kingdom, Satan will be bound in the sides of the pit for 1000 years (Revelation 20:2), and after that he must be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). The Bible tells us that the lake of fire was prepared by God for the angels that sinned. Human beings were never meant to be there. But the Bible makes it clear that sinners cannot dwell in God's presence. And so after we die we must go down to the pit, and when the 1000 years are ended, we must also face the judgement (Hebrews 9:27) and the prospect of eternal separation from God. But there is good news. Jesus Christ did not come into the world to condemn it. He came to save sinners (1st Timothy 1:15). He died for you. Recognize that you are a sinner in the sight of a holy God. Repent of your sins which have separated between you and your God. Receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

www.prophecynews.co.uk

A day in the life of Isrel... what it's really like.

2008-02-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

These daily insights were just to good to pass up, and we don't hear much about this (or the fate of the Gazan/Palestinian Christians) in the media. Who in their right mind would want to live under the conditions the Israelis have to put up with daily?

Israeli Minister: Jerusalem Arabs Oppose Division of Capital - Nadav Shragai
Minister of Pensioners' Affairs Rafi Eitan on Thursday said that Jerusalem must not be divided as part of the peace process with the Palestinians, saying, "we took a poll and found the [Arab] residents themselves don't want to leave. They like it with us." Eitan said that he did not believe that the Palestinian government was able to fight terror, "and therefore we must keep the capital whole, and fight to have it all under Israeli control." (Ha'aretz)

10,000 Israeli Shoppers Head to Sderot
More than 10,000 people from northern and central Israel traveled to Sderot on Friday to carry out their weekend shopping and show their solidarity for the residents of the beleaguered town. Numerous groups participated in the solidarity mission including student organizations, secular and religious communities, and sports clubs. Several municipalities even provided buses. (Jerusalem Post)

Red Alert in Sderot: Living in the Most Heavily Bombarded Place in the World - Philip Jacobson
My guide in Sderot takes me through the local ground rules: 1. I am not to fasten my seat belt. Buckling up prevents drivers and their passengers getting out of a vehicle quickly. 2. I am not to play my car radio. It may drown out the warnings. 3. I am not to have a shower if there is nobody else in the house to hear the alarms. 4. Be extra vigilant when it's foggy. It can confuse the laser-activated warning systems.
And suddenly it comes, a noise like the slamming of a heavy door as a six-foot-long Kassam rocket bursts into the cloudless blue sky, its trajectory marked by a trail of white smoke as it curves towards the town. Almost simultaneously, sirens begin to wail. A woman's urgent voice repeats the words "Red Alert" over public address loudspeakers. For the next 72 hours "Red Alerts" will sound almost continuously as Islamic militant groups in Gaza rained more than 100 rockets on the town during a terrifying three-day attack. (Daily Mail-UK)

for more breaking news, see www.dailyalert.org

Internet Newsites trying to eliminate Conservative Voices? (Liberals=Facists)

2008-02-20T06:25:00.000-08:00

I know some days I get on a kick and post too many articles for consumption in one day. I love to see the "read" numbers come in, and I know that slows it down, but this I had to post. Deal with it, lol.

Google De-Lists Prominent UN Critic Blogger

February 19th, 2008 by Warner Todd Huston

In another blow against freedom of speech on the Internet, Fox News is reporting that Google has taken the measure of de-listing the work of an anti-UN blogger named Matthew Lee. For several years, Lee has run the Inner City Press, a small news/opinion site that is focused on criticizing the United Nations. But since Google has teamed up with the UN on recent initiatives, Google has found that Lee’s criticism is too much for them to handle.Mr. Lee has been taking after big targets for a long time, so he is no newcomer to the scene. In 1987 he went after Citigroup with his corruption exposes, but since 2005 the United Nations has been his favorite target. He has especially focused on the “inner workings of what could be called the practical-applications arm of the international organization, the United Nations Development Programme.”

As Fox News reports:

Many of Lee’s stories were featured prominently whenever Web users looked for news about the U.N. using the powerful Google News search engine, a vital way for media outlets both large and small to get their articles read… But beginning Feb. 13, Google News users could no longer find new stories from the Inner City Press.

After the Government Accountability Project discovered the plight of Inner City Press and raised their own stink about the de-listing, Google claimed that the de-listing was a mistake but that it would take “a couple weeks” to fix the “glitch.”

“We acknowledged our misunderstanding … but it takes time for the restoration to occur,” [Google spokesman Gabriel] Stricker said. “The glitch will be resolved as soon as possible. We’re working on it.”

The GAP, however is none too happy about Google’s “glitch.” GAP’s international-program director Bea Edwards told Fox that Inner City Press was “the most effective and important media organization for UN whistleblowers.”

“We’re alarmed. The question is, is what user sent the complaint? And it’s probably not too hard to guess. We would guess the complaints came from the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).”

This isn’t something new for Internet organizations like Google, however. Google and other Internet organizations like Newsvine and Digg have been embroiled in efforts to eliminate the conservative voice from the Internet for quite some time.

For instance, Newsvine recently canceled the account of the conservative news/opinion site called The New Media Alliance. And, as Noel Sheppard reported back in May of 2006, the conservative opinion site called The New Media Journal was removed from search engines by Google because Google deemed the commentary site a “hate site.”

So, far from being the wild west of opinion, the Internet is seemingly more and more in the grip of leftist organizations that are out to eliminate conservative expression on the net. Add to this the liberals in Congress who want to reinstate the inaptly named “Fairness Doctrine,” and we get ominous signs of the left’s oppressive ideas of “freedom of speech.”

It’s just one more example that Jonah Goldberg is right. Liberals are closer to fascists than any conservative.http://www.bloggernews.net/113908

Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis: The Marxist Delusion and a Christian Evangelist

2008-02-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

This is a good article analyzing one of Campolo's latest works...

The purpose of Campolo’s letters to two young evangelicals (Timothy and Junia) is to convince them that the “Religious Right” in America is their sworn enemy, and if they wish to get serious about God’s business, which is assisting the poor and oppressed to bring in the Kingdom of God, they must reject the Jerry Falwells, the James Dobsons and the Tim LaHaye’s of the conservative wing of Evangelicalism and stake their claim with the true “progressives,” namely the Sider, Wallis and Campolo camp. This camp will bring forth the Kingdom of God on earth in spite of the constant foot dragging of their non-progressive, conservative, Evangelical counterparts.

Campolo conveniently forgets to mention, or else does not know for himself, that the baggage he asks these two young, naïve evangelicals to carry with them in bringing about the Kingdom is simply a plethora of failed radical ideas and agendas that make impossible any and every effort to establish that Kingdom-- unless, of course, the Kingdom of God is a socialistic "paradise" something on the order of a Stalinist farming collective or Moscow under Brezhnev. Those horrors, and not Campolo's airy utopian dreams, are what his ideas repeatedly yield, and to where they inevitably lead.

Campolo has renamed his leftist camp “the Red-letter Christians.” (7,8) ("Red" indeed.) By this moniker Campolo means that his camp is seeking to put into practice the Sermon on the Mount, which is all in red letters in his Bible. What this name implies about the book of Acts or the letters of Paul, Peter and John is not exactly spelled out. Campolo, for example, never quotes Acts 5:1-4, probably because there the concept of private property is favorably mentioned. Campolo is, at heart, an anti-capitalist (142). So are Sider and Wallis. So are the liberation theologians.

Relative to his two young readers, Campolo’s position is summarized quite frankly and forthrightly: “There was no question in our minds that in the struggle for justice, God sides with the poor and oppressed against the strong and the powerful. For the first time, these students understood liberation theology, and they supported it—if by ‘liberation theology’ we mean the declaration that in the struggle to end injustice God sides with the poor and oppressed against their oppressors” (265.)

So much of Campolo’s book is decidedly ambiguous, one might even say it is flatly contradictory -- not simply when he talks about ethics and public policy, but even when he talks about himself. He claims to be a Fundamentalist and not to be a Fundamentalist; to be pro-life and not to be pro-life; to be anti-gay marriage and not to be anti-gay marriage; to be conservative and not to be conservative; to be anti-capitalist and not to be anti-capitalist; to be liberal and not to be liberal; to believe in universal salvation and not to believe in universal salvation; to denigrate America’s middle class values and to admit being middle class himself; to hate the rapture and not to hate the rapture; to despise dispensationalism and to really despise dispensationalism. One is reminded of Luther's exasperated assessment of Erasmus: He is a slippery eel only Christ can grab.

for full article, see http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/1597/David_Noebel

Silencing the Christians...

2008-02-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs to watch this series coming out by AFA.

AFA will webcast and the INSPO network will broadcast Silencing the Christians. Sign up to be reminded to watch each episode and take action . Americans are at greater risk of losing their basic freedoms today than ever before in the history of this nation. Political correctness and the voice of the liberal minority are undermining the morals and values of mainstream America.

Renowned author and commentator Janet Parshall takes you on a journey across the country to meet citizens who have been arrested for speaking out at a public rally, students who are being forced to attend classes that require them to recite verses from the Koran and to stage their own jihad and activists pushing social tolerance to such an extreme that the Bible itself is being labeled “hate speech.”

http://www.silencingchristians.com/default.aspx

Westerners must mount a united front against Islamic law

2008-02-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

Dr. Pipes has again come out with an insighful warning that behooves us all to notice. As believers in Christ, we are always to oppose injustice(s), and stand for the rights and freedoms of all. This article by Pipes gives us some links to discover many of the inhumanities imposed by the "will of Allah (i.e. Satan)."

By Daniel Pipes

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Westerners opposed to the application of the Islamic law (the Shari'a) watch with dismay as it goes from strength to strength in their countries — harems increasingly accepted, a church leader endorsing Islamic law, a judge referring to the Koran, clandestine Muslim courts meting out justice. What can be done to stop the progress of this medieval legal system so deeply at odds with modern life, one that oppresses women and turns non-Muslims into second-class citizens?

A first step is for Westerners to mount a united front against the Shari'a. Facing near-unanimous hostility, Islamists back down. For one example, note the retreat last week by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in a dispute concerning guide dogs used by the blind.

Muslims traditionally consider dogs impure animals to be avoided, creating an aversion that becomes problematic when Muslim store-owners or taxi drivers deny service to blind Westerners relying on service dogs. I have collected fifteen such cases on my weblog, at "Muslim Taxi Drivers vs. Seeing-Eye Dogs": five from the United States (New Orleans, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Brooksville, Fl.; Everett, Wash.); four from Canada (Vancouver, twice in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Alberta); three from the United Kingdom (Cambridge, twice in London); two from Australia (Melbourne, Sydney); and one from Norway (Oslo).

News accounts quote Muslim cabbies rudely rejecting blind would-be passengers, yelling at them, "No dog, No dog, Get out, get out"; "Get that dog out of here"; and "No dogs, no dogs." The blind find themselves rejected, humiliated, abandoned, insulted, or even injured, left in the rain, dropped in the middle of nowhere, made late for an appointment, or caused to miss a flight.

Islamist organizations initially responded to this problem by supporting anti-canine cabbies. The Muslim Association of Canada pointed out how Muslims generally regard dog saliva as unclean. CAIR on one occasion echoed this assertion, claiming that "the saliva of dogs invalidates the ritual purity needed for prayer." On another, the head of CAIR, Nihad Awad, declared that "People from the Middle East especially … have been indoctrinated with a kind of fear of dogs" and justified a driver rejecting a guide dog on the grounds that he "has a genuine fear and he acted in good faith. He acted in accordance with his religious beliefs."

However, when the police and the courts are called in, the legal rights of the blind to their basic needs and their dignity almost always trump the Muslim dislike for dogs. The Muslim proprietor or driver invariably finds himself admonished, fined, re-educated, warned, or even jailed. The judge who found a cabby's behavior to be "a total disgrace" spoke for many.

CAIR, realizing that its approach had failed in the courts of both law and of public opinion, suddenly and nimbly switched sides. In a cynical maneuver, for example, it organized 300 cabbies in Minneapolis to provide free rides for participants at a National Federation of the Blind conference. (Unconvinced by this obvious ploy, a federation official responded: "We really are uncomfortable … with the offer of getting free rides. We don't think that solves anything. We believe the cabdrivers need to realize that the law says they will not turn down a blind person.") And, finally, last week, the Canadian office of CAIR issued a statement urging Muslims to accommodate blind taxi passengers, quoting a board member that "Islam allows for dogs to be used by the visually impaired."

CAIR's capitulation contains an important lesson: When Westerners broadly agree on rejecting a specific Islamic law or tradition and unite against it, Western Islamists must adjust to the majority's will. Guide dogs for the blind represent just one of many such consensus issues; others tend to involve women, such as husbands beating wives, the burqa head coverings, female genital mutilation, and "honor" killings. Western unity can also compel Islamists to denounce their preferred positions in areas such as slavery and Shar'i-compliant finances.

Other Islam-derived practices do not (yet) exist in the West but do prevail in the Muslim world. These include punishing a woman for being raped, exploiting children as suicide bombers, and executing offenders for such crimes as converting out of Islam, adultery, having a child out of wedlock, or witchcraft. Western solidarity can win concessions in these areas too.

If Westerners stick together, the Shari'a is doomed. If we do not, we are doomed.

Cuban author blasts Obama Campaign for Guevara support

2008-02-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Another taletelling sign? You decide...

A Cuban historian and author says it's absolutely "unreal" that two of Barack Obama's campaign offices in Houston would prominently display a Cuban flag with an image of one of the Castro regime's most notorious thugs.

Humberto Fontova escaped Castro's Cuba in 1961, and in 2006 published Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him. Fontova says apparently some admirers of the Cuban revolutionary are volunteers for Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois). And in several recent reports on Houston's Fox television affiliate, a Cuban flag with Guevara's image can clearly be seen on an office wall.

The Cuban-born author says during the Cuban missile crisis Guevara advocated a nuclear attack on the United States. "He said, 'If the nuclear missiles had remained in Cuba, we would have fired them against the heart of the United States. The Americans are nothing but hyenas fit only for extermination.' The Obama campaign considers this [man's image] an appropriate decoration in their campaign offices?" wonders a disgusted Fontova.

The author was not impressed with an Obama campaign spokesman's response to the controversy, who simply said the Guevara displays were "inappropriate." He says one could only imagine the media reaction if a Mike Huckabee volunteer displayed on a campaign office wall a poster of white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.

"Can you imagine the media hullabaloo over that? And do you think for even a millisecond that Huckabee could get away with just saying, 'Oh well, that's inappropriate?'" argues Fontova.

Fontova says it is outrageous that Obama reportedly refuses to wear an American flag lapel pin, but some of his supporters can prominently display a Cuban flag with an image of a communist mass murderer.
www.onenewsnow.com, Feb. 18,2008

Unrelentless Rocket attack against Israel (7 yrs. ongoing)

2008-02-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

Are Americans beginning to see the truth?

Sderot as Stalingrad - Bradley Burston
The longer the siege against the civilian population of Sderot continues, the more the Palestinians are seen more as aggressors and less as victims. Palestinian rocket fire has turned Sderot into a version of Stalingrad, whose stand against the Germans in World War II came to be viewed by many as the turning point in the war. The world is beginning to view the people of Sderot as true victims of brutality against civilians. The Kassam rockets have acted to delegitimize the Palestinians as a people capable of governing an independent state.
The perceived message of the Kassam is: "We will drive you out of Sderot, and from Ashkelon after that, and out of all the kibbutzim that line the Israeli-Gaza border that were one of the strongest voices in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state. Land for peace is dead. Israel is dead. It's only a matter of time." (Ha'aretz)
from www.dailyalert.org, 2/12/08

The End of Athiesm

2008-02-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

It's in the Bible, read it!

This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD . Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.' (Ezek. 38:18-23)

With signs reminiscent of all the Heaven-fought wars of the past, the Lord is aroused in anger to execute judgment against the invaders of His land and enemies of His people. And as He has done before, He sows confusion in the hearts of Israel's enemies so that they commence attacking themselves while He unleashes the classic weapons of divine intervention. Earthquakes, plagues, bloodshed, rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur; these are His signature signs. Neither Israel, nor the enemy coalition, nor those watching from afar will fail to interpret them correctly.

So ends chapter 38. Next time we'll see why some think this battle goes nuclear and get another good reason why it's not the last battle of the Age of Man. See you then. 02-02-08

If this interests you, to see excellent teaching on Ezekiel 38, see http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-end-times-according-to-ezekiel-part-3 or just go to www.gracethrufaith.com

News excerpts on Middle East life

2008-02-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to dailyalert email news alerts of crucial events taking place in the Middle East. With all things today moving so quickly toward the end-time, I think it is crucial for us to stay informed to know how to pray and respond to world events.

Change of Heart in Cairo - Noha El-Hennawy
As the border with Gaza was sealed off, the Egyptian state-owned media launched a campaign apparently seeking to overturn public sympathy for the Palestinians. Newspapers have become harsh on the Palestinians, with front-page news about Palestinians shooting at Egyptian soldiers, weapons smuggling, terrorism and reports of false currency in Sinai, posing a threat to Egypt's national security. The new content replaces earlier headlines that showed sympathy with the Palestinians.
Rose-al-Youssef, a state-owned paper known for being the most vocal mouthpiece of the regime, has spearheaded the anti-Palestinian campaign. The paper even denied that Gaza had a humanitarian crisis, hinting that Gazans were well-off. Abdullah Kamal, the paper's editor in chief, wrote, "Each [Gazan] comer spent an average of $260 in three days...the total spending during that period reached $220 million. These figures raise real questions about the financial situation in Gaza." (Los Angeles Times)
See also Egypt Threatens to Break the Legs of Gaza Infiltrators
Egypt said on Thursday it would no longer tolerate Palestinians infiltrating the country from Gaza, and threatened to break the legs of anyone crossing the Rafah border illegally. "Anyone who breaches the border will have their legs broken," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told the official MENA news agency. Abul Gheit also reproached Hamas for firing rockets into Israel, and said some rockets misfire and hit the Gaza Strip itself, wounding Palestinians. (AFP)

Lebanon in Confrontation with Syria, Iran: Hariri - Tom Perry
The leader of Lebanon's pro-Western majority in parliament said on Thursday the country was in direct confrontation with Syria and Iran, which back Hizbullah in its conflict with the Beirut government. Saad al-Hariri, whose coalition is supported by the U.S., said Syria and Iran and "their local tools" were seeking to "impose a terror, security and political siege" on Lebanon. Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, was killed by a truck bomb on Feb. 14, 2005. (Reuters)

Israel: Threats from Gaza Must End Before Establishing Palestinian State - Herb Keinon
A solution to threats from Gaza will have to be found before the establishment of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told James Jones, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East security, on Thursday. Jones is in the process of drawing up a plan about how to provide security when Israel leaves large swaths of the West Bank under a peace agreement. Government officials said that, considering the situation today in Gaza, an Israeli withdrawal from large parts of the West Bank seems like "science fiction." (Jerusalem Post)
See also Israel to U.S.: We Must Respond to Increasing Rocket Fire from Gaza
Foreign Minister Livni told Gen. Jones: "The firing of Kassam rockets has not abated, and we are currently facing a significant increase. The necessary action to be taken regarding security issues is not only in relation to what will be written in a future agreement, and we must relate to our response to the situation on the ground right now."
"The situation in Gaza must be taken into account in any political process - especially in light of the effects of this process on future security arrangements. This is not a territorial issue - we have withdrawn from Gaza, and the rocket attacks continue and intensify. A real response must be given to the threats from Gaza prior to the establishment of a Palestinian state - as long as the Palestinians see Gaza as part of the state they intend to establish. A solution to Israel's security requirements is not an obstacle to peace - it is a basic condition of any peace agreement." (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Syria Upgrades Missiles with Iranian Help - Barak Ravid
Syria, with Iranian support, has successfully developed a new surface-to-surface missile that would enable it to target with greater accuracy Israeli installations - such as airports, ports and factories - according briefings recently presented to senior ministers. Syria has upgraded the Iranian-made Zelzal surface-to-surface missile which has an operational range of 250 km. and is capable of carrying an especially large warhead. At the same time, Syria has acquired the Russian-made Pantsyr air defense missile system that can pose a substantial threat to Israeli air force aircraft. Damascus has also procured modern anti-tank missiles.
According to Israeli estimates, Syria has tens of thousands of short-range rockets, as well as Scud-C and Scud-D missiles with ranges of 500-800 km., which can effectively strike every part of Israel. However, Mossad head Meir Dagan told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that at this stage there are no indications that Damascus has any plans to initiate a military action against Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian Rockets Damage Greenhouses in Israel - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza launched nine Kassam rockets toward Israeli communities on Friday. Two of the rockets landed in Netiv Ha'asara and damaged several greenhouses, while one of the rockets crashed into Ashkelon's industrial zone. (Ynet News)

Iranian Regime Fears Its Own Citizens - Editorial
President Ahmadinejad of Iran and his hard-line allies rail against the U.S. and other external "enemies," but who they really fear are their own citizens. The president and his crowd are increasingly nervous about losing next month's parliamentary elections, and next year's presidential vote. Their cowardly solution? Keep potential rivals off the ballot and silence anyone who can give Iran's people a voice - like Zanan, the country's premier women's magazine shut down last week.
In an era of $100 a barrel oil, Iran's people are struggling with food shortages, high unemployment and spiraling inflation. Ahmadinejad has tried to divert attention from those failures with threats against Israel, Holocaust denials, and a confrontation with the UN Security Council over nuclear ambitions. Iranians are not so easily fooled.
The only threat Zanan posed was to the regime's authoritarian and anti-feminist pathology. Ahmadinejad may be able to stifle debate, for a while longer. If Iran's mullahs think that he's strengthening the country, they don't understand Iran's people. (New York Times)

All these and more can be viewed at www.dailyalert.org

Mr. Obama's Position on Israel

2008-02-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I"m sure for all of you who've been keeping up with the substantive presidential primaries are held in awe of Barrack Obama's foreign policy prowess. Not. This article talks about the make up of his foreign policy advisors. I think we should be wary...

I recommend visiting Obama's website to see his expressions of support for Israel, his stated opposition to Hamas, Hezbolah, and terrorism, and his commitment to Bush's two state initiative. Obama recently reiterated these positions in a conference call with members of the Jewish/Israeli press. The general consensus among the people who participated on the call was that he said all the right things: Among them being a commitment to the survival of the Jewish State. Frankly, his stated positions on Israel do not, at their core, differ from Clinton, Romney, or McCain.
http://www.onejerusalem.org/blog/archives/2008/02/barak_obama_and_1.asp

Well, and as the article goes on to explain, a number of his foreign policy advisers are not the most stellar friends of Israel, and may even lend support to Muslims (his trustee pastor, Rev. Wright, woe to him!)

What really happened to the Dinosaurs?

2008-02-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

This is an age old dilemma. But is it really a dilemma? One site doesn't seem to think so... and contains alot of fascinating information.

Are There Other Ancient Records of Dinosaurs?
In the film The Great Dinosaur Mystery,24 a number of dragon accounts are presented:

A Sumerian story dating back to 2000 BC or earlier tells of a hero named Gilgamesh, who, when he went to fell cedars in a remote forest, encountered a huge vicious dragon that he slew, cutting off its head as a trophy.
When Alexander the Great (c. 330 BC) and his soldiers marched into India, they found that the Indians worshipped huge hissing reptiles that they kept in caves.
China is renowned for its dragon stories, and dragons are prominent on Chinese pottery, embroidery, and carvings.
England and several other cultures retain the story of St. George, who slew a dragon that lived in a cave.
There is the story of a tenth-century Irishman who wrote of his encounter with what appears to have been a Stegosaurus.
In the 1500s, a European scientific book, Historia Animalium, listed several living animals that we would call dinosaurs. A well-known naturalist of the time, Ulysses Aldrovandus, recorded an encounter between a peasant named Baptista and a dragon whose description fits that of the small dinosaur Tanystropheus. The encounter was on May 13, 1572, near Bologna in Italy, and the peasant killed the dragon.
Petroglyphs (drawings carved on rock) of dinosaurlike creatures have also been found.25

In summary, people down through the ages have been very familiar with dragons. The descriptions of these animals fit with what we know about dinosaurs. The Bible mentions such creatures, even ones that lived in the sea and flew in the air. There is a tremendous amount of other historical evidence that such creatures have lived beside people.

What Do the Bones Say?
There is also physical evidence that dinosaur bones are not millions of years old. Scientists from Montana State University found T. rex bones that were not totally fossilized. Sections of the bones were like fresh bone and contained what seems to be blood cells and hemoglobin. If these bones really were tens of millions of years old, then the blood cells and hemoglobin would have totally disintegrated.26 Also, there should not be “fresh” bones if they were really millions of years old.27 A report by these scientists stated the following:

A thin slice of T. rex bone glowed amber beneath the lens of my microscope ... . The lab filled with murmurs of amazement, for I had focused on something inside the vessels that none of us had ever noticed before: tiny round objects, translucent red with a dark center ... . Red blood cells? The shape and location suggested them, but blood cells are mostly water and couldn’t possibly have stayed preserved in the 65-million-year-old tyrannosaur ... . The bone sample that had us so excited came from a beautiful, nearly complete specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex unearthed in 1990 ... . When the team brought the dinosaur into the lab, we noticed that some parts deep inside the long bone of the leg had not completely fossilized ... . So far, we think that all of this evidence supports the notion that our slices of T. rex could contain preserved heme and hemoglobin fragments. But more work needs to be done before we are confident enough to come right out and say, “Yes, this T. rex has blood compounds left in its tissues.”28
Unfossilized duck-billed dinosaur bones have been found on the North Slope in Alaska.29 Also, creation scientists collected such (unfossilized) frozen dinosaur bones in Alaska.30 Evolutionists would not say that these bones had stayed frozen for the many millions of years since these dinosaurs supposedly died out (according to evolutionary theory). Yet the bones could not have survived for the millions of years unmineralized. This is a puzzle to those who believe in an “age of dinosaurs” millions of years ago, but not to someone who builds his thinking on the Bible.

for full article, go to http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/what-happened-to-the-dinosaurs

The Unlettered Prophet

2008-02-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

Periodically, I go to a site www.answeringislam.org and peruse through some of its contents. Well today I happened upon this article, and thought it quite impressive. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Who is the Unlettered Prophet?Sura 7 speaks of an "unlettered prophet" who is mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel. Muslims have traditionally understood this as a reference to Muhammad. This article presents a careful examination of the characteristics mentioned in Sura 7 and comes to a surprising conclusion.
Read on...
http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/unlettered_prophet.htm

2008-02-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

This is an article by the well-known Hal Lindsey written last fall. I think it still bears significance for us today.

Friday, October 26, 2007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Gloom and doom, prophecy and hope

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Posted: October 26, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Hal Lindsey

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© 2007
A new report issued by the German-based Energy Watch Group suggests all the global warming alarmists can stop worrying about the damage being done to the climate by fossil fuel emissions.

Global warming alarmists predict that 50 years from now, fossil fuel emissions produced by human civilization will have catastrophic consequences on the weather. Well, according to the German group, in 50 years, we'll have run out of fossil fuels anyway. It says that global oil production peaked in 2006 – much earlier than most experts had expected. The report predicts that production will now fall by 7 percent a year and that by 2050, there won't be enough left for it to be a factor.

It's interesting, in a morbid sort of way, how there are, for this generation, no positive forecasts. Nobody is looking to the future with hope, despite the efforts of modern politicians to stir us with hopeful quotations from leaders of bygone generations.

Fifty years ago, futurists were talking about flying cars, mega-cities, an end to disease and poverty and the prospects for world peace. The only bump in the road for them was the negligible risk that the Soviets would commit national suicide by launching a nuclear war.

Barring that, the future was looking pretty rosy.

(Column continues below)

Here is the consensus outlook for mankind's foreseeable future, 50 years later.

According to the CIA, FBI and Defense Department, it is a question of "when" and not "if" America will suffer a catastrophic attack by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction.

That's assuming the Middle East doesn't spark a world war involving weapons of mass destruction that draws Russia and America into open conflict.

Surviving that, according to Al Gore, the catastrophic climate changes that threaten human civilization are neither an "if" nor a "when." Gore says it is a scientific certainty, and that it will happen in the next 50 years.

(Gore's weather forecast won him an Emmy, an Oscar and the Nobel Peace Prize, so don't question his science.)

According to NASA, if the weather doesn't get us, a catastrophic asteroid strike will. A conference on "planetary defense" was convened last March in Washington to coincide with the release of a NASA report entitled, ""Near-Earth Object Survey and Deflection Analysis of Alternatives."

There hasn't been such a killer asteroid strike in all recorded human history, but that's the point, say those charged with protecting the earth from NEOs. Smaller, continent-shattering asteroid strikes hit every 5,000 years or so.

"So," they argue, as they peer into space telescopes between rounds pacing back and forth, "we're long overdue."

Their competitive pacing partners at the Pentagon, CIA, the U.N. and the Al Gore International Headquarters for Saving the Planet duly echo the same mantra of, "it isn't a matter of 'if,' but 'when.'"

But the German energy group's forecast gives us just 42 years – they say they are sure of both "if" AND "when" – and their forecast predicts a complete "meltdown of society" as supplies dwindle and prices rise, well before we've run completely out of oil.

That's the secular futurist forecast for mankind for the 21st century.

Here's the Bible's forecast for the generation that would see the conclusion of the Church Age, the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation Period.

Jesus said the last generation would witness unprecedented increases in earthquakes, famines, wars and pestilences. He warned, "On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea."

Jesus didn't say that there actually would be a threat of catastrophic climate change, or of cosmic extinction by a random killer asteroid, but rather, He warned of the fear of them.

He said those cosmic and natural signs would be accompanied by a global sense of panic at our helplessness in the face of such impending catastrophe.

"Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken," is how the NIV renders Luke 21:25-26.

But the same Jesus Who so accurately pre-empted the secular futurists by almost 2,000 years said that, for those that place their trust in Him, what appears to be gloom and doom and catastrophe and chaos is actually good news, because, He said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28 NIV).

If you have a relationship with Jesus, then the time for welcoming Him is fast approaching.

If you don't, then for you, the time to get prepared is quickly running out.

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58356

So much for Global Warming!

2008-02-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

So much for Global Warming. This is ridiculous. Here in Ohio, and the North U.S., we've had more snow this winter than in previous years. I think God is laughing at the Global Warming advocates, people trying to unjustly create new ways to tax (burden) the citizens of their countries (for their own profit, might I add)!

This article on Yahoo News reports on the winter storm that is causing so much distress and danger there in China.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080204/lf_nm_life/china_weather_dc

The China Meteorological Administration said the weather was the coldest in 100 years in central Hubei and Hunan provinces, going by the total number of consecutive days of average temperature less than 1 degree Celsius (33.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Will Clinton penalize those who don't subscribe to her health plan?

2008-02-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

Seems that Hillary Clinton was pressed about her universal health care plan, whether everyone would have to enroll, and whetehr they would be penalized if the could afford it, and didn't choose it. Her answers are frightening.

The campaign of Sen. Barack Obama is warning voters that Clinton's plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if they can't afford it. "And if they cannot afford it, then the question is what are you going to do about it? Are you going to fine them? Are you going to garnish their wages?" Obama asked Clinton at one of their debates.
...

According to Clinton, "about 20 percent of the people who don't have health insurance in America today could well afford it," despite its "exorbitant" cost. "So what we've got to do is have shared responsibility. Everybody has to pay something, but, obviously, on a sliding scale."

Stephanopoulos tried again: "And I still haven't heard, if people can afford it and they don't buy the insurance, will their wages be garnished under your plan? Will they have to pay fines?"
...

Pressed a third time on the wage-garnishing question, Clinton said, "we will have an enforcement mechanism -- whether it's that (wage garnishing) or it's some other mechanism through the tax system or automatic enrollments."

Clinton said the "key point" is to implement universal health care. She said the mechanism by which it is achieved -- "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment...whatever the mechanism is, is not as important as...the fundamental commitment to universal health care..."

Does this sound like an intrusive form of government trying to run peoples lives? Can anyone say SOCIALIST?

for full article, go to http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200802/NAT20080204b.html

Big Brother has arrived in Britain?

2008-02-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

I just read an alarming article on the acquistion of surveillance abilities within the UK government into the lives of public citizens.

The Act, which has been quietly amended several times (each time handing more powers to the public sector), now gives an unprecedented range of state agencies the right to listen to our phone conversations, tap our emails and open our post.

In the last nine months of 2006, 960 new applications for the right to peer into the private lives of Britons were made every day.

It is a level of Government surveillance that would make even the Stasi, the former East German secret police renowned as the world's most effective intelligence agency, proud.

There are three types of survelliance listed: interception of communications, old-fashioned spying and access to communications data.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) initially only covered the nine most crucial law enforcement agencies (police, the taxman, the intelligence agencies etc).

But this merely delayed the stealthy march of Big Brother. In 2004, the number of groups with the right to poke in our lives expanded to 792; the laws to allow this had been slipped quietly through the Commons by David Blunkett.

As usual, Whitehall got its way by waiting for the fuss to die down. Incidentally, the only group with an exemption from being bugged are MPs themselves.

But the Act didn't merely extend the rights of bureaucrats to check on us, it also forced the larger internet service providers to build into their systems the technological capability to cater for all this snooping.

to see full article, go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511210&in_page_id=1770

2008-01-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

Ezekiel 38 – God’s Plan

This past Sunday, I was able to preach on somethinkg I am passionate about. People world-wide are talking about the end of the world. People are talking about the Mayan prophecy of 2012, scientists of a global reverse of polarity coordinated with the sun's cycle of polarity reversal resulting in earthquakes, volcanoes, and the possible collapse of the earth's upper atmosphere. All these things are noteworthy, but how does God's own Word speak of these events? Ezekiel 36-37 speak of events that took place in 1948. It appears that todays geo-political events in the middle east are lining up with ch. 38. I didn't write out a sermon on paper, just an outline to go by. If you have a readable translation of God's word, it would be helpful to get the full effect of the outline.
May God bless you in seeking His Truth.

In Ezekiel 38 – we see names many of us are unfamiliar with, though some we know. These first appear in what is known as the
I. Table of Nations in Gen. 10:

Magog (Russia), Javan (Greece), Tubal and Meshech (Turkey and Central Asia) are sons of Noah’s son Japheth (Gen. 10:2)

Tarshish (England or Spain) is a son of Javan (maritime peoples ~ Gen 10:4)

Sheba, Dedan (Southern Arabia) (Gen 10:7)

A. The Sovereign LORD predicts He will bring them out. (v. 4)

B. Magog’s Allies - Perisa (Iraq & Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, North Africa) (v. 5)

C. invading a land gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel… now they all live in safety.(v.8)

II. Thoughts of Evil (vv. 10-13)

A. invade a peaceful unsuspecting people (v. 10)

B. plunder, loot and destroy (v. 12)

C. Friends or Foes? Question Israel’s allies, but do nothing about it (v. 13)

III. A Soon Reality?

A. when my people are living in safety (v. 14) – Leaders state that they want to sign Annapolis peace accord by 2008

B. confirmation of Russia (v. 15)

C. Magog and hordes like a cloud covering the land (v. 16)

IV. Yahweh’s Devastation

A. Anger aroused (v. 18)

B. Great earthquake –scientists now saying a major quake long overdue in Israel!

C. Chaos and Natural Disaster vv. 20-22

D. God’s glorification and magnification vv. 16, 23

V. Conclusions We Should Draw

A. Most Bible scholars assume this war happens at the beginning or before Daniel’s 70th week.

1. He (Satan~spiritual ruler in the 'heavens' 1 Jn 5:19) – will confirm a covenant for one ‘seven’ – 7 yr. peace treaty

2. Daniel 9:27 tells us there is a Temple in place and sacrifices have been resumed
- after war, Russia and Muslim nations are decimated, they will be in no position to refuse Israel their temple

B. In the 70th week, God returns his focus to Israel

1. The 70th week of Daniel begins God’s wrath on the world! Rev. 6 –Seal Judgments

2. In the middle of the week, Abomination of Desolation occurs (Dan. 9:27)

3. The Church is gone! “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”Rom. 11:15, 1 Thess 1:10; 2 Thess. 2:7

VI. HOW NOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

KNOW GOD!
A. knowing = obedience 2 Thess. 1:8,

B. hear & DO (knowing = doing) James 1:19-25

1. get rid of moral filth so prevalent

2. humbly ACCEPT the word planted in you

C. knowing = relationship (Jn. 17:3, Jn 15:5,6)

Blinded by Desire?

2008-01-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

I just came across an article reporting on the rates of sexual promiscuity among universities in the UK. What's striking is that the article and the first lines state that those who have the most sexual partners have the worst results in sexual experience.

A survey from one of the country's top universities has revealed students who have the most sex get the worst results.

The online study published in the student magazine Varsity asked over a thousand members in various colleges at Cambridge University in depth about their sex lives.

It revealed students at poorly-performing colleges are more likely to be sleeping around.

And I think this is tied to the skyrocketing amount of depression, use of anti-derpresants and suicide in universites. Could all this scientific evidence lend to suggest that in fact we are not created for more than one sexual partner?

What irks me most about the article is that going on down through the article, the author obviously doesn't take this view. He goes on to celebrate the types and styles and locations of sexual perversion that is taking place.

The Bible clearly tells us that we were created for one life-long partner in marriage, to bring about and raise children who fear Yahweh and follow His ways, not their own.
"For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh (not twenty-three)." (Gen. 2:24)

to see the article, go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=510332&in_page_id=1770

Is Hillary in the Intrest of the US?

2008-01-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Inightfully candid conservative columnist Cal Thomas has written a column peircing into the inner workings of the "Clinton Machine". Way to go Cal!

Seeking to impose an unworkable plan on an unsuspecting public was bad enough, but the pain Hillarycare supporters were prepared to inflict on opponents demonstrates insensitivity in the extreme. A “confidential” memorandum written on May 26, 1993 by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Democrat, to Hillary Clinton was entitled “Health Care Reform Communications.” The Rockefeller memo suggests Hillary employ “classic opposition research” to attack critics who were excluded by the administration from Task Force deliberations and to “expose lifestyles, tactics and motives of lobbyists” to counter and overcome criticism. Rockefeller also suggested news organizations “are anxious and willing to receive guidance (from the Clinton administration) on how to time and shape the (news) coverage.” Rockefeller seems to accept the notion asserted for years by conservatives that the mainstream media are biased in favor of Democrats and their policies. For many, this will not be a revelation.

for full article, go to http://www.townhall.com/columnists/CalThomas/2008/01/22/ps_we_are_lying_to_you

Interesting now movie on ID...

2008-01-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

I just read this, about this movie on Intelligent Design (ID) called "Expelled." It really seems to confront many of the issues being felt today in the scientific and academic community.

Here's the first paragraph to the article:

(CNSNews.com) - Intelligent design theory, or ID, is opening new doors of scientific research, particularly in cancer and other disease research, according to its adherents, but a new movie, "Expelled" starring Ben Stein explores how an "elitist scientific establishment" is apparently muzzling and smearing scientists who publicly discuss ID.

go here if you'd like the whle article, http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200801/NAT20080117a.html

Meida are showing their true colors...

2008-01-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

In these most expedient presidential primaries, I know my eyes have been opened to alot. Of course, I knew Fox News Channel was the only TV network to get truly conservative viewpoints, or on the internet. But I hope everyone is seeing that all the rest of the networks are biased in ways that are anti-American, anti-Judeo-Christian. It seems taht if the wrong party got in control, we're not all that far from a socialist (read: communist) tyranny in this once great nation!

The conservative watchdog group Culture and Media Institute argues that the American media seem to care more about the health and internal unity of the Democratic Party than they do the important issues facing voters during the presidential campaign.

...

The Culture and Media Institute (CMI) director also accuses the media of giving Obama a free pass when it comes to his political platform. He says Obama keeps talking about bringing a change to Washington, yet nobody in the media has questioned Obama as to what that change might be. "The media seem curiously incurious about the details [of that proposed change]," he remarks.

for full article, go to http://www.onenewsnow.com/2008/01/analyst_says_media_bias_transp.php

Scripture Promises

2008-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

"LORD, Your testimonies are completely reliable; holiness is the beauty of Your house for all the days to come." (Psalm 93:5)

"The LORD will not forsake His people or abandon His heritage." (Ps. 94:14)

"You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. (Ps. 73:24)

2008-01-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the commercial of Hillary's at Christmas and all hte gifts she wants for Christmas (the enormously expensive gifts, I might add). Phyllis Schafly did an article, pointing oiut the most dangerous of these gifts is the universal pre-k!

When U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., showed television viewers the Christmas presents she wants to give us if she is elected president, her most important was universal pre-kindergarten, following closely after universal health care. Clinton was reminding us of her status as the grand dame of the ideology expressed in her favorite African slogan, "It takes a village to raise a child."

Indeed, there seem to be many busybodies who believe the village, i.e., government functionaries, should make major decisions about the upbringing of children, including what they are taught and how they are medicated. They may approach this incrementally, but their goal is always "universal."

...

Massachusetts has just started to require that all children in Medicaid, 460,000 kids, must be subjected annually to mental health screening in order to detect signs of possible mental illness, autism, or depression. One of the criteria on the questionnaire used to identify mental health problems is that the child is "seeming to have less fun."

And in this universal pre-k care system, it seems that the children are required a number of vaccinations regardless...

Parents believe that this New Jersey requirement is a major encroachment on parental rights to make medical and other decisions for their own children. Parents also cite the potential dangers of vaccines for some children.

And if the parents decide it's to dangerous for their children...

State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey intimidated parents with what he called "legal action." He arranged to have letters sent to all parents who were "out of compliance" demanding that they must attend a court hearing where they would receive a verbal reprimand and their children would be vaccinated, presumably forcibly.

for full article, see www.townhall.com

On Forgiveness

2008-01-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

I came across this quote on Forgiveness and thought it was quite funny.

"In the Bible it says they asked Jesus how many times you should forgiven and he said 70 times 7. Well, I want you all to know that I'm keeping a chart." - Hillary Rodham Clinton

I'm sure that was said tongue-in-cheek, but in reality, it is not the spirit of Christ. In that phrase, what Jesus was implying is that we should always be willing to forgive someone who is truly repentant of their deed, when they ask us. That is God's heart for those who have beleived his witness, and placed their faith in the saving act of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. When we place our faith in Jesus to forgive us, we are immediately forgiven of all sins, past, present and future, though when we sin daily, we should ask forgiveness, because the relationship with our Maker is hurt. Recently, in a book of the works of A.W. Tozer, I read that he came to faith after hearing a street preacher cry out, "If you need to be saved, call on God."

"If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved... For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9,13

Megachurches targeted by Gay-Activist Group

2008-01-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

This was posted in a pastor's email briefing sent out weekly by Focus on the Family. Megachurch members, beware! Pray for your leaders!!!

Under the guise of "America Family Outing," Soulforce, a gay-activist group, is recruiting same-sex couples with children to visit several evangelical megachurches this year to "initiate conversation" and "change hearts and minds." Some of the churches on the visit list are those pastored by Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Joel Osteen, Harry Jackson and T.D. Jakes, reports CitizenLink. Caleb H. Price, gender issues analyst from Focus on the Family Action, said, "Soulforce claims to want one thing — dialogue — but, in reality, what they're trying to do is disseminate a false doctrine into the wider Body of Christ."

2008-01-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Ann Coulter had an interesting post on her site concerning the holiday of late, Kwanzaa. Here are a few excerpts:

It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers and a dupe of the FBI.

In what was probably ultimately a foolish gamble, during the madness of the '60s the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the organization, the better. Using that criterion, Karenga's United Slaves was perfect. In the annals of the American '60s, Karenga was the Father Gapon, stooge of the czarist police.

...

Coincidentally, the seven principles of Kwanzaa are the very same seven principles of the Symbionese Liberation Army, another charming invention of the Worst Generation. In 1974, Patricia Hearst, kidnap victim-cum-SLA revolutionary, posed next to the banner of her alleged captors, a seven-headed cobra. Each snake head stood for one of the SLA's revolutionary principles: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani -- the exact same seven "principles" of Kwanzaa.

For teh full article, see www.anncoulter.com. This is certainly an interesting informative article on the 'history' of Kwanzaa. I know you have all been dying to know.

The Quran advocates Violence against Women!

2008-01-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of the deaths of the two lovely young teenage girls in TX? Evidently their father killed them for being "too American." Robert Spencer writes an interesting article on them.

Over the next few days, as more details emerge about the murders of Amina and Sarah Said, we will see Islamic spokesmen on TV (Ibrahim Hooper is probably sitting for make-up as you read this) explaining that honor killing is a cultural practice that has nothing to do with Islam, and of course above all the one thing we must avoid doing in the aftermath of these murders is entertain for even a moment the possibility that Islamic attitudes and atmospherics had anything to do with the deaths of these girls.

And Alan Colmes will nod sagely and agree that Islamophobia is a terrible problem, and Sean Hannity will burble about the "hijacking of a great religion," and Glenn Beck will assure us that the Qur'an teaches nonviolence, and a splendid time is guaranteed for all. No one will dream of holding the American Muslim community accountable for aiding and abetting the creation of a culture of violence against women. Oh no. That would be "Islamophobic."

for the full article, go to: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID=A14A51D8-99D1-4E73-B745-737EF04FAB9D

Huckabee responds well to survey of views on military social issues, says activist

2008-01-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Chad Groening
OneNewsNow.com
January 8, 2008

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, says former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee responded well to a military survey sent to all the presidential candidates.

The survey covered a variety of social issues that affect the troops, and while the Center for Military Readiness will not endorse a presidential candidate, she did comment on Huckabee's response. "Governor Huckabee did provide very good answers to the questions that we asked," says Donnelly, who heads the military watchdog group. "Everything from women in combat, gays in the military, the CEDAW treaty, women on submarines. These are very important military social issues."

But Donnelly did find some contradictions in Huckabee's stance concerning homosexuals serving in the military. "A statement made to the Associated Press in April 2007 ... indicated that well ... [Huckabee's] not sure that being a homosexual should automatically disqualify [someone] from the military," she points out. "His campaign, however, said that he supports the law regarding homosexuals in the military."

Donnelly says the campaigns for both Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney did not answer surveys. As for Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) -- he sent a copy of a letter; and Fred Thompson responded to the question of homosexuals serving in the military with a statement, says Donnelly. However, she notes none of the Democratic candidates responded to her survey.

reported by OneNewsNow.com

Darwinians losing Intelligence?

2008-01-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

I saw this article posted by the Family Research Council, and found it quite interesting, so I thought I'd share it.

Design Found, Intelligence Lacking in Latest Attack by Darwinians

The National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine have mounted yet another attack on the scientific theory of intelligent design, publishing an 89-page book titled Science, Evolution, and Creationism. The new publication falsely equates "intelligent design" (a scientific theory which infers the necessity for intelligent design from scientific evidence) with "creationism" (a term usually used for a theory of origins that begins with the Bible or some other religious text). It also lumps together concepts of microevolution within species (such as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria), which are not controversial, with the more contested theory of macroevolution, which seeks to trace all existing forms of life to a common ancestor. It appears to dodge altogether the crucial question of how living things could have arisen from non-living things in the first place. It also slanders intelligent design as "unscientific" despite peer-reviewed articles on the concept and the credentials of 700 doctoral-level scientists who have publicly questioned Darwinism. Perhaps the biggest problem with the defenders of Darwinian evolution is that, ironically, they have reversed the roles in the supposed historical "war between science and religion," by declaring Darwinism to be inerrant dogma, and punishing its doubters by burning them at the academic stake.

Mounting Evidence for Intelligent Design Discovered in 2007

2008-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

I found an article at www.christianpost.com exposing information about mounting evidence supporting intelligent design. Will the evolutionists not concede that their dogma is a religion?

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Jan. 01 2008 09:15 AM ET

From jellyfish fossil finds to the newly discovered function of the appendix, a science and technology watchdog group has released a list of some of the year's top news that reflect mounting evidence supporting intelligent design.

The Access Research Network – which reports on science, technology and society from an intelligent design perspective – recently released its "Top 10 Darwin and Design News Stories" list for 2007.

"Overall in 2007 I'd say we've observed a growing consternation running through many scientific disciplines over Darwinian explanations of the evidence that were once thought to be resolved long ago," said Kevin Wirth, ARN director of media relations.

Among the top stories the group considers a "growing burden" to Darwinists is the increasing level of complexity being discovered in small biological systems such as living cells and in early life history such as jellyfish. Newly uncovered jellyfish fossils in Utah were dated back 200 million years earlier than the oldest specimens of the modern jellyfish yet showed the same complexity as modern orders and families of jellyfish. These findings, according to ARN, challenge Darwin's molecule-to-man theory because they reveal that there was an insufficient amount of time for complex life to have developed only via the Darwinian principles of random mutations and natural selection.

Darwin's "Tree-of-Life" model was also hit hard in 2007 when a scientist at the National Center for Biotechnology Information published a paper claiming the tree pattern could not explain major transitions in biological evolution and instead proposed a "Biological Big Bang" model.

ARN executive director Dennis Wagner noted that science is still recovering from a whole generation of people who have been raised according to "Darwinian fairytales," such as the teaching that human and chimpanzee genetics only differ by 1 percent and that the appendix is a leftover evolutionary vestige.

"These are Darwinian 'arguments from ignorance' that continue to be discarded as scientists uncover the incredible design and purpose of biological systems," he said.

But the challenges to Darwinism have not been without opposition.

The group notes in its list that political and academic persecution against those who question the evolutionary theory has also been a hallmark for 2007.

"Our modern western culture is so ingrained in the naturalistic Darwinian creation story that those who challenge the story, even with scientific evidence in hand, are treated as outsiders and outcasts," observed Wagner.

He hopes that Ben Stein's documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," scheduled for release in early 2008, will serve as a "eye-opener" to Americans on the growing hostility toward individuals who have suggested alternative views to Darwinism.

The debate about origins is expected to heat up again significantly in 2008, Wirth said.
"I think we're beginning to see a growing trend overall that the sufficiency of Darwinian explanations to describe how life evolved is turning out to be substantially inadequate in a growing number of fields, particularly in the areas of genetics and molecular biology," he noted.
"I think it's becoming clear that Darwinism is on the verge of one of the greatest challenges it has faced in many decades."

On the Web: ARN's "Top 10 Darwin and Design News Stories" at www.arn.org/top10

Reliability of Voter Forums

2008-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the N.H. presidential forum, which I thought went very well. The candidates were very articulate, very "up on their numbers," to quote one of the Fox News Channel reporters. But then they showed the N.H. panel analysis. What got me is that the almost entire crowd pulled for Romney, when Romney did not stand as well, and was very vague in his responses. When showing the rating of the candidates speech, Romney's went up high when he was speaking of the need for change in Washington. But there was no plan, only the declaration of the need for change. One woman said in ciriticism of Mike Huckabee that she wanted a president and not a Baptist pastor. Most of the room raised their hands when asked who thought he identified to much with his faith (Come on, red state!). The thing is, Religion or faith in no way came up during the forum. Does this denote a previous bias against Huckabee, and does this also denote that if the people are biased against a particular individual, that these voter panel ratings are really reliable?

Incentive for political bias

2008-01-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas holiday. I've been out and away for a bit, so that's part of the reason I was gone so long. Have any of you watched the Iowa caucus last night. I love how when Huckabee did well in the voting, it was attributed to the "rural evangelicals," but supposedly Huckabee won't have that going for him in the other states! They ought to come out and call the Christians hillbillys, for that's what they mean. Hey, I'm from the hills of NC, I'm a hillbilly! Nevermind the fact that I've got a 97 hr. Masters of Theology!

I don't mean to be saying the same thing over and over, but I guess I've had my eyes opened with Huckabee running for office and all the conservative broadcasters him. And they just don't stop. They keep harping about how he made all these pardons, when all you have to do is go to Huck's site, and see that every criminal in Arkansas is entitled to apply for a pardon, and Huckabee turned DOWN over 80% of them. Does Romney even carry out that part of his government role, or does he deal with that?

So back to the conservative broadcasters, you know, Rush, Hannity, Ingram, Coulter. I think it's interesting that they all work for Clear Channel. Guess who Clear Channel is owned by. It's owned by Bain Capital, and guess who owns Bain Capital. Who else but Mitt Romney! Hmmm... let's put two and two together. The reason all these talk-show hosts is because he pays their checks.

2007-12-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

I came across an interview with a fomrer atheist, who in light of the evidence of modern developments, now terms himself a Deist. He does not call himself Christian, but it is very interesting some of the things he had to say on certain Christian topics. I thought I would share some of these quotes here:

The Bible:

FLEW: The Bible is a work which someone who had not the slightest concern about the question of the truth or falsity of the Christian religion could read as people read the novels of the best novelists. It is an eminently readable book.
(Habermas; Interview w/ Antony Flew. Philosophia Christi. p. 13)

Miracles and Belief:

HABERMAS: So you think that, for a miracle, the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is better than other miracle claims?

FLEW: Oh yes, I think so. It’s much better, for example, than that for most if not of the, so to speak, run of the mill Roman Catholic miracles. On this see, for instance, D. J. West.35

HABERMAS: You have made numerous comments over the years that Christians are justified in their beliefs such as Jesus’ resurrection or other major tenants of their faith. In our last two dialogues I think you even remarked that for someone who is already a Christian there are many good reasons to believe Jesus’ resurrection. Would you comment on that?

FLEW: Yes, certainly. This is an important matter about rationality which I have fairly recently come to appreciate. What it is rational for any individual to believe about some matter which is fresh to that individual’s consideration depends on what he or she rationally believed before they were confronted with this fresh situation. For suppose they rationally believed in the existence of a God of any revelation, then it would be entirely reasonable for them to see the fine tuning argument as providing substantial confirmation of their belief in the existence of that God. (Habermas, pp. 13-14)

In light of being asked whether one day he might become a Christian:
FLEW: I think it’s very unlikely, due to the problem of evil. But, if it did happen, I think it would be in some eccentric fit and doubtfully orthodox form: regular religious practice perhaps but without belief. If I wanted any sort of future life I should become a Jehovah’s Witness. But some things I am completely confident about. I would never regard Islam with anything but horror and fear because it is fundamentally committed to conquering the world for Islam. It was because the whole of Palestine was part of the land of Islam that Muslim Arab armies moved in to try to destroy Israel at birth, and why the struggle for the return of the still surviving refugees and their numerous descendents continue to this day.
HABERMAS: I ask this last question with a smile, Tony. But just think what would happen if one day you were pleasantly disposed toward Christianity and all of a sudden the resurrection of Jesus looked pretty good to you?

FLEW: Well, one thing I’ll say in this comparison is that, for goodness sake, Jesus is an enormously attractive charismatic figure, which the Prophet of Islam most emphatically is not. (pp. 15,16)

Another note of particular interest:
On the deterioration of society in the UK:
HABERMAS: You’ve told me that you have a very high regard for John and Charles
Wesley and their traditions. What accounts for your appreciation?

FLEW: The greatest thing is their tremendous achievement of creating the Methodist movement mainly among the working class. Methodism made it impossible to build a really substantial Communist Party in Britain and provided the country with a generous supply of men and women of sterling moral character from mainly working class families. Its decline is a substantial part of the explosions both of unwanted motherhood and of crime in recent decades.
There is also the tremendous determination shown by John Wesley in spending year after year riding for miles every day, preaching more than seven sermons a week and so on. I have only recently been told of John Wesley’s great controversy against predestination and in favor of the Arminian alternative. Certainly John Wesley was one of my country’s many great sons and daughters. One at least of the others was raised in a Methodist home with a father who was a local preacher. (p. 14)