Assyrian Horn

The Princes of This World (part 2)

2012-02-17T09:08:00.001-05:00

In part 1 we examined two named princes of this world. You should read part 1 before you read this. You can find it here.

These two princes were the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece.

In this earlier study, I suggested that:

"These princes assumed power of these kingdoms in the spritual world, and exerted influence in our natural world. It is likely that our actions, morals, worship, and beliefs may strengthen or weaken them."

I believe that our culture is doing exactly that. I believe that we are enabling and glorifying the rise of the Prince of Persia once again. Not coincidentally, we are seeing the rise of the Persian Kingdom- which is modern day Iran. We are giving glory to this prince- some people knowingly, but most unknowingly. We may not be aware of this, but our children are even being used. But is ignorance and lack of awareness of spiritual matters an excuse?

His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Isaiah 56:10

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11

How are we glorifying the prince of Persia? What are some examples?

So you may be thinking that this is no big deal. You might be thinking that it's just a movie, or that it's just an innocent video game that your kids are playing. Here are a couple more examples that show a little more of the spiritual connection:

These are all posters, billboards, and game covers glorifying the demonic prince of Persia.

Can you imagine the excitement of this spiritual being as he watches your children playing these games?
Can you imagine his excitement as he watches your family watch his movie?
Can you imagine his excitement as he sees his name plastered on billboards throughout the world?

It is no coincidence that the kingdom of Persia (Iran) is making it's comeback at the same time that the prince of Persia is being glorified world-wide. This also comes at a time when the world's morals are failing, and America's Christian families are asleep at the wheel.

Can you imagine his excitement?

Iran Warns of Coming Great Event

2012-02-03T19:15:00.001-05:00

World Net Daily- Amid crippling sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, Iran is continuing to prepare itself for war against the West, and now is warning of a coming great event.

“In light of the realization of the divine promise by almighty God, the Zionists and the Great Satan (America) will soon be defeated,” Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, is warning.

Khamenei, speaking to hundreds of youths from more than 70 countries attending a world conference on the Arab Spring just days ago, told a cheering crowd in Tehran that “Allah’s promises will be delivered and Islam will be victorious.”

The countries represented included Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Palestine and Tunisia, all of which have been involved in the Arab Spring.
In his remarks, Khamenei advised the youths to remain vigilant, stating that the Islamic awakening in the region has delivered several blows to the enemies of Islam and that all Muslims, despite their own historical and social differences, remain united in opposing the “evil hegemony of the Zionists and the Americans.”

Khamenei then claimed the current century as the century of Islam and promised that human history is on the verge of a great event and that soon the world will realize the power of Allah.

Many clerics in Iran have stated that Khamenei is the deputy of the last Islamic messiah on earth and that obedience to him is necessary for the final glorification of Islam.

Khamenei has been heard to say that the coming of the last Islamic Messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, is near and that specific actions need to be taken to protect the Islamic regime for upcoming events.

Mahdi, according to Shiite belief, will reappear at the time of Armageddon. Selected forces within the Revolutionary Guards and Basij reportedly have been trained under a task force called “Soldiers of Imam Mahdi” and they will bear the responsibility of security and protecting the regime against uprisings. Many in the Guards and Basij have been told that the 12th Imam is on earth, facilitated the victory of Hezbollah over Israel in the 2006 war and soon will announce publicly his presence after the needed environment is created.

Sources within Vali’eh Amr, the revolutionary forces in charge of the supreme leader’s protection, also recently revealed an assassination attempt on Khamenei that was thwarted just in time.
SepahOnline reports that last year during Khamenei’s visit to the port of Asalouyeh in southern Iran, Revolutionary Guards found pistols and hand grenades hidden by one individual dressed as a janitor in a barracks that Khamenei was set to attend. The supreme leader was then returned to Tehran immediately.
Other sources within the Guards report that following Barack Obama’s letter to the Iranian leader last month requesting negotiations, Khamenei ordered Iranian officials to speak positively about holding nuclear talks and giving hope to Obama and other Western leaders that a negotiated solution is possible.

This was apparent after a trip of U.N. nuclear inspectors to Iran this week, who called the talks positive.
At the same time, his directive to the Guards ordered a speedy completion of the Iranian nuclear bomb program in which Guards’ missiles can be armed with nuclear warheads. Khamenei believes once that’s achieved, Iran can test a nuclear bomb, letting the world know that Iran has joined the nuclear-armed club and that any confrontation will result in destruction of much of the Western world.

The Revolutionary Guards not only can hit all U.S. bases in the Middle East with their ballistic missiles but also reach most capital cities in Western Europe. The Guards, with the help of China and North Korea, are working on intercontinental ballistic missiles. But more dangerous to America, as reported last July, is the Guards action in arming their vessels with long-range ballistic missiles and their expansion of their mission into the Atlantic Ocean, right into the Gulf of Mexico.

Any Iranian military or commercial vessel easily could get right outside the U.S. coastline and in less than 60 seconds fire a ballistic missile armed with a nuclear payload and detonate it over U.S. skies in an electromagnetic attack that would plunge America back into the 18th century.

Studies show within just one year after such an attack, two-thirds of Americans would cease to exist and the rest would live under dire conditions.

The radicals ruling Iran not only have prepared for mass suppression of their own people as they get close to their confrontation with the West, but also have prepared to fuel unrest through their proxies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

SepahOnline, with sources within the Guards, reports that Afghanistan will soon witness an increase in terrorist activities against U.S. forces. The Guards not only are training Taliban fighters in Iran close to the Afghan border, but are shipping armaments to forces in Afghanistan with an order to create instability by harming U.S. forces and destabilizing the Afghan government.
Guards agents have also been ordered to do the same in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf counties.
The Guards also announced the imminent formation of a defensive unit to deal with possible radioactive contamination. Although they did not say why, they could be preparing for a nuclear exchange with the West once Iran becomes nuclear-armed.

WND previously has reported that the chieftains in Iran also are preparing to execute their own internal critics and opponents at the right time.
This was similar to action taken by the founder of the Islamic regime in 1988, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Princes of This World

2012-02-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is one of those difficult studies, which we will take in parts.

This will challenge you, and make you more aware of the world we live in. Please take it to the LORD in prayer. Do not accept the word of man on any teaching, without testing that word with scripture and prayer.
________________

There are powerful beings on this earth. Powers that we can not see with our eyes. Spiritual beings/ angels, set up on the earth. These beings seem to be defined geographically, and likely grow in power with the kingdoms of the earth. Some of these beings/ angels are good. Some are evil. All of them attempt to govern in the affairs of men and God.

Sound strange?

You have likely read about them in the Bible, but maybe it never became clear when you read it. In most translations, they are referred to as "princes" of this earth. Some examples are:
- The Prince of Persia
- The Prince of Greece

These princes assumed power of these kingdoms in the spritual world, and exerted influence in our natural world. It is likely that our actions, morals, worship, and beliefs may strengthen or weaken them.

Today, we will look at one of the first accounts in the Bible that opened my eyes to this truth. It is in the book of Daniel, and speaks of the Prince of Persia.

Daniel had just been given a vision of a great war that disturbed him greatly. It disturbed him so much that he fasted for 3 weeks, devoting himself to prayer. Daniel was then visited by an angel of the LORD, who told Daniel that he had set out to meet with Daniel on the first day of his fasting and prayer. However, this angel did not make it to Daniel until after the 21st day! He was delayed in meeting with Daniel because the Prince of Persia tried to prevent him from reaching Daniel.

Just think about this for a moment... Daniel began to fast and pray, and God sent his angel to meet with Daniel on the 1st day. But this angel did not make it to Daniel for 21 days, because the unseen prince of Persia tried to prevent this angel from making it to Daniel. Of course, Daniel knew none of this during his 21 days of fasting and prayer- until this angel revealed it to him.

How did this angel finally make it Daniel? The angel Michael came to help him battle against this spiritual ruler of Persia.

Here is the Biblical account found in Daniel 10: 12-14:

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

This account continues a few verses later, and mentions the coming Prince of Greece:

So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

This section of scripture takes place during the time of the Persian kingdom on earth. It also notes that the spiritual power of that region was the prince of Persia. The next verses tell us that the prince of Greece will come next. This is very important because the next earthly kingdom to be established after Persia is Greece. This shows the relationship between the powers of the sprititual realm and the earthly kingdoms.

This also tells us that there is a prince of America, battling for the spiritual power over America. This battle in the spiritual world is the reason why Paul wrote:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

In the next study, we will look at how some of our actions and culture are actually working with these forces instead of against them. You may never look at entertainment the same way again...

Song of the Week- I49

2012-02-01T08:44:00.002-05:00

I49 by Misty Edwards

One of my favorite songs!

Bloggers To Be Executed In Iran

2012-01-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

Examiner- Iranian courts have sentenced two bloggers to death for "spreading corruption," and government security forces have arrested four other journalists, in the lead-up to the nation's March elections.
"In the past two weeks, security forces have reportedly arrested four journalists," the U.S. State Department said in a statement, "including Shahram Manouchehri, Sahamedin Bourghani, Parastoo Dokouhaki, and Marzieh Rasouli, and Iranian courts confirmed death sentences for bloggers Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, both of whom were not accorded due process and now face imminent execution on charges of 'spreading corruption.'"
The State Department faulted Iran for trying "to extinguish all forms of free expression and limit its citizens’ access to information in the lead-up to March parliamentary elections."

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/iran-arrests-journalists-execute-bloggers/341821

The Impossible Standard

2012-01-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

First, I should apologize for rarely posting here. There are reasons. Some better than others.

One reason for my lack of new posts is that I have always been extremely careful in what I post. I do not want to lead anyone astray, and if I have misinterpreted scripture in any way- well, I certainly don't want to teach that to any of you that follow this website.

This thought is grounded in the fear of the LORD, and is good- but it has also paralyzed me in a way. So I have struggled with this almost from the beginning of this website, and the material we have covered is VERY complex, and without absolute certainty. Prophecy is a difficult study and I have prayed over every study I have posted- that I can recall- due to the fear of leading someone astray.

All of that is honorable to a point, but here is my error:
The LORD gave me confirmation that my teachings are acceptable, and gave me release from my fear some time ago. He did this through an incredible dream, and I have held it in my heart- telling very few people (which I have learned is usually best when it comes to dreams). Yet, I have remain paralyzed- and this is my mistake. It is to my shame that I have not posted a real study/teaching of my own since "Rend Your Hearts" in December 2010. In fact, I have been the servant that buried the talent in the ground in fear of his master!

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ -Matthew 25: 24-30

So although this all started with a correct fear of the LORD, I let it paralyze me to the point of becoming a wicked and lazy servant. This was certainly NEVER my intention, but God had given me release and I did not release myself from an impossible standard.

Going forward, I will continue to pray over each study/teaching that I post, but I will not be paralyzed. God has given me this ministry, and I will continue in it as long as He desires. I know some of the studies God is pointing me too will be extremely challenging. I have held off on them too long for that reason.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

- Matthew 1:23 (KJV)

Update on NDAA ammendment

2011-12-14T22:10:00.002-05:00

The indefinite detention ammendment has now passed the House of Representatives.

With a vote of 283 - 136, the House of Representatives voted to end liberty in America.

This is now gaining publicity. Unfortunately, this is likely too little, too late.

This bill will now go back to the Senate (since some items were changed), and then to the President- who has already indicated he will NOT veto.

The End of Liberty In America?

2011-12-12T20:12:00.001-05:00

I have made a real effort to stay away from politics on this site. However, this information is so critical that it must be made known. Your liberty as a U.S. citizen is at stake.

While normal, freedom loving Americans were enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend with their families... Senators Carl Levin and John McCain were ammending the National Defense Bill to include a nefarious ammendment.

This ammendment will give the President's administration, the LEGAL authority to imprison U.S. CITIZENS on American soil INDEFINITELY and WITHOUT TRIAL. All the administration has to do is say that they suspect you of potential terrorist activity. They don't need to PROVE that you are a terrorist- they just need to accuse you of it. They don't even need to charge you with a crime, only suspect you. This ammendment single-handedly SHREDS the protections fundamental to the constitution.

This bill also gives the administration full use of the military to make these arrests on American soil- a direct affront to the "Posse Comitatus Act of 1878".

For those of you still not concerned with this ammendment (because you believe it will only be used against real muslim terrorists trying to harm our country)... let me remind you of the MIAC Report. The MIAC report, which was also distributed to state police within Missouri, was created by the Missouri Information Analysis Center, one of the 58 known "Fusion Centers" created by Homeland Security to gather information (spy) on U.S. citizens. The very act of me writing this will surely be monitored by one of these fusion centers.

The MIAC report is important, because it was leaked out to the public (who knows how many similar reports exist, but just haven't been leaked). The MIAC report identifies the warning signs of potential terrorism. Ask yourself if any of these signs apply to you or someone you know:

Fundamental Christian beliefs
Anti-abortion stance (pro-life)
speaking negatively about the United Nations
speaking negatively about the Federal Reserve
speaking about the "New World Order"
firearm ownership/ advocacy of 2nd ammendment right to bear arms
speaking about the violation of Posse Comitatus
speaking negatively about the income tax
speaking about the possibilities of a North American Union
being against RFID chips
being against illegal immigration
supporting 3rd party candidates
supporting Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, or Bob Barr- evidenced by bumper stickers

Now you can see that virtually anyone in America can easily be suspected of potential terrorist activity, when the standards are manipulated.

This bill has already PASSED through the Senate by an OVERWHELMING majority... 93-7. It only awaits approval by the House of Representatives.

Senator Rand Paul confronted Senator McCain, on the senate floor, regarding these disturbing possibilites. Instead of addressing these concerns, Senator McCain changed the subject to Guantanomo detainees' likelihood of re-entering the war on terror after being released. This, of course, is not what Sen. Paul was asking Sen McCain. The video below includes part of this confrontation, and additional anylysis:

Next... we have a video of Senator Carl Levin (MI) ACTUALLY ADMITTING that it was the President's administration, that required that language be removed from the ammendment that would protect (exclude) U.S. citizens:

Please contact your representative immediately to voice your concerns over this ammendment. Most importantly- please pray that God will have mercy on us and change the hearts of our "leaders" in congress.

The King We Have Chosen Is The King We Deserve

2011-12-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

1 Samuel 8: 8-18

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

Netanyahu Trashed Behind Closed Doors By Obama and Sarkozy

2011-11-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Microphones accidently left on after G20 meeting pick up private conversation between US, French presidents.

Sarkozy admits he 'can't stand' Israeli premier.

Obama: You're fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day!

French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly told US President Barack Obama that he could not "stand" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he thinks the Israeli premier "is a liar."

According to a Monday report in the French website "Arret sur Images," after facing reporters for a G20 press conference on Thursday, the two presidents retired to a private room, to further discuss the matters of the day.

The conversation apparently began with President Obama criticizing Sarkozy for not having warned him that France would be voting in favor of the Palestinian membership bid in UNESCO despite Washington's strong objection to the move.

The conversation then drifted to Netanyahu, at which time Sarkozy declared: "I cannot stand him. He is a liar." According to the report, Obama replied: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!"

The remark was naturally meant to be said in confidence, but the two leaders' microphones were accidently left on, making the would-be private comment embarrassingly public.

The communication faux pas went unnoticed for several minutes, during which the conversation between the two heads of state – which quickly reverted to other matters – was all but open to members the press, who were still in possession of headsets provided by the Elysée for the sake of simultaneous translation during the G20 press conference.

"By the time the (media) services at the Elysée realize it, it was on for at least three minutes," one journalist told the website. Still, he said that reporters "did not have a chance to take advantage of this fluke."

The surprising lack of coverage may be explained by a report alleging that journalists present at the event were requested to sign an agreement to keep mum on the embarrassing comments. A Reuters reporter was among the journalists present and can confirm the veracity of the comments.

A member of the media confirmed Monday that "there were discussions between journalists and they agreed not to publish the comments due to the sensitivity of the issue."

U.S. Embassy in Bosnia Attacked

2011-10-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

Reuters-

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A gunman fired on the United States embassy in Bosnia Friday in a 30-minute assault blamed by state television on a radical Islamist from neighboring Serbia.

The gunman was wounded by a police sniper during the attack in Sarajevo's busy downtown, in which a police officer was seriously wounded and shop workers scrambled for cover.

Bosnian television identified the man, bearded and carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as 23-year-old Mevlid Jasarevic, a Serbian citizen from the mainly Muslim town of Novi Pazar.

It said he had been visiting a community of hardline Islamists in northern Bosnia. A Reuters photograph of the gunman showed a tall man with a brown coat and a long beard.

Bosnia, which was torn apart by war between Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslim), Croats and Serbs in 1992-95 as Yugoslavia collapsed, is considered a strong ally of the United States in the turbulent Balkans.

Bakir Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, condemned the attack, saying the United States was a "proven friend" of Bosnia.

"The American government and people have supported us in the most difficult moments of our history, and nobody has the right to endanger the friendly relations between our two countries," he said in a statement.

A police spokesman said the gunman had been taken to hospital for treatment but that his injuries were not life-threatening. A hospital spokeswoman said a man had been admitted under police escort with gunshot wounds to his upper leg.

"The doctors are conducting a medical intervention and the man is expected to be escorted from hospital by the police in next two to three hours," said spokeswoman Biljana Jandric.
Embassy officials said the building had gone into "lockdown" during the assault, and no one in the embassy had been hurt.

Police spokesman Irfan Nefic said one police officer had been seriously wounded. He said police believed the gunman had acted alone, but that the investigation would reveal more.

The U.S. embassy in Sarajevo, a mainly Muslim city, closed briefly in March 2002 citing an unspecified threat, but the building has not come under attack before.

New Libyan Leader Will Rule By Sharia Law

2011-10-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya’s interim rulers declared the country liberated on Sunday after an eight-month civil war, launching the oil-rich nation on what is meant to be a two-year transition to democracy. But they laid out future plans with an Islamist tone that could rattle their Western backers.

Gadhafi’s capture and the fall of his hometown of Sirte, the last loyalist stronghold, set the stage for the long-awaited declaration of liberation, delivered by the head of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.

Abdul-Jalil laid out a vision for a new Libya with an Islamist tint, saying Islamic Sharia law would be the “basic source” of legislation and existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified.

He outlined several changes to align with Islamic law, including putting caps on interest for bank loans and lifting restrictions on the number of wives Libyan men can take. The Muslim holy book, the Quran, allows men up to four wives.

In Brussels, neither the EU nor NATO wanted to address the issue of Sharia law.

Libya’s revolt erupted in February as part of anti-government protests spreading across the Middle East. Islamist groups stand to gain ground in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, which shook off their dictators several months ago. Tunisia has taken the biggest steps so far on the path to democracy, voting Sunday for a new assembly, while Egypt’s parliamentary election is set for next month.

Islamist Party Poised To Win Election In Tunisia

2011-10-23T10:08:00.000-04:00

Voting has begun in Tunisia in the first free election of the Arab Spring, nine months after the fall of former President Zinedine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Voters will elect a 217-seat assembly that will draft a new constitution and appoint an interim government.

Islamist party Ennahda is expected to win the most votes, though it is not clear if it will gain a majority.

Mr Ben Ali fled Tunisia on 14 January amid the first of several mass uprisings across the Arab world.

Campaigning in Tunisia has been marked by concerns over splits between Islamists and secularists, party funding and voter apathy.

But early indications are that turnout will be high. Many voters emerged from polling stations holding up blue-stained index fingers - proud to show they had cast their ballots.

The mother of Mohamed Bouazizi, the young man whose self-immolation last December triggered the Tunisian revolt, told the Reuters news agency the election was a victory for dignity and freedom.

"Now I am happy that my son's death has given the chance to get beyond fear and injustice," Manoubia Bouazizi said. "I'm an optimist, I wish success for my country."

"I didn't sleep at all last night from excitement," voter Houcine Khlifi, 62, told the AFP news agency on Sunday morning as he was queuing to cast his ballot in central Tunis.

Read more here

Israeli Defense Force Orders VeriChip For Troops

2011-10-20T21:03:00.000-04:00

Marketwatch- PositiveID Corporation, a developer of medical technologies for diabetes management, clinical diagnostics and bio-threat detection, announced today that it has received an order for its VeriChip(TM) microchip to be used for disaster preparedness and emergency management in Israel by an integration partner.

The VeriChip radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for patient identification. The VeriChip can also be used to assist in the management of emergency situations and disaster recovery in conjunction with a customized camera capable of receiving both RFID scanned data and GPS data wirelessly, and a Web-enabled database for gathering and storing information and images captured during emergency response operations.

The Company's integration partner intends to provide the microchips to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the State of Israel's military force.

Marc Poulshock, PositiveID's Vice President of Business Development, said, "We believe there are many important applications for the VeriChip and our associated intellectual property including next-generation identification and bio-sensing capabilities. Our partner is looking to help healthcare organizations, militaries including the IDF, and governments with their disaster preparedness and emergency response needs."

My Note- Keep in mind that this implanted chip can also be used with the company's "VeriPay" system, which enables the chip to act as a credit card. It is also commonly implanted in the right hand. It has also been reported that the company has been in contact with the U.S.A to implant 1.4 million service personnel with this same chip. I'm not saying that this is the mark of the beast, but it would make for an easy transition.

Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV)
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Update on Iranian Pastor

2011-10-10T19:50:00.000-04:00

Iran’s supreme leader to rule on Christian pastor’s case

By Jordan Sekulow

Breaking news reports out of Iran provide that the state court of Gilan, which recently demanded that Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani recant his faith or face execution, has delayed its written decision. As we predicted last week, the judges have sent the case to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. According to Youcef’s lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, “the court has decided to ask the opinion of Mr. (Ali) Khamenei.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is an Islamic jurist and the final arbiter of questions of Sharia law. In Iran, he is seen as a guardian protecting Iran.

The step to involve the most powerful leader in Iran demonstrates that Iran is feeling the pressure. Involving the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a case before a regional court is unusual. We can be certain if the lies spread by Iran were true – that Youcef was instead convicted of rape, extortion, and Zionism – the court would not seek the advice of the Supreme Ayatollah.

The readers of this blog have played a crucial role in raising international awareness of this unjust ruling. Now that Iran’s Supreme Leader will be considering the case, it is imperative that our top diplomat, Secretary of State Clinton, call for Pastor Youcef’s unconditional release. Continue to keep the pressure on Iran, share this story, call your Member of Congress, and join the over 125,000 who have signed our petition. Let’s do everything we can to see that Pastor Youcef is freed.

Iranian Christian Pastor Faces Execution For Refusing To Deny Faith

2011-09-28T13:12:00.001-04:00

Youcef Nadarkhani and family

An Iranian pastor who has refused to recant his Christian faith now faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old man who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court determined. Iran's supreme court has previously ruled that the trial court determine if Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Despite the fact that the judgment is against current Iranian and international laws, and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that they have to uphold the previous decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated:

"Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January.

Earlier in 2010, an Assyrian evangelical pastor, Rev. Wilson Issavi, had been imprisoned for 54 days for allegedly converting Muslims prior to being released in March 2010, Elam officials told FoxNews.com.

Nadarkhani, a pastor in the 400-member Church of Iran, had been held in Iran's Gilan Province since October 2009 after a protest he made to local education authorities after he discovered that his child was forced to read from the Koran at school. His wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, was also arrested in June 2010 in an apparent attempt to pressure him to renounce his faith. She was later released in October 2010, according to Amnesty International.

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy in September 2010 on the basis of religious writings by Iranian clerics, including Ayatollah Khomeini -- the founder of the Islamic Republican of Iran -- despite the fact that there is no offense of "apostasy" in the nation's penal code, Amnesty International reports...

Kiri Kankhwende, a spokeswoman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization that specializes in religious freedom, told FoxNews.com that Nadarkhani was asked for the fourth time to renounce his faith during a hearing early Wednesday and he denied that request.

"We're waiting to hear the final outcome," she told FoxNews.com. "We're still waiting to hear what they've decided."

Kankhwende said Nadarkhani could be executed Wednesday or Thursday.

"Iran is unpredictable," she said. "We can't say when it might happen. It's a very real threat, but we can't say when exactly."

The End of Ahmadinejad??

2011-09-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

The End of Ahmadinejad?

Debka.com- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the driving force behind Iran's nuclear program and the most vocal of Israel's enemies, is on his last legs as president. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stripped him of most of his powers and shut the door against his having any political future.

Iranian sources report his loyalists have been deserting him in droves since he went to New York to deliver an address to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23. The Supreme Leader used his absence for the coup de grace: The removal of the president's loyalists from the list of 4,000 contenders running for seats in parliament (the Majlis) next March.

That was easily arranged: Khameini handed his orders to Ayatollah Mohammad Kani, head of the Assembly of Experts, which In the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for screening all contenders for office. He was told to disqualify all the president's associates. So, in the next Majlis, Ahmadinejad will be shorn of a loyal faction and any buddies sticking to him when his second presidential term runs out in May 2013 will be out of a job.

The Supreme Ruler degraded the president very publicly with one humiliation after another.

He waited for Ahmadinejad to go on the air in a US NBC interview on Sept. 13 to promise the release of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, the two American hikers convicted of spying, before cutting him down by suspending their release until the Iranian president was being booed by protesters in New York for reneging on his promise...
The betting in Tehran is that the Supreme Leader will not actually sack Ahmadinejad but let him last out his term as yesterday's man, lame duck in political isolation.

Iranian sources: Two frontrunners for future president most mentioned recently are two hardliners, Majils (legislature) Speaker Ali Larijani, a former senior nuclear negotiator with the West, and ex-foreign minister Ali Akhbar Veliyati, who is a member of Khamenei's kitchen cabinet as senior adviser on international relations.

Georgia Middle School Assignment Shows "Positive" Aspects of Shariah Law

2011-09-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the assignment was supposed to teach students at Campbell Middle School about the pros and cons of school uniforms.
(AH note- Somehow this assignment changed from school uniforms to virtues of burkas, Shariah, and polygamy???)

It featured a letter from a woman who said she is “proud and happy” to be Muslim and to completely cover herself in public — and also that her husband could take another wife rather than divorce her if their marriage gets rocky:

“My name is Ahlima and I live in Saudi Arabia. … Perhaps two differences Westerners would notice are that women here do not drive cars and they wear abuyah. An abuyah is a loose-fitting black cloth that covers a woman from head to toe. I like wearing the abuyah since it is very comfortable, and I am protected from blowing sand. … I have seen pictures of women in the West and find their dress to be horribly immodest. … Women in the West do not have the protection of the Sharia as we do here. If our marriage has problems, my husband can take another wife rather than divorce me, and I would still be cared for. … I feel very fortunate that we have the Sharia.”

Medlin (concerned parent), who described himself as conservative, found the statements on polygamy particularly egregious:

“I understand that some Westerners condemn our practice of polygamy, but I also know they are wrong,” the assignment said.

“It’s promoting or positively depicting their belief that polygamy is fine, if that’s what they believe,” he told WSB-TV. “But I don’t know how you could possibly state that and not have any kind of disclaimer that this is what these people think, but not necessarily what all of us believe.”

Another part of the assignment lists the requirements for women’s clothing according to Islam, including that it cannot resemble the clothing of non-believing women and must protect women from the lustful gaze of men.

Palestinians To Continue Unilateral Bid For Statehood On September 23

2011-09-15T16:08:00.000-04:00

Debka.com- Thursday, Sept. 15, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas went back on his assurance 24 hours earlier to Saudi, European and Egyptian officials and decided to go through with his application to the UN Security Council on Sept. 23 for the admission of a Palestinian state to the world body. This was a pointed rebuff to the Obama administration after the White House sent two envoys, senior presidential Middle East adviser Dennis Ross and peace talks adviser David Hale, with an offer to renew US ties with the Palestinian leader if he recalled the application.
After the Palestinians announced their reversal, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided Thursday he would lead the Israeli delegation to the UN General Assembly and represent Israel in the debate on the Palestinian application for UN acceptance of their statehood.
Abbas has clearly followed the lead of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan who Tuesday urged the Arab League to back the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN and continued to escalate his confrontational stance against Israel. Abbas was offered Turkish diplomatic and financial aid to help the PA weather its financial crisis if the Palestinians agreed to line up behind Ankara.(click here to read more)

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

2011-09-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

Psalm 27:1-7

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

More Than 65 Churches In America Agree To Read Quran During Services

2011-06-29T14:32:00.000-04:00

On June 26, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and approximately 65 other churches across America read from the Quran during their Sunday worship services, in an exhibition of "tolerant" Christianity gone wrong.

This is all part of an interfaith project being promoted by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First. The theme of this Sunday is "Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer and Understanding", and the goal is apparently to show how much Christian churches in the United States respect Islam.

I have dug up the list of participating churches for your review:

Congregation	Location
Anchorage First Christian	Anchorage	AK
University Presbyterian Church	Tuscaloosa	AL
Federated Community Church	Flagstaff	AZ
First UMC Phoenix	Phoenix	AZ
All Saints Cathedral	Pasadena	CA
First United Lutheran,	San Francisco	CA
Light of ChristEcumenical Catholic Church	Longmont	CO
Park Hill Congregational	Denver	CO
Union Congregational	Nucla	CO
Temple Micah	Denver	CO
Riverfront Family Church	Hartford	CT
The National Cathedral	Washington	DC
Seekers Church	Washington	DC
North American Old Catholic Church	Washington	DC
National City Christian Church	Washington	DC
New Ark United Church of Christ	Newark	DE
Faith United Church of Christ	Clearwater	FL
Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola	Pensacola	FL
United Church of Christ at The Villages	The Villages	FL
Virginia Highland Church	Atlanta	GA
Decatur United Church of Christ	Decatur	GA
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist	College Park	GA
Cathedral of St. Andrew, the Episcopal Diocese of HI	Honolulu	HI
Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation	Ames	IA
Congregational United Church of Christ	Iowa City	IA
Urbandale UCC Church	Urbndale	IA
Hillview United Methodist	Boise	ID
Boise First United Methodist Church, Cathedral of the Rockies	Boise	ID
First United of Oak Park	Chicago	IL
St Thomas Mission	Chicago	IL
The Chicago Temple First UMC	Chicago	IL
First Presbyterian Church of Fort Wayne	Fort Wayne	IN
Northminster Baptist Church	Monroe	LA
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst	Amherst	MA
Grace Episcopal	Amherst	MA
Church of Our Savior	Arlington	MA
St Paul’s Cathedral	Boston	MA
Old Cambridge Baptist Church	Cambridge	MA
Hadwen Park Congregational Church	Worcester	MA
Veritas United Church of Christ	Hagerstown	MD
Trinity United Methodist	Mountain Grove	MO
St. Mary's Episcopal Church	Ely	MN
First Congregational	Great Falls	MT
MtView/Trinity UM Parish	Butte	MT
Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation,	Toms River	NJ
Christ Episcopal Church	Toms River	NJ
Zion Methodist Church	Las Vegas	NV
The Sacred Center of New York	New York	NY
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine	New York	NY
All Souls Bethelehem Church	Brooklyn	NY
Mayflower Church	Oklahoma City	OK
First Congregational UCC	Corvalis	OR
Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ	Sioux Falls	SD
Baha'i Faith Community Center	Nashville	TN
Saint John's United Methodist Church	Austin	TX
Hope for Peace & Justice Interfaith Peace Chapel	Dallas	TX
Cathedral of Hope	Dallas	TX
Wasatch Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City	Salt Lake City	UT
Grace Episcopal Church	St George	UT
United Church of Bellows Falls	Bellow Falls	VT
Cathedral of the Diocese of Vermont	Burlington	VT
Vermont Ecumenical Council & Bible Society	Burlington	VT
Dummerston Congregational Church UCC	Drummerston	VT
Memorial United Church of Christ	Fitchburg	WI
Trinity Episcopal Church	Janesville	WI
First Congregational Church UCC Casper	Casper	WY

But these Quran readings are just supposed to be the beginning of something bigger. The following is from a description of the Quran reading project on the website of Human Rights First....

"At its core, this project will bring together Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy to read from and hear from each other’s sacred texts. In doing so, they will serve as a model for respect and cooperation and create a concrete opportunity to build and strengthen working ties between and among faith communities moving forward."

The "Faith Shared" movement states on their website:

"The law can’t force anyone to respect the Muslim community; it can only stop people from infringing on Muslims’ right to practice their faith. Taking the next step to true understanding is where you come in and where Faith Shared can make a difference."

SERIOUSLY?? They say this as if it is the Christians and Jewish people that are bombing and terrorizing the muslim community. I'm pretty sure that Americans are not "infringing on Muslims' right to practice their faith".

The truth is that Muslims have the freedom in America to worship and read from the Quran when they want. However, the real question is... Should Christians be reciting the words of Allah in a holy assembly, in the sanctuary??

The answer is NO.

Ezekiel 8: 16-18

¹⁶And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. ¹⁷Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
¹⁸Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

China's Rating House says U.S. Is Already Defaulting On Debt

2011-06-10T10:31:00.000-04:00

Yahoo News-
A Chinese ratings house has accused the United States of defaulting on its massive debt, state media said Friday, a day after Beijing urged Washington to put its fiscal house in order.

"In our opinion, the United States has already been defaulting," Guan Jianzhong, president of Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. Ltd., the only Chinese agency that gives sovereign ratings, was quoted by the Global Times saying.

Washington had already defaulted on its loans by allowing the dollar to weaken against other currencies -- eroding the wealth of creditors including China, Guan said.

Ratings agency Fitch on Wednesday joined Moody's and Standard & Poor's to warn the United States could lose its first-class credit rating if it fails to raise its debt ceiling to avoid defaulting on loans.
A downgrade could sharply raise US borrowing costs, worsening the country's already dire fiscal position, and send shock waves through the financial world, which has long considered US debt a benchmark among safe-haven investments.

China is by far the top holder of US debt and has in the past raised worries that the massive US stimulus effort launched to revive the economy would lead to mushrooming debt that erodes the value of the dollar and its Treasury holdings.

Beijing cut its holdings of US Treasury securities for the fifth month in a row to $1.145 trillion in March, down $9.2 billion from February and 2.6 percent less than October's peak of $1.175 trillion, US data showed last month.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Thursday urged the United States to adopt "effective measures to improve its fiscal situation".
-read entire article here

China Dumps 97% of U.S. Treasury Bill Holdings

2011-06-06T10:54:00.000-04:00

(CNSNews.com) - China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011, the most recent month reported by the U.S. Treasury.
Treasury bills are securities that mature in one year or less that are sold by the U.S. Treasury Department to fund the nation’s debt.
- Read entire article here

President Obama Sets Stage To Divide Israel

2011-05-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

Although I am extremely disappointed and upset that the leader of our country has set his mind to divide Israel, I can not say I am surprised. I wrote about this horrible eventuality in May 2009 (click here to read it).

President Obama's speech today, aimed at addressing the uprisings in the middle east (which he fully supports), led into an abrupt change in U.S. policy regarding Israel. Here is an excerpt from his speech:

"So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state...

Two wrenching and emotional issues remain: the future of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees. But moving forward now on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation to resolve those two issues in a way that is just and fair, and that respects the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians." (Read his entire speech here)

If this new policy stance is not changed, I believe we can no longer expect God's blessing on this country. God's word is very clear on the subject of His land, and we would be wise to prayerfully petition the LORD for mercy.

Joel 3:

"¹For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
²I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land."
^{4 "}Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;"

Genesis 35:

¹⁰And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
¹¹And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
¹²And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

Exodus 32:
Genesis 12:

¹Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
²And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed...
⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
⁷And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Joel 2

^{17 "}Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
¹⁸Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people."

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

Leviticus 26:

42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

Iranian FM says Bushehr Nuclear Plant Is Operational

2011-05-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Bushehr power plant is operational, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

"As we have previously announced, Bushehr power plant has reached the criticality stage, meaning it has been successfully launched," Salehi reportedly said.

Criticality is the stage in a nuclear reaction when the fissile material is self-sustaining...
More Here

Headlines

2011-05-16T10:43:00.002-04:00

As Debt Limit Reached, Agreement Still Far Off

The U.S. government is expected to hit the $14.294 trillion debt ceiling Monday, setting in motion an uncertain, 11-week political scramble to avoid a default.
The Treasury Department plans to announce Monday it will stop issuing and reinvesting government securities in certain government pension plans, part of a series of steps designed to delay a default until Aug. 2... More Here

Ahmadinejad could become president of OPEC...

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday in televised remarks he will be the caretaker head of the oil ministry after dismissing the incumbent ahead of a merger with the energy ministry.
The use of the word "caretaker" suggests Mr. Ahmadinejad's task as head of the oil ministry might be only temporary.
A lack of clarity about who will take charge of Iran's most strategic sector ... More Here

Mob attacks Christian protest in Egypt

CAIRO (AP) — An angry mob attacked a group of mainly Christian protesters demanding drastic measures to heal religious tension amid a spike in violence, leaving 65 people injured, officials said Sunday.
The Christian protesters have been holding their sit-in outside the state television building in Cairo for nearly a week following deadly Christian-Muslim clashes that left a church burned and 15 people dead.
More than 100 people rushed into the sit-in area, lobbing rocks and fire bombs from an overpass and charging toward the few hundred protesters sleeping in the area. Vehicles were set on fire and fires burned in the middle of the street.

Hamas PM: Pray for an end to Israel

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke to Muslim worshipers on Sunday morning, telling them to pray for an end to Israel.

"Palestinians mark the Nakba with great hope of bringing to an end the Zionist project in Palestine," Haniyeh told 10,000 people at Gaza City's al-Omari mosque, AP reported.

"To achieve our goals in the liberation of our occupied land, we should have one leadership," he reportedly said, praising the recent unity accord between Hamas and Fatah.

Haniyeh added that Hamas would not recognize Israel. More Here

Protestors Attempt To Breach Israel's Borders on Three Fronts

The new challenge to Israel came from the borders of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza...
Israel's leaders condemned the incidents as provocations inspired by Iran, to exploit Palestinian nationalist feeling fueled by the popular revolts of the "Arab Spring," and to draw attention from major internal unrest in Syria, Iran's ally.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped the confrontations would not escalate.
"We hope the calm and quiet will quickly return. But let nobody be misled: we are determined to defend our borders and sovereignty," Netanyahu said.
But Islamist Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and which last month sealed a surprise reconciliation pact with its bitter rival Fatah, issued a warning that Palestinians would accept nothing less than return to all lands lost in 1948.
Spokesman Taher Al-Nono praised the "crowds we have seen in Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon" as evidence of "imminent victory and return to the original homes as promised by God."
In an apparent contradiction of suggestions that Hamas might ditch its rejection of Israel's right to exist, he said there was no alternative to recovering all land lost in 1948... More Here

Over 350 hurt in Israel embassy protest in Cairo

CAIRO (Reuters) - More than 350 people were injured in a protest outside Israel's embassy in Cairo to mark the displacement of Palestinians at the 1948 creation of the Jewish state, the Egyptian state news agency said on Monday.
Several hundred protesters gathered in front of the embassy in the Egyptian capital late on Sunday on the anniversary of what Arabs refer to as the "Nakba," or catastrophe.
Many Egyptians regarded Mubarak, a U.S. ally, as too soft on Israel and want their new government to do more to help the Palestinians... More Here

The Christian Predicament in Syria and Egypt

2011-05-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

Israel Today Magazine- The last few months have seen an historical earthquake, or volcano if you will, in the Middle East. Islamic countries, some with sizeable Christian minorities are witnessing revolutions which on the surface seem to display a desire by the peoples of the these countries for genuine democracy...

The Egyptian Revolution is a case in point. Christians and Moslems demonstrated together in Tahrir Square and other places calling for the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in hope of a better future. The Mubarak regime suffered from the same corruption and elitist domination of the economy by certain chosen groups. US President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the "democratic revolution" in Egypt as they are now doing in Libya.

When the US Administration was warned of the dangers of the Moslem Brotherhood, Secretary Clinton's response was: "They are only a 30% minority."

The problem is that throughout the Middle East, the governments are usually controlled by the minority, not the majority. By the way, Hitler came to power in Germany in January of 1933 with only 30% of the German democratic vote. Khomeini in Iran came to power in 1979 leading a wall-to-wall coalition of democratic forces, but in the end it was his fanatic group of fundamentalist Shi'ites that eliminated all the other groups leaving only Khomeini's group in power.

So today, the Egyptian Army in partnership with the Moslem Brotherhood are now the ruling forces. And there should be no doubt that the agenda in Egypt has never been for democracy, nor is it now. On the contrary, the Islamic motto is: We kill the Jews on Saturday, and we kill the Christians on Sunday.

Now that there are no more Jews in Egypt (Saturday people), the Moslems say: "We will go for the Sunday people" (the Christians).

There is no doubt that the condition of the Coptic Egyptian minority is indeed dire. Woman are being kidnapped, raped and forced to marry Moslem men who can anyway have multiple wives. When Christians protest about this, the Moslems riot and kill the Christians. Churches are being burned down and Christians gunned down. My fear is that the Egyptian Coptic community faces imminent and massive ethnic cleansing if not outright Holocaust at the hands of the Moslems.

When the Egyptian Christian community is terminated, the economy will completely collapse and Egypt will become a desolation with tens of millions of Egyptian Christians and Moslems fleeing to the West were the grass is greener and there is food, employment and freedom, at least for now.

In Syria, another country ruled by a minority, this time a pro-Iranian 10% Alawite minority, another volcano is about to explode.

The Sunni population of 80% is seeking "democracy" or rule of the majority of the people. The Christian population is about 10%, and until now has been protected by the Alawites. But if Bashar Assad and his regime fall from power, the Sunnis, led by the same Moslem Brotherhood as in Egypt, will decimate both the Alawites and the Christians, thus terminating the Christian presence in Syria, and by extension the Christians in Lebanon as well.

We already have seen how the Sunni/Shi'ite struggle in Iraq killed Christians and forced them to flee to Syria. Now this is about to happen in Syria and, by extension, in Lebanon.

Unfortunately, the Christian world in the West is silent about this as are most of the churches and denominational leadership. No one in the Christian world is saying or doing anything about the slaughter of Christians in Africa. And, of course, as the fundamentalist Moslem Brotherhood takes over in Egypt and Syria as it already has in Turkey and Gaza, I believe we are witnessing the creation of a Sunni Caliphate that will soon be surrounding Israel as well.
Could this be a Gog and Magog scenario in the making? Will the world do anything about the Christians of Egypt and Syria? Will the world do anything to stand by Israel at that time?
It is time for Jews and Christians to awaken and unite in an alliance for the defense of Christians, Jews, and all of Western Civilization threatened by this rising tide of Sunni Moslem Brotherhood fundamentalism.

Looking Unto Jesus by David Wilkerson

2011-04-29T15:02:00.001-04:00

This message was posted by David Wilkerson less than 1 week before his passing, and illustrates the lateness of the hour that we all face.
_________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 21, 2011

LOOKING UNTO JESUS

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

If you should ask me what is happening in the world right now, I would answer, “Everything Jesus warned us would happen in the last days!” He warned of men’s hearts failing them with fear from beholding the things happening on earth. He warned of earthquakes in various places—nations rising against nations—ethnic group against ethnic group.

We have lived to see the beginning of all the end-time prophecies being fulfilled before our very eyes.

Consider Luke 21:11, “Great earthquakes in various places.”
What did Jesus tell us to do when we see all these things coming to pass? He said, “Look up, lift up your heads (eyes); for your redemption is drawing near” (21:28).

Oh beloved, if you love Jesus, you should not be surprised or fearful. GOD HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL.

Yes, we tremble at first seeing and hearing such dire news—but this is the time to look unto Jesus. He brought us this far—he is the author of our faith—he will bring us to the finish line with hope and peace, no matter what happens.

Today, let not any bad news cast down your soul. Look up—keep your entire focus on Jesus. He is coming very soon.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised” (Hebrews 10:23).

Reverend David Wilkerson Has Been Called Home

2011-04-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

Reverend David Wilkerson was suddenly removed from this world, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. He was involved in a car accident on US 175 in Texas.

I didn't know David Wilkerson. At least not in the normal way you would know another person. I never met him, never talked to him. But I knew his heart. I trusted his message- because I believe David Wilkerson walked with the Lord.

I believe David Wilkerson was a righteous man with no worldly agenda confusing his message. I believe the messages he gave were inspired by the Lord- especially in the last couple years. This is why I have posted many of his messages, and sermons here on this website.

I am excited for Mr. Wilkerson. He didn't lose his life...he gained his life. I'm sure there is no place he would rather be than in heaven! No doubt, this is what he has worked for his whole life.

With that said, I will personally miss his presence here on earth. It seems that America's true spritual leaders are disappearing. I fear that America could become a rudderless ship at the worst possible time, unless new righteous leaders step up very soon. I found him to be one of the last God fearing leaders we had the opportunity to hear from in these last days. He could give a warning (without worry of ridicule) AND build faith without fear at the same time.

I believe God had mercy on Mr. Wilkerson by bringing him to heaven. I believe he was counted worthy to escape the things which are to come on this earth:

Luke 21:36- Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Revelation 14:13- And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

He Is Risen!!!

2011-04-23T21:43:00.001-04:00

1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
-Matthew 28:1-8

Imprisoned In Iran

2011-04-02T22:06:00.001-04:00

Mark 13:11

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

Song of the Week- Until the Whole World Hears (Ready Yourselves)

2011-02-26T11:55:00.004-05:00

Hamas blows up Egypt-Israel-Jordan gas pipeline. Supply cutoff indefinite.

2011-02-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Debka.com-The pipeline supplying Egyptian gas to Israel and Jordan was blown up near the North Sinai town of El Arish early Saturday Feb. 5. Egyptian state TV reported "terrorists" had carried out the attack which caused a huge explosion and fire. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conferred urgently with Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau and energy firms over the abrupt cutoff of 25 percent of Israel's gas needs and ordered security beefed up at energy installations.

The Egyptian and Israeli accounts are contradictory.

An Israeli official spokesman said the explosion was nowhere near the Israeli section of the pipeline and closer to the Jordanian branch. The Egyptian spokesman spoke only of supplies to Israel which he said had been suspended as a precaution because there had been several smaller explosions along the pipe.

The Israeli Infrastructure Ministry spokesman reported that Egyptian gas, which covers 25 percent of Israel's needs, had been cut off at 0900 Saturday morning. He did not foresee regular power supplies being disrupted.

debkafile's counter-terror sources report that the attack on the El Arish gas facility was planned on military lines by a special Hamas team which infiltrated Sinai from Gaza last week. It was a major Hamas operation against on Israel (which incidentally supplies most of the Gaza Strip's power), and blatant Palestinian interference in Egypt's domestic unrest. It was also a fiasco for the joint IDF-and Egyptian military effort to police Sinai during the turbulence in Egypt and secure this strategic peninsula against destabilization by terrorists.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesmen in Cairo were quick to attach responsibility for the pipeline attack on disaffected Bedouin – a clumsy attempt, say debkafile's sources, to clear their offshoot, Hamas, of blame for a well-planned act of which they must have had prior knowledge.

Jordan is badly hit by the loss of Egyptian gas which covers 80 percent of its energy consumption. The Hashemite kingdom will have to resort to the far more expensive heavy oil and diesel to keep its power supply running and raise fuel prices after the king yielded to Islamist-back protesters' demands to reduce prices.

The close rapport between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian and Lebanese terrorist organizations came to light earlier in the Hizballah-led operation to release Lebanese Hizballah, Palestinian Hamas and Egyptian Brotherhood convicts from Wadi Natrun jail north of Cairo Sunday, Jan. 30, first revealed by debkafile.

While the Hamas and Hizballah escapees headed for Sinai and Gaza, the MB activists made straight for the hubs of disturbance in Egypt. (Click here for this story.)

The embattled Mubarak administration in Cairo may well find it politic to indefinitely put off repairing the pipe and restoring supplies to Israel for two reasons:

1. The incident will support Mubarak's argument that his immediate departure as demanded by Obama would throw Egypt into chaos – and not only Egypt, but resonate devastatingly across the entire region. Not just Israel, but its second peace partner, Jordan, is badly hit too by the loss of Egyptian gas which covers 80 percent of its energy consumption. Amman will have to convert to the far more expensive heavy oil and diesel to keep its power supply running. Fuel prices will have to be raised shortly after the king dropped them to quell the Islamist-back protests shaking the kingdom.

2. Some of the opposition factions backed by the US for a role in future government, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, are fiercely opposed to Egypt's peace relations with Israel which he has promoted for 32 years. The sale of Egyptian gas to Israel has come under constant attack in the street, which has accused the government of undercutting world prices and defrauding the Egyptian treasury.

The Mubarak regime and Egyptian army may want to show they respect popular opinion and are not American or Israeli pawns by not repairing the pipeline and keeping the gas supply to Israel cut off.

debkafile reports that the Israeli Infrastructure Ministry's assurance that no power disruptions were foreseen glosses over the serious repercussions of the loss overnight of a quarter of Israel's gas consumption for manufacturing electricity and its lack of gas reserves.

Israel's power stations will have to switch immediately from gas to heavy oil or coal, a complicated technical process that will have a bad effect on the environment. Energy officials told debkafile Saturday that the power stations affected are Hadera, Haifa (which is partly gas-fueled) and the Tel Aviv Reading facility which was only recently converted to gas. All Israel's emergency electricity stations are also powered by gas.

Therefore, the Infrastructure Ministry's assurance may have been premature.

Suicide Bomber Kills 35, Injures 130 At Moscow Airport

2011-01-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

Debka.com- After at least 35 people were killed and 130 injured Monday, Jan. 24 in a suicide bombing at Moscow's busiest international airport – Domodedovo - police are hunting for three men and one woman believed to have come from the Caucasian republics, having been alerted Sunday night to a terrorist team heading for an attack. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has cancelled his trip to the economic forum at Davos to deal with the emergency after placing all three Moscow airports and underground hubs on high security alert.

Domodedovo is used by most foreign airlines carrying European and American travelers to and from the Russian capital. The explosion occurred at non-secured zone of the airport. Screws and other metal shrapnel found on the scene.

It is not clear how the bombers reached the scene of the attack, whether by incoming flights or as members of the airport staff. Until the Domededov explosion, such terrorist attacks were usually directed at domestic targets, only rarely at foreigners.

The last such attack in Moscow was staged in March 2010 by two women from Dagestan, who blew themselves up at two underground stations in the Russian capital, killing 40 people.

At around about the same time, in London, an incoming airliner from Abu Dhabi was diverted from Heathrow to Stansted airport, flying in with two RAF fighter jets after an incident aboard. The pilot was alarmed enough by the threatening behavior of a British man to radio for a fighter escort. The man was taken into custody.

A Call To Anguish

2011-01-17T08:49:00.001-05:00

Joel 2

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

Listen to this sermon from David Wilkerson. It goes along very well with the study we did entitled "Rend Your Hearts".

There are 5 parts. It is worth your time.

The Manhattan Declaration

2011-01-08T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is a declaration written by Chuck Colson, Robert George, and Timothy George.

This declaration was made for an app for the I-phone, and was created for Christians to sign in agreement, and voice their beliefs.

Apple naturally banned this application, saying in a letter dated December 22 that the app contains "references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected. We have evaluated the content of this application and consider its contents to be objectionable and potentially harmful to others."

Even though it has been banned, nearly 500,000 Christians have signed this declaration.
_________________________________________________________________

MANHATTAN DECLARATION: A CALL OF CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE

PREAMBLE

Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God's word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.

While fully acknowledging the imperfections and shortcomings of Christian institutions and communities in all ages, we claim the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Roman cities and publicly denouncing the Empire's sanctioning of infanticide. We remember with reverence those believers who sacrificed their lives by remaining in Roman cities to tend the sick and dying during the plagues, and who died bravely in the coliseums rather than deny their Lord.

After the barbarian tribes overran Europe, Christian monasteries preserved not only the Bible but also the literature and art of Western culture. It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery: Papal edicts in the 16th and 17th centuries decried the practice of slavery and first excommunicated anyone involved in the slave trade; evangelical Christians in England, led by John Wesley and William Wilberforce, put an end to the slave trade in that country. Christians under Wilberforce's leadership also formed hundreds of societies for helping the poor, the imprisoned, and child laborers chained to machines.

In Europe, Christians challenged the divine claims of kings and successfully fought to establish the rule of law and balance of governmental powers, which made modern democracy possible. And in America, Christian women stood at the vanguard of the suffrage movement. The great civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians claiming the Scriptures and asserting the glory of the image of God in every human being regardless of race, religion, age or class.

This same devotion to human dignity has led Christians in the last decade to work to end the dehumanizing scourge of human trafficking and sexual slavery, bring compassionate care to AIDS sufferers in Africa, and assist in a myriad of other human rights causes – from providing clean water in developing nations to providing homes for tens of thousands of children orphaned by war, disease and gender discrimination.

Like those who have gone before us in the faith, Christians today are called to proclaim the Gospel of costly grace, to protect the intrinsic dignity of the human person and to stand for the common good. In being true to its own calling, the call to discipleship, the church through service to others can make a profound contribution to the public good.

DECLARATION

We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image. We set forth this declaration in light of the truth that is grounded in Holy Scripture, in natural human reason (which is itself, in our view, the gift of a beneficent God), and in the very nature of the human person. We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and non-believers alike, to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.

LIFE

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

Although public sentiment has moved in a pro-life direction, we note with sadness that pro- abortion ideology prevails today in our government. Many in the present administration want to make abortions legal at any stage of fetal development, and want to provide abortions at taxpayer expense. Majorities in both houses of Congress hold pro-abortion views. The Supreme Court, whose infamous 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade stripped the unborn of legal protection, continues to treat elective abortion as a fundamental constitutional right, though it has upheld as constitutionally permissible some limited restrictions on abortion. The President says that he wants to reduce the "need" for abortion—a commendable goal. But he has also pledged to make abortion more easily and widely available by eliminating laws prohibiting government funding, requiring waiting periods for women seeking abortions, and parental notification for abortions performed on minors. The elimination of these important and effective pro-life laws cannot reasonably be expected to do other than significantly increase the number of elective abortions by which the lives of countless children are snuffed out prior to birth. Our commitment to the sanctity of life is not a matter of partisan loyalty, for we recognize that in the thirty-six years since Roe v. Wade, elected officials and appointees of both major political parties have been complicit in giving legal sanction to what Pope John Paul II described as "the culture of death." We call on all officials in our country, elected and appointed, to protect and serve every member of our society, including the most marginalized, voiceless, and vulnerable among us.

A culture of death inevitably cheapens life in all its stages and conditions by promoting the belief that lives that are imperfect, immature or inconvenient are discardable. As predicted by many prescient persons, the cheapening of life that began with abortion has now metastasized. For example, human embryo-destructive research and its public funding are promoted in the name of science and in the cause of developing treatments and cures for diseases and injuries. The President and many in Congress favor the expansion of embryo-research to include the taxpayer funding of so-called "therapeutic cloning." This would result in the industrial mass production of human embryos to be killed for the purpose of producing genetically customized stem cell lines and tissues. At the other end of life, an increasingly powerful movement to promote assisted suicide and "voluntary" euthanasia threatens the lives of vulnerable elderly and disabled persons. Eugenic notions such as the doctrine of lebensunwertes Leben ("life unworthy of life") were first advanced in the 1920s by intellectuals in the elite salons of America and Europe. Long buried in ignominy after the horrors of the mid-20th century, they have returned from the grave. The only difference is that now the doctrines of the eugenicists are dressed up in the language of "liberty," "autonomy," and "choice."

We will be united and untiring in our efforts to roll back the license to kill that began with the abandonment of the unborn to abortion. We will work, as we have always worked, to bring assistance, comfort, and care to pregnant women in need and to those who have been victimized by abortion, even as we stand resolutely against the corrupt and degrading notion that it can somehow be in the best interests of women to submit to the deliberate killing of their unborn children. Our message is, and ever shall be, that the just, humane, and truly Christian answer to problem pregnancies is for all of us to love and care for mother and child alike.

A truly prophetic Christian witness will insistently call on those who have been entrusted with temporal power to fulfill the first responsibility of government: to protect the weak and vulnerable against violent attack, and to do so with no favoritism, partiality, or discrimination. The Bible enjoins us to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to speak for those who cannot themselves speak. And so we defend and speak for the unborn, the disabled, and the dependent. What the Bible and the light of reason make clear, we must make clear. We must be willing to defend, even at risk and cost to ourselves and our institutions, the lives of our brothers and sisters at every stage of development and in every condition.

Our concern is not confined to our own nation. Around the globe, we are witnessing cases of genocide and "ethnic cleansing," the failure to assist those who are suffering as innocent victims of war, the neglect and abuse of children, the exploitation of vulnerable laborers, the sexual trafficking of girls and young women, the abandonment of the aged, racial oppression and discrimination, the persecution of believers of all faiths, and the failure to take steps necessary to halt the spread of preventable diseases like AIDS. We see these travesties as flowing from the same loss of the sense of the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life that drives the abortion industry and the movements for assisted suicide, euthanasia, and human cloning for biomedical research. And so ours is, as it must be, a truly consistent ethic of love and life for all humans in all circumstances.

MARRIAGE

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24

This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:32-33

In Scripture, the creation of man and woman, and their one-flesh union as husband and wife, is the crowning achievement of God's creation. In the transmission of life and the nurturing of children, men and women joined as spouses are given the great honor of being partners with God Himself. Marriage then, is the first institution of human society—indeed it is the institution on which all other human institutions have their foundation. In the Christian tradition we refer to marriage as "holy matrimony" to signal the fact that it is an institution ordained by God, and blessed by Christ in his participation at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. In the Bible, God Himself blesses and holds marriage in the highest esteem.

Vast human experience confirms that marriage is the original and most important institution for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all persons in a society. Where marriage is honored, and where there is a flourishing marriage culture, everyone benefits—the spouses themselves, their children, the communities and societies in which they live. Where the marriage culture begins to erode, social pathologies of every sort quickly manifest themselves. Unfortunately, we have witnessed over the course of the past several decades a serious erosion of the marriage culture in our own country. Perhaps the most telling—and alarming—indicator is the out-of-wedlock birth rate. Less than fifty years ago, it was under 5 percent. Today it is over 40 percent. Our society—and particularly its poorest and most vulnerable sectors, where the out- of-wedlock birth rate is much higher even than the national average—is paying a huge price in delinquency, drug abuse, crime, incarceration, hopelessness, and despair. Other indicators are widespread non-marital sexual cohabitation and a devastatingly high rate of divorce.

We confess with sadness that Christians and our institutions have too often scandalously failed to uphold the institution of marriage and to model for the world the true meaning of marriage. Insofar as we have too easily embraced the culture of divorce and remained silent about social practices that undermine the dignity of marriage we repent, and call upon all Christians to do the same.

To strengthen families, we must stop glamorizing promiscuity and infidelity and restore among our people a sense of the profound beauty, mystery, and holiness of faithful marital love. We must reform ill-advised policies that contribute to the weakening of the institution of marriage, including the discredited idea of unilateral divorce. We must work in the legal, cultural, and religious domains to instill in young people a sound understanding of what marriage is, what it requires, and why it is worth the commitment and sacrifices that faithful spouses make.

The impulse to redefine marriage in order to recognize same-sex and multiple partner relationships is a symptom, rather than the cause, of the erosion of the marriage culture. It reflects a loss of understanding of the meaning of marriage as embodied in our civil and religious law and in the philosophical tradition that contributed to shaping the law. Yet it is critical that the impulse be resisted, for yielding to it would mean abandoning the possibility of restoring a sound understanding of marriage and, with it, the hope of rebuilding a healthy marriage culture. It would lock into place the false and destructive belief that marriage is all about romance and other adult satisfactions, and not, in any intrinsic way, about procreation and the unique character and value of acts and relationships whose meaning is shaped by their aptness for the generation, promotion and protection of life. In spousal communion and the rearing of children (who, as gifts of God, are the fruit of their parents' marital love), we discover the profound reasons for and benefits of the marriage covenant.

We acknowledge that there are those who are disposed towards homosexual and polyamorous conduct and relationships, just as there are those who are disposed towards other forms of immoral conduct. We have compassion for those so disposed; we respect them as human beings possessing profound, inherent, and equal dignity; and we pay tribute to the men and women who strive, often with little assistance, to resist the temptation to yield to desires that they, no less than we, regard as wayward. We stand with them, even when they falter. We, no less than they, are sinners who have fallen short of God's intention for our lives. We, no less than they, are in constant need of God's patience, love and forgiveness. We call on the entire Christian community to resist sexual immorality, and at the same time refrain from disdainful condemnation of those who yield to it. Our rejection of sin, though resolute, must never become the rejection of sinners. For every sinner, regardless of the sin, is loved by God, who seeks not our destruction but rather the conversion of our hearts. Jesus calls all who wander from the path of virtue to "a more excellent way." As his disciples we will reach out in love to assist all who hear the call and wish to answer it.

We further acknowledge that there are sincere people who disagree with us, and with the teaching of the Bible and Christian tradition, on questions of sexual morality and the nature of marriage. Some who enter into same-sex and polyamorous relationships no doubt regard their unions as truly marital. They fail to understand, however, that marriage is made possible by the sexual complementarity of man and woman, and that the comprehensive, multi-level sharing of life that marriage is includes bodily unity of the sort that unites husband and wife biologically as a reproductive unit. This is because the body is no mere extrinsic instrument of the human person, but truly part of the personal reality of the human being. Human beings are not merely centers of consciousness or emotion, or minds, or spirits, inhabiting non-personal bodies. The human person is a dynamic unity of body, mind, and spirit. Marriage is what one man and one woman establish when, forsaking all others and pledging lifelong commitment, they found a sharing of life at every level of being—the biological, the emotional, the dispositional, the rational, the spiritual— on a commitment that is sealed, completed and actualized by loving sexual intercourse in which the spouses become one flesh, not in some merely metaphorical sense, but by fulfilling together the behavioral conditions of procreation. That is why in the Christian tradition, and historically in Western law, consummated marriages are not dissoluble or annullable on the ground of infertility, even though the nature of the marital relationship is shaped and structured by its intrinsic orientation to the great good of procreation.

We understand that many of our fellow citizens, including some Christians, believe that the historic definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a denial of equality or civil rights. They wonder what to say in reply to the argument that asserts that no harm would be done to them or to anyone if the law of the community were to confer upon two men or two women who are living together in a sexual partnership the status of being "married." It would not, after all, affect their own marriages, would it? On inspection, however, the argument that laws governing one kind of marriage will not affect another cannot stand. Were it to prove anything, it would prove far too much: the assumption that the legal status of one set of marriage relationships affects no other would not only argue for same sex partnerships; it could be asserted with equal validity for polyamorous partnerships, polygamous households, even adult brothers, sisters, or brothers and sisters living in incestuous relationships. Should these, as a matter of equality or civil rights, be recognized as lawful marriages, and would they have no effects on other relationships? No. The truth is that marriage is not something abstract or neutral that the law may legitimately define and re-define to please those who are powerful and influential.

No one has a civil right to have a non-marital relationship treated as a marriage. Marriage is an objective reality—a covenantal union of husband and wife—that it is the duty of the law to recognize and support for the sake of justice and the common good. If it fails to do so, genuine social harms follow. First, the religious liberty of those for whom this is a matter of conscience is jeopardized. Second, the rights of parents are abused as family life and sex education programs in schools are used to teach children that an enlightened understanding recognizes as "marriages" sexual partnerships that many parents believe are intrinsically non-marital and immoral. Third, the common good of civil society is damaged when the law itself, in its critical pedagogical function, becomes a tool for eroding a sound understanding of marriage on which the flourishing of the marriage culture in any society vitally depends. Sadly, we are today far from having a thriving marriage culture. But if we are to begin the critically important process of reforming our laws and mores to rebuild such a culture, the last thing we can afford to do is to re-define marriage in such a way as to embody in our laws a false proclamation about what marriage is.

And so it is out of love (not "animus") and prudent concern for the common good (not "prejudice"), that we pledge to labor ceaselessly to preserve the legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman and to rebuild the marriage culture. How could we, as Christians, do otherwise? The Bible teaches us that marriage is a central part of God's creation covenant. Indeed, the union of husband and wife mirrors the bond between Christ and his church. And so just as Christ was willing, out of love, to give Himself up for the church in a complete sacrifice, we are willing, lovingly, to make whatever sacrifices are required of us for the sake of the inestimable treasure that is marriage.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Isaiah 61:1

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Matthew 22:21

The struggle for religious liberty across the centuries has been long and arduous, but it is not a novel idea or recent development. The nature of religious liberty is grounded in the character of God Himself, the God who is most fully known in the life and work of Jesus Christ. Determined to follow Jesus faithfully in life and death, the early Christians appealed to the manner in which the Incarnation had taken place: "Did God send Christ, as some suppose, as a tyrant brandishing fear and terror? Not so, but in gentleness and meekness..., for compulsion is no attribute of God" (Epistle to Diognetus 7.3-4). Thus the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the example of Christ Himself and in the very dignity of the human person created in the image of God—a dignity, as our founders proclaimed, inherent in every human, and knowable by all in the exercise of right reason.

Christians confess that God alone is Lord of the conscience. Immunity from religious coercion is the cornerstone of an unconstrained conscience. No one should be compelled to embrace any religion against his will, nor should persons of faith be forbidden to worship God according to the dictates of conscience or to express freely and publicly their deeply held religious convictions. What is true for individuals applies to religious communities as well.

It is ironic that those who today assert a right to kill the unborn, aged and disabled and also a right to engage in immoral sexual practices, and even a right to have relationships integrated around these practices be recognized and blessed by law—such persons claiming these "rights" are very often in the vanguard of those who would trample upon the freedom of others to express their religious and moral commitments to the sanctity of life and to the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife.

We see this, for example, in the effort to weaken or eliminate conscience clauses, and therefore to compel pro-life institutions (including religiously affiliated hospitals and clinics), and pro-life physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other health care professionals, to refer for abortions and, in certain cases, even to perform or participate in abortions. We see it in the use of anti- discrimination statutes to force religious institutions, businesses, and service providers of various sorts to comply with activities they judge to be deeply immoral or go out of business. After the judicial imposition of "same-sex marriage" in Massachusetts, for example, Catholic Charities chose with great reluctance to end its century-long work of helping to place orphaned children in good homes rather than comply with a legal mandate that it place children in same-sex households in violation of Catholic moral teaching. In New Jersey, after the establishment of a quasi-marital "civil unions" scheme, a Methodist institution was stripped of its tax exempt status when it declined, as a matter of religious conscience, to permit a facility it owned and operated to be used for ceremonies blessing homosexual unions. In Canada and some European nations, Christian clergy have been prosecuted for preaching Biblical norms against the practice of homosexuality. New hate-crime laws in America raise the specter of the same practice here.

In recent decades a growing body of case law has paralleled the decline in respect for religious values in the media, the academy and political leadership, resulting in restrictions on the free exercise of religion. We view this as an ominous development, not only because of its threat to the individual liberty guaranteed to every person, regardless of his or her faith, but because the trend also threatens the common welfare and the culture of freedom on which our system of republican government is founded. Restrictions on the freedom of conscience or the ability to hire people of one's own faith or conscientious moral convictions for religious institutions, for example, undermines the viability of the intermediate structures of society, the essential buffer against the overweening authority of the state, resulting in the soft despotism Tocqueville so prophetically warned of.1 Disintegration of civil society is a prelude to tyranny.

As Christians, we take seriously the Biblical admonition to respect and obey those in authority. We believe in law and in the rule of law. We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral. The biblical purpose of law is to preserve order and serve justice and the common good; yet laws that are unjust—and especially laws that purport to compel citizens to do what is unjust—undermine the common good, rather than serve it.

Going back to the earliest days of the church, Christians have refused to compromise their proclamation of the gospel. In Acts 4, Peter and John were ordered to stop preaching. Their answer was, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Through the centuries, Christianity has taught that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required. There is no more eloquent defense of the rights and duties of religious conscience than the one offered by Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Writing from an explicitly Christian perspective, and citing Christian writers such as Augustine and Aquinas, King taught that just laws elevate and ennoble human beings because they are rooted in the moral law whose ultimate source is God Himself. Unjust laws degrade human beings. Inasmuch as they can claim no authority beyond sheer human will, they lack any power to bind in conscience. King's willingness to go to jail, rather than comply with legal injustice, was exemplary and inspiring.
Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's.
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If you wish to learn more or sign the Declaration, please click here

Song of the Week- When The Man Comes Around

2011-01-04T12:06:00.000-05:00

When The Man Comes Around- by Johnnie Cash

Revelation 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Director of National Intelligence Unfamiliar With London Terror Arrests

2010-12-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

These arrests were made earlier that same day. You can forward to the 3:35 mark of the video if you are pressed for time.

Song of the Week- Revelation Song by Kari Jobe

2010-12-20T21:32:00.003-05:00

Revelation 4: 6-11
...In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’[b]
who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Sounds of New York

2010-12-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

If you listen to the New York video (3rd one down), you can hear them yelling "Khaffir!" (Kafir & other various spellings) at the 4:45 mark of the video. This is arabic and means "infidel or "heathen". They are marching down the streets of New York yelling Infidel!

Manhattan:

Brooklyn:

New York:

Song of the Week- The Lord's Prayer

2010-12-12T19:16:00.002-05:00

This is sung by 7 year old Rhema Marvanne. Who better to sing this song than a 7 year old child?

United Nations Meeting Opens With Invocation To Mayan Jaguar goddess Ixchel

2010-12-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, invoked the ancient jaguar goddess Ixchel in her opening statement to delegates gathered in Cancun, Mexico, noting that Ixchel was not only goddess of the moon, but also the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. And naturally, the meeting was held at the Moon Palace.
(http://voices.washingtonpost.com/post-carbon/2010/11/cancun_talks_start_with_a_call.html)

Christiana Figueres opened with:

"[Ixchel is] the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you — because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools…

…Excellencies, the goddess Ixchel would probably tell you that a tapestry is the result of the skilful interlacing of many threads. I am convinced that 20 years from now, we will admire the policy tapestry that you have woven together and think back fondly to Cancun and the inspiration of Ixchel."

Rend Your Hearts- Ezekiel 9

2010-12-03T10:48:00.003-05:00

This is a serious message given in Ezekiel 9. So serious, I really don't know the right way to share it with all of you. I have been putting it off because of that, but the LORD keeps putting it in front of me in the most random places and times- so I have to do my best here. I've had this experience with a couple other studies, so I know I need to write this out. I hope I can do it justice.
_____________________________________________

"Rend Your Hearts"

Ezekiel 9 details the judgement from God on the city of Jerusalem and it's inhabitants. There is an extremely important lesson to be learned from this example, and that is what we will focus on here.

To give a little background, the judgement comes about as a result of detestable practices within the temple, idol worship, and a turning from God (see Ezekiel 8 for specific examples).
As I read over these actions found in chapter 8, I knew God wanted me to pause. So I did- I contemplated the terrible acts of idolatry and evil. I thought about how especially horrible it was to do these things in the temple! I prayed about this, and asked why he was bringing this to my attention? I know America and the world are spiraling down the morality slope, and I certainly know there is a general apathy found in the church of America. But I asked God:

"Certainly we are not as bad as this, are we?"

Instantly, He responded by flooding my mind with past news stories of homosexual ministers, priests that molest innocent children- even inside the church, prominent ministers (with a HUGE following) that refuse to teach that Jesus is the one true path to salvation, ministers committing adultery (and the relationships always start in the church!).

Then He added the slaughter of millions of babies through abortion, while the people of God remain silent. The "artistic" displays profaning the image and name of God, while the people of God remain silent.
The extreme popularity and delusion of the prosperity gospel, while the people of God remain silent.

While the People of God Remain Silent

We (all of us) have become numb to suffering, numb to injustice, numb to evil. Television and entertainment have desensitized us, so that when we see evil we do not recognize it for what it is. Think about yourself for a minute. When you heard the stories about adultery in the church, "statistics" on abortion, sinful teachings promoted in God's Holy name... what was you initial reaction when the news stories broke? Be Honest.

Chances are, you were not overcome with emotion. You did not shed a tear, you did not get a lump in your throat, you did not experience righteous anger, and you did not cry out to God.

We Are On Dangerous Ground

As I said earlier, Ezekiel 9 details judgement on Jerusalem. When you read the scripture below, please substitute the name of your city (or America), in the place of "Jerusalem" or "the city". Hopefully this will become as real to you, as it did to me when I felt led to do it.

Ezekiel 9

Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” ² And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

These are the angels that are appointed to carry out judgement on Jerusalem.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

Your actions have been documented by angels (unless they have been erased by Jesus). Your future actions will be documented by angels. Your reactions to evil will be documented by angels.

5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.

7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8 While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’ 10 So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

11 Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

The reasons that God gives to Ezekiel for judgement on Jerusalem (America/ your city), are:

The sin of the people is great. (I would say the shoe fits today)
The land is full of bloodshed (Think abortions,murders,etc)
The city is full of injustice. (You know this is true)

Please read the passage below, with America substituted for Jerusalem, and church for the temple:

Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on America, each with a weapon in his hand.” And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the church. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout America and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through America and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my church.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the church.

Then he said to them, “Defile the church and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout America. While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant in this outpouring of your wrath on America?”

He answered me, “The sin of the people of America is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the country is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken America; the LORD does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

The only people to escape judgement in the entire city are the people who grieve and lament over the detestable things that are done in the city (America). Please take note that these are the ONLY people that were saved. Surely there were many people in the city who did not engage in these detestable acts, but also did not escape judgement- because they did not grieve and lament over those actions being present in their city and temple.

We are all on dangerous ground. If we continue to live in numbness, apathy, and silence before God- what then is our defense? Are we not due for judgement?

Acts 28:27- "For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’"

Romans 2:5- "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed."

1 Corinthians 10:6- "Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did."

Ephesians 4:18- "They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts."

Revelation 2:23- "I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds."

Rend Your Hearts

Song of the Week- Halelujah by a Flash Mob

2010-11-28T22:09:00.001-05:00

This took place at a food court inside a mall. I wish I had been there... AWESOME!

Muslim Terrorist Detonated Non-Working Bomb At Oregon Christmas Tree Lighting

2010-11-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

Northeast Intelligence Network- Mohamed Osman MOHAMUD, 19, was arrested by federal authorities last evening after he dialed a number on a cellular phone that was supposed to detonate a large bomb hidden in a van parked at a crowded annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. His intent was to kill as many people attending the ceremony as possible. Many of the attendees were young children and their families, packed into Pioneer Courthouse Square.
The “bomb,” however, did not detonate as the ingredients were inert, substituted for the real thing after the FBI learned of MOHAMUD’S murderous intentions. They successfully infiltrated the plot and derailed his plans well before the bomb could be constructed of real explosives.
As MOHAMUD dialed the telephone number at 5:40 p.m. Pacific time that would have killed hundreds or perhaps thousands of spectators at the Christmas tree ceremony, the FBI were lying in wait. When the “explosive” laden van failed to detonate, agents swooped in on MOHAMUD, when he began shouting “Allahu Akbar!” and struggled to get away from arresting officers.
The plan, according to court documents, was for MOHAMUD to flee the U.S. following the detonation of the bomb.
Mohamed Osman MOHAMUD, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia and resident of Corvallis, Oregon, began his quest for Islamic jihad when he was 15. Federal authorities have been closely monitoring his activities when he first appeared on their radar screen several months ago.
Since the summer of 2009, MOHAMUD had been in email contact with a suspected terrorist in Pakistan. After discussing the possibility of the Somalia terrorist traveling to Pakistan to engage in jihad, an unnamed accomplice gave MOHAMUD contact details of a terrorist cell overseas to facilitate his murderous plot.
MOHAMUD made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact his accomplice. Struck by MOHAMUD’s persistence and increasingly violent jihad writings and intent, the FBI substituted an undercover agent last June in place of the U.S. contact who was to assist the Muslim terrorist.
In July, MOHAMUD met with his accomplice, who was actually the FBI undercover agent, in Portland. He told the agent that he had written articles that were published in “Jihad Recollections,” an Internet publication that promotes violence against all non-Muslims. He stated that he wanted to conduct a holy war against “infidels” since the age of 15, and selected the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square as his target of choice.
Despite several attempts by the FBI undercover operative to discourage MOHAMUD, noting that many innocent children would likely be killed, he insisted on pressing forward. According to court documents, MOHAMUD said that he was looking for targeting a “huge mass that will … be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays.

Song of the Week- I Am Yours

2010-11-22T21:23:00.002-05:00

I Am Yours by Misty Edwards

-On a personal note, I think Misty Edwards has some great music, using scripture and putting it in song. I really like to listen to her while I pray or when I set aside some quiet time to just sit and wait before the LORD. Hope you enjoy it!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

2010-11-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Song of the Week- Light Up The Sky

2010-11-14T20:26:00.001-05:00

Light Up The Sky by "The Afters"

Song of the Week- Indescribable

2010-11-09T12:47:00.001-05:00

"Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin

Of Wheat and Tares (part 2)- Until The Harvest

2010-11-07T13:11:00.003-05:00

If you haven't read part 1, click here: http://www.assyrianhorn.com/2010/08/of-wheat-and-tares.html

This last study left us with one question- "Why are the tares left to grow amongst the wheat, until the time of the harvest?"

This is the question I had after studying this parable. It was clear that the servants had identified that there were tares planted amongst the wheat, and that they wanted to remove them from the field. However, the master ordered them to let them grow until the harvest. So, why would God allow evil and false religions (which were planted by the devil) to grow alongside the worshippers of Him?

My first thought was that God was allowing the tares to have the chance to become wheat. That he was allowing time for worshippers of evil to repent and become worshippers of God. But something about that answer didn't sit comfortably with me. Something wasn't right about that thought, and that is why I haven't written part 2 of this study until now. What didn't make sense to me, was that tares cannot become wheat in the farmers field. They are two different things. So the question remained... Why leave them to grow until the harvest?

This week I was early for an appointment, and had to sit in a parking lot for 15 minutes. Instead of listening to the radio, or wasting time on my cell phone (let's face it- it's hard to put that thing down), I sat in silence and began to pray about this question. I asked God to reveal the answer to me, and asked Him if I was taking the illustration of tares and wheat too literally. Almost immediately He answered me with wisdom that could not have come from my own thoughts:

"The tares choke out the weak wheat. The only wheat left at the harvest will be the strong wheat."

This hit me as 100% truth! All I could do in that moment was praise God for showing me His wisdom in this parable. Think about it... There exists fields crowded with weak wheat growing in the world, and in the church (think lukewarm Christians). In fact, it seems that the majority of Christians today are lukewarm. For a further illustration on this lukewarm idea, see the study on the Laodicean church: http://www.assyrianhorn.com/2009/07/driving-through-laodicea.html

If the weak wheat does not become strong wheat, it will be choked out by the evil which is planted by the devil. Tares can creep in around you, and slowly choke the good out of your life. The slower it happens, the harder it is to recognize, and the less resistance you put up to it. It's like the old lesson: If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will do everything it can to jump out. But if you put the frog into a pot with room temperature water, and slowly raise the heat, the frog will stay in the water until it dies.

That's how it is with us. If we allow "little" sins to remain in our lives, we will become accustomed to them and stop recognizing the amount of evil that is growing. Eventually the evil will consume us, and the pot will be boiling before we even know it.

As always, you have a choice to make each day. Jesus planted the seed of the Gospel into the world. If you have accepted Jesus, it is up to you to become stronger in your faith. If you do not become stronger, you WILL be choked out by the tares of the world. This will be especially true in the days ahead, and your relationship with God must be stronger than ever.

I will end this study with a description of the harvest as found in Revelation 14:14-20

"I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia" (approx 180 miles)

Muslim Terrorists Attack Christian Church in Iraq- 58 Dead

2010-11-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

A group of gunmen wearing suicide vests walked into the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation during Sunday Mass. They held more than 50 parishioners hostage for several hours and threatened to kill them if al Qaeda prisoners were not released.

The siege was finally broken on that evening when Iraqi security forces stormed the church. Iraqi spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi claimed that five gunmen were killed during the rescue operation as well as one policeman a parishioner and one of the priests celebrating Mass.

The Christian community in Iraq has suffered persecution since the war. Many thousands have fled abroad. In this case it is still not known why the church was targeted...Christian clergy and lay people have been kidnapped, murdered, and raped by Muslim terrorists and criminal gangs in Iraq, sparking the exodus of Christians from the country. Chaldean Christians, for example, have fled to neighboring countries that are relatively more accepting of non-Muslims, or to Western countries. Christianity has been present in Iraq since at least the 1st century AD.

Read the entire article here: http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=42668

Thousands of Palestinians Rally To Celebrate 23rd Anniversary of Islamic Jihad

2010-10-29T10:44:00.001-04:00

Thousands of Palestinians rallied to support an extremist Muslim group that is more extreme than even Hamas (whose stated goal is to obliterate Israel- seriously, it's in their charter). And just think...Islamic Jihad is known as being MORE extreme than Hamas. Then think about the fact that THOUSANDS of Palestinians rallied to celebrate this extremist group's anniversary.

AFP- Tens of thousands of Palestinians turned out for a rally in the Gaza Strip on Friday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the hardline militant group Islamic Jihad.

The armed group, which is smaller and more radical than the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the territory, carried out several suicide bombings inside Israel during the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising.

In more recent years it was behind many of the near-daily rocket attacks fired from Gaza that prompted Israel to launch a devastating offensive against the territory in December 2008.

It has pointedly refused to take part in a Hamas-declared period of calm since the end of the offensive in January 2009.

Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas are sworn to the destruction of Israel, but they sometimes differ on tactics.

The Most Popular Name In England Has Changed

2010-10-28T13:26:00.001-04:00

For 14 years, the most popular baby name for boys in England has been Jack. This has now changed in 2009.

The most popular name for boys born in England in 2009 was:

Mohammed

Crescent Moon Rising Over Big Ben

Vatican Meeting Demands That Israel End "Occupation of Arab Lands"

2010-10-23T11:28:00.001-04:00

AP-VATICAN CITY – Bishops from the Middle East who were summoned to Rome by the pope demanded Saturday that Israel accept U.N. resolutions calling for an end to its "occupation" of Arab lands.

In a final joint communique, the bishops also told Israel it shouldn't use the Bible to justify "injustices" against the Palestinians.

The bishops issued the statement at the close of their two-week meeting, called by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East amid a major exodus of the faithful from the birthplace of Christianity.

The Catholic Church has long been a minority in the largely Muslim region but its presence is shrinking further as a result of war, conflict, discrimination and economic problems.

During the meeting, several bishops blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for spurring the flight — a position echoed in their final paper. While the bishops condemned terrorism and anti-Semitism, they laid much of the blame for the conflict squarely on Israel.

They listed the "occupation" of Palestinian lands, Israel's separation barrier with the West Bank, its military checkpoints, political prisoners, demolition of homes and disturbance of Palestinians' socio-economic lives as factors that have made life increasingly difficult for Palestinians.

They said they had "reflected" on the suffering and insecurity in which Israelis live and on the status of Jerusalem, a city holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims.

"We are anxious about the unilateral initiatives that threaten its composition and risk to change its demographic balance," they said.

They called on the international community to apply U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted in 1967, which called on Israel to withdraw from Arab land conquered in the Six-Day War that year.

"The Palestinian people will thus have an independent and sovereign homeland where they can live with dignity and security," they said, while Israel will be able to enjoy peace and security.

Second Radical Cleric Leading Prayers on Capitol Hill

2010-10-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

FamilySecurityMatters.org- A few weeks back, Patrick Poole broke the story of how the Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA) had brought al Qaeda’s Anwar al-Awlaki — imam of 9/11 hijackers, the Fort Hood terrorist, and the would-be Christmas underpants bomber — to lead Friday prayers on Capitol Hill. Now, at Pajamas, Patrick reports that a second al Qaeda-linked cleric, Anwar Hajjaj, has also been leading CMSA prayer meetings.

As Poole explains:

Anwar Hajjaj was the long-time head of an Islamic charity, Taibah International Aid Association, which the U.S. government identified as an al-Qaeda fundraising arm in May 2004 and designated as a terrorist organization. The UN also designatedTaibah as a terrorist organization.

Hajjaj’s terrorism fundraising efforts were aided by American al-Qaeda bagman Abdurahman Alamoudi, who served as Taibah International’s vice president and who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence [arising out of an investigation that showed him to be a major fundraiser for jihadist groups, including al Qaeda]. Prior to his arrest, Alamoudi was responsible for establishing the Muslim chaplain program for the Defense Department, and was appointed a “goodwill ambassador” to the Middle East by the State Department.

When Alamoudi was arrested in 2003, prosecutors identified Alamoudi’s work with Taibah in court documents as evidence of his “material financial support” for al-Qaeda. In July 2005, the U.S. government said that Alamoudi’s arrest was a “severe blow” to al-Qaeda’s fundraising operations….

Taibah is not Anwar Hajjaj’s only link to al-Qaeda. Hajjaj was also director of the American branch of the Saudi-funded World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) with Osama bin Laden’s nephew, Abdullah bin Laden. WAMY’s Northern Virginia offices were raided in June 2004, and Hajjaj’s partner Abdullah bin Laden subsequently left the country. The FBI began its investigation into WAMY in 1996 for being a “suspected terrorist organization.”

Hajjaj’s bio on his America Islamic Information Center website, and [Congressman Gregory] Meeks’ [(D-NY)] letter to Homeland Security on his behalf, notes that he is a professor at the American Open University. In fact, the university’s current phone number is the same used by Taibah International on its last IRS Form 990. The president of AOU, Jaafar Sheikh Idris — who has attacked the Western notion of separation of church and state and authored a tract on “The Process of Islamization” for the Muslim Student Association — was stripped of his religious worker visa and deported from the U.S. in July 2004.

Hajjaj is also the former education chairman of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the former president of the Dar-al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. Dar-al-Hijrah is the mosque where Anwar al-Awlaki served as imam and at least two of the 9/11 hijackers attended services. Hajjaj continues to teach weekly at the mosque.

I wrote about the Dar al-Hijrah, the State Department’s favorite “moderate” mosque and former home base for Awlaki, here. And as I’ve noted several times (see, e.g., here), ISNA was named an unindicted coconspirator in the terrorism financing case against the Holy Land Foundation based on its demonstrated ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and its support for Hamas.

While the CMSA appearances by Hajjaj go back to 2006, they are hardly old news. As Patrick relates in a second post at Big Peace (here), Hajjaj has led prayers on the Hill as recently as April of this year. The appearance was captured on video by Roll Call (here) but, as Poole notes, no one in the mainstream media has seemed interested enough to ask questions about Hajjaj or about how it is that Islamists keep turning up here, there and everywhere in our government.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributor Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, author of Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad and most recently The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America. He blogs at National Review Online's The Corner.

Of Wheat and Tares

2010-08-19T09:55:00.002-04:00

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

One day I was thinking about the deception of false religions such as Islam. How they can appear good on the outside to most people, but are in fact evil counterfeits. I started to wonder how people can be tricked into believing these things, and how these religions came about. But I especially wondered why these false religions mimicked so many of the things found in the Bible.

Not to speak only on Islam, but it is staggering to see how many things were copied straight from the Bible (with "twists" of course). At first I thought it was strange- why not just start from scratch and create something completely different? But then it became clear as I thought about this parable... The best lies are the ones with truth mixed in.

To the untrained eye (non-farmer), wheat and tares look very much the same. Most would not even see the difference between the two. But the farmer would. The farmer would see the difference and know the fruit (seed) that is produced by both. The wheat seed is larger and good, while the seed from the tare is smaller and will cause vomiting and illness after it is ingested. A person with an untrained eye may not know what he has eaten until it is too late.

Tare Seeds

Wheat Seeds

This is why we must train ourselves in prayer, in scripture, and in the fear of the LORD. The trained eye knows the difference between the tares (false religions) and the wheat (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The untrained person eats what is placed in front of him, and what appears good on the outside- only to learn of his mistake after it is too late.

*Next study- Why the tares are left to grow among the wheat, and the separation at the harvest and threshing floor.

Ahmadinejad Survives Assassination Attempt

2010-08-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

Debka.com- debkafile's Iranian sources report an explosive device was tossed at the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's heavily secured armored convoy as it drove through the northern Iranian city of Hamadan Wednesday, Aug. 4. He was reported unhurt. Some of his bodyguards and bystanders were or injured.
Iranian media reported the explosion hit a minivan carrying correspondents and one attacker was arrested. Later, the president's office said the bang was caused by a "firecracker."
After the attack, Ahmadinejad switched vehicles and was soon standing on a platform in the town center and making a speech televised live.

Hamadan's population is purely Iranian Shiite with none of the ethnic or religious minorities persecuted by the regime. It is located on the site of the Biblical Shushan, the site of the tombs of Esther and Mordecai, several hundred kilometers west of Tehran.

Guest Contributors

2010-07-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

You may have noticed that I have been extremely busy, and unable to post very often. I hope to post more often at some point soon, but I would also like to open my site up to some intelligent contributions from all of you.

If you have some scriptural insight, please email it to me as you would want it written. I will give credit to whatever name/ alias you give to me (if you want your full name printed with your article, then give me your full name. If you just want partial name or initials then give that to me).

Also, if you spot news that is important and related to scripture/ Christian life, then please send that to me as well. When you send a news article, please also send a link to the original website where the article resides.

I may not use every thing you send, or I may save it for later use (to coincide with specific discussions that will be coming). Do not be offended if your article does not show up right away!

I look forward to working with all of you, and getting to know my readers a little better!

Thank You!

Archaeologists Uncover Goliath's Hometown

2010-07-14T15:27:00.002-04:00

Israel National News- An ongoing archaeological excavation in Tel Tzafit continues to unearth the ruins of what was once the city of Gat – described in the Bible as the hometown of Goliath. Professor Aren Maeir, who is directing the dig, spoke to Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service to discuss the latest finds.

Recent finds from the Tel Tzafit excavation are “fascinating,” Maeir said. The site, inhabited at times by Canaanites and at other times by Philistines, has remnants from many periods of history. “We are focusing on the Canaanite period, the Philistine period, and the Israelite period, and for now we're primarily in the Philistine period,” he said.

One of the most interesting finds was a piece of writing containing, among other things, Philistine names, some of which were similar to the name “Goliath.”

"We've found a rich variety of artifacts” showing that Gat was a major city at that time, he continued. “We are now discovering remnants from metal craft and bronze, and from the destruction of the city at the hands of King Chazel of Aram as described in the second books of Kings.”

Findings show that Chazel and his army laid siege to the city until its residents had exhausted their food supply, then attacked. Dozens of buildings were found that were demolished by the invading army.

Other buildings appear to have collapsed in an earthquake, possibly the one mentioned at the beginning of the book of Amos, he said.

The relationship between the nation of Israel and the Philistines was more complex than people tend to assume, Maeir revealed. “The Philistines... were often more than just enemies. We can see this in the Bible as well, for instance, in the fact that Samson married a Philistine woman,” he said. There appears to have been crossover between the two cultures – for example, findings show that elements of Philistine cooking became common among the Israelites as well.

United Nations Calls For New Global Reserve Currency To Replace US Dollar

2010-06-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

PressTV- A UN report released on Tuesday calls for abandoning the US dollar as the main global reserve currency to achieve greater stability in the world financial system.

"The dollar has proved not to be a stable store of value, which is a requisite for a stable reserve currency," said the World Economic and Social Survey 2010.

The use of the dollar for international trade came under increasing scrutiny when the US economy fell into recession.

The report said a new global reserve system should be created, which "must not be based on a single currency or even multiple national currencies." Instead, the report advocates using assistance from the International Monetary Fund to create a standardized international system for liquidity transfer.

The report added that developing countries have been hit hard by the US dollar's loss of value in recent years.

"Motivated in part by needs for self-insurance against volatility in commodity markets and capital flows, many developing countries accumulated vast amounts of such (US dollar) reserves during the 2000s," it said.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who previously chaired a UN expert commission that considered ways of overhauling the global financial system, has advocated the creation of a new reserve currency system.

Russia and China have also supported the idea.

A Leader of Islam- In His Own Words

2010-06-04T10:36:00.000-04:00

Anjem Choudary is a leading Muslim radical in the UK, who says Islamic teachings are what shaped his pro-jihad message.

"You can't say that Islam is a religion of peace," Choudary told CBN News. "Because Islam does not mean peace. Islam means submission. So the Muslim is one who submits. There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in Islam."

"The Koran is full of, you know, jihad is the most talked about duty in the Koran other than tawhid -- belief," he said. "Nothing else is mentioned more than the topic of fighting."

..."And there are many verses from the Koran and many statements to say that's the Islamic argument. And that is a difficult Islamic argument to refute. And there are many scholars who support that argument as well."

A Swarm of Bees Descends On the White House

2010-05-19T12:03:00.003-04:00

"Thousands of Bees" Swarm the White House
CNN- ...White House grounds were hit by an unexpected airborne threat. A swarm of honey bees took over a bush located between the Northwest security gate of the White House and the area where the television networks stand-up positions are located early Thursday. CNN photojournalist John Bodnar said he came through the Northwest security gate around 12:30pm and was warned about the bees by Secret Service on duty in the guard post.
"I walked out and thought it was a swirl of blossoms blowing in the wind, but turns out it was a swarm of bees," he says. "Half an hour later, they were still issuing warnings."

TheHill.com- A swarm of "thousands of bees" gathered outside the White House this morning. The small army of insects hovered as President Barack Obama tried to leave the White House to play basketball at Fort McNair, according to the pool report. By the time the president returned at noon, the bees were apparently nowhere in sight.

Well... I'm not sure what to make of this yet. I heard the story, and remembered some scripture from Isaiah. I looked this up, and it also speaks of a swarm of flies. This made me think... wasn't there a swarm of flies around the white house a year ago???

Yes there was...

June 18, 2009- New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us/politics/18fly.html

Washington- The White House Is Bugged!

No, not like that. But actual flies are swarming the place, confounding housekeepers, irritating aides, even trying to feast on the President. During an east room interview with John Harwood for CNBC and the New York Times on Tuesday, a giant fly orbited Mr. Obama's head.
"I got the sucker" the president boasted after fatally slapping the critter on the back of his hand. That scene became an instant YouTube sensation...

White House staff members report that they and their boss have been routinely bothered by the bugs, and have seen the First Exterminator personally enforcing a no-fly zone in the West Wing. White House officials say that strenuous debugging measures have been undertaken in recent weeks: Anti-insect lights have been installed in the National Security Council suite and the lower press office...

Here's the scripture that came to mind:

Isaiah 7:
"The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah- he will bring the King of Assyria.

In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for the bees from the land of Assyria. They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes, and at all the water holes. In that day the LORD will use a razor hired from beyond the River- the king of Assyria- to shave your head and the hair on your legs, and to take off your beards also."

What's so special about the King of Assyria?
1. It is one of the titles for the coming antichrist.
2. Assyria was used by the LORD as a rod of punishment against His people.

Isaiah 10

¹Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
²To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
³And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
⁴Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
⁵O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
⁶I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isaiah 10:1-6, King James Version)

Was this a warning to the wise, or a simple coincidence at the White House??

The Rapture Deception

2010-04-22T16:10:00.003-04:00

I have put this article off for a long time (really since I started this website). I have been waiting for the right time- waiting for the Holy Spirit's prompting. That time has now come.

I will tell you that this subject will challenge the things you have been taught about the timing of the "rapture". I will also tell you that many people have an immediate, emotional reaction when something this important is challenged. Bearing this in mind, I URGE you to pray for wisdom, discernment, and open eyes BEFORE you read this article.
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THE RAPTURE DECEPTION

I believe you have been deceived. I believe you have been misled. I do not believe that it was intentionally done by certain teachers/ministers/pastors. I believe they were passing along the deception that they were taught by others, without question. However, this deception had to start somewhere, and it had to start with someone. I believe this deception was inspired by Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44).

You have been taught that you will escape the tribulation. You have been taught that you can live your easy life until the day you are raptured away. I've even heard many ministers say "We don't need to study Revelation, because we won't be here for it!" And then the whole congregations cheers wildly.

Other very prominent ministers have actually formed a group/conference of ministers and teachers, and will not allow any minister to attend if they do not fall in line with their "Pre Tribulation" rapture teaching. Seriously- they must conform or they will not be allowed to attend. No exceptions.

Deception can only continue if teachers are unwilling to stick their necks out, and if believers are unwilling to honestly seek the truth. So I hereby stick my neck out in service, and say to all who will seek the truth:

THE RAPTURE WILL NOT COME BEFORE THE TRIBULATION

IF THE TRIBULATION STARTS SOON, YOU WILL BE IN IT

I understand that this will not be a popular message, especially in the age of "prosperity" teaching and "your best life now" teaching. But seriously... where does it say in the Bible that life will always be easy for believers? Where does Jesus teach that you deserve huge houses, fancy cars, and a fat, easy life? NOWHERE. You will not find it. In fact, you will find the opposite. Most of the 12 disciples were crucified, stoned, and beheaded AFTER they had lived lives full of persecution.

TIMING

The Book of Revelation gives us key markers of the tribulation (Jacob's trouble/ distress). These markers are the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials (bowls).

I believe the rapture (transformation and catching away) will occur after the 7 seals, after six trumpets, and at the 7th trumpet found in Revelation. We will endure through the tribulation, and will be caught away prior to the 7 vials (bowls) being poured out upon the earth.

SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

In Matthew 24, the disciples approached Jesus and said:
"Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

Jesus replied: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

This shows that the elect will be gathered at the sound of the trumpet, AFTER the tribulation.
__________

Luke 21 describes the same:
The disciples approached Jesus: "And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?"

After describing many of the same signs found above, Jesus said in Luke 21:22-28
"For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

Again, Jesus shows us that He will appear, and we are to lift up our heads after all of these horrible events have been taking place.
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1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
"According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we (fellow believers) who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

Paul seems to make a point here that may be missed. He repeats the idea that we (the elect) who are still alive and are left, will be "raptured" at the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God. Paul seems to be emphasizing that there will be Christians that will endure through the tribulation (many will die as seen in Matthew 24:22), and these are the people that will be "raptured".

The Christians that die during the tribulation are described in Revelation 20:4-
"...and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

These Christians are also described in Revelation 7:9,13-14
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"

I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

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1 Corinthians 15:51-52
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Once again, the mystery of the rapture is taking place at the last trumpet call.
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After the seven seals and at the sixth trumpet (the second woe), Revelation 11:13-14 says:
"And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly."

This shows that the remnant (the elect) are still present on earth at the sixth trumpet.
__________

After the seven seals and at the 7th trumpet, Revelation 10 says: (vs1-3,7)
"And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. "

Revelation 11:15-19
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."

CONCLUSION

To recap:
I believe the rapture (transformation and catching away) will occur after the 7 seals, after six trumpets, and at the 7th trumpet found in Revelation. We will endure through the tribulation, and will be caught away prior to the 7 vials (bowls) being poured out upon the earth.

I ask that you read this article again carefully examing the scriptures given, and take it to the LORD in prayer. Do not take my word for it, and do not take another man's word for it. Receive your instruction from the LORD.

Imagine if you expected to be raptured away before the tribulation started, and you come to find yourself right in the middle of it. With all the horrors that will take place, it may be enough to make some "fall away" from their faith. On a mass scale, this could create the conditions for the "falling away" spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

I do not want you to be deceived. I do not want you to fall away from your faith. I want you to understand the things that will be coming upon the earth, so that you will not have a spirit of fear. Set your face like flint, and never take your eyes off the LORD.

"Control The People"

2010-03-24T12:35:00.000-04:00

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the Dean of the House of Representatives for being the longest serving member of the body (he was first elected in 1955, succeeding his father, Rep. John Dingell, Sr.), made an amazing admission during a live telephone interview with Detroit WJR News/Talk 760 radio talk show host Paul W. Smith on Smith's show Monday morning, March 22, 2010. The night before, Dingell had been a featured speaker at the Democrat Congressional leadership victory press conference after Obamacare passed the House.

Did you really think that these "elite" congressmen and women really only wanted to give you free health care with no strings attached?

Leader of Islam- In His Own Words

2010-03-05T12:18:00.005-05:00

Updates on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, Hezbollah, Hamas Alliance

2010-02-28T10:03:00.002-05:00

Syria, Lebanon Host Iranian troops, Qatar Also Willing

Iran further consolidated its anti-US coalition and honed its hard edge against Israel this week with two important defense treaties signed with Syria (covering Lebanon) and Qatar, home to the biggest US air base outside America. These treaties opened doors for Iranian troops to be stationed in all three countries. According to debkafile's military sources, they are already present in Syria and Lebanon.

On this high note, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian president Bashar Assad and Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Thursday, Feb. 25, wound up their talks in Damascus - to which Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was co-opted - on joint military preparations for a Middle East war.

Our sources reveal that after his talks, the Shiite Iranian president make the extraordinary gesture towards the Arab countries he is wooing of attending a two-hour prayer session with Assad at a Sunni mosque in Damascus. Asked about his Shiite sensitivities, Ahmad said, "We are all one Ummah."

Together with Nasrallah, the pair later appeared before the press to scoff at US policies, celebrate their friendship and predict Israel's early annihilation...

"A new Middle East - one without Zionists and imperialists - was quickly emerging," he said.

Assad expressed Syria's full support for Iraq's uranium enrichment activities. "To forbid an independent state the right to enrichment amounts to a new colonialist process in the region," he said.

In Doha, Iran's defense minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and Qatari chief of staff Gen. Hamad bin Ali Attiya put their signatures Wednesday, Feb. 24 to military contracts providing for "the exchange of technical and expert delegations, the expansion of cooperation in personnel training and joint campaigns against terrorism and elements behind regional insecurity."

This language covers the dispatch of Iranian officers and soldiers to Doha, a sight the US and Saudi Arabia hoped never to witness. The "elements behind regional insecurity" refer to the United States and Israel.

The big US air base was established at Al Udeid, Qatar, to keep the Persian Gulf and its oil resources safe and curb Iranian expansion. That its rulers were now willing to host the Iranian defense minister and establish military ties with Tehran is another landmark in that expansion drive and a serious setback for America's regional standing.

Read entire article here: http://www.debka.com/article/8620/

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Hezbollah Official: Meetings of Iran, Lebanon, Syria Leaders Show New Mid-East Is Born

The Head of Hezbollah politburo Mahmoud Qamati said meetings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Lebanese and Palestinian resistance leaders show a new Middle East has been born.

Ahmadinejad and Lebanese and Palestinian resistance leaders meet following important developments such as victory of resistance groups and assassination of Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

"The meetings show that a new Middle East has been born in the region, a Middle East which is different from what the US officials are talking about and it should be noted that Israel's threats are empty ones," he said.

Iran and Syria stress resistance considering recent threats by Zionist regime, he said adding such meetings demonstrate that unification is ruling over resistance fronts since threats of the enemy do not only target Iran, Syria or a particular resistance group but these threats involve other countries.

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Russia Says It Will Supply Iran With S-300 Missiles

Russia intends to fulfil a contract to supply S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran, Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Friday.

Israel and the United States have repeatedly asked Russia to scrap a contract to sell Iran the truck-mounted S-300, which can shoot down hostile missiles or aircraft up to 150 km (90 miles) away.

"There is a contract to supply these systems to Iran, and we will fulfil it," Ryabkov told Interfax in an interview. "Delays (with deliveries) are linked to technical problems with adjusting these systems," he added.

He also cautioned against politicising Russia's arms exports to Iran.

"It is absolutely incorrect to put the emphasis on the issue of S-300 supplies... and to turn it into a major problem, to say nothing of linking it to the discussion on restoring trust in the purely peaceful character of Iran's nuclear programme," Ryabkov said.

The possible sale of the S-300s, which could protect Iran's nuclear facilities against air strikes, is an extremely sensitive issue in Russia's relations with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow this week to press the Kremlin to back tougher sanctions against Iran.

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Ahmadinejad: Arab world will usher in new Mideast without Zionists

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that Arab nations will usher in a new Middle East without Zionists and without colonialists. Ahmadinejad made the comments during his visit in Syria, where he met with President Bashar Assad, opening a two-day visit that follows U.S. efforts to break up Syria's 30-year alliance with Tehran.

The Iranian president also said that "if the Zionist regime wants to repeat its past mistakes, this will constitute its demise and annihilation."

Assad signaled his strong support for Iran, saying America's stance toward the country is a "new situation of colonialism in the region."

Ahmadinejad said Iran, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon will all stand against Israel.Ahmadinejad is also scheduled to meet senior officials from the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, Syria's state-run news agency said.

Before leaving Tehran, Ahmadinejad told reporters that 'the Zionist regime and its sponsors' are rapidly approaching a dead-end, according to the Iranian Students News Agency. Ahmadinejad also said that Iran and Syria have common viewpoints and stances and Syria is on the frontline against Israel.

Read entire article here: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1152316.html

Iran Calls Meeting To Finalize Plans For War With Israel

2010-02-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

Iran Calls Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas For Final Meeting To Plan For War Against Israel

Debka.com- Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has summoned all the terrorist groups Tehran sponsors - Islamist and radical Palestinian - for a broad gathering Saturday, Feb. 27, to finalize their roles in military operations against Israel in the event of a Middle East conflagration. This is reported by debkafile's Iranian and intelligence sources.

It will be the sequel to the preliminary discussions Ahmadinejad held with Syrian president Bashar Assad and heads of the Lebanese Hizballah and Palestinian Hamas Thursday, Feb. 25, during a brief visit to Damascus.

The guests of honor at the Tehran parley will be Hamas leader politburo chief Khaled Meshaal and Hizballah deputy leader Naim Kassem.

The Lebanese Shiite group's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah will not be there because he never leaves his Beirut bunker for fear Israeli assassins will catch up with him, especially since the high-profile Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed mysteriously in Dubai last month.

And Nasrallah is not alone; some of his fellow terror chiefs hesitate to show their faces outside their strongholds - even in friendly Tehran - since the Dubai police disclosed that three of the suspects in the Mabhouh killing, carriers of Australian passports, departed Dubai for Iran. They were said to have travelled by sea ferry to Bandar Abbas, central headquarters of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, before flying out of Tehran international airport to unknown Far East destinations.

The Arab terrorist chiefs infer that even the Iranian capital and Revolutionary Guards headquarters are no longer secure against penetration by the Hamas commander's assassins.

The Iranians have therefore decided that their official statement on the conference, due to end Monday, March 1, will name only a few of the participants; the presence of many other key figures will be kept secret

According to debkafile’s Iranian sources, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, assisted by a large team of aides, will lead the proceedings and steer them toward conclusions and decisions in line with Iran’s regional goals. The conference, called to pull together Iran and its allies' preparations for war with Israel, will be presented officially as an effort to reconcile the feuding Palestinian factions.

Few will find this believable, especially when Hamas attends the conference on its own, except for several radical Palestinian splinter groups, and representatives of the rival Fatah and Palestinian Authority were not invited.

Presidential bureau personnel have performed most of the staff work on planning and the roles assigned the various organizations in any conflict with Israeli and/or Israeli forces. Senior members of the Revolutionary Guards and other sections of Iran's armed forces will be recruited to chair discussion panels and subcommittees aided by specialists in guerrilla and terror warfare.

Wall of King Solomon Discovered

2010-02-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

1 Kings 3:1: "And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. "

Bloomberg- Israeli Dig Uncovers 3,000-Year-Old Wall From Time of Solomon

“A comparison of this latest finding with city walls and gates from the period of the First Temple, as well as pottery found at the site, enable us to postulate with a great degree of assurance that the wall revealed was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the 10th century B.C.E.,” dig director archaeologist Eilat Mazar said.

The six-meter-high wall and its surrounding complex of a gatehouse and a corner tower were excavated over the past three weeks in a dig conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the latest of finds linked to the reigns of David and Solomon.

In December 2008, archaeologists found the remains of a walled city over a plain where the Bible claims David killed Goliath, and Hebrew University professor Yosef Garfinkel said the find supported the biblical portrayal of David as a ruler of a kingdom strong enough to field an army.

The 3,000-year-old wall discovered this month in Jerusalem “testifies to a ruling presence. Its strength and form of construction indicate a high level of engineering,” Mazar said.

Discovered along with the wall were seal impressions on jar handles with the words “to the king,” and other bullae with Hebrew names that also testified to the royal nature of the structure, Mazar told journalists at the site.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-22/israeli-dig-uncovers-3-000-year-old-wall-from-time-of-solomon.html

Europe Wants A Palestinian State With Or Without Peace

2010-02-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Israel Today- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos have launched an initiative to officially recognize a sovereign Palestinian state in 18 months, even if negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have not concluded.

Senior European diplomats cited by Ha'aretz said Israel was informed of the initiative several weeks ago. Israeli officials confirmed that, and noted that Jerusalem has been lobbying hard against the initiative.

Israel argues that handing the Palestinians their final prize before they have fulfilled their peace obligations will nullify the peace process and lead to increased violence. It will also be seen across the region as a victory for terrorism and violent behavior, bolstering groups like Hamas and Hizballah and further destabilizing the Middle East.

Kouchner and Moratinos are said to be preparing a joint article encouraging immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. The article will be published in all major European newspapers.

Iran, Lebanon, Syria Will Back Hezbollah Against Israel

2010-02-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

My comments: So... First Lebanon announces that it fully supports Hezbollah terrorists, and will back them with their full military if Israel should engage the terrorists. Then Syria announces it will back Hezbollah and Lebanon if Israel is involved in any attack. Now, Iran vows that it will support Hezbollah against Israel as well. Iran has further recommended that Hezbollah should make sure that the Israeli "case should be closed once and for all and the region delivered from their evil ways forever".

I believe that Iran has been looking for a war, and has been attempting to entice Israel and the US into a pre-emptive attack. That is why Ahmadinejad has been bragging about their nuclear capability, and their desire to end the nation of Israel. Even though everyone knows better, Ahmadinejad has been careful to avoid telling the world that the nuclear capability has anything to do with weapons- this is to gain world support in the event of an attack. He would be able to claim that they were only seeking energy, and were wrongly attacked. This would give them free license to attack Israel and the U.S., and create the chaos that they believe is necessary to make the 12th Imam appear.

Up to this point, Israel and the US have not taken the bait. Ahmadinejad has now sought to create a new path to stir up war. Iran has control of Hezbollah, and has funneled weapons and money to them to prepare for a future war with Israel. Of course, Iran has denied that it has done this or that it has control of Hezbollah. Of course, this is another attempt to sway public opinion. I believe Iran will now attempt to provoke an Israeli attack by using Hezbollah. This is why Iran is announcing their support for Hezbollah and Lebanon ahead of time. When the outbreak occurs, it can quickly spread through Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. The Palestinians would no doubt join in against Israel, leaving Israel to defend multiple borders. This would create a need for the U.S. to defend Israel (whether our leaders have the courage to do that is questionable).

If this happens, Iran would feel like they win either way. If the U.S. gets involved, they have the chaos they have been looking for. If the U.S. does not get involved, they would be able to "wipe Israel off the map"... Unless of course God should intervene for His people (sounds like Ezekiel 38-39, huh?).

To read the news article, click here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iiAqp623vjfmpTTtpnmsKnG_hHEAD9DUK2H00

Al-Qaeda Terrorists Responsible For The Ethiopian Airline crash off Beirut

2010-02-10T13:59:00.000-05:00

As reported on Debka.com:

Evidence has reached debkafile's counter-terror sources that the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 which crashed after takeoff from Beirut on January 25, killing all 92 aboard, was blown up in mid-air.

This was an al-Qaeda operation timed for one month to the day after its failed attempt to destroy an American Northwest airliner bound for Detroit.

It is becoming clear that either a bomb was planted on the Ethiopian flight with a timer or a passenger acted as suicide bomber.

Western security agencies in the Middle East involved in combating al Qaeda believe that its planners picked on the Ethiopian flight for more than one reason apart from the date: They had been tipped off that a group of French undercover agents, including Maria Sanchez Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Beirut, and top Hizballah operatives, including secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, would be aboard.

Mme Pietton lost her life in the crash, while the Hizballah travelers were saved by switching to another flight at the last minute.

The first bodies recovered from the Mediterranean off the Lebanese town of Naama showed all the hallmarks of explosion victims: They were found strapped to their seats with their heads, hands and feet blown off and scattered, typical effects of an explosive blast.

Eye-witnesses at the time heard a loud explosion and saw the plane enveloped in a ball of fire as it gained altitude after takeoff from Beirut international airport.

Both France and Hizballah have denied they were targets.

Lebanese officials, led by prime minister Saad Hariri, have spent two weeks trying to hide the fact that the Ethiopian airline disaster was caused by terror. But Lebanese health minister Jawad Khalifeh gave the game away by a slip of the tongue Tuesday, Feb. 9: “The plane exploded during flight and the cabin, as well as the bodies of those on board, were dispersed into the sea, in different locations,” he said, trying to explain why some of the corpses were found dismembered.

He then tried to correct himself by saying he "didn't mean a military explosion."

More confirmation of a terrorist hand behind the attack is found in the deep involvement of US intelligence, including the FBI, in the investigation of the disaster from the first moment. The US survey ship Ocean Alert was dispatched to the area of the crash and dropped a miniature submarine into the depths to retrieve fragments of the airliner from the seabed.

A US intelligence and naval headquarters was set up at Beirut harbor to coordinate the salvage of the plane from the sea. Treating the crash as terror-related, Washington ordered the plane to be reconstructed from recovered fragments to establish the site of the explosion and its cause.

US officials are also shy of discussing the case in public and admitting the crash was caused by an act of terror. It took place on January 25, shortly after President Barack Obama said “Al-Qaeda has been weakened." In an address to the American people to calm their anxieties after the Nigerian would-be bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had failed to detonate explosives carried in his underwear.

Al Qaeda's success in blowing a civilian airliner out of the sky over the Middle East proved the opposite. It therefore became the subject of a comprehensive cover-up, joined by France. Before the black box, recovered Tuesday, had even been examined, French sources announced that human error by the pilot was the cause of the Ethiopian airliner crash.

11 Churches Set on Fire In Texas

2010-02-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

WorldNetDaily- Residents of eastern Texas are on edge, worried in the wake of what may be a serial arsonist on the loose with an appetite for burning churches to the ground.
At various intervals since New Year's Day, 11 churches in the state have gone up in flames, and authorities have ruled nearly all of them arson.

"The disturbing part is it changes everyone's lifestyle," said Neal Franklin, fire chief in Tyler, where two churches have been destroyed. "It changes our attitude."

Franklin told the Dallas Morning News that when the second fire broke out in Tyler, "it suddenly hit everyone, 'Oh, my goodness, this could continue every day potentially.' … That's the tension."

So far, the saga has continued nearly every day, just as Franklin feared.

The Dallas Morning News reports that during the first double arson, firefighters were forced to leave the scene of the first church to attend to the second.

"Our people were like, 'What's going on here?'" said Brian Brandt, a pastor at Grace Community Church in Athens. "It was because they got another call – another church was burning three to five miles away."

Churches burned since Jan. 1 in the area about 50 miles southeast of Dallas include:

Faith Fellowship Church, Athens, Jan. 1

Grace Community Church of Athens, Jan. 12

Lake Athens Baptist Church, Jan. 12

Tyland Baptist Church, Tyler, Jan. 16

First Church of Christ Scientist, Tyler, Jan. 17

Prairie Creek Fellowship, Lindale, Jan. 20

Russell Memorial United Methodist Church, Wills Point, Feb. 4

Dover Baptist Church, Carroll, Feb. 8

Clear Springs Missionary Baptist Church, Lindale, Feb. 8.

To read the entire rticle, click here: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=124615

Terrorist Attempt "Certain" In Coming Months

2010-02-03T18:14:00.000-05:00

My Comments- I have made an effort not to "hype" any current events or rumors on my website. I really do not want to "cry wolf" or water down the message I am trying to spread. That being said, I find this information very "interesting" in light of some recent developments:

Elevation of terror alerts across several countries (17), including the UK.
Recently released message from Osama Bin Laden
Attempted airline attacks and several grounded/diverted flights
Hamas warned their top terrorists of Israeli actions against them
US intelligence finding of 5,000 Hizballah "troops" training to invade Galilee towns
Containers washed up on shore of Israeli beaches containing explosives (possibly meant to arm Gaza)
The "underwear bomber" is allegedly "spilling the beans", including reports that Al Qaeda operatives are on their way to the United States (I personally believe they have been here for some time).

Washington Times- The five senior leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate panel Tuesday they are "certain" that terrorists will attempt another attack on the United States in the next three to six months.

"An attempted attack, the priority is certain, I would say," Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair, a retired admiral, said in response.

Four other intelligence agency leaders who appeared at the hearing with Mr. Blair said they agreed with the assessment.

Click here to read the entire article: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/03/terrorist-attack-certain-in-months/

Ezekiel 37 and PM Netanyahu

2010-01-30T12:24:00.000-05:00

My Comments: I have long believed that Ezekiel 37 is a prophecy of the re-birth of Israel, and regathering of it's people following the Holocaust. Apparently, Benjamin Netanyahu also believes that Ezekiel 37 has been fulfilled after this tragedy.

I also think the language he used during this speech is very interesting. It not only commemorates the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, but also sends a very clear message to the world that Israel will not tolerate any nation or people bent on destroying it. Israel will not sit back while it's enemies plot their destruction.

Ezekiel 37

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Transcript of PM Netanyahu's speech on January 27, 2010:

"I want to thank the Government of Poland for the historic effort it is making to commemorate the greatest catastrophe that befell my people and the greatest crime committed against humanity.

We have gathered here, Poles and Jews, at the crossroads of tragedy. Our long shared history
included tremendous cultural accomplishments and the lowest low humanity has experienced. We remember also that one-third of the Righteous Gentiles, those who risked their lives and their children’s lives and those of their families in order to save others, were Poles. We remember all this.

As we stand here to commemorate the past, we are helping to build a future of decency, truth and hope for our two peoples and for all mankind.

Now I will speak in Hebrew, the reborn language of the people whom the Nazis sought to exterminate.

[Translated from the Hebrew]

The voices of millions of my people gassed, burned and killed in a thousand different ways rise out of this cursed ground.

In the final moment of their lives, many whispered or cried out the timeless words of our ancient people:

"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."

Perhaps a few used their final breath to chant another age-old prayer:

"Remember what Amalek did to you. Never forget!"

To those who were murdered here, and to those who survived the destruction, I come from Jerusalem today with this promise: We will never forget! We will never permit those who desecrated this monument to death to distort or wipe away your memory.

We will always remember what Amalek’s Nazi heirs did to you. We will be prepared to defend ourselves when a new Amalek appears on the stage of history and threatens again to annihilate the Jews.

We will not delude ourselves into believing that the threats, vilifications and Holocaust denials are merely empty words. We will never forget. We will always be vigilant.

The Holocaust author, K. Zetnick, in his testimony at the Eichman trial, called the death camps “another planet.” But the horrors of the Holocaust occurred not in a far away world but right here on earth.

It was not the work of beastly animals but of beastly men, of loathsome and despicable murderers.

The most important lesson of the Holocaust is that a murderous evil must be stopped early, when it is still in its infancy and before it can carry out its designs.

The enlightened nations of the world must learn this lesson.

We, the Jewish nation, who lost a third of our people on Europe’s blood-soaked soil, have learned that the only guarantee for defending our people is a strong State of Israel and the army of Israel.

We gave learned to warn the nations of the world of impending danger but at the same time to prepare to defend ourselves.

As the head of the Jewish state, I pledge to you today: We will never again permit evil to snuff out the life of our people and the life of our own country.

I came here today from Jerusalem to say to those who perished here: The people of Israel live!

We have returned to our homeland, to the land of our fathers, to our capital Jerusalem. We have come from every corner of the earth -- Holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees from Arab lands, Jews from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia, Poland and Yemen, Romania and Iraq, France and Morocco, Jews from seventy lands and five continents.

Some who came almost didn’t make it. Barracks #16 at the Birkenau death camp, a few meters from here, housed a17-year old Jewish boy who suffered from the 80 lashes he received in the Ghetto from his Nazi tormenters.

No one believed the boy would live, but he survived and escaped from the camp.

With the victory over the Nazis 65 years ago, he immigrated to Israel. Fifteen years later, he was the Israeli police officer guarding Adolph Eichmann when the Jewish state brought the Nazi henchmen to justice.

That young man is Michael Goldman. With his wife Eva, he raised a family in Israel, and they have five children and nine grandchildren. Michael is with us here today -- a witness to the Holocaust, a witness to the redemption.

The Jewish people rose from ashes and destruction, from a terrible pain that can never be healed.

Armed with the Jewish spirit, the justice of man, and the vision of the prophets, we sprouted new branches and grew deep roots.

Dry bones became covered with flesh, a spirit filled them, and they lived and stood on their own feet.

As Ezekiel prophesized:

“Then He said unto me: These bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, 'Our bones

are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.'

Prophecy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and lift you out of your graves, O My people, and bring you to the land of Israel.”

I stand here today on the ground where so many of my people perished -- and I am not alone.

The State of Israel and all the Jewish people stand with me. We bow our heads to honor your memory and lift our heads as we raise our flag-a flag of blue and white with a Star of David in its center.

And everyone sees. And everyone hears. And everyone knows – that our hope is not lost."

COUNCIL OF EUROPE ELECTS 1ST TURKISH PRESIDENT

2010-01-27T14:12:00.000-05:00

ANSAmed- Mevlut Cavusoglu was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly at the Council of Europe today. He is the first Turkish member to take the position since Turkey became a member of the pan-European organisation in 1949...

Mevlut Cavusoglu says that his presidency ''will help Turkey to reach European standards and gain access to the European Union''.

In 2001 he was one of the founders of the party of Erdogan, and has been a member of the Turkish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly at the Council of Europe since 2003.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.ansamed.info/en/top/ME11.XAM19270.html

Christian Church Set On Fire By Muslims in Nigeria, With Worshippers Still Inside

2010-01-19T17:21:00.001-05:00

There has been a dramatic increase of Christian Churches that have been destroyed/ attacked by followers of Islam across the globe.

     January 11, 2010- Algerian church set on fire, and looted by followers of Islam. They also set fire to   Bibles and desecrated Christian crosses.

     January 10, 2010- Malaysia... Two more churches firebombed, bringing the total to nine in Malaysia.

     January 6, 2010- Egypt... 7 Christians were murdered as they gathered outside their church after services.

This event in Nigeria is even more despicable, in that the church was still occupied when it was set on fire! 27 people were killed during the attack and resulting riot. 300 people were wounded.

Where is the public outrage? The silence is deafening.

The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse

2010-01-15T17:01:00.001-05:00

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Most everyone is familiar with the Four Horseman, as they are written about in Revelation 6:

1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

You may not be familiar with another occurrence, found in Zechariah 6:

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?

5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth.

6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

The Difference

Did you notice the difference between the two descriptions? It's the order in which the horses appear.

This is the order in which they appeared:

Revelation:

1. White

2. Red

3. Black

4. Pale (green)

Zechariah:

1. Red

2. Black

3. White

4. Grisled (dappled/ pale)

Why Is There A Difference?

This is the question I had when I first realized the difference in order. It just didn't make sense at first!

It is clear that Zechariah 6 described an event that has already taken place. But it is also apparent that it has apocalyptic, end times implications. In other words, Zechariah is also describing an event that takes place in the end of days- the opening of the first 4 seals found in Revelation 6. This is commonly referred to as the four horseman of the apocalypse.

The reason that John (author of Revelation) and Zechariah see the horsemen in a different order is...

PERSPECTIVE

The authors saw this event from a different perspective!

John was taken to heaven for his vision, as shown in Revelation 4:

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

John was in heaven for his vision, so he saw the horsemen as they left heaven.

Zechariah was on earth in his vision, so he saw the horses as they appeared on earth.

Actions of the Horsemen

The actions of the horsemen are found in Revelation, and are as follows:

White horse- "Goes forth conquering and to conquer". Is given a crown. Likely the antichrist

Red horse- Takes peace from the earth (war)

Black horse- Inflation and poverty

Pale/dappled/green horse- Death by sword, famine, beasts, possibly plague. Power over 1/4 of the earth

Conclusion

Anytime the book of Revelation is concerned, there is no one who can be absolutely certain that their interpretation is correct. That being said, consider my conclusion written below and take it to the LORD in prayer.

My conclusion is that contrary to popular belief, the white horse (antichrist) may not be the first horse that we see on earth. The white horse is the first to leave, but according to Zechariah it appears that the red horse (war) may be the first horse revealed. The second horse to be revealed may be the black horse (inflation and poverty). The third horse to be revealed may be the white horse (antichrist). Finally, the last horse to be revealed may be the pale/dappled/grisled horse (sword, famine, beasts, plague)

This conclusion would also make sense because the world would be much more likely to welcome the antichrist as it's leader, if the inhabitants have already lived through the wars, inflation, and poverty of the red and black horsemen.

I believe we are currently seeing the stage being set for widespread war and inflation, ushering in the red and black horsemen of the apocalypse.

Ancient Writings Determined To Be Hebrew Bible

2010-01-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

Haaretz.com- Did the writing of the Bible begin as far back as the 10th century B.C.E., during the time of King David? That is four centuries earlier than Biblical scholars currently believe - but an inscription recently deciphered by a scholar at Haifa University indicates that... the answer may be yes.

The inscription, written in ink on clay, is the earliest yet found in Hebrew...
Professor Gershon Galil said this discovery disproves the current theory, which holds that the Bible could not have been written before the 6th century B.C.E., because Hebrew writing did not exist until then. Moreover, he added, the inscription was found in what was then a minor, outlying community - so if scribes existed even there, Hebrew writing was probably sufficiently well developed to handle a complex text like the Bible.

Ayatollah Khamenei's Family Flees to Russia?

2010-01-07T16:08:00.001-05:00

It has been reported that the entire Khamenei family (including security) have been evacuated to Russia, as a result of the ongoing protests and turmoil in Iran. The only family reportedly remaining is the Ayatollah and his son.

Radio Netherlands is also reporting that Khamenei has a jet on standby, just in case he should need to flee to Russia as well. Putin has reportedly extended a warm invitation for the Ayatollah to stay in Russia as long as necessary.

The reporting of additional information is slow to release, and I also have not been able to confirm the details above through multiple sources.

Day of Ashura

2010-01-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

*** WARNING- GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW ***

The day of Ashura (Ashoura) is "celebrated" by Muslims worldwide on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. This date corresponded to December 28, 2009 in our calendar.

Ashura marks the day that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, was killed and mutilated at the battle of Karbala by rival Muslims in 680 A.D. This battle is said to have "cemented" the split between Sunnis and Shi'ites.

The images below are a graphic display of this disturbing day. (Images from the atlasshrugs website)

Many Muslims believe that their sins can be forgiven by participating in Ashura.
A popular saying is "A single tear shed for Hussain washes away a hundred sins."

Basra, Iraq

Lahore, Pakistan

Muslim Child

Afghanistan

Ashura Blades

Pakistan

Iraq

Baghdad

Bahrain

Qatif, Saudi Arabia

Greece

Lebanon

Mumbai, India

Bahrain

Iraq

Lebanon

India

Istanbul, Turkey

Pakistan

Hezbollah supporters on Ashura

Lebanon

Muslim Man

This event shows a great difference between Islam and Christianity.

Muslims inflict these horrific acts on their bodies in

order to receive forgiveness of their sins from their god Allah.

Christians receive forgiveness because God himself came

to earth to allow horrific acts to be done to His body.

Jesus will "take a bullet" for me, and in fact did give up his human life for all of mankind.

Does your god demand that you "take a bullet" for him?

Jesus gave up His life so that we can enter heaven.

Does your god require that you give up your life in order to enter heaven?

Would your God die for you, even though you don't deserve it?

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,

but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

China Wants Naval Base in Middle East

2010-01-01T13:12:00.003-05:00

Telegraph- China's rapidly-expanding navy is considering building its first foreign naval base, according to a senior admiral.

Since the end of last year, China has sent four flotillas to the Middle East in order to take part in anti-piracy operations together with US, European, Indian and Russian warships. The latest mission, which departed from China in October, involved two missile frigates.

Yin added he was aware that Chinese naval ships in the waters near the Gulf have aroused suspicions, but believed other nations understood Beijing's intention was to counter pirates. As the world's largest importer of oil, China is believed to want to establish bases throughout the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to protect its tankers.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6911198/China-may-build-Middle-East-naval-base.html

Prayer

2009-12-29T13:24:00.005-05:00

Here is a word from David Wilkerson on prayer:

THE SECRET CLOSET

“Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).

In the past I’ve taught that because of the demands of making a living, we may have a “secret closet of prayer” anywhere: in the car, on the bus, during a break at work. In measure, this is true. But there is more to it. The Greek word for “closet” in this verse means “a private room, a secret place.” This was clear to Jesus’ listeners, because the homes in their culture had an inner room that served as a sort of storage closet. Jesus’ command was to go into that secret closet as an individual and shut the door behind you. There you will enter into the kind of prayer that cannot happen in church or with a prayer partner.

Jesus set the example for this, as he went to private places to pray. Over and over Scripture tell us that he “went aside” to spend time in prayer. No one had a busier life, as he was constantly pressed by the needs of those around him, with so little time to himself. Yet, we are told, “In the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). “When he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23).

We all have excuses for why we don’t pray in secret, in a special place alone. We say we have no such private place, or no time to do it. Thomas Manton, a godly Puritan writer, says this: “We say we have no time to pray secretly. We yet have time for all else: time to eat, to drink, for children, yet not time for what sustains all else. We say we have no private place, but Jesus found a mountain, Peter a rooftop, the prophets a wilderness. If you love someone, you will find a place to be alone.”

Do you see the importance of setting your heart to pray in a secret place? It is not about legalism or bondage, but about love. It is about God’s goodness toward us. He sees what’s ahead and knows we need tremendous resources, daily replenishing. All of that is found in the secret place with him.

Terror Training Across the U.S.

2009-12-28T13:07:00.003-05:00

The Christian Action Network has exposed over 30 training compounds within the United States, specifically devoted to terrorism. It is mind-boggling to think that Islamic terrorists have been given the freedom the train right here in our own country.

Seriously... our government puts out reports that Christians are to be deemed terrorists, people who like Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin are terrorists, people who are against a "new world order" are terrorists- but not these terror training, radicalized Muslims. That would be intolerant! Or Racist!

Watch this video below, and pay attention to a specific detail. Look at who is actually being trained in this video- it is women!!!

Christmas Day

2009-12-25T10:18:00.007-05:00

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us

First Jesus-era house found in Nazareth

2009-12-23T17:48:00.007-05:00

NAZARETH, Israel — Days before Christmas, Israeli archaeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus...

Nazareth holds a cherished place in Christianity. It is the town where Christian tradition says Jesus grew up and where an angel told Mary she would bear the child of God.

Alexandre said limited space and population density in Nazareth means it is unlikely that archeologists can carry out any further excavations in the area, leaving this dwelling to tell the story of what Jesus' boyhood home may have looked like.

The discovery at "this time, this period, is very interesting, especially as a Christian," Karam said. "For me it is a great gift."

To read the entire story, click here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jtdzeesvOZB8jOp_RNPXmUKONtawD9CNOF0G0

"Gulfo"- The New Gulf Currency

2009-12-16T12:43:00.004-05:00

ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE ISLAMIC CALIPHATE

My Comments: Please do not overlook the importance of this move!

Telegraph.co.UK- The Arab states of the Gulf region have agreed to launch a single currency modelled on the euro, hoping to blaze a trail towards a pan-Arab monetary union swelling to the ancient borders of the Ummayad Caliphate.

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect,” said Kuwait’s finance minister, Mustafa al-Shamali, speaking at a Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.

The move will give the hyper-rich club of oil exporters a petro-currency of their own, greatly increasing their influence in the global exchange and capital markets and potentially displacing the US dollar as the pricing currency for oil contracts. Between them they amount to regional superpower with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (£739bn), some 40pc of the world’s proven oil reserves, and financial clout equal to that of China.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are to launch the first phase next year, creating a Gulf Monetary Council that will evolve quickly into a full-fledged central bank.

The Gulf currency – dubbed “Gulfo” – is likely to track a global exchange basket and may ultimately float as a regional reserve currency in its own right. “The US dollar has failed. We need to delink,” said Nahed Taher, chief executive of Bahrain’s Gulf One Investment Bank.

...The GCC also agreed to create a joint military strike force – akin to the EU’s rapid reaction force – to tackle threats such as the incursion of Yemeni Shiite rebels into Saudi territory earlier this year.

What is Chanukah? (Hanukkah)

2009-12-14T11:46:00.007-05:00

In 2009, Chanukah (Hanukkah) is celebrated from December 11- December 19.

Many Christians do not know what Chanukah is or why it is celebrated.

What you may find interesting is the time period fits in perfectly with the study we just finished on the kings of the north and south (which was eventually narrowed down to the Seleucid Empire). This empire, under Antichus Epiphanes, invaded and controlled Israel, and defiled the temple in a way that foreshadows the future antichrist.

The Maccabean Revolt pushed the Seleucids out of the city, and took back the temple. This is the story told in the Book of Maccabees. This event explains why Chanukah is also called the Festival of Lights, and why the Menorah used during Chanukah is different than the "typical" Menorah (I will explain this in a separate post).

Below is an excerpt from Jonathan Bernis of Jewish Voice Ministries:

By Jonathan Bernis

The events we celebrate at Chanukah happened about 165 years before the birth of the Messiah. Like much of the rest of the world, Israel had been conquered by Alexander the Great. But he was a largely benevolent ruler, allowing the peoples he conquered to retain their religion and customs. After his death, Alexander’s kingdom was divided into four regions, and the Jews fell under the control of the Seleucids in Syria.

One hundred years after Alexander died, Antiochus IV, also called Antiochus Epiphanes, came to power. He greatly expanded the reach and control of the Syrian-based Empire. He had nearly conquered all of Egypt when the Romans stepped in and forced him to return to his native land. Not even Antiochus was willing to take on the power of Rome...

Antiochus placed a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple, and sacrificed a pig on the altar in the Holy of Holies to defile it. When the Jewish priests refused to eat the meat of the pig, he had their tongues cut out before having them killed. Eventually all biblical observance was outlawed, from circumcision to observing the holy mo’edim.

Many chose compromise and accepted a Hellenized form of life as Antiochus killed many adults and children as a terrifying warning to all who would not deny the true God and worship him.

A small band of Jewish People revolted against the cruelty of Antiochus under the leadership of Judas Maccabee (which means “the hammer”) and his brothers, and escaped to the mountains. They refused to bow their knee to a pagan god and they believed the prophecies of Daniel held promise that this “abomination” would only last for a limited time.

Judas and his small band of men fought from the hills and the countryside against the larger occupying Syrian army, and were miraculously successful in driving them out of the country and reestablishing Jewish independence. In 165 BCE the Temple was freed and rededicated to the God of Israel. This is the event that sparked what is known to us as Chanukah, but the Festival commemorates the dedication of the Temple rather than the military victory.

Before the Temple could be used again for sacrifices and worship, it had to be cleansed of its defilement. The stones in the Holy of Holies had been desecrated by pig’s blood. The rabbis faced a dilemma. The stones themselves were considered to be holy, because they had been in the presence of the Shekinah glory of God. But they were also defiled.

The rabbis could not agree on what to do, so the decision was made to pile up those stones in the area of the Temple known as Solomon’s Portico. This way the defiled stones were not in contact with the holy things, but neither were they removed from the Temple. The rabbis taught that when the Messiah came, He would tell them what they should do with the defiled stones. Keep that in mind, because as we’ll see, Yeshua would indeed come to that part of the Temple— during the Festival of Chanukah.

Another part of the cleansing process was to relight the lampstand, or menorah that stood in the Holy Place of the Temple. The menorah was commanded to burn continually before the LORD, called the n’er tamid, the eternal light. (Lev. 24:2) It could only be lit from consecrated olive oil.

But most of the oil had been defiled by the Syrians. The rabbis were only able to find enough oil to light the lamp for one day. It would take eight days to prepare a new supply of consecrated oil. Miraculously, the oil that should only have lasted for one day kept the menorah burning for eight full days. This is why Chanukah is often called the Festival of Lights, and why it is celebrated today by lighting candles.

Ahmadinejad Says US Planning To Prevent Coming of Mahdi

2009-12-08T10:56:00.002-05:00

My Comments: OK, so by now we all understand who the Mahdi is right? If you have read a few of my articles, you will know that I believe this Mahdi (aka Hidden Imam, or 12th Imam) to be the coming antichrist spoken of in the Bible.

Al Arabiya: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he has documented evidence that the United States is doing what it can to prevent the coming of the Mahdi, the Imam that Muslims believe will be ultimate savior of mankind, press reports said Monday.“We have documented proof that they [U.S.] believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts [Middle East] and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world,” the hard-line president said...

“They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule." (click here to read the entire article: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/12/07/93422.html

World Bank Gives Palestinian Authority $64 Million

2009-12-06T20:46:00.003-05:00

The headline didn't sound terrible (although it certainly didn't sound wise), but read the rest below:

Associated Press: The Palestinian Authority on Sunday signed an agreement with the World Bank and other donors for $64 million to help it prepare for statehood.

World Bank official Shamshad Akhtar says the goal was to boost Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan to set up institutions for a state within two years, though talks with Israel are stalemated.

My Comments: Hmmm... Talks with Israel are at a stalemate, yet they are making preparations for a Palestinian State, including the establishment of "institutions". I'm sure the financing couldn't have anything to do with the EU wanting to create the Palestinian State without regard to Israel. Totally coincidental...

Turkey Signs Contract With Jordan

2009-12-04T10:38:00.005-05:00

Examiner: "On December 1 Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Jordanian King Abdullah II agreed to abolish visa requirements between the two countries and create a free trade zone...
During his visit to Jordan Gul also opened an office in Qastal for a Turkish scheme to extract water from a Jordan's Disi aquifer. "Regional cooperation is a must to tackle water issues," said Gul.

President Gul took the opportunity to side with the Arabs against Israel, saying that the "Palestinian issue is not only a matter of Palestinians but of all Muslims. . . . The frictions in Jerusalem are not only a case of the Arabs. It is the case of all Muslims.”

Turkey, under the current mildly Islamist government, has clearly turned from its Western orientation to embrace a Muslim/Arab outlook. Turkey has been improving its relations with Syria, which in turn is Iran's most important Arab ally. A Turkish-Syrian-Iranian axis in the Middle East would be a worrying development. "
(To read the entire article, click here: http://www.examiner.com/x-4814-LA-Middle-Eastern-Policy-Examiner~y2009m12d3-Turkey-and-Jordan-sign-free-trade-agreement)

My comments: Turkey has certainly been busy creating alliances in the middle east (see the post from Dec 1, 2009). There is also no doubt that the current powers in Turkey are moving the country in a more "Islamic" direction, and they are doing it with speed and cunning.

I would expect the calls for the return of an Islamic Caliphate (one Islamic government to rule all Islamic countries) to become much louder in the near future.