August 27, 2010
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LIVING ON BORROWED TIME - DVD
A morally and spiritually bankrupt society …A worldwide economic meltdown…A planet racked with increasingly intense manmade and natural disasters…Are we the Final Generation?
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42-44
Reviews: The DVD should be seen by small groups and youth ministries far and wide. The clear quoting and referencing of bible verses is especially strong. The collage of dramatic imagery - both in photography and artwork, grabs the viewers' attention and weaves the conclusion that God is about to continue His plan in a major way. The video is so fresh - the oil explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico is shown as one example of how this old world is wearing out and is in flames
The video next defends the authorship and reliability of the bible before showing eight unmistakable developments in our world that point toward the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The number one sign given to our generation is the return of the Jewish people to form the nation of Israel. Jesus Christ is now standing at the door waiting to take his beloved bride- His true believers. Like the admonition from the Book of Jude, verse 23, I pray that this DVD will be used by the Holy Spirit to pluck dying people out of the fire before the borrowed time runs out. - John Wicklund - Chair- Olive Tree Ministries Board of Directors - Maple Grove, MN
Great Job! We have watched all your DVD’s and we think this is the best one so far. After someone watches this DVD there is no way they could argue that we are not living in the last days! – Don & Cindy K. – Bakersfield, CA
The DVD came and it was great. GOOD JOB ! ! – Julie A. – Whitefish, MT
God bless you, the new DVD is amazing! I know that if there is anyone out there who doesn't know what the bible holds or has no clue about what is really going on after seeing this DVD they will surely be enlightened about what is truly going on in the world today. - The Taylor's - Bakersfield, CA
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'Israel ready to destroy Lebanese Army in four hours’ - www.jpost.com
Report: Lebanese paper claims US envoy told LAF chief that if border incident occurred again IDF would enact plan to destroy Lebanese military within four hours.
The US warned Lebanon that if it did not prevent any recurrence of the border-fire incident that occurred earlier this month, the IDF would destroy the Lebanese Armed Forces within four hours, Israel Radio cited a report by Lebanese newspaper A-Liwaa on Friday.
According to the report, Frederick Hoff, assistant to US Middle East Peace Envoy George Mitchell, told Lebanese Army chief of staff Jean Kahwaji that Israel was ready to implement a plan to destroy within four hours all Lebanese military infrastructure, including army bases and offices, should a similar confrontation occur in the future.
IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Dov Harari, 45, was killed and Capt. (res.) Ezra Lakia was seriously wounded, as well three LAF soldiers and one Lebanese journalist killed, when both sides exchanged fire after IDF soldiers attempted to cut down a tree on the Israeli side of the border.
The IDF had informed the UNIFIL peacekeeping force along the border ahead of time of the intended tree-clearing operation.
UNIFIL later confirmed that the IDF troops were on the Israeli side of the border when the incident occurred, contradicting LAF claims that Lebanese sniper fire directed at the Israeli troops had been justified by an incursion upon Lebanese territory.
Netanyahu eyes twice-monthly head-to-heads with Abbas - Marius Schattner – www.news.yahoo.com
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to personally lead peace talks that start next week and hopes to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas every two weeks, a senior official said on Friday.
The official confirmed media reports, saying Netanyahu considered it vital that negotiations be conducted between leaders and in the greatest possible secrecy.
Speaking at a meeting of top ministers on Thursday night, the hawkish premier said that "serious negotiations in the Midddle East (require) direct, discreet and continuous talks between the leaders on key issues," the English-language Jerusalem Post reported.
He told the ministers he hoped to meet Abbas every two weeks to address key issues which would then be fleshed out by the negotiating teams.
Media reports said he also told the ministers the Israeli team would be led by his pointman on Palestinian affairs Yitzhak Molcho, a longstanding friend who had already served as advisor and emissary during Netanyahu's first term as prime minister in the 1990s.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a firebrand ultra-nationalist who has talked down the prospects for the new negotiations, will not be part of the Israeli delegation, press reports said.
Lieberman's spokesman declined to comment.
US officials were informed of Netanyahu's proposals ahead of a ceremony in Washington next Thursday to mark the relaunch.
Thursday's summit will be the first direct negotiations between the two sides since the Palestinians broke off talks in December 2008 after Israel launched a devastating offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Late on Thursday, veteran US Middle East envoy Dennis Ross arrived in Israel for a final round of shuttle diplomacy ahead of the Washington meeting, army radio said.
He will be seeking to narrow the differences between the two sides, in particular over the future of a partial Israeli moratorium on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, outside annexed Arab east Jerusalem, which is due to end on September 26.
The Israeli government faces strong pressure at home not to renew the freeze on new construction permits, while Abbas has warned that "if Israel resumes settlement activities, including in east Jerusalem, we cannot continue with negotiations."
The international community considers settlements in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, to be illegal. They are home to about 500,000 Israelis.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, meanwhile is to meet French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy next week on his way to the Washington summit, which he will attend, Egypt's flagship Al-Ahram newspaper said.
It said Mubarak and Sarkozy would discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Jordan's King Abdullah II is also due to join the inaugural session in Washington.
Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states to have signed peace treaties with Israel.
US wants agreement now, peace later - Shimon Shiffer – www.ynetnews.com
White House document reveals American preparations for Israeli-Palestinian talks: President Obama to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah, call for painful concessions; permanent agreement to be signed within one year, implemented within 10 years
The Obama administration plans to present Israel and the Palestinian Authority with a new outline aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily has learned that the Americans will pressure the parties to sign a framework agreement for a permanent settlement within one year, but that the agreement itself would be implemented within 10 years.
The American administration plans to invest every effort to guarantee that the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, which will be launched officially next Thursday, will end with an agreement rather than with a crisis, as in previous negotiations.
US President Barack Obama, whose approval rating has hit a new low, is interested in marking his first success in the Middle East, in light of the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This time, Obama plans to get into the thick of things himself. Daniel Shapiro, the National Security Council's top Middle East expert, told the leaders of the American Jewish organizations that the president planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the coming year.
During his visit, Obama will try to convince the two sides to support painful concessions for the sake of peace.
Several days ago, leaders of the American Jewish organizations held a conference call with three of the top officials determining the Obama administration's Middle East policy – Shapiro, Dennis Ross and David Hale, deputy of US special Middle East envoy George Mitchell.
Ross has been involved in all the talks between Israel and the Palestinians since the Oslo Accords. He is considered today Obama's No. 1 expert on Middle Eastern affairs.
Gesture from Arab states
Yedioth Ahronoth has obtained the protocol summarizing the conference call, written by White House officials. The document provides a fascinating peek into the administration's plans in the near future.
According to the American plan, the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams would hold hectic talks in a bid to reach a framework agreement within a year. The intensive talks would be held in isolated sites, so as to allow the teams to calmly discuss the core issues of the permanent agreement: Jerusalem's future, the borders, the settlements and the refugees.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be required to hold frequent meetings in order to solve concrete problems and advance the negotiations' stages.
If the talks reach a deadlock, American officials would intervene and attempt to bridge between the sides. In addition, the US would try to convince the Arab states to offer goodwill gestures to Israel and influence the Palestinians to compromise.
The framework agreement aimed at ending the conflict would be signed within a year. From that moment on, the agreement would be implemented gradually over a period of several years.
Ross estimated in the conference call that many elements would try to sabotage the talks. "Our challenge would be to guarantee their success," he stated.
The Jewish leaders asked him what could be learned from the mistakes which caused the previous attempts to solve the conflict to fail. I learned that we must not accept a situation in which the parties say one thing inside the room and something else outside the room, he replied.
In other words, the administration would not regard favorably a situation in which Israeli and Palestinian officials "blast" each other outside the meeting room.
"Can Netanyahu reach an agreement which would gain political support in Israel?" the Jewish leaders asked. Hale replied that Netanyahu had promised he would be able to do that. We view him as a strong partner committed to the process, he said.
Lieberman refuses to attend summit
Senior diplomatic officials in Israel have revealed, however, that Netanyahu has yet to prepare a firm stand ahead of the direct talks. The government has yet to agree on the outline for the permanent agreement, not to mention the settlement construction freeze.
"Bibi will barely escape Washington," a senior state official estimated.
Minister Dan Meridor, backed by Netanyahu, is trying to convince Ross and Shapiro to agree to the outline he suggested ahead of the end of the settlement construction moratorium on September 26: The building freeze would only continue in isolated settlements, but construction would be resumed in the settlement blocs expected to remain under Israel's control. Only one minister, Ehud Barak, has expressed his support for this idea so far.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman believes the Americans should be informed that the construction will continue without any restrictions in settlement blocs, and will be renewed in isolated settlements according to the residents' natural growth.
The Palestinians, on their part, have already clarified their demands ahead of the direct talks, the first one being the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
Upon the start of the negotiations, the Palestinians will demand that Israel withdraw from the northern Dead Sea as part of a gesture before continuing the talks. The PA is expected to agree to a land exchange with Israel: In return for 3.9% of the West Bank area where the settlement blocs are located, the Palestinians expect to receive lands in the Negev.
Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that Lieberman rejected the prime minister's request to join him on his trip to Washington ahead of Thursday's summit. According to reliable sources, the foreign minister told Netanyahu he would not attend celebrations he has no faith in.
Hamas: PA can't give up Jerusalem in direct Mideast peace talks – www.haaretz.com
Speaking at fast-breaking meal in Gaza, Hamas PM Haniyeh says Palestinians worldwide do not support 'absurd talks with Israel.'
Palestinian negotiators are not mandated to surrender Jerusalem or any part of Palestine, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoted Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as saying on Friday, with the Hamas strongman dubbing upcoming direct peace talks as the latest in a string of Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.
On Tuesday, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal said that the upcoming U.S.-backed direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were illegitimate and the result of coercion by Washington.
Talks between the two sides had been were shelved two years ago, but the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is hoping for a breakthrough during the new rounds of negotiations set to begin September 2.
Speaking in Ramadan fast-breaking meal in the Gaza town of Khan Younis late Thursday, Haniyeh claimed that "no negotiator who would give up Jerusalem has a national mandate," adding that "Palestinians across the globe will not support any movement holding absurd talks with Israel."
The Hamas prime minister, referring to the Palestinian prisoners' families present at the meal, said that the "prisoners, the injured and the families of martyrs will not authorize anyone who wants to give up Palestine and Jerusalem after they have sacrificed for years and struggled to keep it."
"The occupation has failed to break the will of the Palestinian people, not by increasing its attacks or increasing the number of dead, not by injuring prisoners or isolating the resistance from its people," the Hamas leader said.
"Israel is trying in dozens of ways to achieve its goal, and now it is through negotiations," Haniyeh added, saying that next upcoming negotiations were the latest in a long list of Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.
On Monday, Haniyeh said the Palestinian people will gain nothing from direct Middle East peace talks with Israel.
Speaking at a Gaza Strip mosque on Monday, Haniyeh said that the scheduled negotiations would not restore Palestinians' rights or give them control over religious sites, saying that they "should trust God, who will be an ally of the Palestinians."
According to the Ma'an report, Haniyeh also praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinians were a "model for the Arab nations and Islamic countries."
Israel working to thwart Russia arms deal with Syria – Barik Ravid – www.haaretz.com
Netanyahu asks Putin to stop deal involving sale of advanced P-800 Yakhont supersonic cruise missiles; Israel considers this weaponry dangerous to its navy vessels in Mediterranean Sea.
Israel is trying to prevent an arms deal between Russia and Syria, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to stop the arms sale involving advanced anti-shipping missiles.
The deal involves the sale of advanced P-800 Yakhont supersonic cruise missiles to the Syrian military. Israel considers this weaponry capable of posing significant danger to its navy vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.
In a conversation with Putin, Netanyahu told the Russian leader that missiles his country had delivered to Syria were then transferred to Hezbollah and used against IDF troops during the Second Lebanon War.
Meanwhile, Ehud Barak is scheduled to travel to Moscow for what will be the first-ever visit by an Israeli Defense Minister to the Russian capital, where he plans to discuss the matter with his host, Anatoly Serdyukov.
A senior Israeli official who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said Israel and Russia have been engaged in discreet dialogue over arms deals to the region.
But as these talks have not yielded any results, the decision was made to upgrade the level of discussions with a senior political figure.
"We have been working on such a visit for more than a year and it is very important to us," the official said.
As the Russian Defense Ministry is considered to be overwhelmingly pro-Arab, the opportunity for an Israeli Defense Minister to make an official visit is considered a historic development.
Netanyahu called Putin on Friday, after a long period of time in which the two had not communicated. The prime minister updated his Russian counterpart on the direct talks with the Palestinians that are expected to begin next week, and some of the conversation centered on the arms deal with Syria.
In addition to Syria's transfer of advanced Russian anti-tank missiles to Hezbollah, Netanyahu also mentioned the incident in which Syrian-acquired Chinese-made C-802 anti-shipping missiles were used by Hezbollah to target an Israeli destroyer. He expressed Israel's concern that the new missiles from Russia will also make their way to Hezbollah.
The latest arms deal was first reported in the foreign press in late 2009, and is said to include P-800 missiles which now come in models that can be launched from land.
The highly accurate missiles have a maximum range of 300 kilometers and carry a 200-kilogram warhead. The weapon's unique feature is its ability to cruise several meters above the surface, making it difficult to identify on radar and therefore intercept.
The C-802 missiles currently in the Syrian arsenal have a range of 120 kilometers, carry a smaller warhead and lack the accuracy of the more advanced missiles.
Israel's defense analysts are concerned that these missiles in the hands of Hezbollah would pose a serious threat to Israel Navy ships operating out of the Haifa port, and possibly also out of Ashdod.
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Accepting the unacceptable - By Caroline B. Glick
The White House is the most stubborn defender of the notion that the Iranian nuclear threat is not as serious a threat as the absence of a Palestinian state. That is, President Barack Obama himself is the most strident advocate of a US Middle East policy that ignores all the dangers the US faces in the region and turns American guns against the only country that doesn't threaten any US interest
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Last weekend the mullahs took a big step towards becoming a nuclear power as they powered the Bushehr nuclear reactor.
Israel's response? The Foreign Ministry published a statement proclaiming the move "unacceptable."
So why did we accept the unacceptable?
When one asks senior officials about the Bushehr reactor and about Iran's nuclear program more generally, their response invariably begins, "Well the Americans…"
Far from accepting that Israel has a problem that it must deal with, Israel's decision makers still argue that the US will discover — before it is too late — that it must act to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power in order to secure its own interests.
As for Bushehr specifically, Israeli officials explain that it isn't the main problem. The main danger stems from the uranium enrichment sites. And anyway, they explain, given the civilian character of the Bushehr reactor; the fact that it is under a full International Atomic Energy Agency inspections regime; and the fact that the Russians are supposed to take all the spent fuel rods to Russia and so prevent Iran from using them to produce weapons-grade plutonium, Israel lacked the international legitimacy to strike Bushehr to prevent it from being fuelled last weekend.
Before going into the question of whether or not Israel's decision makers were correct in deciding to opt out of attacking the Bushehr reactor to prevent it from being fuelled, it is worth considering where "the Americans" stand on Iran as it declares itself a nuclear power and tests new advanced weapons systems on a daily basis.
The answer to this question was provided in large part in an article in the National Interest by former Clinton Administration National Security Council member Bruce Riedel. Titled, "If Israel Attacks," Riedel -- who reportedly has close ties to the administration - asserts that an Israeli military strike against Iran will be a disaster for the US. In his view, US is better served by allowing Iran to become a nuclear power than by supporting an Israeli attack against Iran.
He writes, "The United States needs to send a clear red light to Israel. There's no option but to actively discourage an Israeli attack."
Riedel explains that to induce Israel to accept the unacceptable specter of a nuclear armed mullocracy, the US should pay it off. Riedel recommends plying Israel's leaders with F-22 Stealth bombers, nuclear submarines, a mutual defense treaty and perhaps even NATO membership.
Riedel's reason for deeming an Israeli strike unacceptable is his conviction that such a strike will be met by an Iranian counter-strike against US forces and interests in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. While there is no reason to doubt he is correct, Riedel studiously ignores the other certainty: A nuclear-armed Iran would threaten those same troops and interests far more.
Riedel would have us believe that the Iranian regime will be a rational nuclear actor. That's the regime that has outlawed music, stones women, and deploys terror proxies throughout the region and the world. That's the same regime whose "supreme leader" just published a fatwa claiming he has the same religious stature as Muhammed.
Riedel bases this view on the actions Iran took when it was weak.
Since Iran didn't place its American hostages on trial in 1980, it can be trusted with nuclear weapons in 2010. Since Iran didn't go to war against the US in 1988 during the Kuwaiti tanker crisis, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can be trusted with nuclear bombs in 2010. And so on and so forth.
Moreover, Riedel ignores what any casual newspaper reader now recognizes: Iran's nuclear weapons program has spurred a regional nuclear arms race. Riedel imagines a bipolar nuclear Middle East with Israel on the one side and Iran on the other. He fails to notice that already today Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan and Turkey have all initiated nuclear programs. And if Iran is allowed to go nuclear, these countries will beat a path to any number of nuclear bomb stores.
Some argue that a multipolar nuclear Middle East will adhere to the rules of mutual assured destruction. Assuming this is true, the fact remains that the violent Iranian response to an Israeli strike against its nuclear installations will look like a minor skirmish in comparison to the conventional wars that will break out in a Middle East in which everyone has the bomb.
And in truth, there is no reason to believe that a Middle East in which everyone has nuclear weapons is a Middle East which adheres to the rules of MAD. A recent Zogby/ University of Maryland poll of Arab public opinion taken for the Brookings Institute in US-allied Arab states Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE shows that the Arab world is populated by jihadists.
As Herb London from the Hudson Institute pointed out in an analysis of the poll, nearly 70 percent of those polled said the leader they most admire is either a jihadist or a supporter of jihad. The most popular leaders were Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Hizbullah chieftain Hassan Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden.
So if popular revolutions bring down any of the teetering despotic regimes now occupying the seats of power in the Arab world, they will likely be replaced by jihadists. Moreover, since an Iranian nuclear bomb would empower the most radical, destabilizing forces in pan-Arab society, the likelihood that a despot would resort to a nuclear strike on a Western or Israeli target in order to stay in power would similarly rise.
All of this should not be beyond the grasp of an experienced strategic thinker like Riedel. And yet, obviously, it is. Moreover, as an alumnus of the Clinton administration, Riedel's positions in general are more realistic than those of the Obama administration. As Israeli officials acknowledge, the Obama administration is only now coming to terms with the fact that its engagement policy towards Iran has failed.
Moreover, throughout the US government, the White House is the most stubborn defender of the notion that the Iranian nuclear threat is not as serious a threat as the absence of a Palestinian state. That is, President Barack Obama himself is the most strident advocate of a US Middle East policy that ignores all the dangers the US faces in the region and turns American guns against the only country that doesn't threaten any US interest.
And now, facing this state of affairs, Israeli leaders today still argue that issuing a Foreign Ministry communiqué declaring the fuelling of the Bushehr nuclear reactor "unacceptable," and beginning worthless negotiations with Fatah leaders is a rational and sufficient Israeli policy.
What lies behind this governmental fecklessness?
There are two possible explanations for the government's behavior. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu may be motivated by operational concerns or he may be motivated by political concerns.
On the operational level, the question guiding Israel's leaders is when is the optimal time to attack? The fact that government sources say that it would have been diplomatically suicidal to attack before Bushehr became operational last weekend makes it clear that non-military considerations are the determining factor for Israel's leadership. Yet what Riedel's article and the clear positions of the Obama administration demonstrate is that there is no chance that non-military conditions will ever be optimal for Israel. Moreover, as Israel's 1981 attack on Iraq's nuclear reactor shows, Israel can achieve its strategic objectives even without US support for its operations.
From a military perspective, it is clear that it would have been better to strike Iran's nuclear installations before the Russians fuelled Bushehr. Any attack scenario from now on will have to either accept the prospect of nuclear fallout or accept leaving Bushehr intact. Indeed from a military perspective, the longer Israel waits to attack Iran, the harder it will become to accomplish the mission.
So unless Israel's leaders are unaware of strategic realities, the only plausible explanation for Netanyahu's decision to sit by idly as Israel's military options were drastically diminished over the weekend is that he was moved by domestic political considerations.
And what might those political considerations be? Clearly he wasn't concerned with a lack of public support. Consistent, multiyear polling data show that the public overwhelmingly supports the use of force to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
Then there is the issue of Netanyahu's coalition. It cannot be that Netanyahu believes that he can build a broader coalition to support an attack on Iran than he already has by bringing Kadima into his government. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni is not a great supporter of an Israeli attack on Iran. Livni views being liked by Obama more important than preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear state.
The prospect of a Kadima splinter party led by former defense minister Shaul Mofaz joining the coalition is also raised periodically. Yet experience to date indicates there is little chance of that happening. Mofaz apparently dislikes Netanyahu more than he dislikes the notion of facing a nuclear-armed Iran, (and a nuclear-armed Saudi Arabia and Egypt and etc., etc., etc.).
Only one possibility remains: Netanyahu must have opted to sit on his hands as Bushehr was powered up because of opposition he faces from within his government. There is only one person in Netanyahu's coalition who has both the strategic dementia and the political power to force Netanyahu to accept the unacceptable. That person is Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Barak's strategic ineptitude is legendary. It was most recently on display in the failed naval commando takeover of the Turkish-Hamas terror ship Mavi Marmara. It was Barak's idea to arm naval commandos with paintball guns and so guarantee that they would be attacked and forced to use lethal force to defend themselves.
Barak's ability to dictate government policy was most recently demonstrated in his obscene abuse of power in the appointment of the IDF's next chief of staff. Regardless of whether the so-called "Galant" document which set out a plan to see Maj. General Yoav Galant appointed to replace outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi was forged or authentic, it is clear that its operative clauses were all being implemented by Barak's own office for the past several months. So too, despite the fact that the document is still the subject of police investigation, Barak successfully strong-armed Netanyahu into agreeing to his lightning appointment of Galant.
Even if Galant is the best candidate for the position, it is clear that Barak did the general no favors by appointing him in this manner. He certainly humiliated and discredited the General Staff.
Barak is the Obama administration's favorite Israeli politician. While Netanyahu is shunned, Barak is feted in Washington nearly every month. And this makes sense. As the man directly responsible for Israel's defense and with his stranglehold on the government, he alone has the wherewithal to enable the entire Middle East to go nuclear.
How's that for unacceptable?
This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report' – Hal Lindsey – www.hallindsey.com
On this week's edition of "The Hal Lindsey Report": A few weeks ago, I began reporting in earnest about the choking effects of 'political correctness' and pre-emptive thought control on our society. At the time, I didn't anticipate that we would see it played out so quickly and in such graphic detail as we're witnessing in each day's newscasts.
All my life I've heard the story about the old preacher who challenged his congregation with these words: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" I'll take this a step further. What if you claimed to be a Christian and nobody believed you? Two recent polls have discovered that as many as one-quarter of all Americans believe that President Obama is actually a Muslim. This is despite the fact that during his campaign he put enormous effort into convincing the voters that he was a Christian.
I remember thinking at the time, "Why is no one on the Left howling about Senator Obama's claims of faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ?" When George W. Bush, early in his campaign, told reporters that the person who had most profoundly affected his life was Jesus Christ, it almost derailed his campaign! Even during his presidency, I don't remember White House spokespersons having to reassure reporters that President Bush was really a Christian. The press took his faith at face value and constantly threw it back at him.
And remember how the Left ridiculed him for appointing John Ashcroft, a devout and open evangelical Christian, as his Attorney-General? When it was discovered that Mr. Ashcroft held personal Bible studies in his DOJ office, the Left and the press demanded his resignation. Yet, when Mr. Obama's deputy press secretary insisted to reporters aboard Air Force One last week that, indeed, the President is "obviously a Christian [because] he prays every day," every member of the Mainstream Media was as quiet as a church mouse!
As Mister Rogers might have put it, "Can you say 'double standard'?" But, then, that's the modus operandi for practitioners of political correctness, social Marxism, and thought-control.
But trust our old friend, Reality, to break up the party. Because of all the controversy over the Ground Zero Mosque (Formerly called "Cordoba House," then "Park 51 Mosque", and now we learn it's not really a mosque, but a community center with a small prayer space!), 'Happy Ramadan' dinners at the White House, and the growing suspicion that our President may be a 'closet' Muslim, we've recently heard a lot of folks give Islam some wonderful reviews. Unfortunately, the truth about Islam doesn't quite measure up to the good press that Islam has been getting lately. On this week's program, I'll examine some of the gaps between 'reality' and the politically correct view of Islam.
Also, if you're a fan of that time-honored literary tradition known as "irony," you'll be in high clover this week. A group of 'interfaith' leaders gave a press conference in Washington recently in support of The Cordoba Initiative. You will never believe the examples and parallels they cited in their efforts to shame us into going along with the idea. Either these guys are ignorant of Islamic history, they're blatantly duplicitous (which is my bet), or they're just plain stupid. Frankly, I wouldn't want to have to claim any of these options to describe myself, but they're spoiled for choice.
Finally, I fear that we Americans may be experiencing a kind of national "Stockholm Syndrome." The more our national self-image is battered and abused, the more we cozy up to our abusers. But all we have to do is take a look at the growing threat presented by the burgeoning Muslim populations in Europe to realize that we need to confront our own internal dangers before they get too big to handle.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, Inspiration, CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com
Of Walter Fauntroy, the TEA Party and racism – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
I am offended as an American and as a Christian brother by the remarks of the Reverend Walter Fauntroy characterizing the TEA Party movement as interchangeable with the KKK. These were not off the cuff remarks either. Fauntroy held a news conference at the National Press Club and said, "We are going to take on the barbarism of war, the decadence of racism, and the scourge of poverty, that the Ku Klux--I meant to say, the TEA Party...You all forgive me, but I--you have to use them interchangeably." Mr. Fauntroy, you have gone too far. Your misguided socialism that you have displayed throughout your career has tainted your view of reality.
During the past 18 months, I have had the privilege of addressing three major gatherings of the TEA Party. I have seen thousands of those who gather in the name of TEA Party in three different states--Florida, New Jersey, and Ohio. Not once have I heard a remark that could be considered racist from anyone in the crowd or privately from the organizers or overnight from the hosts with which I stayed. Race is not the issue. They are aggravated by the unprecedented government spending. They are enraged by the trampling on the Constitution by this Administration and Congress. But never have I heard anything disparaging about race among the TEA Party activists.
Fauntroy is upset that conservative talk show host Glenn Beck is having a "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. Fauntroy, who claims to be one of the chief organizers when King rallied Americans for racial equality, said, "The same people who cut the cables on the night before the march, that we paid $66,000 for a sound system, they cut it. Now from FOX News and elsewhere, they are seeking to turn the world back." I do not sense that the organizers of the Restoring Honor rally want to oppress the races. No far from it. They do seek to destroy the roots of socialism, which enslaves everyone, especially people of color.
It is considered taboo if a white man publicly disagrees with the misguided remarks of Fauntroy and others. I can do this, however, because I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Him we are to have love for one another. Men and women of color are my brothers and sisters. I do not only say it, but I live it. It gets real old when civil rights leaders like Fauntroy play the race card every time they disagree with someone instead of standing on the merit of their argument. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Fauntroy wears the title "Reverend." He should, therefore, know the answer to racial problems is found in the love of Christ, not in the divisiveness of satan.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
Something God Hates – Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.
— Proverbs 6:16–19
God hates lying. In fact, God thinks so much of truth that He uses the very word to describe His character. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). And we are told in Scripture that it is impossible for God to lie (see Hebrews 6:18). Lying is not in God's nature; He cares a lot about truth.
When we lie, we are behaving more like a child of the devil than a child of God, because the Bible describes Satan as "the father of lies" (John 8:44). And we all may lie a little more than we think. A study was done in which people were asked why they lie. Ninety-eight percent of respondents said they lied to keep from offending someone else. I can understand that to a certain degree, because telling the truth isn't always easy—especially when you are asked a difficult question like, "How did you like dinner?" or "Do you like my new outfit?" Even so, lying is still a sin.
There are subtle ways in which we tell lies, such as through flattery and exaggeration. We also lie when we say things like, "Oh, I forgot" (when we didn't), or "It's good to see you" (when it isn't), or "I was just getting ready to call you" (when we weren't). We also lie through gossiping and backbiting. Proverbs 20:19 NLT says, "A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don't hang around with chatterers." We love to dispense gossip, and unfortunately, we love to hear it far too often.
Have you ever had someone gossip about you? Lie about you? Lie to you? Then you know how destructive it is. God hates lying—and we should too.
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Emulating Martyrdom - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com
How is it that American Christians seem impervious to the extreme persecution that most of the rest of the world has been enduring for the past couple millennium? What makes us different? Why aren’t we being tortured and mutilated/beheaded like so many of our brothers and sisters worldwide? Don’t misunderstand; I’m pleased as punch for the freedom we enjoy in our open worship of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what evil lurks on our horizon?
“The twentieth century saw more Christians murdered for their faith than in all the previous centuries combined” – Chuck Missler – www.khouse.org. So what can those who unabashedly follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior expect to be confronted with in the 21st century?
The above question might well be on the minds of many of my brethren. We can pick up the newspaper and read about extreme Christian persecution almost every day, but it’s usually somewhere far removed from America. It should grieve our spirit to read about our brothers and sisters in Uganda or Somalia being butchered for their faith. In the Middle East Christians live in daily fear of being murdered. In China Christians are arrested everyday for holding firm to their faith and thrown into prison, many times for the remainder of their lives. Pakistan is another country that exhibits extreme cruelty toward Christians. In Bali, Indonesia the body of Christ suffers greatly; beheadings of Christ’s followers as well as bombs dismembering their bodies in this predominately Muslim country are all the rage. There are other nations treating Christians similarly, but what of America?
Here in America some Christian persecution has occurred, but nothing on the scale we read about in other countries. Just a few weeks ago I read about a man who was standing in front of a Planned Parenthood building, out on the public sidewalk no less, and he was arrested for silently praying. Praying in silence? How many of us have done that very thing, and in public? Even though that case has been dropped it is obvious Christians are being systematically discriminated against. We are losing our rights and freedoms to stand up for Christ in public. Another man who simply told a terminally ill patient to “trust God” was fired from his job as a counselor. Although we believers in Christ see this as harassment it’s not near the persecution many of the saints in other countries are forced to endure. Neither the man arrested for praying in silence nor the man who was fired bear any resemblance to Washington Irving’s headless horseman. Most of the time these intrusions on our God given rights to share our faith or stand firm on God’s precepts are followed by press releases. When the ACLJ or the Liberty Council gets involved, these matters are soon resolved. For now this seems to be the routine, but there’s no doubt in this believer’s mind that those in authority in America are purposely pushing the “attack Christians” envelope.
I’ve written about pastors who teach the Bible to be simply a document contrived from the minds of men; the dumbing down of the Church creates huge gaps in the pews where true born again believers once sat. Now those pews are being filled by the unregenerate. Of course this would normally be a good thing except for the fact that the type of teaching currently being promoted by unbelieving pastors will only result in keeping the unregenerate, unregenerate.
So I’ll ask the question again. Why such a small amount of persecution on American Christians? Persecution in America pales when compared to the majority of the rest of the world. Here’s a thought, is it possible that would be persecutors don’t see a noticeable difference between themselves and those claiming to be Christians?
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…” Genesis 12:3. I know many refer to the US’s “helpful” association with Israel as the reason why there is so little persecution of American Christians. I see a problem here though, not only is our government cursing Israel by forcing the Jews out of their God given land, but denominational churches are cursing Israel by their false belief that the Church has replaced Israel. Since that is the case, shouldn’t we rethink the reason why American Christians seem to be impervious to the extreme persecution we currently see spreading across this globe?
The curse God places on those who curse Israel is not the persecution Jesus spoke about. The persecution Jesus speaks about, affecting all who follow Him, does not, nor will it ever, come from God.
There is a remnant of “in Christ” believers still remaining in this land we call America. Thus God’s hand of protection remains, for now. But have you noticed, though, how God seems to be somewhat easing His protection lately? Strange disasters have been seen for a few years now here in American that for the most part defies explanation. Who can explain September 11th 2001? How could a powerful nation – the most powerful nation on earth – allow something so devastating to be unleashed on its populous and its infrastructure? (Yes, those twin buildings which fell that day were a part of America’s infrastructure). Not to mention what it did to the American psyche.
All the disasters that have inflicted suffering on America’s populous will continue in frequency and severity, but they are unrelated to Christian persecution. It isn’t Christian persecution when entire nations suffer. The kind of persecution Jesus speaks of is reserved exclusively for those of us who follow Him, unashamed.
Is it just arrogance on the part of most Christians here in America to think we will escape this persecution? Jesus tells His followers that all those who follow Him will be persecuted. For those of you who still don’t get it, that includes His followers in America as well.
If it sounds as though I’m looking forward to the persecution Jesus speaks about you’ve got me all wrong. But I believe His word, therefore I know it is coming and there’s not a thing I can do but bear up under it. “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” John 15:20. Well, we know our Lord was severely persecuted which ultimately resulted in His execution. Millions of His followers have died horrible deaths. Could it be that American Christians are living in denial? I don’t know about the rest of you but I thoroughly enjoy my comforts and I hate pain, therefore I’m not looking forward to any persecution whatsoever, but I’ve resigned myself to accept God’s truth.
As I mentioned previously, a more precise reason for the general lack of persecution hitting America’s Christian church these days is that it’s very hard to find the true Church among the apostate. Yet, just as a pig will root out a stump to get to the grub worms, the true followers of Jesus Christ will likewise be rooted out.
What can we expect as the enemy constantly recruits followers to seek out and destroy Christ’s Church? I’m not sure, but all sorts of evils come to mind. We should be aware that Satan has a lot of ideally suited harassments at his disposal, as well as an army of followers who hate us. The young Columbine High School student who would not denounce her faith in Christ as she stood looking down the barrel of that Christ-hating murder’s gun might be a good example of what we can expect.
Will all people who call themselves Christian go through this persecution? No. Why? “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.” Mark 4:17. Many are Christian in name only, not in their hearts.
There is a huge groundswell of hate aimed toward Christians and that pot is being stirred by blogs all over the internet. Even our current government leadership is, and will continue to be, a satanically led force standing against Christ’s followers. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19. The world on a whole is lost and they love their own. Many who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ reveal little if any Christian traits. The world, in many instances, can’t distinguish between themselves and the majority of the “Christian” Church. But how the world will react to true believers in Christ is becoming painfully obvious.
We who are the remnant Church will not see God’s wrath because God intends to pour out that wrath on a Christ-rejecting world. Christ’s Church will not be here to witness that piece of history unfold. But the wrath of God has nothing to do with the persecution believers “In Christ” are told to expect. Our persecution will be nothing compared to God’s wrath, which all who have rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will see and feel.
No matter what evil comes our way, the followers of Jesus Christ are promised peace and joy and the strength to endure whatever the perishing world throws at us. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:35-37.
We may, very soon now, find ourselves emulating the martyred Christians of the past. That’s millions of truly born again believers “In Christ” who put God first in their lives and refused to renounce Him as Savior and Lord. May the rest of us stand firm as well.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
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(Lord Come Quickly)
"On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand."
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