Stop Hypocrisy at the United Nations

I have been getting quite a few emails in regards to the corrupt U.N. Security Council lately…

The United Nations Human Rights Council spends a great deal of its time condemning Israel while ignoring real human rights abuses. Recently, the Council approved a resolution endorsing the one-sided, biased report of Judge Richard Goldstone and accusing Israel of “War Crimes.” This resolution will now be considered by the U.N. Security Council. Please sign the petition at the end of this short video that will be sent to President Obama and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council urging them to veto this biased resolution.

http://www.honestreporting.com/a/UNHypocrisy.asp

Filed under: Freedom of Speech, Globalism, Islam, Israel, Middle East, New World Order, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion, discernment

Jerusalem – the stumbling block, yet again…

Just quickly…

Here we go again. As Jews celebrate in their tens of thousands the festival of Booths, Succot, religious extremists like Sheikh Raed Salah incite Palestinian masses to recapture Jerusalem with “blood and fire.” Not to be outdone, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah rushed in to pour fuel on the fire as it protests a “plan by Jews to perform religious rituals” on the Temple Mount,’ and called on the international community to “force Israel to put off its attempts to take over Jerusalem.” In The Days: Current news events in the light of biblical prophecy » Like it or not, the Temple Mount is key to Israeli-Palestinian peace

Filed under: Islam, Israel, Middle East, News, Political, Prophecy, Religion, discernment

Is Israel God’s unfinished business?

Not sure if you know this, but Calvin L Smith has his own personal blog and has been busily putting together many posts on the subject that interests him at the moment. That interest is about Israel and her prophetic role for today. He also does an excellent job in discussing the New Supersessionists in his book which you can find HERE.

Anyway, he has written quite a few posts on this often heated debate regarding Israel and is just itching for some feedback!

In this particular post he starts with the historical Church and her reaction to 2nd century Judaism…

The Church’s reaction to anti-Christian Judaism in the second century caused it to emphasise some aspects of the canonical narrative at the expense of others. In short, the New Testament was elevated and the Old Testament relegated. Naturally, this demotion of the Jewish Scriptures also downgraded the theological importance of Israel, which features so prominently in the Old Testament. Soulen refers to this relegation of Israel as “structural supercessionism” (supercessionism, also known as replacement theology, is the theological position which argues that the Church has superceded Israel as the people of God). Soulen also identifies other forms of supercessionism (economic and punitive) in his book.

[…]My own position focuses on and traces the Jewish people as a biblical theology theme, rather than the land. As such, this focus on people not land permits me, theoretically at least, to entertain the possibility of exchanging some land for peace. [source]

I have been over to his site to comment that is waiting for approval, but I have to ask him…

So, I am wondering if you [Calvin] think that the current gathering of Jews into Israel the land is not currently fulfilling biblical prophecy? Or are they being gathered in unbelief ready to be judged because of their unbelief?

The way I see it, they have been returning to their promised land for a purpose, not because they deserve it. Perhaps that purpose is to drive them back to Mosaic Judaism which in turn will teach them about the fulfilment found only in their Messiah Jesus. The judgement of their unbelief is outlined in Zech 13:

Zec 13:7  "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
Zec 13:8  In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.
Zec 13:9  And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’"

On a side note in verse 7 the ESV says that God will turn His hand against the little ones… yet in other translations it says "upon" a big difference depending on how you read it.

Anyway, I think that the Hand of God is "upon" these little ones, perhaps referring to those who are the true Israel, the remnant.

Not sure?

After the fire and persecution/judgement it does say that they will call upon God’s name and they will be His people and He will be their God.

This is when All Israel will be saved, right?

I can’t wait for him to answer and perhaps then I can try and understand the prophetic time table more!

Have your own say, and make sure you read his post to find exactly where Calvin is coming from. Here’s his post called: Consulation Paper: A Christian View of Israel

Cheers

Vee

Filed under: Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Church History, History, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Prophecy, Religion, Theology, discernment

Luke 21:24 – Has it REALLY been fulfilled???

Calvin Smith has a new, personal blog! You can find it HERE. It is one that you simply must go and check out and blogroll!!!I will be adding his blog to my blogroll.

I know Calvin personally, and he is probably one of the most intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure to meet and work with. He has this knack of being able to ask the big questions for great discussion without it becoming a slanging match – especially when it comes to the topic of Israel, Palestine, Christian Zionism and Supersessionism.

When he argues a point he doesn’t use polemical and polarised views which is very important for theological and eschatological discussion. He really is open to Constructive debate about many issues.

The post I am linking to is about the well known verse found in Luke:

Luk 21:24  They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

He has a simple question to ask you…

All I am asking is this: can Bible-believing Christians say with certainty Luke 21:24 has been fulfilled and we are indeed in the last times?

Go over to his post called “Beware an overly dogmatic interpretation of Luke 21:24”, give it a read and some careful consideration and see if you agree or disagree with him. I dare you!!!

One thing for sure, it will challenge you!

Filed under: Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Church History, History, Islam, Israel, Middle East, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Religion, Theology, discernment

A Muslim wants to rebuild the 3rd Temple – Huh?

This is just too important not to blog about. I am even going to RED FLAG this post!!!

A Muslim whose name is Adnan Oktar, who uses the pen name of Harun Yahya, is a controversial but highly influential Muslim intellectual and author with over 65 million of his books in circulation worldwide. Oktar recently met with three representatives from the re-established Jewish Sanhedrin, a group of 71 Orthodox rabbis and scholars from Israel, to discuss how religious Muslims, Jews and Christians can work together.

What was said is absolutely mind boggling…

Oktar has also stated that the Temple of Solomon "will be rebuilt and all believers will worship there in tranquility." During his meeting with the Sanhedrin rabbis, Oktar expressed his belief that the Temple could be rebuilt in one year:

It could be done in a year at most. It could be built to the same perfection and beauty. The Torah says it was built in 13 years, if I remember correctly. It could be rebuilt in a year in its perfect form.

And this too…!!!

The vision of God’s Holy Mountain may not be all that far off. The Obama administration has also suggested that Jerusalem could become an international city that would be shared by peoples from all three Abrahamic faiths.

Even the Knesset is getting in on the discussion. Members of the Israeli Knesset gathered together last week with several Jewish scholars to discuss the role of the Jewish Temple in Jewish life. Referring to those Muslims who do not acknowledge the Jewish history of the Temple Mount, Dr. Mordechai Keidar stated, "The struggle for Jerusalem is not territorial, it is theological. … Do we give in to the Muslim claim that Judaism is no longer relevant?"

Want to see an artistic interpretation of the 3rd temple…

• Check out the painting depicting the 3rd Temple along side the Dome of the Rock! It says the following about the painting…

The artistic image on the enclosed card depicts a rebuilt Jewish Temple in peaceful proximity to the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque and other existing Islamic and Christian shrines in Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the prophecy: “On that day God will be One and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9)

Want to know about the vision behind it all…

• About the Vision…

This is a vision about transforming the Temple Mount from a place of contention to truly God’s Holy Mountain, a house of prayer for all people (Isaiah 56:7). It represents the prophecy of Zechariah 14:9 of the One God worshipped by the entire world in peace together.

Are you interested in how the Sanhedrin fits into all of this…

• How the Sanhedrin fit into this – in their own words!!!

From June 30 – July 3, 2009, representatives of the Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah met with Mr. Adnan Oktar, also known as Harun Yahya. Two statements were prepared, one from the Jerusalem Court, one from Mr. Oktar

1) We have come here, at the gracious invitation of Mr. Adnan Oktar, otherwise known as Harun Yahya, to look for leadership in the Islamic community. Over the centuries there have rarely been sincere leaders who fought for truth and understanding and against corruption and disbelief. We have heard that Harun Yahya is leading an intellectual struggle against atheist ideologies to increase belief and end corruption and atheism in the world. We understand that together we are looking forward to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zephania:
For then will I turn clear language to the Nations, that they may all call upon the name of G-d, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

 

The Bnei Noah rang alarm bells for me big time.

Why?

Because I have already blogged about them a while back and what I found out is almost impossible to believe! The Noahide Laws of the Bnei Noah allows for BEHEADING those who do not follow their seven laws!!! Does this sound vaguely familiar to you???

• Noahide Laws could be Global laws for all citizens of the World! 

…also documented the punishment for not following the Noahide Law, one of which is death by beheading. This is from the official Bnei Noah Site.

I too, have wondered about these laws and have found it interesting that the Temple has to be rebuilt in order for these laws to come into effect. For this to happen there is the problem of the Dome of the Rock. But this is not so much of a problem when you consider that the Dome of the Rock can stay just where it is, and be classed as the court of Gentiles according to Prof. Joseph Patrich who got back to me with an email and said this… It is outside the temple court, but still within the screen barring gentile entrance.

A MUST read alert. Once again coming from Scott Brisk Moriel Ministries.

The following is found on the Sanhedrin’s site:

• Adnan Oktar’s Meeting With Sanhedrin Rabbis (Islamic website) pictures and video
• Adnan Oktar’s "Union of Faiths" (Islamic website)
• Adnan Oktar’s meeting with Jewish Rabbis – Harun Yahya’s statement to Jews (Silentside.net)
• Sanhedrin Meeting With Harun Yahya – Joel’s Trumpet (July 7, 2009)
• Israeli Rabbi (not Sanhedrin) Calls For Turkish Mediation For Middle East Peace – Joel’s Trumpet (July 6, 2009)
• Sanhedrin Makes Link with Turkish Author to Oppose “The Unbelievers” – Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion (critical)

Filed under: Apostasy, Catholicism, Christian Persecution, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Creation/Evolution, Dominionism, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Globalism, Gnosticism, Hebrew, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, New World Order, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Prophecy, Red Flag Posts, Religion, The Strange, Theology, discernment, mysticism

P.E.A.C.E and ecumenical/interfaith unity…

There is so much in this article that I could have quoted the whole thing. McMahon, T.A. does an excellent job in outlining the ecumenical/interfaith movement and how the Cross of Christ is put on the back burner.

We all know that Rick Warren is one of the most influential men in Christendom today. But is his P.E.A.C.E plan the biblical peace that only Jesus can offer when you come to the foot of the cross as a sinner asking for forgiveness?

To accommodate working with people of all faiths Warren has revised the "P" in his P.E.A.C.E. from "planting evangelical churches" to "(P)romoting reconciliation" and the "E" from "equipping [church] leaders" to "(E)quipping ethical leaders." Warren has elsewhere acknowledged his practical shift to pluralism: "Who’s the man of peace in any village—or it might be a woman of peace—who has the most respect?…They don’t have to be Christian. In fact, they could be Muslim, but they’re open and they’re influential, and you work with them to attack the five giants [to which he has added global warming]." He quotes a secular leader who affirms what he’s doing: "I get it, Rick. Houses of worship are the distribution centers for all we need to do."

Warren has joined the advisory board of Faith Foundation, established by former British prime minister and recent Roman Catholic convert Tony Blair. The Foundation’s goal is to further understanding and cooperation among the six leading faiths: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish. How does the Cross fit into this ecumenical gathering?

Clearly Rick Warren is making headway with all religions in the name of peace!

I have often wondered how there seems to be a contradiction concerning the second coming. In one verse it says that there will be people saying “Peace and Safety”…

1Th 5:1-3  But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.

…yet there are seasons of times that we must understand. The disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His times…

Mat 24:3  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 close of the age?"

Christ spoke of things that were going to happen before His second coming that do not sound very peaceful or safe…

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray.
Mat 24:5  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
Mat 24:6  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Mat 24:8  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Mat 24:9  "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
Mat 24:10  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
Mat 24:12  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
Mat 24:13  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Jesus follows with the words…

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The gospel of good news is the salvation gospel, Rick Warren knows this doesn’t he?

The ones who are going to enter the kingdom are those who endure right until the end. The Greek word for endure means the following…

…to stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: – abide, endure, (take) patient (-ly), suffer, tarry behind.

I personally abide in the truth that is found in Christ Jesus alone. That truth is that my works wont save me, but my faith in what He did for me on the cross while I was still in sin is what saves me. Salvation cannot be found in any other way! We must always come back to the cross and be remindful of Jesus dying to take away all sins. He in fact became sin on our behalf…

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

2Co 5:21  God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become God’s righteousness in him.

That is the good news, why not share that!!!

Related:

Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?

Filed under: Apostasy, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Dominionism, Ecumenicalism, Emergent Church, Emerging Church, Globalism, Islam, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Religion, Theology, discernment

Concerning Israel – Prophecy being fulfilled!

Every week I get an email update from Scott Brisk from Moriel Ministries. His newsletter series is called “Be Alert” and it has some very poignant articles concerning the last days in which we live. So many articles are sent to me that to link them all on this little blog would be very time consuming for me and would lead to one massive post! So I thought it would be good if I just quote what he has written at the start of his newsletter and link you to the online source where you can find all of the articles that he has so diligently put together.

He writes an introduction about his latest newsletter so you can get the gist of what its about. This latest newsletter specifically speaks about Israel and the world’s reaction and reasoning towards this small bit of land…

This topic as most others concerning the end times has become more difficult to follow as events have sped up in recent times as the return of Christ grows closer. As I have stated on many occasions previously, it used to be that incidents of significance happened on a much more limited basis. Now they seem to be happening on a daily if not hourly pace at times. The problem with this is that all we know (at the specific moment) is that all the prophesied players are in place and in a state of motion, but the significance does not immediately come to light.
We can look back at the division of the biblical land of Israel in 1947 by Britain and the UN (by UN resolution 181) before it’s rebirth on May 14, 1948 and see a incredible and direct fulfillment of Joel 3:2, and the rebirth itself was a direct fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8. However, with today’s fast paced events it can be nearly impossible to decipher what is substantial or critical towards understanding biblical prophecy and what is just background noise or worse, outright deception. The cliché comes to mind, ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees’.
I pray this collection of articles will help to keep you abreast of the some of the latest affairs of the Middle East and as always prayerfully go before the Lord as ask Him to guide you by His Spirit with all wisdom and knowledge on how you might minister to others and keep your lamps filled with oil and shinning as the night draws near.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
BE/\LERT!
Scott Brisk

It is clear from the articles posted in the newsletter that Jerusalem really is the stumbling block to all nations. Should this surprise us? NO! God Himself said that all nations will find Jerusalem to be a big problem! And once again, God and His Word is right…

Zechariah 12:2-3 "Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. "It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.

This is just one of many prophecies concerning this little piece of real estate.

Scott also makes an astute observation about how many Christians are completely unaware about the prophetic significance that Israel plays today. In fact, as the social/humanitarian gospel marches forward the less Israel is even considered to be important in the prophetic way at all! Which makes sense really… when you think about this world what mankind can do to fix it globally via humanitarian efforts – including the humanitarian Church — Israel is a BIG problem! A thorn in the side so to speak.

But we must remember that the gospel is something that saves us from our sin! The bible outlines the salvific message for mankind. Christ lived and died so that we may have eternal life!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Romans 1:16

Anyway, this post is not about the social/humanitarian gospel and its shortcomings, but concerns itself with Israel and Jerusalem; the stumbling block to the whole world! [I have quite a few posts addressing this issue that can be found HERE]

So back to the newsletter…

This alert is, as much as possible, is a comprehensive overview of recent happenings concerning the most important nation ever in the history of mankind, Israel.
That is not my opinion, but fact because the Word of God declares it. Most of the world, and even more startlingly, most professing Christians deny this. How can this be when the whole context and content of Scripture point to God working through this nation? It is actually not that surprising when this same world and majority of professing ‘Christians’ are blinded from understanding that same Word of God that declares from start to finish the saving gospel of grace by faith in His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man and fully an ethnic Hebrew, also known as Yeshua Ha Mochiach (Jesus the Messiah).

Filed under: Apostasy, Christianity, Ecumenicalism, Globalism, Islam, Israel, Middle East, New World Order, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Prophecy, Religion, Theology, discernment

Temple building — Jewish hopes vs Islamic vow — What does the bible say?

A statement by the Mufti in Jerusalem to thousands of Moslem children that there will never be a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount is contradictory to Bible prophecy for the End Times.

As the controversy over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem intensifies, the Mufti, a high ranking Moslem cleric, Sheik Sabri, told up to ten thousand Moslem children recently gathered on the Temple Mount that they must defend Al Aqsa and never allow the Jews to rebuild their Temple on this sacred site. For the Mufti to tell thousands of Moslem children that the Jews must not be allowed to build a Temple on the Temple Mount is in total contradiction of what God’s Word reveals for the End Times.

Jesus Christ said there would be a Temple on the Temple Mount, Matthew 24:15. Apostles Paul and John said one day a Jewish Temple would be rebuilt in Jerusalem, II Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1-2. These passages of Scripture speak of the next Temple to stand in Jerusalem, the Tribulation Temple, and all preparations have been made for that Temple to be erected. The Jews could start construction at any time, but do remember that Zechariah 6:12 tells us that Jesus Himself, will return to the earth and build His Temple which will be there on the Temple Mount forever, Ezekiel 37:26, 28. [source]

Filed under: Audio & Video, Christianity, Hebrew, History, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Prophecy, Religion, Theology, discernment

Jerusalem will be a stumbling block…

hmmmm…. I don’t think God will be very happy with this.

Religious leaders in Jerusalem launched a new project on Thursday, aimed at fostering peace between Judaism, Islam and Christianity through the sharing of Judaism’s most holy site. The project is headed by the Interfaith Encounter Association, which aspires to promote a vision of peaceful coexistence between the ‘three Abrahamic religions’. [source]

Filed under: Islam, Israel, Middle East, News, Political, Religion, Theology, discernment

What is the biggest global problem anyway?

WASHINGTON, DC – Defying some of his fellow conservative Christian critics, one of the most prominent religious leaders [Rick Warren] in the country told several thousand American Muslims on Saturday that "the two largest faiths on the planet" must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems. [source]

Wouldn’t you say that SIN is the most devastating global problem of all? Wouldn’t you want to be saved from the consequence of sin?

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mat 26:11  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

Ye have the poor always. Always opportunities to do good to them, but what was done for Christ in the flesh must be done at once. [the peoples New Testament]

Wouldn’t you want to share the salvation gospel with people and explain that it is through Christ only that you can be saved?

To just say that "My deepest faith is in Jesus Christ" was not enough to a thoroughly lost crowd. The hour is too late to withhold a gospel message without which they will face a Christless eternity, and you will be held accountable. Read more HERE.

Filed under: Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Ecumenicalism, Globalism, Islam, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Religion, Theology, discernment

Unequally Yoked!

2Co 6:14  Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?

On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost Muslims, I feel I must address this in an open letter to who many say is the most influential pastor in America and some would say the world.

You simply must read this open letter at – An Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren

Carla from More Books and Things has more to say and more links to offer you HERE.

Filed under: Apostasy, Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Globalism, Islam, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Religion, Theology, discernment

Mike’s on fire lately…

Just been over to one of my faves, and Mike [Calvary Chapel Pastor and all-round-cool-guy] has written two posts that are worth reading.

One is about the ludicrous Iranian Government and how the family of a gunned down protester has to pay a bullet-fee of $3000! 

But he doesn’t leave it there. Critical of both the old Bush administration and now Obama’s silence he says…

And still utter, absolute silence from the Obama administration.

Condemn Israel when she tries to defend herself, all the while bending over backwards to limit civilian casualties to the absolute minimum…but zip the lip in condemning a government run by followers of the Religion of Peace.

Bush Part 2 was not a good president; under his watch, all the good done by the Reagan revolution was cheerfully dismantled, and we inherited an even more massive expansion of government than FDR ever could hope to achieve in his wildest dreams.  Even still, I’m quite certain that Bush wouldn’t be sitting very, very still over this, hoping the American public either ignored this whole ugly mess or ignored his utter inaction over it.  He at least had the guts to stand up to the Ayatollah and his guy Ahmadinejad.

What the Iranian government is doing is despicable. What our own government is doing (or, more to the point, very studiously not doing) is utterly unconscionable.

The other post is a pretty good one too!

Let me be very clear: I am a Zionist. Absolutely, unrepentantly, completely behind Israel and the Jewish people. Not only for theological reasons (though those of course are paramount) but for political reasons as well; Israel is the only nation in a very strategic, very volatile region which doesn’t hate our guts and consider us the “Great Satan.” 

So, I am a Christian Zionist. Deal with it.

That being said, as with most things, it’s important to strike a balance between extremes. […]

Mike, you struck a nice balance with that post. Well done! 

Filed under: Christianity, Freedom of Speech, Globalism, History, Islam, Israel, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion, discernment

I’m Burning, I’m Burning!"

My last post actually directed you to Mike’s post, in that post was a link to the girl who uttered the words…

 

I’m burning, I’m burning!"

Those were the dying last words of Neda Soltan, who was gunned down by the basij members while protesting the Mullahs in Iran.

She was a hero to the people and a voice for freedom. The sad thing is that she died a sinner in need of a savior and her dying words profess her final destination.

The following is from a Fox News article reporting on Neda Soltan.

Iran’s ‘Angel of Freedom’ Neda Soltan

The second of three children, Soltan studied Islamic philosophy at a branch of Tehran’s Azad University before deciding to take private classes to become a tour guide, hoping to ultimately lead Iranians on trips abroad, the L.A. Times reported.

She was reportedly passionate about traveling and had gone with friends to Dubai, Turkey and Thailand. The young Iranian was also an accomplished singer who was taking piano lessons, according to Panahi.

Soltan was not a hardcore activist, but had started attending the mass protests because she felt deeply outraged by the election results.

"She couldn’t stand the injustice of it all," Panahi told the L.A. Times.

A close friend of Soltan, who the L.A. Times identified only as "Golshad," said Neda’s parents had asked her not to go to the protest, fearing it was too dangerous.

"I told her, ‘Neda, don’t go,’" the Times quotes Golshad. "She said, ‘Don’t worry. It’s just one bullet and it’s over.’"

Friends say Soltan, Panahi and two others were stuck in traffic on their way to the demonstration sometime after 6:30 p.m.

When they stepped out of the car to get some air, Panahi heard a crack and then realized Soltan was on the ground.

"We were stuck in traffic and we got out and stood to watch, and without her throwing a rock or anything they shot her," the Times quoted Panahi. "It was just one bullet."

"I’m burning, I’m burning!" Panahi recalls were Soltan’s final words.

Read this very disturbing article I’m Burning, I’m Burning!" By Ray Gano

Filed under: Christianity, Islam, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Religion, Theology, discernment

Jewish Response to the Obama Cairo Speech

On June 4, 2009, President Barack H. Obama delivered a speech in Cairo, Egypt, that contained a distorted view of the Jewish people’s historical ties to the land of their forefathers, the land of Israel.

Filed under: History, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Prophecy, Religion, Theology, discernment

Twitter puts the pressure on concerning Iran!

Who would have thought that a with just a few characters – 140 to be precise – you could make such a difference. I do have a twitter account and I have to say that I have found some very good articles and points of view from all over the world via other twitter’s. Not only that, but if you set up your twitter account to your facebook account anything that you twit will automatically appear on your profile, any links that you find any posts that you make on your blog etc.

Facebook for me has been another place that has a wealth of good information that people have come across. Let me say this though, facebook can contain a lot of rubbish too. But I have facebook friends like “Answers in Genesis”, “Lambert Dolphin” and “Raymond Gano” all of which put out some very needed information for bible believing Christians concerning a large range of topics.

Here are a couple of quotes taken concerning the power of twitter…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it had contacted the social networking service Twitter to urge it to delay a planned upgrade that would have cut daytime service to Iranians who are disputing their election.

Confirmation that the U.S. government had contacted Twitter came as the Obama administration sought to avoid suggestions it was meddling in Iran’s internal affairs as the Islamic Republic battled to control deadly street protests over the election result.

Twitter and Facebook have been used as a tool by many young people to coordinate protests over the election’s outcome. [source]

 

The last few days have seen users of the Internet (and Twitter in particular) flex their muscles in ways that I would not have imagined only a few months ago.  Over the weekend, users of Twitters blasted CNN over its lack of coverage of the Iranian elections and the accompanying protests over claims of ballot fraud. Twitter users even adopted the hashtag #CNNfail to highlight a lack of Iran coverage from the news giant. In response, CNN was forced to defend itself and upped its coverage.

Today, it was Twitter’s turn to be on the receiving end of the negative hashtag #NoMaintenance, as Twitter users, including those in Iran, pleaded with the social network to postpone a 90-minute network upgrade scheduled for this evening.  Twitter is proving to be one of the few ways that Iranians are able to contact the outside world with reports of the protests against the election results. [source]

On a personal note, I do have people who read the articles that I put up… and the feedback that I get is that they have been challenged by them and have liked them which is a good thing. So, if you are a twitterer and/or facebooker keep the news coming, keep up the pressure and keep posting challenging articles on your blogs, or from other sources that you may find on the WWW linking them to these social networks. You may be making a huge difference!

Filed under: Christianity, Creation & Evolution, Freedom of Speech, Globalism, Islam, Middle East, News, Personal, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Religion, Resources, discernment

Netanyahu will Try to Rebuild the Jewish Temple…

This news really does fit in with biblical prophecy…

Raad Salah: Netanyahu will Try to Rebuild the Jewish Temple by Gil Ronen (IsraelNN.com) Sheikh Raad Salah, leader of the Northern Wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, believes Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will try to rebuild the Jewish Temple. Read more at – Raad Salah: Netanyahu will Try to Rebuild the Jewish Temple – Defense/Middle East – Israel News – Israel National News

Apparently Netanyahu has never said such a thing, so you have to ask why this was said by Raad Salah? He goes on to say…

The solution to “the threat against Jerusalem,” according to Salah, is a complete mobilization of the Arab world, including the religious imams, who need to act and “recruit the masses.” He asked Muslim scholars to pronounce edicts that will force “the Muslim nation and its leaders to confront their duty towards the problem of Jerusalem and Al Aqsa.”

“A thousand politicians can talk without changing a thing,” Salah said. ‘One religious sage can do what the politicians cannot carry out."

That kinda sums it all up doesn’t it? Need I say more!

Filed under: History, Islam, Israel, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion, Theology, discernment

The difference between Muhammad and Jesus…

Read this article and you will learn that there is a very clear difference between Jesus and Muhammad.

World Factbook, the world’s 6.5 billion people are 33.32 percent Christian and 21.01 percent Muslim. If a computer acts up, the technician resets it to the default settings it had when it left the factory. If followers of a religion act up, one should examine the default settings the religion had when it left its founder. One can examine the life of Jesus from the four Gospels. One can examine the life of Muhammad from the Quran, Hadith and sources like the Sirat Rasul Allah.

In 1861, Sir William Muir published an English translation, “The Life of Mahomet.” Edward Rehatsek’s translation, edited by Michael Edwardes, was presented to the Royal Asiatic Society of London in 1898. Oxford University published Alfred Guillaume’s translation in 1955. A review of these resources reveal: Jesus was a religious leader. Muhammad was religious leader and a military leader. Jesus never killed anyone.

All of the caliphs who followed Muhammad led armies. (Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Muawiyya, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, etc.) In the first 300 years of Christianity, there were 10 major Roman persecutions, and Christians were fed to lions in the Colosseum. [source]

 

Related:

The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement

Filed under: Christianity, History, Islam, Middle East, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion, Theology, discernment

The press interview with President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu…

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, listen, I first of all want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for making this visit. I think we had a extraordinarily productive series of conversations, not only between the two of us but also at the staff and agency levels.

Obviously this reflects the extraordinary relationship, the special relationship between the United States and Israel. It is a stalwart ally of the United States. We have historical ties, emotional ties. As the only true democracy of the Middle East it is a source of admiration and inspiration for the American people.

I have said from the outset that when it comes to my policies towards Israel and the Middle East that Israel’s security is paramount, and I repeated that to Prime Minister Netanyahu. It is in U.S. national security interests to assure that Israel’s security as an independent Jewish state is maintained.

Read more of this very interesting press conference…[source]

Filed under: Globalism, History, Islam, Israel, Middle East, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion

The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism

Well, here is the post that I promised you, it’s about a very important topic. The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessioism…

 

A large portion of the word of God in the Old Testament is being misinterpreted or deliberately avoided by those who have adopted the teaching that the Christian Church has replaced Israel and that the ancient promises made by God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David are now passé. However, Calvin L. Smith has edited a set of chapters in a new book that makes a vital contribution towards rectifying this imbalance in interpretation. May it spark a long-overdue discussion among Evangelical interpreters of all persuasions as well as one between Jewish people of the book and believers in the Christian Church. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ph.D. Colman Mockler Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Old Testament, President Emeritus, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Read more at – The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism – Home

Some of the endorsements can be found HERE. Below are just some of what well known scholars think about the book…

The Jews, Modern Israel and the New Supercessionism provides thorough insights, both biblical and secular, into issues related to the present, past, and future status of ethnic Israel.  It is heartening that editor Calvin L. Smith along with an assortment of contributors has outlined many historic and current facets related to present-day Israel.  The availability and helpfulness of the book will strike a strong note in response to growing supercessionist influences regarding God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants.
Dr Robert L. Thomas
Professor of New Testament Language and Literature
The Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, California

A book of this quality, character and courage has been needed for decades! I want to congratulate Dr. Calvin Smith of King’s Evangelical Divinity School for engaging in this highly charged and controversial study focusing on God’s plan for the Jewish people, the nation of Israel and the Arab world.  I further applaud the project for taking the very critical next step of helping to provide a matrix for understanding the relationship between the Western Church and the Christian, Messianic and Muslim communities of the East.
Mitch Glaser, Ph.D.
President, Chosen People Ministries

If you are new to the word “Supercessionism”, Dr Calvin L. Smith explains what it means and the implications…

…Supercessionism (American spelling: supersessionism) is the theological view that God’s dealings with His chosen people Israel have now been superceded by a new people, the Church. Thus, supercessionism claims the promises originally intended for Israel are now given over to the Church, neither do the Jews any longer retain any special status as God’s chosen people.  Supercessionism is also known as replacement theology, or replacementism. For their part, some supercessionists/ replacementists eschew both these labels as pejorative, preferring instead terms like ‘fulfillment theology’ or ‘transference theology’. [source]

It is important to note that Dr Calvin L. Smith addresses the problem of Supercessionism in a biblical-systematic manner and because of that, this book is not an endorsement for extreme Christian Zionism. This is what he says about Christian Zionism…

…So again, the issues are complex and demand a sophisticated approach. Unfortunately, there is not much of that in the current debate, with a tendency among several of today’s vocal supercessionist writers to tar every Christian even mildly holding to the view God has not finished with Israel with a Christian Zionist brush.

…At the other end of the spectrum are some extreme Christian Zionists who take an “Israel right or wrong” stance, turning a blind eye to some things happening in that part of the world (especially the difficulties faced by some Christians there) and engaging in a form of Israel worship (or ‘Israelolatry’, if you like). In between are very many people who reject this idolising of Israel but are equally uncomfortable, in fact increasingly troubled with the extreme pro-Palestinianism and anti-Israelism exhibited by several more vocal Evangelical supercessionists. [source]

He speaks about the current tensions that surround Israel, Islam and Supercessionism…So not only is the issue of Israel and supercessionism hotting up, it is also symptomatic of a wider ideological struggle currently taking place within Evangelicalism over how to respond to Islam.

To read more of this most fascinating interview with Calvin Smith and to get an idea about where this book is actually coming from see HERE.

The release date for this book that seeks to get past the unnecessarily polemical approach is the 5th of May. It can be purchased HERE.

Filed under: Christian Pragmatism, Christianity, Church History, Globalism, Hebrew, History, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, Midrash, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Political/Christian, Prophecy, Religion, Resources, Theology, discernment , Biblical Systematic Theology, Christian Zionism, Israel, Middle East Politics, Palestine, politics, Replacement Theology, Supercessionism

Video – An Alarming video every Westerner should see

On Al-Jazeera TV, Kuwaiti Prof Suggests a Biological Attack on White House, Prays for Bombing of Nuclear Plant on Lake Michigan

BARACK Obama has warned the war in Afghanistan will continue for years, vowing the free world must not back down in the face of “vicious killers”.

Mr Obama’s comments came early this morning after a 70-minute meeting with Kevin Rudd at the White House.

The first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders was dominated by the economy and Afghanistan amid widespread expectations Mr Obama will ask Australia to increase its military involvement in the troubled nation beyond its current troop strength of 1100.

Mr Obama, who is awaiting a comprehensive review of the US engagement against Taliban insurgents, did not say whether he had asked Mr Rudd for more troops.

But he said that despite the mounting death toll in the seven-year-old war, the involvement of the US and its Allies had failed to eliminate the threat of terrorism from Al-Qaida and its affiliates.

“I think the American and the Australian people also recognise that in order for us to keep our homelands safe, in order to maintain our way of life in order to ensure order on the international scene, that we can’t allow vicious killers to have their way,” Mr Obama told reporters in the Oval Office.

“We’re going to do what’s required to ensure that does not happen.”[source]

more about “Video – An Alarming video every Weste…“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: Audio & Video, Globalism, Islam, Middle East, News, Philosophy & Religion, Political, Religion, Theology, discernment