Got time on my hands…I’m playing with the blog template & design. Hence my advance explanation of why the blog will soon be either gibberish or a black screen has been issued.
Tsunami anniversary: then and now
Today is the one-year anniversary of the Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. The power of God was made manifest before us all on that day, and there are some photos that I’ll never forget.
Tsunami Then and Now
Here is a photo essay of “The moment when the tsunami struck Japan and the same view today.” It is really interesting to see the before and after. God’s power and man’s industriousness…
I think of Job 9:1-10-
Then Job answered and said,
2I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
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Couple would have aborted daughter if not for botched test saying she was healthy, & other news
Some news for you this morning.
What is there to say about this first story? Except that God hates when parents pass their child though the fires to Molech, (Leviticus 18:21) and that each child is a gift from God. (Psalm 127:3). The parents say they are receiving death threats over this.
Victory for couple who said they ‘would have aborted daughter if they knew she had Down’s syndrome’ as jury forces hospital to pay $2.9million following botched test
“A couple who sued a hospital for not telling them their unborn child has Down’s syndrome has been awarded a $2.9million payout. Ariel and Deborah Levy, who say they would have had an abortion if they had known the child would be disabled, claimed they needed the money to pay for their daughter Kalanit’s lifelong care. And a jury agreed, deciding on Friday that Oregon’s Legacy Health hospital had been negligent in failing to diagnose the condition in a pre-natal scan. The hospital is considering appealing the verdict, but the Levys’ lawyer urged them to ‘let this case finally come to an end’.”
As we awaken today and prepare for congregational worship, it is a sad reality that a quarter of a million school children in Israel have had school canceled due to the number of rockets that have been shot at the southern end of the country. Worse, officials now fear an escalation that would include targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. If the Military officials in Israel have good grounds to fear this, then they have good grounds to fear this. They are not Nervous Nellies over there, and so we need to use our prayer time for Israel today.
Gaza terrorists might target Tel Aviv
“Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip continued Saturday night, and police are expressing concern that the current round of fighting could escalate. Police fear that terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip might use weapons that have not yet been seen – long-range rockets that could reach metropolitan Tel Aviv. The police and the IDF Home Front Command are not taking any chances, and are planning for the worst case scenario. A senior police official told Hebrew daily “Ma’ariv” that there are serious concerns that terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip might use weapons not yet employed.”
One thing I’ve noticed is that churches have become overextended lately because they inadvisably hopped on the Youth culture bandwagon. Suddenly the churches around where I live are renovating or adding on so that their youth can have a space like a darkened loft where The Beat Generation used to hang out and jam to Kerouac poetry. These building additions have fancy lighting, sound stages, concert quality amplifiers, couches to hang out on etc. All some of these places need is a booth and Phil Spector creating a Wall of Sound. Here is an essay/video interview from the Gospel Coalition on “The Idolatry of Youth Culture in Worship”. In the 17 min interview they talk about the current entrapments of youth in America, whether it be fashion or music or celebrity culture etc. and how they get into a hamster wheel of always needing to be fresher or onto the next new thing. Sometimes the next new things means spending a lot of money to satisfy the wants and lusts of Youth in the church space to make it sensuous rather than worshipful.
The Idolatry of Youth Culture in Worship
“Worship leaders often talk about the tension between performance and worship. It’s easy to get drawn into the spectacle of music in the church, with our primary examples and role models being professionals—often young, beautiful, and enormously talented.”
Sunday is the Lord’s Day. He sent us a letter from heaven to read, to fill us with truth, to establish us as His own, to provide spiritual food. Once we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we understand that He is the Word and that His word is not only authoritative, but inerrant.
“The Eternal Word: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5).
Do you believe the bible is truly God’s word? That everything in it is authoritative and useful for our lives? (2 Timothy 3:16). Or do you pick and choose what you want to believe, saying “Well the flood surely is allegorical…well Jonah surely wasn’t swallowed by a big fish…”?
If you are not sure, here are some resources for you to read and then pray to the Spirit to help you understand that the bible is sure, perfect, and all we need for understanding of God’s ways and His Son.
Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry:
Are the Scriptures Sufficient?
GotQuestions:
Is the bible truly God’s word?
Answers in Genesis:
Is the bible authoritative and inerrant
Tim Challies:
What does inerrant mean?
John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
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Churches being foreclosed on in increasing numbers
This is a sad story. But there is a hopeful side. 🙂
Banks foreclosing on US churches in record numbers
“Banks are foreclosing on America’s churches in record numbers as lenders increasingly lose patience with religious facilities that have defaulted on their mortgages, according to new data. The surge in church foreclosures represents a new wave of distressed property seizures triggered by the 2008 financial crash, analysts say, with many banks no longer willing to grant struggling religious organizations forbearance. Since 2010, 270 churches have been sold after defaulting on their loans, with 90 percent of those sales coming after a lender-triggered foreclosure, according to the real estate information company CoStar Group. In 2011, 138 churches were sold by banks, an annual record, with no sign that these religious foreclosures are abating, according to CoStar. That compares to just 24 sales in 2008 and only a handful in the decade before. black and white, but with small to medium size houses of worship the worst. Most of these institutions have ended up being purchased by other churches. The highest percentage have occurred in some of the states hardest hit by the home foreclosure crisis: California, Georgia, Florida and Michigan.”
This is a church in GA that has a hard time to keep going. It has been opened, closed, sold, renovated, closed again…
When I first arrived in Georgia, I was astounded to see the number of churches that seemed to adorn each corner. “There are a lot of churches,” I thought. “This must be a very religious place.”
When I traveled on the ice breaking ship Relais Nordik to Blanc Sablon on the border of Quebec and Labrador/Newfoundland, there was a church on the tundra. Its white clapboard stood out starkly against the springy green tundra moss.
To help you get a picture of where Blanc Sablon is, here is a map–
I thought, “Wow, the church is so far-reaching, even the tiniest place at the edge of the continent has a church.”
It is easy to identify the church with the buildings that we see. And for a large part, it is. We are commanded to congregate as Hebrews 10:25 tells us. It is the building where we praise Jesus, sing, minister, tithe, encourage each other and hear the Word. It is appropriate to identify the building where we do those things with the church itself. But be careful not to exclusively identify His church with the buildings we commonly see.
But the building is not the Church. His body of believers is the Church. (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 10:17, 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12, Hebrews 13:3).
We are told that the church will grow weaker and less effectual as we near the end, and that many who were only Christians on the outside will fall away. (Revelation 3:8; 2 Thes. 2:3). We are seeing that now. Youths are leaving the church in droves, people are falling away from regular attendance, and in general the buildings are less and less central to a community’s spiritual and moral compass. It is no wonder that in these apostate times that church buildings, with the maintenance required, cannot be maintained. You can’t pay a pastor and support a building with only 50 people tithing.
But the Church is the body of believers scattered worldwide! We will soon be gathered to Him in the rapture and the dead resurrected, and the glorified saints of the Church Age will be in heaven, finally together in Him. No matter how empty your church building is becoming, remember that His Church is spotless, full, glowing, sanctified, holy, and He is as eager to gather us as a hen is to gather her chicks. (Luke 13:34).
Yes, it is sad that churches are failing. With the power given to us by the Holy Spirit, nothing should be impossible for us in Him (Mark 9:23). Christians should be more energized as they grow, not less. But the world has caught us, and many are falling and the churches with them. But His Church will never fail! Because the Church is not the building! Yes, churches are on every corner, yes churches are all across the world. The buildings are not His Church.
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:13-18)
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Mysterious flash caught on news cameras still mystifies
File this under things that make me go “huh”
Explosion-like flash of light over Phoenix’s skies seen during newscast remains a mystery
“A large, fleeting flash of light that appeared in the darkened skies over the northwestern edge of metropolitan Phoenix remains a mystery. The ball of light that looked like an explosion was captured by a traffic camera on Interstate 17 around 4:45 a.m. Thursday and happened to be broadcast by KSAZ-TV when the station showed footage of the roadway during a report on the morning’s commute. The two electric utilities that serve metro Phoenix say they didn’t have any reports of electric transformer explosions that might explain the flash. Damon Gross, a spokesman for Arizona Public Service, says a blown fuse on a transformer can produce a flash, but he said the utility had no such report Thursday morning. “It’s a mystery to us as well. I can’t even offer a guess,” said Doug Nintzel, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Transportation…” more at link
Video of the flash:
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Introducing the Iran War Clock
It’s ten minutes to midnight and there is a 48% chance of war with Iran…according to a new clock that tracks these things
It’s 10 Minutes to Midnight: Introducing The Iran War Clock
War or peace in the Middle East amounts to a coin toss. The probability that the United States or Israel will strike Iran in the next year is 48 percent according to a new project that predicts the chances of conflict–the Iran War Clock. And as a result, the clock is set to 10 minutes to midnight.”
“How does the Iran War Clock work?
“We’ve assembled a high-profile panel of experts from the policy world, academia, and journalism to periodically predict the odds of conflict. Each panelist makes an individual estimate about the percentage chance of war and we report the average score. Based on this number, we adjust the Iran War Clock so that the hand moves closer to, or further away from, midnight.”
Points to consider:
1. The odds of war in the Middle East are NOT based on a coin toss. They are based on the Word of God.
2. Therefore the odds of war in the Middle East are 100%. Read Ezekiel 38-39, Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Psalm 83, Joel 2, Revelation 19…
3. Though the Iran War Clock is man’s attempt to quantify the future and therefore is not accurate like God’s Word is, it does tell us that the handwriting is on the wall. The secular world sees what is coming. They do not believe it is based on the bible, but they see it nonetheless.
So do we. O Lord, come soon!
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This N That for you
I’m currently reading “The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys (History of Evangelicalism Series)”. It is good. It is the inaugural book in a series that charts the course of English-speaking evangelicalism over the last 300 years. I’m fascinated by the lives of Edwards and Wesley and I’m thrilled to be getting familiar with Whitefield.
I bought “What Is a Healthy Church Member?” part of the IX Marks series. The blurb says “God intends for us to play an active and vital part in the body of Christ, the local church. He wants us to experience the local church as a home more profoundly wonderful and meaningful than any other place on earth. He intends for his churches to be healthy places and for the members of those churches to be healthy as well. This book explains how membership in the local church can produce spiritual growth in its members and how each member can contribute to the growth and health of the whole.”
I also bought “Expository Listening: A Practical Handbook for Hearing and Doing God’s Word.” The blurb says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”––James 1:22 In many people’s mind, if they don’t get anything out of the sermon, it’s the preacher’s fault. But that’s only half true. The Bible teaches that listeners must partner with the preacher so that the Word of God accomplishes its intended purpose of transforming their life. Expository Listening is your handbook on biblical listening. It is designed to equip you not only to understand what true, biblical preaching sounds like, but also how to receive it, and ultimately, what to do about it. You need to know how to look for the Word of God, to love the Word of God, and to live the Word of God. In this way, God and His Word will be honored and glorified through your life.”
They are both small and short books, and I’m looking forward to digging in during our Spring Vacation. I already have a good biblical grounding on the two topics from my studies, so now I’m looking forward to enacting the principles even better than I try to do now. I can improve. I want to improve. These books will help me do that.
I don’t know about you but the constant touting of personal visits to heaven or personal visits/visions from Jesus on earth are getting on my nerves. Justin Peters does a great job in this video of summarizing the problems with these visits and goes into more detail in the article linked below.
Your Best Afterlife Now – An Examination and Critique of Claimed Visits to Heaven and Hell, by Justin Peters
This next story is a movement that seeks to redefine what womanhood is.
Proud to be a slut
“SlutWalk, a tradition that started a year ago in Canada, is making its way to Israel this month, according to Haaretz.com. The event was inspired by a Canadian policeman who said that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” Women who reject this attitude protested in Toronto last year and since then SlutWalks have been held all over the world.SlutWalks (Mitzad Sharmutot in Hebrew) will be held in Tel Aviv on March 16, in Haifa a week later and in Jerusalem in April.What is the Signification? Reclaiming the word “slut” is the aim of SlutWalks. And thanks to Rush Limbaugh’s flagrant use of the word in reference to Sandra Fluke last week, the global protest couldn’t be more timely.”
This next story out of Israel mirrors one in Florida USA. At root, these two stories about lesbian motherhood – among many others like them – are redefining what motherhood is. More on that in a moment.
Israeli court recognizes lesbian couple as mothers of child
“The Ramat Gan Family Court decided Sunday, in a precedential verdict, to recognize both women of a lesbian couple as the mothers of a baby boy.”
Redefining womanhood and motherhood is part of a progression Paul warned us about in Romans 1:18-32. First, men suppress the evidence of God that is clear in the world. Then because they fail to honor Him, their hearts become darkened. They become foolish. God gives them over to what their hearts want to do: indulge their impure lusts. Then those lusts become depraved as men seek to lie with each other. Things get worse still, for the women then seek to lie with each other. “…and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1:27). In verse 26 Paul says “even the women” did these things. This is significant.
The 19th century commenter Charles Hodge said, “Paul first refers to the degradation of females among the heathen because they are always the last to be affected in the decay of morals and their corruption is therefore proof that all virtue is lost.”
In other words, when the women go, society goes.
Now for the lighthearted link:
Why do cats rule the internet?
A Scientific Explanation
“Cats may not be man’s best friend, but they’re arguably something even better: man’s key to instant Internet pageviews.”
LOL cats. I Can Haz Ceeezburger. Ha. Have a good weekend, all!
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Stop coddling heresy
I am heartbroken every day at the increasing encroachment of apostasy in Christians. I saw on Erin Benzinger’s blog Do Not Be Surprised, this clip from WretchedTV called “Stop Coddling Heresy“. It is about 4 minutes, and features Pastor Steve Lawson preaching about John Knox’s stand for the Gospel to Mary Queen of Scots. He explains that it is the standing on the Word that pierces the heart, not accommodating culture, building bridges, or diluting the message. It is understanding of our wretched state of total depravity that allows us to see the grace of God and our need for Jesus.
Knox stood up to the Queen, and remember this one was called Bloody Mary because her usual response to people challenging her was to chop off their head. Lawson explains the power of the Gospel and how it pierces sinning hearts, and how desperately we need the truth proclaimed from the pulpit. Mary’s response to Knox was a knee-swooning, heart wrenching praise to the Lord. This climactic moment in Lawson’s clip where Mary capitulates is then juxtaposed with some words from Joel Osteen. I won’t transcribe the piece because the power is in hearing. Faith comes by hearing doesn’t it? (Romans 10:17). I urge you to take a moment to listen, it isonly and when it gets to 4 minutes. Osteen, the juxtaposition of the two men, Knox and Osteen, one right after another, is devastating. Please, please, listen to “Stop Coddling Heresy.”
I was at a place the other day where I saw an Osteen book on the table with a bookmark in it. And next to it a little ways away was another Osteen book, this one also with a bookmark in it. Osteen presents a different Gospel. He touts a different god who is no god. Osteen’s god is not the God of sin and judgment and repentance. He is the coach in the sky who will give you a good parking place at the mall as you go in to spend money Osteen’s god has sent you because you are “favored” to have your best life now.
The watering down of the Word and of His doctrines and of a solid Christian life makes me shake my head. Bending my knees I ask the Lord to sweep us up to Him, because the faithlessness in His name is unbearable.
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Two State Solution is dead, in comes the One State Solution
By the time of the Tribulation, the bible shows us, world hatred of Israel and His People will be an an all-time high. ‘Higher than WWII and the Holocaust?’ you ask. Yes. That’s because the Tribulation will be a time when evil is allowed to prevail.
“He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” (Revelation 13:7) and of course this verse refers to the antichrist.
The run-up to that time will be similar to the Holocaust, where hate rises incrementally, slowly at first but then rapidly. As in the years and days prior to WWII, there were attitudes preached and promoted, laws passed, and doctrines set which cultivated hatred against Jews. It is the same now. ‘But surely Evangelical Christians who know the bible and understand how important Israel is to God and the world will not abandon her?!’ you may wonder. Yes, they will. It is happening now. Here’s why.
Part of the problem in evangelical circles is the acceptance of amillennialism and Replacement Theology. Before WWII, it took years for anti-Semitism to come to full fruition so evilly that it caused the historical actions that now draw a gasp that they even occurred. The anti-Semitism was there, bubbling and percolating until it burst full force like pus from a boil.
Replacement theology teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. People who believe in Replacement Theology believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, that the covenant is either fulfilled or abandoned, and that God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel.
This is a dangerous belief, because it unhinges our actions from the covenant which God told to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3). Israel is the world’s fulcrum. If there is no Israel, there is no cause and effect, it becomes a flat playing field.
Amillennialism is just as devastating a doctrine to hold, both for Israel and for the Nations, because it leads to the same outcome: a disbelief that God means what he says and that Israel no longer matters. Amillennialism is the name given to the belief that there will not be a literal 1000-year reign of Christ. Though many, many scriptures speak of this earthly reign in specific and dimensional terms, amillennialists say that it won’t happen, or is happening now, of has happened in the past, or is a spiritual event, not a physical one. In sum, it is a belief that the Kingdom is figurative.
What these dangerous doctrines add up to is a vacuum in the plan of God where He blanketed the world with His demonstration of love for His chosen people and the warnings that come with harming them. People groups en masse are withdrawing their belief in these things and therefore support for Israel erodes. Nature abhors a vacuum and satan is only too happy to fill it with hatred. Look at the Tribulation time, when evil is allowed to prevail: satan comes at them full bore. Revelation 12:13-17 shows us the moment that satan is banished from heaven. In his anger, for he knows he has but a little time, he persecutes Israel, and failing that, he turns his evil anger on Christians. (Revelation 12:13-17).
Let’s take a look at the world today and do a barometer check for love of or hatred of Israel.
You know that for many years, the peace process in the Middle East hinged on instituting a Two State Solution. This means that attempts were made to diplomatically enact a state whereby the “Palestinians” and the Israelis could live side by side in peace in a mututally acknowledged state. The two-state solution envisages the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.
You know that recently it has been reluctantly acknowledged that the Two State solution has failed. It is diplomatically and in all other ways defunct because in general the whole peace process is dead.
Now here is an axiom. I made this up. Because we are in the last days of the last days, because evil is rising and will be allowed to come to complete fruition, things are not going to get better. When one thing passes away, a worse thing will replace it. That is my axiom.
And we have an example of that: the Two State Solution has passed away, and now we have calls for a ONE-State solution. Here are a few examples from the last two weeks:
‘One-state solution’ campaign promoted in West Bank
“A recently launched campaign in the West Bank calls on Palestinians and Israelis to desert the two-state solution and form one democratic state in its place. This coordinated effort comes in wake of the negotiation freeze between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. A group by the name of Takamul (“Integration”) seems to be the campaign’s chief sponsor. Posters calling for “one democratic state for five million Arabs and six million Jews” were hung in Palestinian cities across the West Bank.”
Christ at the Checkpoint” conference is a misguided attempt to defend Palestinians
“Certain segments of evangelical Christianity are being drawn away from the movement’s traditional support for Israel by those claiming the moral high ground in advocating for “social justice.” Many of these liberal, anti-Israel Evangelicals are showing up at the “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference in Bethlehem this week. They invariably view Israel as an occupying power oppressing the Palestinians. They use Israel’s security “Wall” as a prominent symbol of the “injustices” being committed against the Palestinians. One has to admit that the imagery is powerful and it takes well informed minds to counter them.”
“The lack of information has started to dupe many Evangelicals, who are being shamed into abandoning Israel because they are supposedly uncompassionate and blocking peace. Indeed, this new initiative aims to totally discredit pro-Israel Evangelicals with clever lies and distortions. As David Solway recently observed in this paper, “The usual understanding of Israel as an aggressive, colonial, apartheid state robbing the Palestinians of their heritage is quite possibly the greatest political scam of modern times. It is the outcome of a mixture of historical amnesia, ideological prejudice and reflex hostility, which keep it mind-proof.”
The above excerpt from the Jerusalem Post refers to a conference being held in Bethlehem right now which targets Christian evangelicals, and proposes a one state solution.
Harvard to host conference of hate
“Harvard University is going to be hosting a conference entitled “One State Conference: Israel/Palestine and the One State Solution,” scheduled to take place March 3-4. According to the “Vision and Goals” of the conference, as outlined by its website:“To date, the only Israel/Palestine solution that has received a fair rehearsal in mainstream forums has been the two-state solution. Our conference will help to expand the range of academic debate on this issue. Thus, our main goal is to educate ourselves and others about the possible contours of a one-state solution and the challenges that stand in the way of its realization.”
The conference was sold out.
And this from Ammon News (Jordan)
A Declaration from Beit Sahour calls for One-State Solution
(Beit Sahour is a town near Bethlehem, Israel, and is reputed to be close to the place where, according to the New Testament, an angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.)
“If a two-state solution is not workable or achievable, the logical conclusion would inevitably lead to a one-state solution. The general view in the Middle East is that the relentless proliferation of settlements throughout the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 has made the very concept of creating a viable Palestinian state, let alone one with East Jerusalem as its capital, unrealistic if not far-fetched.”
The article continues, and get this–
“Declaration from Beit Sahour:
“A group of pro-peace activists based in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank in conjunction with a number of international activists the most prominent of whom is Roger Higginson, a London based international negotiator and a member of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition (ICHAD) are promoting a one-state for two nations. Their collaborations resulted in a “Declaration from Beit Sahour” which calls for a one-state solution. Beit Sahour is a Palestinian Christian town close to Bethlehem. Higginson is a firm believer in a single state for all the inhabitants of historical Palestine. Higginson believes a single state should not represent a threat to the Jewish citizens of Israel. Both communities lived in peace in the past, and there is no inherent reason why they cannot do so again today.”
Do you see the progression here? Israel is surrounded on all sides spiritually and geographically. It is dealing with external pressure from the ancient enemy to dismantle their state. And make no mistake, a “One State Solution” is really a call for the dismantling of Israel. Israel is dealing with attacks at their most supportive base: Christian Evangelicals, targeting them both in the US and within their own borders. This widening gap between Jews and Christians in politics, geography and belief will come to fruition in the Tribulation- a lonely and alone Israeli State…
“For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.” (Zechariah 11:16).
That ‘Worthless Shepherd’ is the antichrist. (Zechariah 11:17). The conditions upon which those conditions will be fulfilled are rapidly coming together. When Israel cannot trust the American president nor count on support from Christian Evangelicals, when Israeli postmen refuse to deliver New Testaments, where the population of the very town where the Angels announced Jesus’ birth turns against its own heritage and homeland, you know that their last bastion of support is almost eroded.
This is because it must be so. As Israel faces an increasingly hostile world, she will be forced to stop looking around her for support, and instead look UP. (Zechariah 12:10). And God will show Himself holy to the world, defend His nation and His people, and amillennialists and replacement theologians will see just how wrong they were.
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. … Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’ (Ezekiel 38:18, 23)
Praise God for His faithfulness! His Covenant lasts forever! His Kingdom will come!
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UK Pastor rewrites Ten Commandments; AKA God needs an editor
De l’audace, encore de l’audace, et toujours de l’audace. This is a famous French saying from rebel Georges Danton who was whipping up fervor for the French Revolution. The full quote goes, “Pour les vaincre, messieurs, il nous faut de l’audace, encore de l’audace, et toujours de l’audace et la Patrie sera sauvée!” Translated, it means: “To defeat them, gentlemen, we need audacity, still more audacity, and audacity forever, and the Fatherland will be saved!”‘
One may think that the UK’s ‘popular evangelical pastor J John’ in the UK had coined the phrase. At the very least, he embodies it. He decided to rewrite God’s Ten Commandments. You know, the ones graven on stone by God Himself. J John thought they needed updating. What he is really saying by doing this is that God needs an editor.
“Using short, simple language interspersed with slang the new rules have now been released on a DVD… The Reverend Paul Roberts, 54, vicar of St John the Evangelist in Old Coulsdon, Surrey, which dates back to 1210 AD, is among those using the new commandments. He said: “It’s basically a way of presenting the Ten Commandments to help people connect with them in a positive way. “Rather than just seeing them as a list of things you shouldn’t do, it is meant to help people live as God intended for our good. “Unlike the dos and don’ts most people imagine when quizzed about the maker’s instructions, the message is meant to be both a challenge and an encouragement.”
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| Two ‘commandments’ are blank because the story is so new I haven’t be able to find a report that contains all ten edited ones. I’ll update as it fills in. |
We’re still recovering from the Wycliffe scandal, whereupon the translators decided to substitute Allah for the name of God, and downplay Jesus as God to a position of Allah’s Messiah. I am not making that up. Read here, and here. This essay, “Jumping from the Sinking Wycliffe Ship: Why Theology Matters” provides an insider’s view (who resigned over the increasingly troublesome translation methodology at Wycliffe as it relates to Muslims) with specifics. It is worth reading.
Now God is being re-written and the commandments diluted. Apostasy is heightening to a sickening level.
Did you notice in the re-written commandments that they changed to positive works from man rather than an authoritative forbidden list from God? Man sure hates authority. That is ultimately the issue, all the way back to the Garden, and before, with satan. Satan rebelled against God’s authority. God is the first word and the last word, but satan wanted to exalt himself above that (Isaiah 14:13-14). Eve dispensed with the ONE commandment God had given (Don’t eat the fruit) and ever since, we have sought ways to substitute our own will for His commands. The above list accomplishes that.
It is one thing to endure a false doctrine, which is bad enough, but to change the commandments and to re-name God is unconscionable heresy. These are not one-person isolated incidents, either. The Wycliffe translating team has 6,600 short-term and career members. I do not know the numbers involved with the particular “Allah” translating debacle but it is safe to say that it is numerous, with the result that if the bible had continued to be translated that it would be sent to hundreds if not millions inside Muslim nations.
The re-written 10 commandments debacle also is a widespread apostasy. The UK Telegraph article says that the re-written commandments are being adopted by hundreds of churches throughout the nation, which affects thousands of congregants. It is safe to assume that the two incidents are not isolated, personal apostasies but rather widespread rejection of God’s authority affecting whole cultures.
Rebellion against God is increasing to an almost painful level. Jesus prophesied this. “Matthew 24:37-38: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,” (Genesis chapters 6&7.) I interpret this to mean that everything is going on as normal in society until BLAM, the judgment cometh. The normal things are eating, planting, marrying etc- the foundational things that have always undergirded society. Therefore the time Jesus spoke of could be now.
The time just prior to Noah’s entry into the ark was the most evil time on earth that had or has ever happened to date. Gen. 6:11-12 “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”
What could be more corrupt than changing God’s name to a false God in His Holy word? Or re-writing the commands He has given us? The earth IS corrupt before God.
I’m so grateful, though, that He has a plan, and anyone who calls on His name for salvation will be saved from His plan, which is to punish the world and judge sinners. If you repent of your sins, calling on Him to save you from this punishment, He will. The punishment is coming, to earth, and when you die, you remain in punishment forever, in hell. You can escape all these things by repenting, and His anger at your sins will dissipate to love and forgiveness. His love is very real…but so is His anger at sinners who challenge His authority and rebel against it. Audacity and more audacity as Georges Danton called for, will not work. The Christian’s call should be Humility, more humility and humility forever! Why?
Our God: “For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.” (Psalms 86:10)
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