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Is this what the uprisings are really about... taking away the world's (and the U.S.'s) free speech?
Ultraconservative Islamists in Egypt Call for U.N. Legislation to Make Defaming Islam Illegal
Posted on September 23, 2012 at 1:10pm by Madeleine Morgenstern
The head of the largest ultraconservative Islamist party in Egypt is calling for United Nations legislation to make defaming Islam and the Prophet Muhammad illegal.
Salafist Nour Party leader Emad Abdel Ghaffour told Reuters on Saturday that Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi and other Muslim leaders should demand U.N. action during a meeting of the General Assembly in New York this week.
“We call for legislation or a resolution to criminalize contempt of Islam as a religion and its prophet,” Ghaffour told Reuters in an interview. “The voice of reason in the West will prevail if there is mutual respect, dialogue and efficient lobbying for this critical resolution.”
The Salafist Nour Party is the second-largest party in Egyptian parliament and played an important role in supporting the Muslim Brotherhood during presidential elections this summer, according to Reuters.
Ghaffour’s call comes amid widespread deadly protests throughout the Arab world blamed at least in part on an anti-Islam film that denigrated Muhammad as a womanizer, killer and child molester. In France last week, a magazine published satirical cartoons of a naked Mohammad, prompting French embassies and schools across the Middle East to close.
“A proposal to look into the root causes of the obvious racism against Muslims and Arabs as the recent fierce campaign against their Islamic beliefs shows is much needed,” Ghaffour said.
He told Reuters there are “interest groups” trying to subvert ties between Western countries and newly-elected Islamist governments by defaming Islam.
“A new reality in the Middle East has emerged after the toppling of autocratic regime of [former Egyptian President] Hosni Mubarak and others through democratic elections that brought newly-elected Islamist governments,” Ghaffour said. “There are interest groups who seek to escalate hatred to show newly-elected governments and their Muslim electorate as undemocratic.”
Ghaffour said his party intends to make a documentary film about the life of Mohammad to counter “Innocence of Muslims.”
Hardline Salafist Muslims take a purist interpretation of Islam similar to followers in Saudi Arabia. It was revived in Egypt in the 1970s based on a 19th century Saudi teaching, but was repressed under Mubarak’s rule. Experts believe three are 3 million followers of Egypt’s Salafi movement, according to Reuters.
TheBlaze TV this week will air a two-part series titled “The Project” that will explore the Muslim Brotherhood’s infiltration of American government.
An economy run by numbers
Revelation 13:17: “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.”
The prophecy simply states that, during the endtime, everyone will need a mark or a number in order to participate in the economy. How could such a system possibly be implemented?
Until recently, it couldn’t. Only since the invention of the computer and the advent of the Internet, has the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy been remotely possible.
Now it is becoming commonplace to see articles proposing a cashless society. Who hasn’t been prevented from using a credit card because of forgetting a PIN number (personal identification number)? Experiments are already being conducted with using eye scans, face scans and fingerprints for proof of identity. Positive ID has become so necessary in a world that increasingly does business “online.”
The new money of Europe, the euro, has been in use for over two years. Millions of euros are traded every day. And yet to this point, physical euros do not exist. All transactions have been electronic – cashless! Euro notes and coins will be introduced in January 2002. Can a cashless society work? Europe has proven that it can.
Between online transactions and the use of smart cards, the technology presently exists to set up a cashless society. The only blockade is public acceptance. How long will it be before society is able to get used to it?
The Bible is crystal clear that the prophesied economic system will be implemented during the final three and one-half years before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Never possible before…totally possible now!
Most of the prophecies of the Bible are written in symbols. Only four or five give the literal name of a person or a place. Two of these special prophecies appear to have come to pass during the last fifteen years.
http://www.endtime.com/blog/why-i-believe-jesus-will-return-in-my-lifetime/
Why I Believe Jesus Will Return in My Lifetime
http://www.endtime.com/blog/why-i-believe-jesus-will-return-in-my-lifetime/
Thanks for sharing that site! It has been added to the IBOX.
"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:33-34)
End Time Sign - MASS ANIMAL DEATHS
Hosea 4:3 ...'Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.'
This one has become a fairly recent phenomenon. During the last few years we have seen fish, birds and other animals die in huge numbers. Since 2010, millions of fish have been turning up dead in lakes, rivers and the sea, with this deadly red tide partly to blame. Also, Birds have been dropping out of the sky in huge numbers. And we are seeing other unusual animal deaths all around the world. Including Bees and Bats dying in their millions.
Speaking of the mass fish deaths in America, Mark Flammang, a fisheries biologist said ... "It's something I've never seen in my career, and I've been here for more than 17 years." (source)
The book of Hosea not only applied to the nation of Israel. It also applies to our day and contains prophecies concerning the state of the world we live in today. So is this text from Hosea fulfilled in our day? Is it a sign of the end times? Yes!
http://www.signs-of-end-times.com/
End Time Sign - ABILITY TO ENFORCE THE MARK
Revelation 13:17 ...'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.'
Now this is sign that most people miss! Have a think about it ... What needs to happen in order for the "beast system" to stop people from buying and selling if they refuse the mark? We need to have a worldwide financial system whereby everything bought and sold is through electronic means, not cash.
Has there been any time in history where this could happen? No. Are WE living in a day where this could happen? Most certainly, yes! And the powers of this world are now trying to make cash obsolete, and actively pushing pure electronic forms of payment, like "PayPal" and "Google Wallet" for instance. Take a look at the news and you will see this being reported in different countries of the world. We have the techonology to do this now, which in times past wasn't possible. And look at the financial turmoil around the world today. This will help in bringing in a "unified" currency to help make it possible to enforce the mark of the beast. Technology isn't the mark, but technology is needed for proper enforcement of it. This is a SURE sign of the end times!
http://www.signs-of-end-times.com/
End Time Sign - INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE
Daniel 12:4 ...'even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.'
End Time Sign KnowledgeI Just love this sign, because it is clearly pointing to our day today, and it CANNOT be refuted by anyone. Throughout history we have had a slow, virtually little increase in knowledge. But take a look at the EXPLOSION of knowledge over the past 150 years! Up until recently in history, the fastest form of transport was a horse. Now man can travel at hundreds and even thousands of miles per hour with travel to the moon! Technology has developed at a rapid pace, which has led to great improvements in computer power, scientific discoveries and the medical profession. Just look at how much we have learned about the human body with things like DNA and Cellular Structures etc. And how about "running to and fro"? This is pointing specifically to our day with planes, trains, automobiles and the busyness of modern day life. We are definately running to and fro and have knowledge like no time before us.
This Bible sign doesn't end there though, because it has a dual application. "running to and fro and knowledge increase" also applies to knowledge of Biblical truths. During the "dark ages", for over 1000 years, knowledge of Biblical truths were surpressed by the Roman Catholic Church. But since the protestant reformation and breakaway from Rome, God's people have been running to and fro in His Word FREELY and knowledge about great Bible truths have been revealed. God now has an end time remnant church with the FULL gospel truth to take to the world before the end comes, which was needed to fulfill the sign about taking the true gospel message to the whole world. Which you will read about further down the page.
http://www.signs-of-end-times.com/
Historical Evidence - Daniel 2
Daniel 2:31-45 ..'Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image .. This image's head Daniel 2 Image Nebuchadnezzarwas of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet ... Thou art this head of gold ... And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron ... And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided ... Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter.'
More than being a "sign" of the times. This is an historical FACT of where we stand in earth's history. The vision that God gave King Nebuchadnezzar as shown in the Bible verses above, and subsequently the interpretation to the prophet Daniel, consisted of an image of a man which depicted all the "ages" and ruling kingdoms from the time of Babylon until the second coming of Christ Jesus (the destroying Rock, which is the eternal kingdom of God).
By the way, if you are not convinced that the Bible is any sort of authority, then study this prophecy of Daniel 2. It perfectly foretold the future kingdoms of this world up until the end of time. And history confirms it as ACCURATE.
As you can see from the picture, the different parts of the man represented the different "ages" and ruling kingdoms of this world. And what is the last "age"? It's the feet of the image. And when did the last age start? It started in the year 476 AD. when Rome fell and split into the ten kingdoms of Europe. Which means this world has been in the "last age" for over 1500 YEARS! So add that to the amazing signs of the last days that you will see throughout this site, and you are left with no doubt that we are living right at the end of the toes on the image and right at the end of time, soon to see the second coming of Christ Jesus.
http://www.signs-of-end-times.com/
The U.S. Government does not recognize Jerusalem as the rightful capitol of Israel. The Bible does.
Over 3,000 years ago, Jerusalem was recognized as the capital of the Jewish people. Yet today, the United States government, in defiance of a law passed in 1995, refuses to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the nation of Israel. Every other nation in the world is allowed to designate their own capital...except for the Jewish state.
Stand with us, the Jerusalem Prayer Team, as we launch the Jerusalem DC (David's Capital) Campaign to call on the American people to recognize Jerusalem - the entire, undivided Holy City - as the capital of Israel, and to do so publicly.
Read more and sign the the petition here.
God bless!
When is the End of the World?
Fear, Skepticism and Confusion
From the fear of “the bomb” in the early 1950s, to the global warming scare today that America is dying in a sea of pollution, “the end of the world” has concerned us since we were school children. Today, we continue to live in fear of nuclear annihilation, terrorism, epidemics, droughts, famine, tsunamis and earthquakes.
Many see a connection between today’s news and the ancient “end-time” prophecies recorded in scripture. Others have become skeptical because of the failed “end of the world” prophecies of self-styled prophets. Such skepticism has been driven by educators and theologians who question the accuracy and authority of scripture. Ordinary people, who say they believe in God, are confused about the future because they don’t know what the Bible actually says.
The Final 7 Years
We’ve heard of a period of time known as “The Final 7 Years.” But does it really mean the final seven years to the end of the world? Let’s look at the prophecy.
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27
This prophecy is more commonly known as Daniel’s 70th Week. In this passage we learn that the Confirmation of the Covenant is the event that starts this period. The Confirmation of the Covenant refers to the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15:18. This is going to establish the borders of Israel and create a sharing arrangement of the Temple Mount. As we continue reading we find that the animal sacrifices and the abomination of desolation will occur in the midst or middle of this seven year period. Jesus Christ spoke specifically about the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15-21 and He told us that it would be the event that would launch the Great Tribulation. The Bible tells us that the Great Tribulation is the time when Satan will pour out his wrath through the Antichrist for 42 months or three and a half years. Ultimately this leads to the Battle of Armageddon.
After the Tribulation
When we get to the end of the tribulation, which is also the end of the 70th week, one of the greatest events will take place.
“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.” Matthew 24:29-31
After the tribulation Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the most awaited event of the church and it will truly be a glorious day. However, this is still not the end of the world.
The Millennium
Revelation 20 teaches us that after the return of Jesus Christ, He and His church will rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years. The Bible teaches us that this period of time will be a time of peace and that there will not be one war throughout the entire period. We also learn in Revelation 20:2-3 that Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for the thousand years. Living in a world without a devil is going to be a wonderful and peaceful experience.
The Great White Throne
Once the thousand years are completed, Satan is loosed from his prison. Somehow, even with Jesus ruling on the earth, Satan will manage to convince a large portion of the earth to come against God and His saints. It is at this last attack that God smites the earth with fire and devours the army. Immediately after this John sees every man being judged by God and all those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.
Conclusion
The Bible does not specifically say the world will end after the millennium but it appears that it is destroyed by fire along with humanity. Also, when we take into consideration that all enter into eternity after this point, whether it be eternal damnation or eternal life, it seems clear that nothing else takes place on the earth or that the earth is even in existence.
Now remember that there is a seven year period before the coming of the Lord and another one thousand years after He returns. So regardless of predictions that we may hear about the end of the world, we have the answer from the most reliable source of truth, the Bible.
http://www.endtime.com/urgent-questions/when-is-the-end-of-the-world/
Mayan Calendar and Planet X
Will the world end in the year 2012? The Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Did the Mayans know something we don’t know? The rumors began. ‘Planet X’ was rumored to collide with the earth sometime in 2012. It was said that a planetary alignment will pull the earth out of orbit in 2012. The rumors gathered momentum. Movies and books exposed us to the idea of 2012, end of the world, a polar shift and an increase in natural disasters. Are these catastrophic theories all hype, or is there something to it?
Bible Disasters
The prophecies of the Bible never fail. And the Bible does predict disasters, such as a time, just before the Second Coming of Christ, when the waves will roar and the sun will heat the earth and scorch mankind. The Bible also says, for example, that the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll and every mountain and island will be moved.
Biblical Evidence of the End of the Age
The Bible is replete with examples of current events that fulfill prophecies that place this generation in the last days of human government on earth. Consider the rebirth of Israel, as prophesied in the book of Ezekiel. The creation of a world government (United Nations) is described in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. An account of the rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire (European Union) is given in Daniel, chapter 2. The Mark of the Beast of Revelation 13, without which no one will be able to buy or sell, has not been possible until now, with the invention of the computer, the birth of the Internet, and the use of credit cards.
What About 2012 Prophecies?
First of all, we know from the Bible, that the world is not going to end in 2012, because the Bible says very clearly, in Revelation 20, that there is yet another one thousand years of human existence upon the earth. But, does the Bible have anything else to say about 2012?
A War that Kills One-third of Mankind
There is this one bothersome prophecy in Revelation 9, verses 13 through 21, that describes a war that will kill one-third of mankind. 2012 is one of the most likely years that this could happen. Does the Bible say it will? No. Does the Bible say it is going to happen? Absolutely. Does it appear to be the next major fulfillment on God’s prophetic time clock? Yes, it does. This war will start in the area of the Euphrates River in the Middle East.
Turmoil in the Middle East
Things in the Middle East are boiling. The government of Egypt has collapsed, and Syria is next. The government of Iran is developing nuclear weapons, which Israel and the United States won’t allow. There are rumors that Israel, or the United States, or NATO is going to attack Iran. Can we tell you for sure that it will happen in 2012? No, we can’t. But the likelihood is high.
Beginning of the Final Seven Years
The event that marks the beginning of the final seven years to the Battle of Armageddon has already been determined by the world community. The Palestinians have applied for membership to the United Nations, so far unsuccessfully. However, the International Quartet, assigned to bring peace to the Middle East, has come up with a plan, re-launched peace talks, and set the goal that these peace talks would be accomplished, with a comprehensive peace agreement, by the end of 2012. The Bible says that this is the event that will mark the beginning of the final seven years to Armageddon.
The Cry for Peace
Three and one-half years after that event, the Antichrist will come to power, and the Great Tribulation will begin. Will the Quartet accomplish their task? We do know, firstly, that the world is not going to end in 2012. But, secondly, it is very likely that this war will wipe out one-third of mankind. Then the cry for peace and safety will be absolutely deafening. The world community will put all of its pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to accomplish the peace agreement, as foretold in the Bible. Will all of this happen by December 2012? We don’t know that for sure. We do know that we are in prophetic territory right now. It is an exciting time to live in, if you are right with God. If you are not right with God, it will scare you to death.
Warnings of the end of the world in 2012 are driven by the supposed ending of the Mayan calendar and fears that “Planet X” or a planetary alignment will cause catastrophic destruction on earth. In “2012 in Bible Prophecy,” Irvin Baxter demystifies the hype surrounding the 2012 doomsday rumors, in light of the real Bible prophecies likely to be fulfilled in 2012.
http://www.endtime.com/2012-now/
Over the weekend Iran's president and supreme leader renewed their calls to eradicate Israel and the Jewish people.
Standing under banners that read "Death to Israel" and "Death to America," they delivered a nationally televised rally. In their remarks, they called Israel a "cancerous tumor" and said that when they are done, "there will be no trace of the Americans and Zionists."
Iran is getting very close to a nuclear weapon, and their intent is clear. President Obama's response to this threat is not clear.
This threat is real, and we must act. Urge the President to make clear his support for Israel against this grave threat.
Sign our petition to support Israel against a nuclear Iran.
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel
P.S. President Obama's policies have been no friend to Israel. Now is not the time to waver in our support for our greatest ally for peace in the Middle East. Please share this urgent message on Facebook and by email.
Where is the United States in Bible Prophecy?
http://www.endtime.com/united-states-discovered-in-the-bible/
Yes, it will get worse.
The focus has been and always will be on Jerusalem.
This is exactly what the west and Israel expected would happen once Mubarak was out of the picture. The Muslim Brotherhood was forced underground during the Mubarak regime - much to the appeasement of his puppet masters. The Brotherhood started a grassroots effort some 30 years ago (building mosques and schools in the poverty-stricken rural communities and providing basic living necessities to many of them as distributions through the mosques).
During the civil uprising in Jan-Feb 2011, the Brotherhood just kicked back, letting the young generation unwittingly pave the pathway for their return to the mainstream. It is going to get very ugly over there - very quick.
Shock Report: Muslim Brotherhood ‘Crucifies’ Opponents on Trees in Front of Presidential Palace
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 9:59pm by Jason Howerton
As the Muslim Brotherhood continues to solidify its ever-expanding power in Egypt, several Arabic news agencies — including Arab News, Al Khabar News, Dostor Watany and Egypt Now — are reporting that opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood were “crucified” in Egypt last week, the Algemeiner reports.
While we can’t independently verify the accuracy of the various reports, crucifixion would signal a significant shift in tactics in the way the Muslim Brotherhood deals with opponents.
The Algemeiner provides a translation of an excerpt of one relevant report:
glad you dug deeper. i've heard the same info in the past. God Bless!
I followed your post to the Temple Institute website (Temple). It would appear that Israel has everything ready to immediately start construction once the Islamic factor has been removed. According to the website, they even know the whereabouts of the Ark of Covenant to restore to the temple. Thanks for the share!
Some who study Bible prophecy believe the world’s next prophetic event will be the destruction of Damascus prophesied in Isaiah chapter 17.
http://www.apocalypsesoon.org/xfile-9.html
“Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city,
And it will be a ruinous heap.”
- The Prophet Isaiah, chapter 17, verse 1
"Go, Daniel! For the matters are obscured and sealed until the time of the End. They will be elucidated and clarified and refined by many [people]; the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand; but the wise will understand." Daniel 12:9-10
Christians in Name Only
One of the most massive and widespread occurrences of identity theft has happened, and it is not even attracting the attention of local, state or national leaders. This particularly insidious method targets a minority group, stealing their most precious possession, and yet even more compelling is that the perpetrator assumes nearly permanent "residency" in the victim's identity.
The mastermind behind this worldwide ring has cells in every city and town in America – including operatives in many unsuspecting homes. The evidence of this outrage is right before our eyes, but we have simply chosen to ignore its existence, pretending that the consequences will be insignificant.
The "victim" is biblical Christianity, and the operatives of this fraud are millions of Americans, both clergy and laity, who are walking around using that identity with no right to do so. The consequences are a nation without the spiritual, moral, social and political anchor that held us firm through over 400 years of tempests and storms.
Maybe President Obama wasn't so far off when he gushed to Islamic leaders that, "…we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation. … we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values. I think modern Turkey was founded with a similar set of principles."
His confusion in comparing American ideals – which have led us to fight, bleed and die to free others – with Turkey's – which have led them to slaughter, oppress and persecute non-Muslims – is understandable. Why do I make such an outrageous claim?
Why have today's churches become largely irrelevant?
Many will insist that we all have the right to practice Christianity as our conscience dictates. Wrong. We have the privilege of living out a faith based on absolute truth as given to us by the Author and Finisher of that faith without error or omission in His written word. If we want to invent our own religion, we are "free" to do so, "free" to reap the consequences and "free" to call it anything we want – but Christianity.
Former President William Jefferson Clinton may have had a difficult time defining the word "is"; however, we must have no hesitation defining what "Christian" is – and exposing the counterfeits.
For example, among the most recent illustrations of this crisis is a survey by Barna Research in which six out of 10 Christians surveyed believe "that Satan 'is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.'"
In addition, only 25 percent strongly disagree that God the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God's power or presence but is not a living entity." The coup de grace of this snapshot of anarchy is that less than one-half of Christians strongly disagreed that "Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth."
The first of those beliefs reflects either complete ignorance or rejection of Scriptural truth, while the second and third are clear heresy against orthodox Christian doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the sinless nature and life of Jesus Christ. Those are "deal breakers."
These are crises of orthodoxy – what we believe – and are the core of other sequential crises of belief that have destroyed the common principles that were essentials in creating our constitutional republic. The nation that has produced the greatest good for the greatest number is teetering on the precipice of civil tyranny and moral anarchy because, foremost, we have rejected the only Source of freedom, His sovereignty of all of His creation and the absolute truth revealed in His Son and written word.
In British scholar Harry Blamire's "The Christian Mind," he asserts:
For the secularist, God and theology are playthings of the mind. For the Christian, God is real, and Christian theology describes his truth revealed to us. For the secular mind, religion is essentially a matter of theory; for the Christian mind, Christianity is a matter of acts and facts. The acts and facts which are the basis of our faith are recorded in the Bible. They have been interpreted and illuminated in the long history of the church.
If 50 to 70 percent of students consistently fail to pass their exams, if professional sports teams lose most of their games and if corporate businesses regularly go deeply in the red (at least once upon a time prior to Bailout Mania), we expect the teachers and principals, coaches and CEOs to be reprimanded or replaced. When the vast majority of Christians – real and perceived – do not grasp and cannot explain or defend essential doctrines, the moment has arrived to challenge every pastor in the land to reassess how we are "doing business."
Pastors, in this poll we are observing the SAT (Spiritual Aptitude Test) results of our congregants, and they – as well as we, their teachers – have failed.
It is obvious that the Christianity of our fathers has become an endangered species even as compared to 1892 when the U.S. Supreme Court declared in the Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S. opinion that, "We are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of those imposters."
Conservative Republicans coined a term for those who claim affiliation with the party but do not adhere to any or most of the platform principles: RINO's (Republican In Name Only). CINO doesn't have quite the same ring; however, the application is the same.
Don't tell us how much someone "loves the Lord" (including the president) if he or she denies "all that I commanded you." Don't call yourself a Christian if you are going to deny essential doctrines.
For the rest of us in pulpit and pew, we must reassert those truths FIRST if we want the power of God with us in the battle to rebuild the social, cultural and political foundations of this great nation.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=76914671
From the "it's not man's fault, it's God's fault" department of humanity.
Does Belief in Heaven & a Forgiving God Lead to Higher Crime Rates?
Posted on June 22, 2012 at 10:01am by Billy Hallowell
Can we blame God’s mercy for higher crime rates? This is the seemingly bizarre question that the NewScientist is asking this morning, as the outlet explores eternal damnation and the ways in which faith interacts with, complicates and impacts criminal activity.
The focus of the article is a new study from the University of Oregon in Eugen, which seems to show that there could be a correlation between belief in heaven and a forgiving God and…breaking the law.
Dr. Azim Shariff, a psychology professor, and his team looked at global data that highlights peoples’ beliefs about life after death and also looked at information collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The massive examination included 143,000 individuals living in 67 nations. Obviously, such a massive sample enabled the team to include a diversity of religious backgrounds.
In most of the countries examined, it was more likely that people reported a belief in heaven than in hell. From this, the researchers were able to examine the intensity and degree to which each nation’s belief of heaven outpaced its acceptance of hell. The goal was to explore how differences in belief surrounding both post-mortem localities impact crime.
Interestingly, here’s what the researchers found: Even after controlling for crime-related issues like GDP, income inconsistencies, population density and life expectancy, national crime rates were higher when nations believe strongly in heaven but have weak acceptance of a hell.
“Belief in a benevolent, forgiving god could license people to think they can get away with things,” Shariff explains, but he cautions that this speculation is preliminary and that causation hasn’t yet been proven between religious beliefs and crime rates.
The abstract for the study, entitled, “Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates” reads:
Though religion has been shown to have generally positive effects on normative ‘prosocial’ behavior, recent laboratory research suggests that these effects may be driven primarily by supernatural punishment. Supernatural benevolence, on the other hand, may actually be associated with less prosocial behavior. Here, we investigate these effects at the societal level, showing that the proportion of people who believe in hell negatively predicts national crime rates whereas belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates. These effects remain after accounting for a host of covariates, and ultimately prove stronger predictors of national crime rates than economic variables such as GDP and income inequality. Expanding on laboratory research on religious prosociality, this is the first study to tie religious beliefs to large-scale cross-national trends in pro- and anti-social behavior.
When exploring the issue, the notion that a weaker belief in hell could spawn greater crime rates does make some sense. After all, acceptance that heaven exists indicates that individuals see themselves as being rewarded for their lives on earth. However, the central underpinning of an unpleasant place such as hell is that people will be punished for poor behavior on earth. If a culture embraces the former and not the latter, then the only thing its inhabitants look forward to after death is guaranteed pleasure.
And when considering the existence of hell, one must also think through his or her actions. If, indeed, an unpleasant afterlife exists, people will likely try their hardest to avoid it. This, naturally, would lead — one would assume — to lower incidents of crime and other illegal acts, as individuals attempt to do good (or simply avoid doing harm) so that they can reach heaven.
Clearly, a study focused more upon the faiths that regard hell in a more fervent light would help to delve deeper into the issue. It will be intriguing to see what Shariff and his team come up with next.
Thanks, am ordering this book. Looks to be one of the few non-fiction books by Joel C. Rosenberg and am impressed with the reviews on this book and his background.
I have just finished a book and am re-reading it now, JUDGMENT DAY, ISLAM, ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS, BY DAVE HUNT - EXPANDED THIRD EDITION, 2006.
"In what is possibly the most comprehensive and clear-cut examination of ancient biblical prophecy and modern-day Middle East politics regarding Islam, Israel and the nations."
Hard to fathom how low big business will go to maintain a system (oil) that will continually increase their wealth and power. We are all pawns in a corrupt political/financial game that will at some point result in an all world attack against the chosen people of God (Yahweh) (I AM), the Jews, the nation of Israel, and on that day the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will defend His chosen people.
"It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" Zechariah 12:9
"And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the LORD GOD (Yahweh), that My fury will show in my face" Ezekiel 38:19
‘Dangerous’: Egyptian TV Panel Debates Cleric’s Claim that Jerusalem Will Be Capital of the Caliphate
Posted on June 20, 2012 at 7:15pm by Erica Ritz
Following the tentative results of Egypt’s presidential election, where the Muslim Brotherhood declared its candidate Muhammad Mursi to be the victor, the Egyptian media is taking a closer look at who exactly surrounds their potential future president.
Playing a clip featured on The Blaze in early May, a panel of two (very) assertive women and five men offer contrasting viewpoints on cleric Safwat Higazi’s declaration that Muhammad Mursi will usher in a world where Jerusalem is the capital of the “United Arab States,” or caliphate.
Farid Zahran of the Egyptian Democratic Party condemned the cleric, saying the world he was describing is “not Egypt.”
“We are Muslims and Christians, Bedouin and Nubians,” he said, “[and] that man does not care about that. He’s talking about a completely different plan.” At the end of the day, Zahran continued, “this man only wants war with Israel…that is the bleak scenario that I am anticipating.”
Next, TV host Hala Sarhan asks: “When Dr. Safwat Higazi says these things in the presence of Dr. Mursi, does this mean that Dr. Mursi agrees with these statements, and that this is his election platform and his plan for the future of Egypt?” She continues, raising her hand in protest: “These are dangerous statements.”
Then comes the high point of the clip, where journalist Farida Al-Shubashi gets into a shouting match with lawyer Essam Al-Hafnawi. At this point, she primarily says that the cleric Higazi‘s statements are destructive because Egypt couldn’t “liberate” Jerusalem even if it wanted to. Her later comments, however, are even more enlightening.
Watch the clip below, via MEMRI (skip the first minute if you’ve already seen the clip):
In the June 2012 edition of the IEE Spectrum the cover page:
The Last Days of CASH
How E-Money Technology is Plugging Us Into the Digital Economy
A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE FUTURE OF MONEY
The edition contains the following articles:
The Beginning of the End of Cash
Money is udergoing its most sweeping changes since the invention of paper bills. Cash's role is waning, as mobile, encryption, and other technologies let us plug directly into the digital economy.
Let a Thousand Currencies Bloom
The mobile phone will create a new monetary order based on a host of currencies not backed by any government.
Blood and Money
Banks in Japan use vein-scanning biometrics in their ATs. Could this technology turn our hands into wallets?
Cashing Out
Is it possible to create your own cashless society? One man tried it, and it tested his resources.
A Brief History of Money
The evolution of money through the millenia is one of increasing abstraction and complexity--and that's okay.
The Cryptoanarchist's Answer to Cash
Bitcoin has resurrected the dream of private, irreversible online transactions.
Virtual Currency Gets Real
The rise of Facebook Credits and other virtual currencies could pose some economic risks.
Quantum Cash and the End of Counterfeiting
Physicists are experimenting with quantum tricks to create money that can't be copied.
Phone-Y Money
Schemes enabling smartphones to emulate credit cards are spreading everywhere but in the United States.
No More Waiting on Near Feild Communications
Phones already have enough technology to make mobile payments work.
The Microsecond Market
The financial industry's high-frequency traders vie to shave millionths of a second from their reaction times.
The Long Life and Imminent Death of the Mag-Stripe Card
The story of IBM's mag-stripe technology starts in the '60s and is about to come to an end.
Are We Living in the Time of the End?
How does the Bible use the term time of the end? What exactly is it? Are we in that time yet? Is there a way to know?
Contents:
Are We Living in the Time of the End?
* Many biblical prophecies leave us in no doubt that increasingly cataclysmic events will occur before God's direct intervention in human affairs.
What Is the Time of the End?
* How does the Bible use the term time of the end? What exactly is it? Are we in that time yet? Is there a way to know?
A World in Perpetual Crisis
* We could be headed for the greatest crisis in all of human history culminating in the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Noah and Our Time: A Sobering Parallel
* Like the people in Noah's time who laughed and mocked as he built the ark, the end of this age will come when the overwhelming majority are unprepared.
The End of the Age
* Jesus Christ spoke of a coming "end of the age." What did He mean? What age did He say would come to an end?
The Time of the End: The End of What?
* The Bible speaks of the time of the end. But exactly what will come to an end?
Biblical Terms for the Coming End of Man's Age
* Some biblical terms have a considerably broader application than the 3 1/2 year time of crisis immediately preceding Jesus Christ's return.
Jesus Christ's Olivet Prophecy: Where Are We Now?
* In a remarkable prophecy shortly before His death, Jesus described the signs that would preceed His return. What do those signs reveal?
Did Jesus Christ Foretell Devastating Storms?
* Are natural disasters, earthquakes and hurricanes, increasing as Jesus foretold?
'This Generation Will Not Pass'
* What did Jesus mean when He referred to this generation?
The End Time in the Book of Revelation
* In the biblical book of Revelation, Jesus Christ foretold many more signs of the time of the end. What do these mysterious signs mean?
The Population Explosion and Prophecy
* How is the increase of the world's population related to prophecy?
God's Framework for End-Time Prophecy
* Bible prophecy reveals several specific conditions that must be met before Christ returns to earth. Where are we on this prophetic time scale?
Preparing for the End Time
* Why does God reveal what the future holds? So we will be spurred to change. What do you need to do to be prepared?
What Can You Do?
* In light of the many prophecies about the end of this age, what can you do? What should you do?
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Credit:
http://www.ucg.org/booklet/are-we-living-time-end/
15,000 Muslims to Assemble in CT in Support of Sharia & Against ‘Islamophobia’ This Weekend
Posted on May 24, 2012 at 1:04pm by Billy Hallowell
American Muslims who are disheartened by increasingly fervent attacks on sharia law are planning to assemble en masse this weekend to protest against what they fear are attempts to discriminate against their way of life. This weekend, 15,000 believers are expected to descent upon Hartford, Connecticut, for the 37th annual Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) convention.
The Muslim American Society-sponsored conference, entitled, “Defending Religious Freedom: Understanding Shariah,” will take place from May 26-28. According to Religion News Service, the event is the second largest annual event for Muslims in the U.S., behind the Islamic Society of North America’s annual gathering (the latter event attracts 30,000+ people).
Go to article to watch video
The focus of the event will be on sharia, Islamic law that is intended to govern the lives of believers. The Blaze has covered the opposition that exists to Muslim law here in America numerous times before. As RNS highlights, Kansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota and Tennessee are among the locations where legislation has been approved to ban judges from considering foreign laws. This, of course, would include sharia law (in Kansas, legislation has not yet been signed by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback).
While politicians see this as a way of protecting the U.S. constitution, others — particularly Muslims who embrace sharia — believe that these laws are discriminatory. Take, for instance, Naeem Baig, the ICNA’s vice president of public affairs, who has some harsh words for those opposed to Islamic law.
“It’s a deep-down hatred of Muslims that motivates. They don’t want to see Muslims in America,” Baig said. “Muslims need to be educated about sharia. There’s a need for the community to better understand what sharia means to us, and how to apply sharia in a society where most people are not of the same faith.”
The conference will focus upon educating Muslims to better understand sharia and how it applies to their lives, among other related sentiment. An advertisement on the conference’s web site reads:
Go to article to watch video
There are more reasons than ever to attend the ICNA-MAS 37th Annual Convention being held May 26 – 28, 2012 (Memorial day weekend) at the Hartford Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut. This year’s theme is “Defending Religious Freedom – Understanding Shariah” which is an extension of our 1 year long campaign. It is an educational initiative that hopes to “help the public understand Shariah and counter the rise of Islamophobia in America. The campaign aims to further shift focus from the misnomer “Shariah law” and draw attention to what really is at stake here—your religious freedom.
“The ICNA-MAS convention puts you in front of world renowned scholars with solutions designed specifically to address the issues American Muslims are facing today,” the convention’s web site continues. “Challenge your Islamic knowledge and expertise with a wide array of thought provoking topics and break-out sessions ranging from novice to expert.”
While the ICNA is doubling down on sharia, Muslims like Canadian activist Tarek Fatah have come out strongly against Islamic law.
“It has no place in Islam. It has to be totally rejected, because it is the law that gives dictators — it has been dictated by caliphs and sultans to justify their rule over oppressed people,” Fatah recently told The Blaze. ”If Muhammed came around he wouldn’t know what this meant. If he came around, he’d say who the [heck] wrote this up?”
Another aspect of the End Time is the falling away of the godly spiritual way of life. This life was freely given to us through the life examples and willful death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nowadays many "Christians" (quotations emphasized) are uniting with non-believers worldwide proclaiming that God has established many pathways to heaven (paradise) - this is only the latest manifestation of the satanic deceptive lie. There has always only been one way - and that is through the acceptance of God's sacrifice of His "only begotten Son", Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________
Syncretism
Scripture:
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools..." ~ Romans 1:21-22
Satan has led many quasi-religious groups to unite around a mixture of religious teachings and then brand honest Christian believers as bigots for clinging to salvation in Christ alone. An outgrowth of the postmodern era in which we live is that many people no longer believe in absolute truth. A natural extension of this lack of absolutes is the widely held view that there is good in every religion and all roads lead to heaven. Individuals can then pick and choose the elements they wish from whatever faith and mix them all together. This is true syncretism. Chuck Colson refers to its impact on our faith as “salad-bar Christianity!”
Satan is delighted when people believe and expound on his lies. He does not want anyone to know the truth and come to a personal relationship with Jesus who is the truth, the way and the life (John 14:6). Jesus is the only way.
One man reportedly traveled the world to find one name for God that would be universal and bring all people together. Instantly the word love came to his mind. He later wrote, “Give God the universal name of Love and we will create a golden cord to tie together the truths of all the religions of the world.” But love is not God’s name. It is His nature. And God expressed it most fully when He sent His Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). Only when we accept Christ’s sacrifice for us will we know the love of the one true God that can bind people together.
A few years ago, an interfaith group of 10,000 people met at the Vatican in Rome. The group included the Pope, the Dalai Lama and Muslim Imam W. D. Mohammed. An outspoken Hindu woman was quoted as saying, “It was refreshing to note that the idea that all religions have universal truths, and are merely different paths to the same goal was accepted as a given from the outset by all delegates without a single dissenting voice.”
The same delegates also endorsed a general condemnation of “aggressive” proselytizing. This is the prevailing thinking of our day and age. Satan will do all he can to cause this thinking to even invade the church and individual Christian thinking and action.
The end result of syncretism in free societies will be anti-conversion laws and a prohibition of Christian witnessing. The euphemism for this law will probably be called “religious freedom.”
Response:
Today I will guard carefully against the deceptions of Satan leading to syncretism.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to fix my eyes on You and Your Word today so that I will not stumble.
http://members.opendoorsusa.org/site/TellAFriend?msgId=56922.0&devId=80222
I believe the "Another World" America's enemies within speak of is Hell on Earth until Christ returns.
Bill Ayers to University Students: America‘s ’Game Is Over‘ and ’Another World’ Is Coming
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 4:17pm by Erica Ritz
Bill Ayers spoke at the University of Oregon last week on the subject of teaching and organizing for “social justice.” His speech was not free of the radical sentiments he is well-known for espousing (especially in the company of America’s youth). Case in point: he spoke of the end of America, a new world, and what our role ought to be in all of it.
Almost as interesting as Ayers’ speech itself, perhaps, was how the leftist radical was introduced by the university students. One girl, who described herself as a doctoral student at the university, spoke of the privilege they would have with their honored guest, in an “evening [of] radical imagination.”
Two others, an associate professor at the university and a graduate student, remarked: “Most of us have in one way or another acknowledged the sovereign authority of the U.S. government– or the state of Oregon– in order to be here tonight, either admission to the university, applying for a job, or just paying the parking meter. We have not, however, asked permission of the [Native Americans] whose ancestral home this is, and to fail to acknowledge that this remains disputed territory would in effect be taking sides, [and] reinforce the erasure of indigenous history and indigenous peoples.”
When Ayers spoke, it was largely of how the “American Empire” is over, and what this means for her citizens (though there was a fair amount of “the wasteful American” theme throughout as well):
The great challenge for our generation [is] to find a way not just to live differently as individuals, but to find a way to think differently about what work means, to think differently about citizenship means, to think differently about what it means to be a ‘citizen of the world.’ One of the great dangers that we live in right now, is I don‘t think there’s any question, and I don’t think any of you would question, that the American Empire is in decline–that economically, and politically, and in some ways culturally, that we are in decline. And yet, the United States remains the most powerful, weaponized military system the Earth has ever known.
That’s a treacherous combination. A declining economic power, and an expanding military power. And we are going to have to find ways to re-imagine what it means to live in this coun–in this world. And here we are 4% of the world’s population, 4.5% of the world’s population, consuming vast amounts of natural resources, consuming vast amounts of finished goods, and no politician will say that the empire is declining and that the game is over.
It’s over. Now what? [Emphasis added]
Perhaps we will transform into a Euro-style state, though that was not a peaceful transition for Europeans, Ayers noted:
And you know, my optimistic friends say: “Oh boy, we’re going to look like Germany, or England, or France,“ and I think ”Jeese.” I mean, first of all, for England and France and Germany to become non-empires it took the deaths of millions and millions of people, so let’s remember that.
Could it be Today?
In yesterday's devotional, we looked at Matthew 24 and some of the things people worry about today that are going on in our world — earthquakes, famine, pestilence, war, and rumors of war.
Now, it is easy to be concerned about these things, but earlier in that passage — in verse 3 — we find out why we should not worry,
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?"
Jesus was answering the question about the signs of His return, and what will point to the end of the age. That is why He said, "When you see these things begin to come to pass, it is not time to start worrying."
It is time to lift up your head because He is coming soon! Hallelujah!
Think about it. When you open up the paper today and read about the things happening in the Middle East, it seems like Bible prophecy is being fulfilled almost on a weekly basis. What a time we are living in!
Beloved, Christ is going to return, and from the way things are shaping up, it is not far off at all. I want to live like He is coming back today, and I want to plan and work like He won't be back for a hundred years.
But it could be any day.
Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready to meet Him? Think about it. Are you living in a way that you know when Jesus Christ comes, you won't be ashamed at His coming? I pray you will be able to look up with a joyful face and heart and say, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
~ Bayless Conley
New Joel Rosenburg Book Explores Russia-Iran Alliance
A Middle East expert and best-selling author says the new military alliance between Russia and Iran could be the sign that an ancient Old Testament prophecy may be fulfilled in the current generation's lifetime.
Joel Rosenberg, a Messianic Jew and Middle East scholar, recently released a book called "Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future" (link to book excerpt). He believes the recent arms pact between Tehran and Moscow is a dangerous development, with Russia clearly joining Iran in the "axis of evil."
Rosenberg believes this new military alliance may have biblical implications. "The ancient Hebrew prophet Ezekiel, writing 2,500 years ago, described an alliance between Russia, Iran, and a group of other Middle Eastern countries that would encircle Israel in the last days and try to destroy her," he notes.
"Now the strange thing about that prophecy," the author points out, "is that there has never been a Russian-Iranian military alliance since the prophecy was written, until now.” However, he is quick to add, "Now, does that mean that the prophecy’s imminent, in terms of coming true? I would be hesitant to draw that conclusion yet."
But, even though he is not prepared to state that what Ezekiel 38 and 39 foretold is on the verge of fulfillment, Rosenberg says, "I’ve got to tell you, it’s certainly worth noting, because this is a relationship that has never existed." Never, in the 25 centuries since the ancient prophecy was written, has a military alliance existed between Russia and Iran.
"Now it does," the Middle East expert says, "and you have to start to wonder, 'My goodness, is it possible for this major cataclysmic Bible prophecy to literally come true in our lifetime?’ It’s a question I explore in 'Epicenter.'"
Rosenberg says it is quite possible that the battle predicted in Ezekiel could happen before the Rapture – the time when, according to some interpretations of Bible end-times prophecy, born-again believers will be taken from the Earth into Heaven. If the prophesied battle does precede the Rapture, the author notes, then Christians would still be on the Earth to see it.
~ Article by: Chad Groening, AgapePress
Panorama of Prophecy
Have you ever wondered if prophecy is really all that important? After all, if we can't know exactly when Christ is returning, what is the point of studying biblical prophecy? Sadly, the Book of Revelation has remained hidden and unknown to many Christians. Prophecy's pages are often left shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. Why do we avoid the study of prophecy? Or perhaps a better question would be, why should we study the panorama of prophecy found in Scripture?
THE PROMINENCE OF PROPHECY:
Out of the 216 chapters found in the entire New Testament, did you know there are 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ? That means if you were to omit passages about prophecy, you would have to remove one out of every thirty verses in the New Testament. You would also have to skip 23 of the 27 New Testament books, which mention prophecy. For every prophecy about the birth of Christ, there are eight about His Second Coming. In light of prophecy's prominence, can we really say, "Well, prophecy is just not relevant"?
THE PROTECTION OF PROPHECY:
We are living in a day when men and women are deceived left and right. While God wants to get you under prophecy's umbrella of protection, the devil wants to keep you out. Satan knows that if you read Revelation, you'll learn of his coming doom. You'll see that the adversary who is tempting you everyday has already been assigned to a new location: the Lake of Fire. If you see Satan as a defeated foe in the future, that helps you to be victorious over him today. Prophecy will protect you from Satan's attacks in the present.
THE PREPARATION OF PROPHECY:
Jesus told many parables to illustrate the importance of being prepared for His coming. One such parable was about a master of the house who had been robbed. If the master had known the hour the thief would come, he would have surely watched to prevent the robbery. The lesson of the parable is simple: Be prepared. Always be ready for the Lord's return, which will be as unpredictable as a thief in the night. Prophecy prepares us for future events. By reading biblical passages about prophecy, you will be prepared for the days ahead.
THE PRACTICALITY OF PROPHECY:
The Book of Revelation is not only for understanding-it is for application. Christ's imminent return will impact your desire to witness to others. If we take prophecy seriously, it will affect the way we live. Some of the most energetic people I know in the church have been transformed by their study of prophecy. They're ministry oriented, reaching out to the lost because they understand what will happen in the future. Prophecy is intensely practical-it is the driving force behind evangelism and righteous living.
THE PRIZE OF PROPHECY:
Revelation is the only book in the Bible that motivates its readers by promising a prize. Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." The blessing is reiterated in Revelation 22:7, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." Read the Book of Revelation, taking the time to understand it. If you follow the instructions in the book, God has promised a prize of blessing for you.
PROPHECY'S PANORAMA:
Prophecy gives us a glimpse into the future, so that we will know how to live in the present. That's why prophecy is so prominent throughout the pages of the Bible. It protects us from deception and prepares us for Christ's return. Prophecy is not only an academic exercise; it's practical for everyday living. Then at the end of our lives, we will receive a great prize of blessing if we heed prophecy's instructions.
____________________________
This article was taken from Turning Points, Dr. David Jeremiah's bi-monthly Devotional Magazine. Call Turning Point at 1-800-947-1993 for your complimentary copy of Turning Points.
If you enjoyed this article, we'd like to recommend Dr. Jeremiah's series entitled Escape the Coming Night, a chapter-by-chapter study of the Book of Revelation.
This video from www.freemarketamerica.org titled "If I Wanted America to Fail"
I Thank God for His perfect holy word in scripture that makes me aware and prepares me for the "end times".
I also thank God that i dont know when that time shall come.
And i thank God for not giving up on me and helping my mind and heart to soften so that i came to know His son Jesus and let Him come into my life and save me from eternal hell.
And i guess most of all. I thank God for the blessed assurance of knowing that if i die today or if Jesus returns today to take me home....IM READY!
BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!
The same God that created this, loves you so much that He laid down part of His life, Jesus, to die a cruel and violent death in order to reconcile His creation, Man, back to Himself. The sad part of this is not the violent death on the cross that Christ Jesus suffered, but the fact that the vast majority of mankind, through their God-given freewill, has turned their backs on this selfless act of our very Creator, God, to run and play in Satan's playground! If you have not accepted God's freely-given gift of salvation, and living in complete obedience of His will for your life, then you are heading full-speed towards destruction and an eternal separation from our loving Father - the Creator of the universe and everything within it. The door is currently still open - subject to change at any moment...
Orion nebula: the heart of the artwork
An image from NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes looks more like an abstract painting than a cosmic snapshot. The magnificent masterpiece shows the Orion nebula in an explosion of infrared, ultraviolet and visible-light colors. It was "painted" by hundreds of baby stars on a canvas of gas and dust, with intense ultraviolet light and strong stellar winds as brushes.
At the heart of the artwork is a set of four monstrously massive stars, collectively called the Trapezium. These behemoths are approximately 100,000 times brighter than our sun. Their community can be identified as the yellow smudge near the center of the composite.
Additional stars in Orion are sprinkled throughout the image in a rainbow of colors. Spitzer exposed infant stars deeply embedded in a cocoon of dust and gas (orange-yellow dots). Hubble found less embedded stars (specks of green) and stars in the foreground (blue). Stellar winds from clusters of newborn stars scattered throughout the cloud etched all of the well-defined ridges and cavities.
Copy Credit : Luigi Masella
The Quickening: Is Time Accelerating?
Many have noted that time seems to be accelerating. The hours, days, seasons, and years appear to fly by faster than ever before. An hour no longer feels like 60 minutes (unless you’re waiting in line!). One week seems to run into the next. It’s as if we’re watching the blur of a speeding train pass by.
Science and Scripture:
The pace of life has certainly increased, but is time speeding up? Recently, scientists have been shocked to discover that their measurements indicate the expansion of the universe is actually increasing. Rather than slowing down, as their Big Bang theory postulates, astronomers have been stunned to learn that the expansion of the universe appears to be accelerating. CNN reports “Scientists are scratching their heads over a finding that indicates the universe, rather than slowing down, is being expanded by a mysterious force at an accelerating rate.”
God’s Word states simply: “(God) alone spreads out the heavens...” (Job 9:8). Therefore this “mysterious force” is no mystery to a Bible believer. It is God Himself who stretches out the heavens at the pace He sees fit.
However, it is interesting that secular scientists have determined that the universe – which is comprised of time, space, matter, and energy – is expanding at an increasing rate. Would this affect the dimension we call time? We on earth do not understand time well enough to draw any conclusions; however, the Creator certainly knows the answer.
If an acceleration of time is occurring, is it anticipated in the Bible? When describing the Great Tribulation period, Jesus stated: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). Jesus said that if He did not cut those days short, man would destroy all flesh.
Of course, the context of Matthew 24:22 refers to Jesus coming back to earth to rescue His people from the intense trials which will come upon the earth during the Tribulation. Yet, as is often true of other Bible prophecies, could this perceived speeding of time foreshadow that which will be fully realized during the Great Tribulation?
Creation Birth Pangs:
Do other Scriptures indicate a speed-up of time in the last days? While there is no single Scripture that specifically states that time will speed up, several passages imply a quickening during earth’s final days.
Jesus likened the last days’ signs to birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. In addition, the apostle Paul reminded us that “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:21-22).
As the time of delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency. Therefore, the creation itself would travail with increased frequency as the time of delivery draws near.
Interestingly, Scripture teaches that time is a physical property and is therefore part of God’s creation (Genesis 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:9). Therefore the dimension we call time would also travail, and perhaps increase, as earth’s final days climax.
Time Changes:
Jesus explained that at the very end of this age, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).
We are told that God created “lights” (the sun, moon, and stars) in the heavens “for signs and seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14-16). For instance, a year is the time required for the earth to travel once around the sun. The seasons are caused by the changing position of the earth in relation to the sun. And the moon’s phases follow one another in clock-like precision – constituting the lunar calendar.
If these lights – the sun, moon, and stars – are affected in the last days, and the very “powers of heaven” shaken, does this indicate a significant disruption in how the dimension of time will pass? In the Book of Amos we are informed: “And it shall come to pass in that day [the Tribulation], says the Lord GOD, that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9).
Certainly God Himself “changes the times and the seasons” (Daniel 2:21) as He sees fit. He is the one and only Sovereign God. He alone determines kings and nations and ordinances and times and seasons. So it is no surprise that His Word anticipates this time dilation, and perhaps acceleration. Interestingly, Scripture even informs us that the Antichrist “shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law...” (Daniel 7:25).
More Scriptures that Suggest Acceleration:
Other Scriptures that imply this quickening of life include Daniel 12:4: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Today we are witnessing an explosion of available knowledge. With the advent of the computer, and now the Internet, it is estimated that our cumulative knowledge is doubling every five years. And since the Industrial Revolution, multitudes are running to and fro just as the Bible prophesied. This exponential increase in available knowledge, and the ability to travel conveniently at accelerated speeds, is beyond what anyone could have imagined!
Another Scripture that may anticipate this perceived increase in the passing of time is found in the Book of Revelation. During the tribulation period, which is described in Revelation chapters 6-19, we read that the judgments will follow in rapid succession. Once the Tribulation begins, these events will transpire very rapidly: “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly” (Revelation 11:14). Read Revelation chapters 6 through 19 for yourself and see how many global cataclysmic events are compressed into less than 7 years of history. Coupled with Jesus’ and Paul’s birth pangs warnings, these Scriptures indicate that as we draw closer to these climaxing events, we should expect the last days’ signs to also occur with increased rapidity.
Furthermore, Jesus declared in the final book of the Bible: “Behold, I am coming quickly!” (Revelation 3:11). In fact, Jesus reiterates three times in the last chapter of the Bible that He is coming quickly (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Some commentators note that the Lord is not only declaring that His return is imminent, but that this phrase also indicates that once these events begin to occur they will follow in rapid-fire succession.
One more Scripture concerning the last days that we will quote states concisely, “The great day of the LORD is near; it is near and hastens quickly...” (Zephaniah 1:14).
Last Days Bible Prophecies:
Those who study the Bible know that we are living in the last days and the times of these prophesied birth pangs are currently ramping up. Every major last days’ trend anticipated in the Bible is being positioned in place. Like a tsunami that sweeps the globe, developments in Bible prophecy are overwhelming and irrefutable.
During the Olivet Discourse, Jesus listed several last days’ signs and then summarized: “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matthew 24:33-34). In other words, once we see all the signs coming into focus, we should expect the climax of these events within one generation.
Here is a list of some of the major Biblical last days’ trends – all of which are in place today:
• Wide-spread deception in Christ’s name (Matthew 24:4-5; 11; 24-26; 2 Thessalonians 2; 2 Peter 2:1-3; etc.)
• Global communications foreseen (Revelation 11:9-10; 17:8)
• A global cry for peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
• Chaotic weather prevalent (Luke 21:25-26)
• A move toward a global government (Daniel 2:40-44; 7:23; Revelation 13:7-8)
• Technology capable of tracking the world’s population (Revelation 13:16-17)
• Israel re-gathered into their nation after being dispersed for nearly two millennia ? (Isaiah 11:11-12; 43:5-6; 66:8; Jeremiah 31:7-10; Ezekiel 37:21-22; 38:8)
• Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all nations (Zechariah 12:2-3)
• Israel prospering economically (Ezekiel 38:12-13)
• Preparations to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation 11:1-2)
• Russia, Iran and other countries rising as military powers and preparing a surprise attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38)
• Anti-Semitism worldwide increasing (Deuteronomy 28:37; Jeremiah 29:18; 44:8)
• Homosexuality flaunted (Luke 17:28-30; Genesis 19; Jude 1:7)
• A move toward a global religion (Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17)
• Lawlessness abounding (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 9:21)
• Babylon reemerging on the world scene (Zechariah 5:11; Isaiah 13; Revelation 17-19)
• Increased interest in the occult, witchcraft, and sorceries (Revelation 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; Isaiah 47:9-15; Micah 5:10-15)
• The kings of the East rising (Revelation 9:14-16; 16:12)
There are many more last days’ signs that appear to be culminating before our very eyes. Therefore, all indications are that delivery must also be fast approaching.
Whether time is actually speeding up, or whether our perception is the result of these birth pangs increasing, we cannot be certain. One thing is for sure, the Bible is true and the Lord’s return is near.
The Gospel:
Yes, events are climaxing. Time is short. Therefore, the most important question for each of us to answer is “Do we know the Lord?” “Are we prepared to meet our Creator?”
The Bible states that sin has separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). A quick review of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) should prove this fact. One lie makes us liars in God’s holy eyes. Placing our interests or any created thing before our Creator or His Word is idolatry. Lust is adultery according to Jesus (Matthew 5:27-28). Saying “Oh my God” casually is taking His name in vain – also known as blasphemy – and this commandment is even listed before “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:7-13).
The truth is we have all sinned against our Creator. The penalty for any sin is death – physical death and spiritual separation in hell (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
The wonderful news is that our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, became a man and died for our sins. Jesus never sinned yet He willingly and in love died in our place. He paid for all our sins on the cross and then rose from the grave, defeating death! All who repent (turn) from their sins and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved.
Time is short. Please do not wait. Place your trust in Jesus Christ as Creator, Lord and Savior today!
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
“For by Him (Jesus Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:16-22).
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Article by Jim Tetlow – Author of "101 Last Days Prophecies"
Watch Israel
"Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
"And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it."
Zechariah 12:2-3
All the surrounding nations to Israel are Arab/Muslim and have repeatedly tried to destroy this new nation since its creation in 1948, and have failed. Though outnumbered Israel has survived.
Many nations in the United Nations would like to see Israel cease to be a nation, which then they feel would then bring peace to the Middle East.
But the end of Israel as a nation is not God,s plan.
The Jews are God's chosen people and we are a witness to a time when our Father will bring destruction upon all nations that war with Israel. We are now watching Zechariah's prophecy unfold.
God has told us through his prophets in the Bible the outcome. God's word is true.
OHHHHH - I hate it when some one tells me the ending!!! LOLOLOL
"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's all going to turn out all right."
-Billy Graham-
God our father has from our beginning, in the garden of Eden, wanted to share a one on one personnal relationship with man.
"God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27
Because of man's disobedience to the rules of God, sin and death entered the world and man follows the rules of the new ruler of the world, Satan.
"And when He (Jesus) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement:
of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." (Satan) John 16:9,11
But our Father has a plan to redeem believers and the earth to Him and that plan is in the hands of our Saviour Jesus.
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Matt. 28:18
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condem the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17
Jesus came into the world as a mortal man and as a mortal man Jesus broke the hold Satan had on created man by overcoming sin and death for all, believers and non-believers. Now all of mankind has a chose, Jesus or Satan, life or death.
"Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;" Romans 6:9-10
"but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Now we wait for our Saviours return. Now we believers wait for Jesus to remove Satan, Satan's demons and Satan's mankind followers. There will be a war and our Savour will defeat Satan and his followers and remove them from the world.
"For then there will be great tribulation" Matt. 24
Read also Daniel and Revelation
After the defeat of Satan and his followers, Jesus will reign with believers on earth for 1000 years.
"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Rev. 20:6
After the 1000 year reign, Satan will be set free to tempt those newly born during this time.
"Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are int the four corners of the earth." Rev. 20:7
Satan once again manages to get a large following and attempts to overthrow the rule of Jesus and the saints, but this time God the Father from heaven defeats Satan and his army.
"And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them." Rev. 20:9
Now the final jugement and the penalty for disobedience to God. Penality for Satan first and then his followers, and then the end of death and the birth of the new heaven and a new earth.
"The devil was cast int the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Rev. 20:10
"Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Rev. 20:14-15
Then the beginning for all believers and the return of the earth and believing mankind to God the Father.
"Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power." 1 Cor. 15:24
"Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." 1 Cor. 15:28
And now, as it was in the beginning, we will again walk and talk with God as was the plan in the garden of Eden.
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
I care not to live one day longer on this hellashish earth than God's plan for my life calls for!
AMEN TO THAT
nice summation of how we should move forward in Christ. and God Bless you too Ranb2khz
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