Date 6/2/15
PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES
Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines
HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY
http://www.trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
'Something Else Coming In September: UN Resolution
Establishing Palestinian State?'
Former security official: Time for reassessment of basic
peace-making assumptions
Israel says UN grants NGO status to Hamas-linked group
Israeli Envoy Criticizes UN for Recognizing Hamas Front
Group
Gold: World media misled by Hamas version of summer war
US NSA spy program ends, could impact Israeli anti-terror
efforts
Kindergarten students in east Jerusalem act out IDF
murdering Palestinian
Jeb Bush: Move US Embassy to Jerusalem
After FIFA tussle, PM warns of global campaign to 'blacken
Israel's name'
UK, France decline to take part in Israel defense expo in Tel
Aviv
'German magazine manufactured diplomatic crisis with
Israel'
Belgian police officer facing dismissal over threat to kill
Jews
Wikipedia votes to keep controversial election day
Netanyahu comments on site
'Contrary to Obama's claims, Iran increased its nuclear fuel
stockpiles'
Ambassador Bolton Says Israel Must Strike Iran Soon
Obama: No military solution to Iran's nuclear program
Obama: I understand Israel's concerns, fears on Iran
White House: Iran nuclear talks can continue despite Kerry's
injury
Requiring surgery, Kerry hopes for in-person role at Iran
talks endgame
Russia to Start Construction On New Iranian Nuke Plant
4.4 Earthquake Hits Iranian Nuclear Plant
Islamic State supporters in Gaza give Hamas 48-hour
ultimatum
Islamic State advance failure of world - Iraqi PM
ISIS suicide attack kills at least 38 Iraqi police officer
Islamic State Advances Further Into Syria's Aleppo Province
IS suicide attackers slow Iraq's Ramadi counterattack
Syrian Druse could flee to Israel as Assad may abandon
them to ISIS
'2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone': Iraq reveals number of US
arms falling into ISIS hands
US transfers some 2,000 anti-tank missiles to Iraqis
Islamic State recruits Westerners with promise of Muslim
utopia
ISIS Kidnaps Over 500 Children in Iraq Who Could Be Used
as Suicide Bombers, Gov't Officials Claim
Men brace for 'beard patrols' in Iraq's IS-held Mosul
Why Saudi Arabia Is Vulnerable to the Islamic State
U.S. Supreme Court rules for Muslim woman denied job at
clothing store
Russian planes, U.S. warship have close encounter near
Crimea
Hacked Emails Expose George Soros As Ukraine PuppetMaster
Rand Paul Slams Establishment Republicans, Declares
Victory Over NSA
Acting TSA head reassigned after watchdog report reveals
airport security failings
European Leaders Assemble for Urgent Meeting on Greek
Crisis
Germany's Low Birth Rates Surpass Japan's, Threatens
Economy
New York food banks ask state for $16 million as need rises
NASA preps revolutionary 'flying sauce' test flight
Series of 7 earthquakes hit off Oregon coast
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Southern Mid-Atlantic
Ridge
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Tanaga Volcano, Alaska
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Barranca, Peru
Hurricane Andres' Swells May Cause Dangerous Surf, Rip
Conditions
Tropical Storm Blanca Expected to Become Major Hurricane
Drone Footage of Dallas Flooding
India heat wave kills 2,330 people as millions wait for rain
Pentagon's anthrax scandal spreads to Canada
South Korea has first two Mers deaths
Government Wipes Recent Vaccine Injury Data from Website
Study: Painkillers, Anti-Anxiety Medications Linked To
Increased Risk Of Homicide
Marijuana church given tax-exempt status in Indiana:
'Somebody at the IRS loves us'
Caitlyn Jenner, Formerly Bruce, Introduces Herself in Vanity
Fair
Caitlyn Jenner Suffered Massive Panic Attack After Facial
Feminization Surgery: "What Did I Just Do?"
A Gay Atheist Speaks a Timely Word to the Church
Church of England decline accelerates, while other faiths
grow
PROPHECY UPDATE NEWSLETTER
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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
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First Hamas-ISIS firefight in Gaza - "Islamic State of
Jerusalem" supporters sighted on Israeli border
Blood Sacrifice
Russia to begin building Iran's 2nd nuclear power
plant this year
Nearing Midnight: Progressive Thinking Prophetic
Is Your Calling Clear?
Supreme Court's prophetic ruling to establish Sharia
Law
Daily Devotion: Sin's Greatest Deterrent
Featured Article: Since You Were Gone...
First Hamas-ISIS firefight in Gaza - "Islamic State of
Jerusalem" supporters sighted on Israeli border www.debka.com
ISIS supporters were shot dead in Gaza Tuesday, June 2, in their first firefight
with Hamas forces come to arrest them. The Islamists had planted a bomb
trap in their hideout. The showdown occurred 48 hours after the Ansar al
Dawa al-Islamia, renamed "Supporters of the Islamic State of Jerusalem,"
gave Hamas a 48-hour ultimatum to end its crackdown on the group and
release dozens of Islamists held for a series of attacks. debkafile: ISIS fighters
were spotted for the first time this week on the Gazan-Israeli border. They
have threatened to target Eilat Port.
debkafile first reported Monday, June 1, on the appearance of ISIS on the
Israeli border with details.
Followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were spotted for the first
time in the Gaza Strip this week, debkafile's military sources report. Their
arrival on Israel's border was confirmed as a division-strength IDF force
launched its large-scale "Turning Point 2015" exercise for repelling Islamist
cross-border incursions. The Islamist group which has established a
substantial anti-Hamas presence in the Gaza Strip is Ansar al Dawa alIslamia, renamed "Supporters of the Islamic State of Jerusalem."
Israeli, Egyptian and Hamas' military sources are all concerned to make light
of this development. When asked, they say that the group's nature and scope
have not yet been evaluated. Western and Middle East governments took the
same tack two years ago, when ISIS first embarked on its calamitous course in
Syria.
debkafile's military sources point to eight signs of the ISIS presence in the
Gaza Strip:
1. In the last 48 hours, Hamas security authorities have suddenly set up
scores of roadblocks across the Strip, including Gaza City.
2. They acted after senior Hamas security officer Sabah Siam was murdered
Saturday, May 30, by a gang of five gunmen sporting ISIS insignia.
Hamas tried pretending that the officer died in a bomb planted in his vehicle by
a local rival faction. But the attack was too public to be concealed. The ISIS
gunmen burst into a shop owned by the officer's family in the center of Gaza
City while he was visiting. They cut him down in front of his relatives and
dozens of passersby, none of whom made any move to stop them as they
made off in two vehicles.
The terrorists later issued a communiqué saying: "Sabah Siam was liquidated
because he was a partner in a war declared against religion and against
Muslims working for the heretical government in the Gaza Strip."
In a declaration of war, ISIS warned the Palestinian Hamas to "end its war
against religion in Gaza or face the consequences."
3. Israeli and Egyptian security services, most likely in conjunction with
Hamas, set up a tight ring of bodyguards to protect German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier against possible assassins when he visited Gaza
Monday, June 1. He insisted on going through with his visit in the face of the
internecine Islamist fighting which had erupted in the Palestinian-ruled
territory.
4. On the day of the visit, Ansar al Dawa al-Islamia posted a social media
notice calling on Gazans to discontinue their cooperation with the "heretical
Hamas regime."
5. The same group also claimed responsibility for a string of bombings outside
Hamas headquarters and offices in Gaza during the month of May.
6. On May 8, the ISIS Sinai branch Ansar Bait Maqdis shelled the Hamas
facility in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
7. On May 28, ISIS-Sinai threatened to "target Eilat Port in the coming days,"
as a joint project with the ISIS wing in the Gaza Strip, which would also attack
Hamas's military arm, Ezz e-din Al-Qassam, and take control of the Gaza
Strip.
8. debkafile's counter-terror sources report that Ansar al Dawa is preparing to
declare the Gaza Strip a province of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Blood Sacrifice - Louis René Beres http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/17003#.VW3HUs9Vikr
Understanding the roots of Arab terror violence against Israel
Supporters of peace plans and a "Two-State Solution" refuse to understand
the core origins of Arab terrorism against Israel. Projecting their own very
generic conceptions of Western history upon the contemporary Middle East,
these supporters of "peace" are still imprisoned within standard explanatory
frameworks of economic disenchantment and rising expectations. Clinging
stubbornly to what they had first learned in Political Science 101, they ignore
what is already right before their eyes; explicit, stark, and thoroughly
unambiguous:
Palestinian Arab terrorism is ultimately a conscious and current expression of
primal blood sacrifice, the blood of "The Jews." For these terrorists, violence
against "The Jews" is always an expression of what must be held sacred.
Among Arab terrorists, violence and the sacred are inseparable. To
understand the rationale and operation of Palestinian terrorism against Israel,
therefore, it is first necessary to understand PLO/Hamas/Islamic Jihad
conceptions of the sacred. From these pertinent ideas, it will become clear
that Arab terror against "The Jews" is, at its heart, always a primitive or primal
form of religious worship.
In the representative words of Othman Abu Gharbiya, once Deputy Chief of
the National and Political Guidance Bureau of Fatah (Al-Hayat AlJadida): "We must always be prepared to sacrifice our blood, as in the
beginning....and as we will continue to sacrifice. Fatah is a movement of blood
sacrifice....Our people gave the world a chance, and unless the world takes
this opportunity, violence and havoc will come."
For the Palestinians, all diplomatic settlement is patently subterfuge. Only one
path can truly fulfil the will of God concerning "The Jews:" Jihad and Sacrifice.
Speaking to Palestinian security forces in Gaza in 2001, Yasser Arafat
remarked: "They will fight for Allah, and they will kill and be killed, and this is a
solemn oath....Our blood is cheap compared with the cause which has brought
us together....but shortly we will meet again in heaven...." Central to this
revealing remark is the duality of sacrificial behavior; the fighters "will kill and
be killed....." Victory for the Palestinian people will come when both the Jews
and the Arab "martyrs" suffer death. But while death for "The Jews" will be
final and unheroic, a tangible confirmation of inherent Jewish limitations, death
for the Palestinians will be only a temporary inconvenience on the way to
immortality.
Significantly, it is only by killing Jews, and subsequently being killed by Jews,
that authentic freedom from death can be realized. This is the true meaning of
Islamic terrorism against Israel; the "bottom line" rationale. It is a form of
sacred violence oriented toward the sacrifice of both enemies and
martyrs. Always, it is through the purposeful killing of Jews, that the
Palestinian embarked upon jihad can buy himself free from the penalty of
dying.
That is no small reward.
Once Israel has finally understood that terrorism is an activity related to
sacrifice, it will be on the way to more effective counterterrorism. Until now,
this is an understanding - like certain other aspects of Israeli security planning
- that has lent itself to insubstantial thought. For the future, Palestinian
terrorism should be approached, at least in part, as a violent and sacred act of
mediation between Arab sacrificers and their deity. With such a newly
informed approach, Israel could at last begin to fashion its counterterrorist
strategy upon more suitably serious intellectual foundations.
Yasser Arafat once pledged: "The Palestinian people are prepared to sacrifice
the last boy and the last girl so that the Palestinian flag will be flown over the
walls, the churches, and the mosques of Jerusalem." Here, the PLO
Chairman was not speaking of a purely political kind of sacrifice. Rather,
pointing toward death in the context of "holy war," it is a sacrifice wherein
palpable disappearance will befall only "The Jews." and where "the last boy
and the last girl" will find only eternal life.
For the Palestinians who regard terrorism as sacrifice, it is a sacred violence
that rewards doubly. Killing the despised Jew while simultaneously killing
death for the Muslim, Palestinian sacrificial terror represents the altogether
optimal fusion of religion and politics. Moreover, such terror also fulfils the
timeless function of sacrifice, which is to quell violence within the community,
and to prevent intra-communal conflicts from erupting or overflowing.
What lessons can be learned from this for more effective Israeli
counterterrorism? One answer emerges from a more general investigation of
sacrifice. Looking over several thousand years of history, all sacrificial victims
are invariably distinguishable from nonsacrificeable beings by one essential
trait: between these victims and the community a crucial social link is missing,
so that they can be sacrificed without fear of reprisal.
The practice of sacred violence via sacrifice is always one that can be
undertaken without risk of vengeance. In sacrifice, the victim, who lacks a
champion, is struck down without fear of reprisal.
Ironically, this feeling of immunity from Israeli and Jewish vengeance
permeates the Palestinian terrorist community. When the Israeli "post-Zionist"
Left responds to each act of terror with self-criticism and degrading
submission, the Jewish nation of terror victims reinforces the idea that Arab
forces are engaged in authentically sacrificial behavior. Revolted by a
mourning people that continues with a fraudulent "peace" no matter what, and
that even scrapes its own flesh and blood from sidewalk altars without inflicting
decisive punishment, these Arabs believe ever more strongly that what they do
absolutely must be sacred.
For Israel's Palestinian Arab "partners in peace," terrorism is a form of blood
sacrifice. It will not cease in response to any further Israeli "redeployments". It
will assuredly not end if a Palestinian state is declared in Judea, Samaria and
Gaza. It will end only when the doctrinally despised Jew has left every inch of
"Palestine," which includes the entire State of Israel, or when Israel finally
learns how to combat the very considerable attractions of "blood sacrifice."
Russia to begin building Iran's 2nd nuclear power
plant this year - http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-to-begin-building-irans-secondnuclear-power-plant/
New reactor at Bushehr is part of an agreement with Moscow to construct 8
reactors in all
Russia's state atomic energy company on Monday announced it would begin
construction of a second nuclear power plant in Iran's Bushehr region later this
year, the Islamic republic's semi-state Fars news agency reported.
According to the report, the facility will be jointly built by Rosatom and the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Work will start in 2015.
No exact date for construction was provided.
The plant is part of a 2014 deal between Tehran and Moscow to build two
power plants in Bushehr in the coming years, in addition to the facility that is
already operational.
The so-called Bushehr Phase II consists of two reactors at the same Persian
Gulf coast site as the existing 1,000 megawatt reactor Russia launched last
year.
The countries also agreed to expand the total number of reactors in Bushehr
to four, and construct "four similar power units on another site in Iran," the
location of which is yet to be provided by Tehran, Rosatom said in November.
The project "will be under the IAEA safeguards and fully meet the nuclear
nonproliferation regime," Rosatom said. Nuclear fuel will be produced in
Russia and spent fuel returned to Russia.
Iran plans to build 20 more nuclear plants in the future, including four in
Bushehr, to decrease its dependence on oil and gas.
The Bushehr plant, which also produces 1,000 megawatts, was built by Russia
after being delayed for years and officially handed over in September 2013.
Ahead of a June 30 nuclear deal deadline, US and Iranian diplomats met
Friday in what US officials described as the most substantive negotiating
round since world powers and Iran clinched a framework pact in April.
The sides are trying to narrow differences over how quickly to ease economic
penalties against Tehran and how significantly the Iranians must open up
military facilities to international inspections.
Tehran denies claims by the West and Israel that it is seeking nuclear
weapons and insists that it is pursuing atomic energy purely for peaceful
purposes.
A particularly sensitive issue is Iran's ability to enrich uranium, which Tehran
argues is needed to power Bushehr, but Israel and Western powers fear will
be used to make an atomic bomb.
Also on Monday a magnitude-4.4 earthquake jolted a sparsely populated
district some 70 miles northwest of Bushehr. There were no immediate reports
of damage or injuries.
The epicenter of the quake was Bandar-e Ganaveh in the country's
southwestern coast, according to the USGS.
The Bushehr plant is built to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 8.
In 2013, a magnitude-6.1 temblor killed at least 37 people in an area of the
same province where Monday's quake struck.
Iran experiences frequent earthquakes. In 2003, a magnitude-6.6 earthquake
killed some 26,000 and flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
COMING SOON!
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We must all face the facts and realize that all of us have friends and family
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Prayerfully our friends and family members will watch this DVD before the
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explains what a person is to do if they miss the Rapture, and the events of the
Tribulation, the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast. It is an excellent
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same time it's also, a valuable guide for those Left Behind.
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Nearing Midnight: Progressive Thinking Prophetic - Terry
James - http://www.raptureready.com/rap16.html
"Progressive" is the term for the mindset most lauded by media today. The
word "progressive," of course, is the label media and "progressives"
themselves have pasted over the word "liberal" in order to distance
themselves from the many failed policies of liberalism. Even those of the
progressive mindset recognize that those failed policies within the arena of
American politics and government has been proven to be...I don't know how
else to frame them...insane.
We've all heard that one definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing
again and again, even though it fails every time. Nothing more aptly describes
the liberal mindset in American politics and government than does the policy
begun by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration in 1964.
Johnson's "War on poverty" to create his "Great Society" was to eliminate
poverty and assure that every citizen become more equal in achieving a
prosperous life. A noble thought, right? Well, yes. I'll concede that many-including the president, himself--most likely really wanted that to happen. With
liberals--I mean progressives--it's always the good intentions that count. But, it
didn't happen. It still has not happened.
Our government has now spent more than $22 trillion in exactly the same
manner since 1964--over and over again. Poverty is worse, and the welfare
state has created and perpetuated a class of totally dependent people--people
who for the most part are healthy, able-bodied, and would be capable of doing
for themselves--if not for the slothful element that government has encouraged
and exacerbated.
I mention this economic fact only to show the insanity of the liberal --excuse
me, I mean the progressive--thinking to which we are subjected every hour of
every day. This mindset goes far, far beyond economic madness, as we will
see.
Such thinking is prophetic. Paul foretold just such a mindset and where it
would lead as the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ nears:.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto
them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power
and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew
God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened... And even as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient." (Romans 1: 1821, 28)
Reprobate thinking, as we have seen before, is upside-down thinking. It is
thinking that can neither see a problem in a clear-headed way nor formulate a
reasonably effective solution to a problem. Thinking that excludes God
produces a reprobate mind--one that will, for example, keep throwing trillions
of dollars that don't exist (because we are broke) at a problem which that
money only makes worse, not better.
The progressive mindset demonstrates time after time, again and again, over
and over, that it wants to carry on with life apart from governance from the God
of Heaven. Humanistic government on an ever-increasing grasp for power and
control is at the core of the liberal --the progressive--way of thinking.
The Creator--God--has said that marriage is for one man and one woman for
life. The progressive says that this is a new time and place and biblical thinking
is old fashioned--outmoded. We must progress...
But, nature itself--the way male and females of all species capable of
reproducing are constructed--shows plainly that it is male-female, not malemale or female-female, that constitutes the sexual union God--or, if you prefer,
nature--intended.
Paul the apostle, in His letter to the Romans, again puts a scriptural finger on
the rebellion that festers within the progressive mindset.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the
men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward
another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. (Romans 1: 26-27)
God says plainly in His Word what He thinks about the killing of babies in the
womb. He speaks clearly about shedding blood of those who are a threat to no
one, because they are, in human terms, "innocent."
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto
him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood."
(Proverbs 6:16-17)
The progressive says that, in effect, God --if there is in fact a God--doesn't
know what He is saying in His Word. Life in the womb isn't life--at least, not yet
human life. The progressives have the right to choose whether the child in the
womb is to live or not. They have the right to choose what is convenient for
their own life, and this includes the right to choose to execute a defenseless
baby before he takes his first breath for expediency's sake.
Entertainment media is the incubator for the progressive mind. In these last
days, every thought of the heart is only on evil continually, as in Noah's day.
The entertainment calls good evil and evil good, and the progressive mind
becomes more reprobate by the hour.
One such example of the entertainment world incubating this reprobate
mindset is a soon-to be-released television production.
The more subtle side of Satanism in Hollywood entertainment is now a thing of
the past, as primetime television airs blatantly evil shows like the upcoming
Fox drama Lucifer, which glorifies the goings about of the "lord of hell" after he
fictitiously leaves the lake of fire and retires to Los Angeles. The premise
behind the absurd drama, which is set to release in 2016, centers around so-
called "Lucifer Morningstar" and his new life as the owner of Lux, an upscale
nightclub located in the City of Angels...
Based on the show's trailer, the Lucifer character will be offered up to the
masses who watch Fox as a likable character with moral and ethical
convictions, fulfilling the biblical account of this insidious demonic entity.
Described as the wisest creature that God ever created, Lucifer is said to be
"full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" -- that is, before he was cut down and
destroyed by his Creator for elevating himself in place of God. (NaturalNews,
Sources for this article: http://beforeitsnews.com)
Now, let me say as a caveat that political conservatism deserves little more
praise than does progressivism. (FOX is claimed to be "conservative.")
Humanism rules at the heart of all political and governmental entities upon this
fallen and soon-to-be-judged planet. The greatest desire of all who name the
name of Christ should be to wage a campaign to win the hearts and minds of
mankind for the Lord we serve.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2: 14-16)
Is Your Calling Clear? - Belle Ringer http://www.salvationandsurvival.com/2015/06/is-your-calling-clear.html
As we see the moral collapse of our nation, and the forward advance of
experimentation towards a God-less immortality, there couldn't be a greater
difference between Christians and secularists. And there are many who
bemoan this fact. I, on the other hand, choose to look at our dissimilarities
with the prevailing culture as an advantage.
I don't want there to be any doubt about where I stand on the traditional
marriage issue, abortion, sexual perversion, the occult, or any other nonbiblical position of our modern culture. I have no interest in compromising or
"accepting" what society has deemed "tolerable". That does not mean that I
do not love my fellow man; it simply means that I will not discredit or dishonor
my Savior by condoning or remaining silent on such actions. You see, for me,
it is all about Him!
Now, I know that we, in the world, tend to make it all about us and we all
want to be liked and approved by others. But it is not my fellow man's
approval I want, so much as it is my Creator's. Why must I accept the votes of
the Supreme Court as determining my opinion on same-sex marriage? And
just because the majority of the population views abortion as "a woman's right"
to govern her own body, why must I go along with murdering an unborn child
and support this abhorrent practice? Furthermore, what makes this particular
cycle of humanity think they have been given the wisdom to rewrite thousands
of years of Biblical teachings? Why am I wrong if I choose to question their
"newly-enlightened" philosophies, or labeled "out of touch" and "archaic", if I
refuse to adopt a more "open-minded" practice of my faith?
I am really getting tired of accommodating this unbiblical culture! The
message of "The Church" is ineffectual and, dare I say it .... cowardly! Yes,
we are called to love and pray for the lost; but we are also instructed to boldly
declare the fate of those who reject the Gospel message. Why are we trying
so hard to save our reputations and our material lives, when the lives of so
many will be eternally lost because we don't want to call attention to
ourselves? Why is the Church so comfortable in ministering to themselves
inside their four walls, and so afraid of following the apostolic model of
dangerous living?
The Church community is all up in arms over the recent Pew poll that
reports 72% of Americans felt that religion was losing "influence" in American
life. It's because "religion" is not what we've been called to share! We have
been given an awesome assignment ... to reveal our personal testimonies as
to how faith in Jesus Christ has delivered us from an eternity in hell. Those
aren't very pretty words are they? I'm sure they won't fill big majestic church
buildings, such as the one in Houston; nor are they the words that people have
been taught represent the Christian faith. But they are part of the message we
are to spread; they are the "perishing part" of that familiar Scripture we use to
show the people that God "so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that
whosoever should believe on Him, should not perish, but have eternal
life." Yes, God loved the world ... but how have we come to ignore the part
that not believing in Jesus (and I mean the full-blown Gospel message... the
crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection!) leads to eternal damnation?!?!
Why have we limited the full implications of our Lord's teachings? Why do
Christians today believe in Cessationism (that the instructions by Jesus to the
disciples to teach, heal, and cast out demons ended with them), and why are
they ignorant of the power and authority that Jesus wants us to use to
accomplish the same things? Is it just because they haven't been taught them
by a pastor or preacher? Whose word is greater -- a mortal man's or the
Lord's in His Word? Who can give us greater understanding and revelation -a mortal man or the Holy Spirit? Why do we put greater trust in what "the
Church" has (or has not) taught us, than in what our Lord has spoken Himself?
Our understanding of God must come from the Bible -- and not from our
denominational doctrine, or a favorite pastor/teacher's leanings; and especially
not from what the culture tells us about Him. I know I have quoted Dietrich
Bonhoeffer too many times for some of you, but as I reread his biography by
Eric Metaxas, it is speaking more clearly and louder with each passing
day. This was a man who stood in opposition to the prevailing anti-Biblical
culture in Nazi Germany. Unlike many of the German Christians, he refused to
accommodate or adjust his faith -- or the Word -- so that he might fit more
comfortably into society. He used those ominous times to point the way, ever
more boldly, to the Bible and the Cross. He never lost sight of his reason for
being alive at that time in history, and he took every opportunity to stand apart
from those who would compromise. Like the lives of the apostles before him,
he was obedient to God's call on his life. Let us, too, complete our tasks in
glorifying Him!
My calling is quite clear to me. What God will make of it I do not know ... I
must follow the path. Perhaps it will not be such a long one. (Philippians
1:23). But it is a fine thing to have realized my calling ... I believe its nobility
will become plain to us only in coming times and events. If only we can hold
out.
Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic (self-evident;
unquestionable) ... Do not defend God's Word, but testify to it ... Trust to the
Word.
--- Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to
evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal
eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of
its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect)."
Supreme Court's prophetic ruling to establish Sharia
Law - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The US Supreme Court recognized Sharia Law in its ruling EEOC v
Abercrombie & Fitch. The Court ruled that clothing retailer Abercrombie &
Fitch could not discriminate against Samantha Elauf by not hiring her because
she wore a hijab to the job interview. Citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that
prevents racial and religious discrimination in hiring practices, the Court set a
precedence that Sharia Law can indeed trump traditional hiring practices and,
quite frankly, Constitutional freedoms, if the religious test is applied. Among
the petitioners were the Council on Islamic American Relations and the ArabAmerican Anti-Discrimination League. The decision will be the linchpin in
establishing Sharia Law in America.
The opinion states: "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits a
prospective employer from refusing to hire an applicant in order to avoid
accommodating a religious practice that it could accommodate without undue
hardship. The question presented is whether this prohibition applies only
where an applicant has informed the employer of his need for an
accommodation." Further, the Court states, "Samantha Elauf is a practicing
Muslim who, consistent with her understanding of her religion's requirements,
wears a headscarf." These words and the ruling in favor of Islam may forever
change how the US Constitution is applied in Sharia Law cases. It opens the
door to every exception of Sharia when it clashes with US law.
Justice Clarence Thomas was the only dissenter. He wrote: "Because the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can prevail here only if
Abercrombie engaged in intentional discrimination, and because
Abercrombie's application of its neutral Look Policy does not meet that
description, I would affirm the judgment of the Tenth Circuit...I would hold that
Abercrombie's conduct did not constitute "intentional discrimination."
Abercrombie refused to create an exception to its neutral Look Policy for
Samantha Elauf's religious practice of wearing a headscarf...it did not treat
religious practices less favorably than similar secular practices, but instead
remained neutral with regard to religious practices."
Thomas got it wrong, too. The Supreme Court should have first determined
whether Islam was a religion or a theocracy. The US Constitution, by nature of
the Sovereignty of the United States as a nation, cannot uphold theocratic law
because that would be recognizing a form of government (such as a caliphate)
antithetical to the US Constitution. Elauf was wearing a hijab because the law
of the theocracy, Sharia Law, required it, not because the hijab was essential
to her religious practice. In this case, Islam won a major victory for Sharia that
will change application of US law. Deuteronomy 28 speaks of what happens
when a people who profess the Lord no longer serve Him. Verse 48 says,
"Therefore you shall serve your enemies which the Lord shall send against
thee." The Supreme Court's ruling may have devastating prophetic
consequences.
Daily Devotion: Sin's Greatest Deterrent - Greg Laurie www.harvest.org
"If you love Me, keep My commandments." - John 14:15
What a terrible thing it is when believers fall into sexual sin. After David fell into
sin with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan said to him, "By this deed you have
given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme" (2 Samuel
12:14). In other words, "David, you just gave ammunition to the enemy."
I wish Christians would think about that before they sin. Joseph did. When
Potiphar's wife made her advances, Joseph understood there were
consequences to sin. He said, "There is no one greater in this house than I,
nor has [Potiphar] kept back anything from me but you, because you are his
wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis
39:9). Joseph was loyal to Potiphar. Of course, Potiphar would end up
betraying Joseph. But Joseph wouldn't betray Potiphar.
Joseph could have rationalized it. Hey, man, I had a rough childhood. I was
sold into slavery by my brothers. I am here all alone in Egypt. It's hard being
alone. Egyptian culture-that is the way it is here. It doesn't really matter.
He could have said a lot of things, but Joseph understood that God's
standards are absolute. They don't change. He also realized that all sin is
against God. This should be our strongest deterrent against sin-not merely our
fear of the repercussions. The greatest deterrent against sin is loving God. If
you love God, you want to do things that honor Him.
I like this statement of Augustine's: "Love God and do as you please." If you
really love God as you ought to, with all your heart, all your soul, and all your
mind, then you will only want to do what pleases Him. Jesus said, "If you love
Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
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Featured Article: Since You Were Gone... - Pete Garcia http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8060
They say that in relationships, absence makes the heart grow fonder. In
regards to religion, I think the opposite could be said...absence makes the
heart go wander.
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the
mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come,
make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of
him." And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the
ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So
all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them to Aaron. Exodus 32:1-3
Everyone should be somewhat familiar with the story of the Israelites and the
golden calf. But if you're not, then take a gander at Exodus 32-33. Moses,
having going up to Mt. Sinai, remained there for forty days and forty
nights. After he left, the people began to wonder how long he would be gone
and pretty soon, the wondering turned into grumbling, which then led to
wandering, as they began to search for something to replace and fill their
spiritual leadership vacuum. Even though they had been miraculously and
divinely rescued from 400 years of Egyptian bondage, they still wanted
something tangible to see and touch. I guess some habits are hard to
break. Now fast forward 1,400 years to Paul's exhortation to the church
leaders in Ephesus...
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among
you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up,
speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after
themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not
cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31
The Apostle Paul understood very well, that in his absence, men would come
in and begin to draw away people after their own teachings. He understood
that maintaining the simplicity, and purity of the true Gospel, was one that the
shepherds of God's flock would continuously strive to maintain, simply
because of the fallen nature of the world we live in. And so it was that prior to
the fall of Jerusalem in AD70 that the Judaizers would follow Paul around
teaching a message that mixed the law back into grace, thus creating 'another'
gospel. Much of his letters to the Galatians and Hebrews were written to
specifically deal with this. Paul issues his strongest condemnation for those
who pervert the gospel, calling them anathema, or damned. (Gal. 1:9-11) Now
fast forward a decade or so to the half-brother of Jesus Christ, Jude.
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common
salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend
earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For
certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this
condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and
deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4
Jude, in his short, one chapter letter, had much to say about these apostates
that Paul had warned us about in Acts 20. He would go on to use three
examples of apostates, and three examples of apostasy that had plagued
mankind since Adam and Eve. These were those who had:
Apostates
1. the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed those who did not believe
2. the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode
3. as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to
these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after
strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire
Apostasy
1. gone in the way of Cain
2. run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit
3. perished in the rebellion of Korah
Not one for mincing words, Jude reserves some of the harshest, and scariest
condemnations for those who perverted the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear,
serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the
winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the
roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars
for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Jude 1:12-13
Around the same time, the Apostle John would speak of the antichrist spirit
which was already manifesting in his day. Essentially, the antichrist spirit
meant denying the divine nature of the man Jesus Christ, and all who
promoted this, were antichrist. (1 John 2:22-23; 2 John 1:7-11) And so much
of our New Testament is written in fact, to deal with apostasy and heresy that
was already manifesting in the apostles day. In fact, much of the writings from
the Early Church Fathers (100-300AD) were written specifically to deal with
certain heresies that arose during their days, such as
1. Gnosticism-a blend of Jewish apocalypticism, Platonism, pagan religions,
and early Christianity
2. Arianism-taught Christ was a created being
3. Pelagianism-denied the total depravity of man
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is
coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the
last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be
made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:18-19
And thus, history has borne out the numerous heresies and apostasies that
has invaded the church from the first century onward.
Assessment
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately,
saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your
coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them:
"Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. Matt. 24:3-5
One of the greatest advantages we now have in the 21st century, is that we
can look back at the history of man through digital technology, and see all the
examples that have played out over the history of mankind here on earth. But
given the fallen nature of mankind, we seem doomed to keep repeating the
same mistakes over and over. And since Christ ascended, the church of
Christ has continuously had to contend earnestly for the faith. Fast forward 20
centuries to our day.
Of all generations, we should be the most enlightened and prepared, given all
the access to scriptural writings and historical information at our fingertips. We
should be able to spot the cultic, heretical movements a mile away, since they
are all just the same lie, repackaged over and over. But such is not the
case. The post-modern Christian denominations primarily in the west, are
sound asleep. How do I know this? Because in a supposedly predominantly
"Christian" nation, abortion has been on demand since 1974. The US has
become and remains the top exporter and consumer of pornography in the
world. Violence and corruption racks our cities. Our entertainment industry
often times puts the ancient Roman coliseums to shame.
Sadly, some of the most dangerous theological and spiritual books out there in
the marketplace of ideas, are found in Christian bookstores. Just walk into
your local Christian bookstore, and you can more than likely find numerous
New Age, cultic, and occult books on the shelves pretending to be
Christian. Books like "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, "The Shack" by William
Young, "A Course in Miracles" by Helen Schucman, and "Love Wins" by Rob
Bell are some just to name a few.
But Satan doesn't have to promote the subtle nuances of new age mysticism,
or even the extremes of Satanism to lead people astray. Satan need only twist
the truth a little, to get you going down the wrong path. Given our vantage
point, Satan has flooded the marketplace with so much disinformation, that the
believer today has a fairly difficult time deciphering what is legit and what is not
amidst the clamor and distractions that fill our lives. Some of the most
dangerous and effective lies he's been able to market over the last two
thousand years, both depart from scriptural teachings, and simply add
confusion to the nature of our faith...and these are not even considered
'heresies' by most of today's modern denominations;
1. Amillennialism (there is no coming future Kingdom of Christ on the earth)
2. Modalism (denies the tri-une nature of God)
3. Preterism (all or most of prophecy has already happened)
4. Hebrew Roots movements (mixing the Law back into the Gospel)
5. Universalism (there is no hell, everyone ends up in heaven)
Aside from the Holy Spirit and Scriptures, an effective tool against false
teachings, is holding to a proper understanding of Bible prophecy
(eschatology). Think of Biblical prophecy as the capstone at the top of a
theological doctrine pyramid. All other doctrines (Soteriology, Ecclesiology,
Pneumatology, Christology, Israeology, Angelology, etc.) must run through
prophecy in order to find their culmination and/or fulfillment. You would be
hard pressed to stay doctrinally true to the Gospel, while straying in varying
points, and then still have an accurate eschatology at the end. It is why no
cults have a Pre-Tribulation (Pre-Day of the Lord) view. There may be cults
who came out of denominations that were once Pre-Trib, or when they broke
away, adopted a Post-Tribulation view, but none currently hold to a Pre-Mill,
Pre-Trib view of the Rapture of the Church. But why is that?
Heretical sects, apostate movements, and pseudo-"Christian" cults become
that way, because they derive their authority from something other than the
Holy Bible. Within the Emergent Church and Charismatic movements, they
often derive their authority from experiences. They may rewrite their authority
to align with their beliefs (Jehovah Witness). They may derive a specific
interpretation from a person such as the Pope (Roman Catholics), a 'prophet'
Joseph Smith (LDS) or 'prophetess' such as Ellen G. White (Seventh Day
Adventist).
Regardless, their authority comes from somewhere other than the totality of
Holy Scripture. Once they depart from the authority of scripture alone, and
scriptures are solidly Pre-Tribulational, then there necessitates a departure
(apostasy) from the true, eschatological position. These groups then thrive on
being the exclusive owners of 'secret knowledge' and that they alone, are the
'chosen'. Besides, an imminent, Pre-Tribulational view of Christ's return for the
Church, kills both the 'secret knowledge' and 'chosen' ideas dead in the water,
so a Pre-Trib Rapture view is usually the first thing they do away with.
A Pre-Tribulational view maintains the following, which wreak havoc on
cultic ideologies;
1. God is Trinity, because each has a specific role to play.
1. The Father sets and alone, knows the plan and time (Matt. 24:36)
2. The Son's bride makes up His body, known as the Church (Col. 1:18)
3. The Holy Spirit both seals believers into the body of Christ, and restrains
evil in the world through the Church, until that role is recalled by the Father.
(Eph. 1:13-14; 2 Thess. 2:7)
2. The Church is not Israel (Matt. 16:17-19), but was in God's plan from before
the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3)
3. Since the Church is not Israel, and Israel (nationally) has one week of years
remaining on God's prophetic calendar to both correct them, and punish the
Christ rejecting world, the Church has no role to play in it. (Jeremiah 30:7-11;
Daniel 9:27)
Conclusion
So while it has been 2,000 years since Christ departed from the earth, we
know, that because God is faithful, that He will return. (John 14:1-3) We know
that because God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) and
because God holds His own word above all else (Psalm 138:2; John 17:6) and
will not violate His own principles to deviate from the plan He has set in
motion. (Isaiah 46:9-10)
So consider that Jesus said that no man would know the day or the hour of His
return. Now consider what Paul said, courtesy of the Holy Spirit...that we
(Christians who were awake and watching) would know or recognize the
season of the Lord's return. (1 Thess. 5:1-9) Most churches today have taken
their focus off of Christ's return, and have been busy managing their herds of
golden calves. Instead of focusing on the world and all its woes, Christ
commanded us to watch for Him, and be ready for when He returns. (Mark
13:35-37)
So while we can't know specifically when Christ will return for His Church, we
can know generally because of the convergence of signs which Scriptures
foretold would be present right before His return.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a
light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises
in your hearts.... 2 Peter 1:19
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