What Difference Does it Make?

What Difference Does it Make? - By Daymond Duck -

http://www.raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd202.html

 

 On Jan. 23, 2013, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was answering questions in the U.S. Senate about the terrorist attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

 

 Mrs. Clinton was pushing the lie that the attack was a spontaneous event that was caused by a poorly produced video that blasphemed Mohammad.

 

 Republican Senators suspected that she was being untruthful and some suggested that the attack was a pre-planned event. In a moment of frustration, Mrs. Clinton asked, "What difference does it make?"                    

 

 This was a question that she will probably regret for the rest of her life.

 

 Riykah Lambert Adler recently wrote an article, "Are Terror Attacks at Ancient Biblical Sites a Divine Message to the World" dated November 1, 2015, posted on breakingisraelnews.com.

 

 Mr. Adler wrote, "Despite the biblical legacy which links them to Jewish history, last week, UNESCO declared that the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Tomb of Rachel are Muslim holy sites."

 

 Concerning the Cave of the Patriarchs, the Bible clearly says that Abraham bought the cave and he buried Sarah there (Gen. 23:1-20); Abraham left all that he had to Isaac (Gen. 25:5-6); Abraham was buried there (Gen. 25:8-10); and that Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob (also called Israel; Gen. 32:28) and Leah were buried there (Gen. 49:29-50:13).

 

 Concerning the tomb of Rachel, the Bible clearly says Jacob (Israel) buried her on the road to Bethlehem and erected a monument there (Gen. 35:19-20). She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve sons of Jacob (Gen. 46:19) and the beginning of the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 35:22-26).

 

 The Bible is loaded with stories about the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel), the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the kings and queens that ruled in those nations, the prophets and priests that came from them, the Scriptures they wrote, the two Temples they built, the wars they fought and more.

 

 Secular history and archaeology have verified the accuracy of thousands of facts that come from the Bible. Hundreds of amazing prophecies in the Bible have been literally fulfilled and that adds to the already overwhelming evidence.

 

 There can be little doubt in the minds of people who seek the truth that the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Tomb of Rachel are Jewish holy sites. 

 

 But despite all of this the Palestinian Authority pushed the lie that these places are Muslim holy sites and their willingly ignorant friends at UNESCO voted like they believe every word of it.

 

 So what difference does it make?

 

 Just this: Multitudes of Muslims (and other non-Christians) are going to go to hell if the Bible is the Word of God, and multitudes of people who call themselves Christians are going to go to hell if it isn't the Word of God. Allah is not God if the Bible is the Word of God, and Jehovah is not God if it isn't the Word of God.

 

 As far as I am concerned, I believed the Bible is the Word of God and accepted Jesus as my Saviour before I ever heard of Bible prophecy. But the hundreds of fulfilled Scriptures have removed all doubt from my mind. 

 

 In the history of mankind, there has never been a book that accurately reveals the future the way the Bible does. It would have been discredited centuries ago if it wasn't the Word of God.

 

There is more, but people need to choose who's holy book they believe and who's God they are going to serve because UNESCO is not going to have the last word.

 

Prophecy Plus Ministries

Daymond & Rachel Duck

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Still a Sinner, but Forgiven by Christ

Still a Sinner, but Forgiven by Christ - Ron & Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

 

Christians have a special blessing, our sins are forgiven. Our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ assures us that He has forgiven our sins. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we stopped sinning at the moment we accepted Christ for our salvation? There are some who think that once a person accepts Christ they no longer sin, but that's just not true. If you believe that then you don't understand the nature of salvation through Christ. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8. John used the word "we" so it is clear that he included himself with sinners. I don't want to sin and I'd like to think I don't sin, but then God's word convicts me. Every Christian needs to study Scripture in order to see our own sin and, with God's help, remove that sin. This is a process that takes a lifetime. John wrote this letter to Christians and therefore he is also addressing you and me. Sad to say that even we believers will continue to sin until we are called home. The difference between a believer and a non-believer is that, as believers, our sins are forgiven.

 

All of humanity sins, but not everyone thinks they do. You might ask a non-believer if they sin and they will probably laugh at you and say no. Of course, they have no idea what sin is. Sin is what separates us from God and since they don't believe in God they don't believe there is sin. Christians should know better. We have God's word to show us what changes we need to make in our life in order to draw nearer to Christ. "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:10. John tells us God's word cannot be in someone who says they have never sinned,  and we call Jesus a liar if we make that claim. Again John places himself in the middle of this assertion by using the words "we" and "us". Paul also understood that the struggle between our flesh and our desire to follow Christ is a continuing battle. "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Romans 7:18-20. That's just a very complicated way of saying that I don't want to sin, but sin living in me causes me to follow the flesh rather than Christ. Paul also knew about God's grace. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:23-24. Christians sin, but we are justified by the grace of God.

 

When John wrote his first letter, it is clear that he didn't want believers to sin. Knowing that we will all continue to sin, he wrote words of assurance regarding Christ's love. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" 1 John 2:1. John doesn't tell us that it is alright to keep on sinning, but that when we sin our Lord will "stand up" for us. One day when we leave these earthly bodies we will feel tremendous relief from the burden of sin, but until then we struggle between the lust of the flesh and honoring God. We need to fight sin in our life, but when we fail we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ is our advocate and we owe Him our love and honor.

 

God's love is pure; Jesus loves us more than we can truly understand. He doesn't look for ways to condemn us, but even though we fail in our Christian walk He continues to forgive us. Still He urges us to keep His commandments. "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:9-11. There is no joy in sin. Jesus spoke these words to his closest followers and John was one of them. Did John fully understand what Jesus meant? Probably not right then. Much would happen between the time that Jesus spoke those words and when John wrote his letters. It took time for John to be able to write about keeping Jesus' commandments. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:4. The Greek word "tēreō " is translate "keep" and "keepeth" in the above verses from the Gospel of John and John's first letter. It means to "observe or give heed to" Jesus' commandments. Jesus said that if we "observe or give heed to" His commandments we will abide in His love and have joy. There can be no joy from living sin-filled lifestyles, "living together" outside of a God ordained marriage, lying habitually, continually being angry, stealing, or doing any number of things that are not according to His commandments. John wrote that if we say we know Jesus but don't "observed or give heed to" His commandments, then that person doesn't know Jesus and there is no truth in him. John isn't talking about losing salvation, but is this person truly saved? Once we become born again there will be a change of heart. This change will reflect Christ as a definite part of our lives. If you say you are a Christian but your lifestyle says different, you may be fooling yourself. We all have those times when sin gets in the way of our walk with Jesus, but if you don't "observe or give heed to" His commandments you need to take a hard look at your life.

 

We can get discouraged. When we try not to sin but keep falling into the same sin over and over it can feel as if we aren't really saved. After continuing to fail in our pursuit of perfection many people beat themselves up by thinking they've lost their salvation, or even think they were never really saved. Take heart, brethren. It isn't your righteousness that saves you, but righteousness that is only found in Jesus Christ. "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake." 1 John 2:12. What a wonderful promise. Your sins and mine are forgiven by Jesus Christ. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1. The earliest texts of the Book of Romans don't include the last part of this verse, and most modern translations omit it. This verse simply says "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus". Jesus Himself said it best when He told Nicodemus "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:17-18. It's our belief in Jesus that saves us, but if we choose not to believe in Him we condemn ourselves. If we choose to believe in Him, but choose not to follow Him, we lose our joy and we are miserable.

 

Our redemption is why God had to die for His creation. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" Colossians 2:14.  There was no other way for us to be redeemed from the sin in our life than for Him to take our sin and nail it to the cross. It wasn't the nails that held Him there...it was His love. Born again believers will grow to hate sin over time and be remorseful each time we fall back into temptation.

 

Neither the Apostle John nor Paul advocate sin. On the contrary, they preach against it. Even though we remain slaves to sin we know that Jesus is our advocate. The more we resist sinning the easier it is to walk to the far side of it and move closer to our Lord. For the believer who occasionally stumbles (that's you and me), John wrote "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."1 John 1:9. This was written to born again believers in Christ. Remember, we are still sinners, but are forgiven by Christ.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron & Nathele Graham

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Pastor Greg Laurie Ties Biblical End Times Prophecies to Chaos Involving Russia and Iran - and Breaks down Why He Believes We're 'Living in the Last Days'

Pastor Greg Laurie Ties Biblical End Times Prophecies to Chaos Involving Russia and Iran - and Breaks down Why He Believes We're 'Living in the Last Days' - Billy Hallowell -           http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/11/24/famous-pastor-ties-biblical-end-times-prophecies-to-chaos-involving-russia-and-iran-and-reveals-why-he-believes-were-living-in-the-last-days/

 

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California believes that we're living in the last days, pointing out some of the patterns unfolding on the global scene that he believes perfectly align with end-times prophecies laid out in the Bible.

 

"I think it's pretty obvious to almost anyone that we are living in the last days," he said during a sermon last Thursday. "There's all kinds of things reminding us that Christ is coming back again."

 

Laurie, 62, went on to discuss the rise of global terrorism, which he described as "stronger than it has ever been," pointing congregants' attention to the chaos and violence that has been unfolding of late.

 

"Islamic terrorism, it's not going to go away, because we have to understand the ideology of those who are committing these acts of terror," Laurie said. "They want to establish a caliphate."

 

He characterized the current battle with Islamic extremists as an "ideological war" over two world views: an Islamic worldview and a Judeo-Christian take on global affairs.

 

"They're doing this because they resent our freedom," Laurie said. "But when you really get down to it, there is a hatred here for Christianity and there is a hatred for Judaism."

 

Laurie specifically pointed to prophetic writings in the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel that many Christian scholars and theologians believe to be projections into a future end-times battle that will involve a nation to the north of Israel as well as a coalition of other countries.

 

These nations, according to the text, will invade the Jewish state.

 

In the opening of chapter 38, Ezekiel proclaims that the Lord has come to him and told him to prophesy against "Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal."

 

God then, through Ezekiel, makes no bones about the fact that he opposes Gog, pointedly saying that he will "put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army," detailing an apparent military attack on that involve many other nations as well.

 

Definitions of Gog and Magog are not definitive in the biblical text - and many simply believe that these are events that have already come to pass - but it is written that God will judge the nations that invade the Jewish state.

 

Laurie, like many evangelicals, believes that Magog refers to Russia, based on references in the text that claim that the forces will come from the "far north" and join others nations, including: Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Beth Togarmah; Persia is modern-day Iran, which adds further fuel to these theological constructs.

 

"And now we have Russia stepping in ... Russia closely aligning herself with Iran," Laurie said. "Do you know that this is a recent phenomena that has not been in place until very recently?"

 

As TheBlaze previously reported, many prophecy experts also believe that the destruction of Damascus, the capitol of Syria, is also prophesied in Isaiah 17:1-3 and Jeremiah 49:23-27, with the former Old Testament text claiming that Damascus will be a "heap of ruins."

 

With much of the chaos unfolding surrounding Syria - and with Iran and Russia currently working together against the Islamic State inside Syria - many evangelicals' eyebrows are raising as they watch the situation unfold; Laurie is clearly among them.

 

"Wait a second, Bible student, pay attention. There's a scenario in the book of Ezekiel, 37, 38 and 39 that talks about a massive force to the north of Israel marching on her and the force is identified as Magog," he preached. "And most prophecy teachers and experts believe that Magog is modern-day Russia. ... one of the allies that marches with Magog is Persia."

 

Laurie later added, "We're living in the last days."

 

The preacher also encouraged his flock to look back to the story of Noah in the Old Testament to see parallels between the condition of the world before the flood and the current status of the global culture, citing Jesus' words in Matthew 24.

 

Speaking of the end times, Jesus said in verses 36-41:

 

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

 

Laurie believes that there's an important message there for everyone to heed.

 

"He's telling us this [Noah] is not a fable," he said. "But he's also encouraging us to look carefully at the way things were before the flood came, because they would characterize the days before his return."

 

Watch the sermon in its entirety here.

 

It should be noted - as we reported in an extensive analysis over the debate about Old Testament texts and the end times - that other theologians reject these views, believing that the scriptures discuss events that are either not literal or have already come to pass.

 

Laurie has toured the nation and world with his popular Harvest Crusades events - gatherings held over the past 25 years during which he has collectively shared the Christian gospel with millions and led hundreds of thousands to accept Jesus.

 

He recently told TheBlaze that he's taking what could be the "boldest step" ever since launching the Harvest Crusades in 1990 - a major event slated to be held on March 6, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Read more about that event here.

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I Thought I Saw It Coming -

I Thought I Saw It Coming - Jack Kinsella - www.omegaletter.com

 

It is incredible, yet true. We are witnessing the unfolding of events long prophesied to take place during the last generation before the return of Christ.  We knew that it was coming - we were almost eager to see this day because it means the Rapture is that much closer.

 

But as the day approaches, it becomes less an abstract notion and more a crushingly painful reality.  It has made that transition from theoretical possibility to actual fact.   We always knew in theory that one day Christians would be marginalized to the point of insignificance.

 

We always knew that one day, some new religion having two horns like a lamb but speaking as a dragon would overspread Planet Earth.   For decades we've made a guessing game out of what it would look like and who would be its leader.

 

As we see the hard-and-fast answers crowding out our best guesses, the game isn't as much fun as it used to be.  In fact, it isn't any fun at all, anymore.  

 

This IS what we've been expecting.  It is what the Bible forecast for the last days.  Jesus said the Tribulation Period would be a time so terrible that if He didn't return to put a stop to it, there would be no flesh saved out of it. 

 

So it is entirely reasonable to expect that the period leading up to it would be, ah, unpleasant, to say the least. Jesus prophesied that the time will come when those who kill you will think they do God service.

 

He reminded us that the world MUST hate us because it hates Him  - but that doesn't make it any easier when it happens. 

 

There are two competing sets of values here and it is out of that conflict that all the angst arises.  If we are where I believe that we are on Bible prophecy's timeline, then America's (and the West's) days are numbered. 

 

If we are where I believe we are, then the decline we are experiencing is both inevitable and unstoppable.   This is only part of the Big Picture - there are other, bigger and scarier parts yet to come.

 

Why are they scarier today than they were, say, ten years ago?   It isn't as if Bible prophecy changed in the last ten years.   What we are experiencing is the realization of our expectations.   Did anybody really think that witnessing the unfolding of last days' prophecy would be fun?

 

If you did, now you know. 

 

You also know why you were but one of only a tiny handful of 'prophecy nuts' in your church.  I say 'were' because as we move forward on the Bible timeline, prophecy doesn't seem so nuts anymore.

 

In the grand scheme of things, very few Christians in these last days have been called as watchmen.  Even fewer have responded to the calling.  It's not for everybody -- for some it is too much.  That is why we are necessary - to give the warning.

 

God has set each of us in the place He wants us to be for this time and place in human history.  That doesn't mean it is a pleasant place - we had our pleasant time. But God in His wisdom, and for reasons known only to Him, has called us - you and me and others like us - as witnesses.

 

He promises a special crown for us at the Bema Seat.  There are only FIVE crowns and this is one of them.  So what made you think that earning it would be easy?  It is supposed to be hard.  Out of all the living Christians on this planet, God called YOU to bear witness for all those too afraid to look.

 

Yes, it is frustrating.  Yes, it is infuriating.  Yes, it is frightening.  And YES - it is unfair. Why can't YOU be one of those Christians just strolling through life, tra-la-la-la-la, in blissful ignorance?

 

I dunno. Because you can't.  God called you and you answered the phone.  Sorry.  This is a bell that you can't unring.   Read through your assignment again -- note in particular the parts in italics.

 

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2nd Timothy 4:1-5)

 

Somebody has to watch in all things, do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of the ministry to which God called them. That's the charge.  You accepted it -- or you wouldn't be reading these words now.

 

Now the evil days are upon us and somehow, we are surprised to find we don't like it.   I am not saying that sarcastically - I am as surprised as anybody at how surprised I am, if you can follow my drift.  

 

I thought I was made of sterner stuff than that.

 

So, what are we to do as Christians?  Our job.  Be witnesses.  Watch and observe and give the warning.  You know, the Bible says that Noah preached for one hundred and twenty years and never made a single convert. 

 

But when the rains came down, Noah still got to ride out the storm in the ark.

 

It is easy to become discouraged, frustrated and even angry.  It's natural.  But it is part of a plan that the God of the Universe has not only let you in on, He has included you as a necessary part.

 

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

 

He can keep you from falling.  He will present you faultless before the Throne with exceeding joy.  He knows what He is doing, and He has let you in on some of the details. 

 

Here's what we know --  and we know it for sure.  There is lots to be scared of.  But nothing to be worried about. Because He is able.  And He loves you more than you know.

 

Maranatha!

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What's the Point?: End Times and Using the Time We Have Left

What's the Point?: End Times and Using the Time We Have Left - Silas S. Henderson - http://aleteia.org/2015/11/15/whats-the-point-end-times-and-using-the-time-we-have-left/

 

The close of the Church year brings us face-to-face with the Gospel's challenge on how we live our lives

 

What is the purpose of the Christian life?

 

Or we might ask even more simply: What's the point?

 

As the Church year comes to an end, this essential question is brought into sharp focus. The answer is as simple as it might be unpopular: we're waiting for the fulfillment of time and of hope-filled promises of an untold future. We are awaiting the return of Christ. We "wait in joyful hope," or something vital is missing from our individual faith.

 

Talk of heaven and hell, death and judgment can be uncomfortable for Christians, and if the naive concepts of heaven's "streets paved with gold" and hell's "fire" shape the lives of some believers, these Sunday school images are neither what we are about, nor the best foundations for a way of living. So we have to be careful not to allow "end times" imaginings to overshadow the truth of God's kingdom.

 

Still, in the final weeks of the liturgical year, "end times" readings permeate our liturgical worship to a point that might seem unnecessarily negative and even macabre, especially for those Christians who have had the threat of judgment used as a weapon against them, like a divine hammer hovering always just above their heads, and ready to strike.

 

The liturgical texts for the end of the Church year, like the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and the Lesson of the Fig Tree (Mark 13:24-32), offer us important insights into what our expectant waiting should be like. In the Parable of the Talents, a wealthy man gives talanton to his slaves-five, two, or one, "according to their ability." One "talent" was worth 6,000 days'-or 16 years'-wages. The slaves with five and two talents succeeded in doubling their master's money; the slave with the single talent buried it in the ground to avoid the risk of losing it. The master in the parable rewards the first and second slaves, but the third slave who buried the money out of fear was condemned as being "wicked and lazy" and thrown "into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

 

Some might use this passage from the Gospel as an opportunity to reflect on economic inequality but we can't ignore that the Church has chosen this text at the end of the year, and paired it with a passage from Proverbs 31, which praises the productive activity of the God-fearing woman. She stands in stark contrast to the timid servant of the Gospel who was so frightened of failure that he chose not to act at all.

 

The point of the pairing is that we are supposed to use the time we have to do something. We not only have to foster and develop the unique gifts that have been entrusted to each of us, we must also allow those gifts to enrich the world around us. Each day is itself a gift, and if we are truly living for the future, we have an obligation to make the most of today.

 

But these last days of the Church year should also inspire us to act with urgency because, as Paul reminded the Thessalonians, the Lord will return "as a thief in the night." We will hear the same theme repeated in Advent, as we watch and wait for the coming of Christ in the celebration of his birth in history, in his presence among us today in mystery, and in his final coming in majesty.

 

Amid talk about the decline of Christianity and of a post-Christian society, I wonder whether so many branches of Christianity are in decline because so many Christians have lost a sense of purpose and the urgency of now in the work we have been called to: feeding and clothing the poor, comforting those who mourn, protecting the innocent and the victimized, healing the sick and addicted, and raising up those who have fallen down. Acts of selfless charity and hospitality are the most effective means of spreading the Gospel. Government can't do it all, nor should we want it to, because we are called to minister to the world, and we mustn't consign that responsibility elsewhere.

 

We do well to remember and take comfort in the words of the Basil Hume, a Benedictine monk and Cardinal-Archbishop of Westminster, who is remembered as a wise, faithful and compassionate pastor:

 

A priest started his homily at a funeral by saying, "I am going to preach about judgment." There was dismay in the congregation. But he went on: "Judgment is whispering into the ear of a merciful and compassionate God the story of my life which I had never been able to tell." It is a very great encouragement to think of being in the presence of God who is both merciful and full of compassion, because God knows me through and through and understands me far better than I could ever know and understand myself, or anyone else. Only he can truly make sense of my confused and rambling story ...

 

The time will come for each of us to appear before our God to render an account of our lives. It will not be a frightening moment, unless to the bitter end we have turned away from him or consciously ignored him. Instead it will be a moment of deliverance and peace when we can whisper into his merciful and compassionate ear the story of all our years, and be forgiven and made whole.

 

The Gospel requires us to be open to change, and to a way of life that is far different from what we might choose for ourselves. This is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "the cost of discipleship" and what Søren Kierkegaard was thinking of when he wrote of admirers and followers of Christ:

 

A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires.

 

These final days of the Church year provide the answer to our question to the "point" of all this-we fulfill our commitment to follow Christ, with all the graces and burdens that entails, because this is what it means to be a true follower of the One whom we believe will come again in mercy and judgment.

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Warning: If You Live Anywhere Near Chicago, Brace Yourself for Massive Rioting

Warning: If You Live Anywhere Near Chicago, Brace Yourself for Massive Rioting - By Michael Snyder -

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/warning-if-you-live-anywhere-near-chicago-brace-yourself-for-massive-rioting

 

The city of Chicago has released a video that shows a white police officer shooting a 17-year-old African-American young man named Laquan McDonald 16 times.  Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez says that this video is "graphic", "violent" and "chilling", and it is expected to provoke a very strong emotional reaction from Chicago's very large African-American community.  Over the past few years, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Freddie Gray have all become household names because of the way that they died, and now it looks like Laquan McDonald's name will be added to that list.  But the situation in Chicago is potentially even more volatile what we witnessed in either Ferguson or Baltimore.  More than a million African-Americans live in the Chicago metropolitan area, and the crime rate in the city has already been skyrocketing.  In fact, it is being projected that Chicago's murder rate will increase by 20 percent in 2015.  This is a city that is always living on the edge of chaos, and now the video of Laquan McDonald's death could be the spark that sets Chicago ablaze.

 

After everything that has happened over the past few years, the last thing that we need is another incident that will make racial tensions in this country even worse.  Unfortunately, that appears to be exactly what we are going to get.  Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama ordered the city of Chicago to release the video of the death of Laquan McDonald to the public, and now the entire country is going to get to see what really happened.  Could this be the footage that causes the anger and frustration of the African-American community to completely boil over?  The following comes from CNN...

 

Laquan McDonald was walking down a Chicago street the night of October 20, 2014, carrying a four-inch knife and behaving erratically, authorities say.

 

A police officer told him to drop the knife. He didn't listen, and the officer fired on him out of fear for his life, according to a police union spokesman.

 

McDonald, 17, died. He was shot 16 times.

 

Now, more than a year later, the public will be able to see what happened.

 

For African-American activists that have already had their patience stretched to the maximum by similar cases over the past few years, this horrifying video could prove to be the final straw.  Already, there are tremendous expressions of outrage and frustration pouring in on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

 

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez specifically moved up the announcement of murder charges against the white police officer that shot McDonald to November 24th in a desperate attempt to defuse the reaction to the release of the video.  But will it work?  This next excerpt comes from USA Today...

 

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez described the video, which shows Van Dyke unloading 16 shots on 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, as grim.

 

"It is graphic, it is violent, it is chilling," Alvarez told reporters after Van Dyke appeared in court Tuesday.

 

Alvarez said she made her decision weeks ago to charge Van Dyke, but had delayed announcing while federal authorities completed their parallel investigation of the incident.But after a judge ordered the release of the dashcam video by Wednesday, Alvarez said it was necessary to move up her office's timeline even as her federal counterparts continue to their investigation.

 

"I felt compelled in the interest of public safety to announce these state charges today, " Alvarez said.

 

And needless to say, this is the kind of thing that could easily cause the city of Chicago to erupt in unprecedented violence.

 

In fact, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass is already fearing the worst...

 

 

John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, said the video "could tear Chicago apart."

 

Dean Angelo, the president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, told CNN affiliate WBBM he is concerned protesters from outside the city may converge to "disrupt and cause problems."

 

"This is my city. We all live here," Angelo said. "I'm concerned about the safety of my officers. I'm concerned about the safety of the civilian population. ... I think local people don't want to see their neighborhoods damaged."

 

And even the governor of Illinois seems quite alarmed that we could see riots.  Here is more from USA Today...

 

Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Tuesday that his office had been debriefed on the video and that he expected public reaction to "strong," the Associated Press reports. The governor directed Illinois State Police to work with Chicago Police to make sure the public remains safe following the release of the video. The governor, however, declined to say whether he has deployed any additional state troopers or put the National Guard on standby.

 

Even at the best of times, Chicago seems to be dealing with turmoil.  Poverty is a persistent and growing problem, the city is teetering on the brink of insolvency, and it has become a central hub for some of the largest criminal gangs in the entire nation.

 

According to a CBS News article that was published back in 2012, there are 100,000 members of criminal gangs living in the city of Chicago alone...

 

Sgt. Matt Little leads one of the teams in Chicago's Gang Enforcement Unit. There are about 200 such officers in the city- versus 100,000 gang members.

 

"Almost all the violence we're seeing now is from the gangs," Little said. "When there's a shooting we'll respond to the shooting. We'll figure out where we believe the most likely area for retaliation is and we'll work that area trying to both prevent retaliation and possibly build a case on offenders."

 

And thanks to unchecked illegal immigration, more gang members are pouring into Chicago every single day.

 

So if there were 100,000 three years ago, how many are there now?

 

Back in early April, I warned about the civil unrest that was coming to America, and I specifically named three cities that would be flashpoints: Baltimore, Chicago and Washington D.C.

 

I issued this warning before any of us had ever even heard the name "Freddie Gray", but by the end of April the city of Baltimore resembled a war zone.

 

And now Chicago appears poised to descend into chaos.

 

If you live anywhere near Chicago, you need to prepare yourself and your family for what could happen next.

 

Now that this video is available to the public, it could set off anger unlike anything we have seen up to this point, and that would not be good for any of us.

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Turkey Shoots Down Russian Fighter Jet: Is this the Spark that Ignites a Messianic War?

Turkey Shoots Down Russian Fighter Jet: Is this the Spark that Ignites a Messianic War? - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz -

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/54625/turkey-shooting-down-russian-fighter-jet-spark-ignites-messianic-war-middle-east/#uVU181VT0CFkEmp1.97

 

"Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal".' " (Ezekiel 38:2-3)

 

A Russian SU-24 fighter jet was shot down Tuesday morning by Turkey, with the Turkish government claiming the jet violated the country's airspace.

 

Turkish military sources told the media that after issuing 10 warnings in five minutes, Turkish F-16's opened fire, downing the Russian fighter jet. Photos of the incident clearly show two parachutes, indicating that the two pilots successfully ejected from the downed plane.

 

One pilot is believed to have been captured by Turkmen (Syrians of Turkish descent) forces in Syria while the fate of the second pilot remains unclear. Russian helicopters were seen searching for the airmen and there were reports of ground-fighting near the scene.

 

Tensions in the skies over Syria have been mounting since September when Russia increased its efforts to prop up the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At the same time, the US-led coalition has been using the same airspace in its fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), with reports of Israel occasionally joining in.

 

Most recently, France responded to a terror attack in Paris by waging an air-campaign against ISIS strongholds in Syria. Russian presence in the region took on a new dimension last month when they set up advanced anti-air systems with a range of 250 miles.

 

This is not the first confrontation between Russian and Turkish air forces. Last month, a Russian MIG locked its weapons on Turkish planes and F-16's were scrambled to escort the Russians back across the border. This was followed a few days later by unconfirmed reports that Turkey shot down a Russian MIG. Also at that time, Turkey was reported to have shot down a Russian drone that violated their airspace.

 

Russian intervention in the region conforms with many prophecies that identify Russia as the source of the Gog and Magog messianic conflict.  Rabbi Sholom Berger, also known as the Mishkolitz Rebbe, revealed in early October that the War of Gog and Magog would break out in Syria, but that the conflict would not be as catastrophic for Israel as originally prophesied. Other sources predict the Syrian conflict will have nuclear implications.

 

Tuesday's aerial showdown between world powers seems to fit a recent prediction by a 15-year-old boy in Israel who had a prophetic vision during a near-death experience. In his vision, he was told that the messianic war had already begun, and that all the pieces were in place, waiting for one event to ignite a global war.

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President Barack Obama’s Department of Veterans Affairs has banned employees at its facility in Salem, Virginia, from saying “Merry Christmas” to veterans.

President Barack Obama’s Department of Veterans Affairs has banned employees at its facility in Salem, Virginia, from saying “Merry Christmas” to veterans.

It started as a broader ban that included Christmas trees. Federal law recognizes Christmas as an official federal holiday (5 U.S.C. § 6103) and provides federal employees with a paid day off to celebrate the Christian belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

Every year, a White House Christmas Tree and a Capitol Christmas Tree grace those two respective buildings in Washington D.C., and a National Christmas Tree is also officially lighted outdoors for the public to enjoy during that time of year.

Yet the “Executive Leadership Team” at the Salem VA Medical Center banned Christmas trees, as well as other Christian speech and celebrations. As reported by local media, an email sent by senior staff to the center’s employees reads in part:

…Public areas may only be decorated in a manner that is celebratory of the winter season. Displays must not promote any religion. Please note that trees (regardless of the types of ornaments used) have been deemed to promote the Christian religion and will not be permitted in any public areas this year.

Just hours ago, pressure from the center’s employees caused the management team to cave on the Christmas tree ban. Christmas trees are back in at the facility.

However, the email goes on to say that private religious expressions can only be uttered in “personal work areas.” That means employees can only speak freely in places where the public usually cannot enter and, even then, only if the recipient would clearly understand that the speaker is speaking in his personal capacity only.

In other words, an employee could be punished for wishing “Merry Christmas” to a veteran in the lobby or any other public area.

Even when those stringent curbs are obeyed, the email directive adds that private religious speech can still be banned if managers decide such speech “interfere[s] with carrying out official duties and responsibilities,” threatening penalties against people who offer religious greetings even behind closed doors.

The email also bars Christmas music, saying that if a supervisor has allowed an employee to have music in his workspace, such music must “be secular (non-religious).”

This Obama administration VA’s directive is inconsistent with controlling precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court. In the 1989 Allegheny case, the court narrowly (5-4) adopted the “endorsement test,” holding that government action violates the Establishment Clause when a reasonable observer would think the government is endorsing religion.

Yet even in that case—which many legal scholars consider hostile to religious faith—the court, by a 6-3 vote, held that the display of Christmas trees does not endorse any religion.

“The Christmas tree, unlike the menorah, is not itself a religious symbol. Although Christmas trees once carried religious connotations, today they typify the secular celebration of Christmas,” wrote Justice Harry Blackmun, upholding the government’s displaying a 40-foot Christmas tree on public land outside a courthouse.

“Numerous Americans place Christmas trees in their homes without subscribing to Christian religious beliefs, and when the city’s tree stands along in front of the City-County building, it is not considered an endorsement of Christian faith,” he added.

The message from the center’s top leaders says that VA employees who need further guidance about the removal of religious symbols should “contact the Chaplain Service at ext. 2165.”

“At a time when our VA should be doing everything it can to honor our veterans, it instead denigrates them and their service,” said Michael Berry, senior counsel with Liberty Institute, the largest law firm in the United States that litigates exclusively religious liberty cases.

“Any VA employee—whether they work at the Salem VA Center or elsewhere—who feels that their free-speech or religious-liberty rights are being violated, they should contact us immediately,” he told Breitbart News. The firm’s website is www.libertyinstitute.org.

Breitbart News legal editor Ken Klukowski also litigates religious liberty cases with Liberty Institute. Follow him on Twitter @kenklukowski.

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How a secretive elite created the EU to build a world government

How a secretive elite created the EU to build a world government - By Prof Alan Sked - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12018877/The-truth-how-a-secretive-elite-created-the-EU-to-build-a-world-government.html

 

Voters in Britain's referendum need to understand that the European Union was about building a federal superstate from day one

 

As the debate over the forthcoming EU referendum gears up, it would be wise perhaps to remember how Britain was led into membership in the first place. It seems to me that most people have little idea why one of the victors of the Second World War should have become almost desperate to join this "club". That's a shame, because answering that question is key to understanding why the EU has gone so wrong.

 

Most students seem to think that Britain was in dire economic straits, and that the European Economic Community - as it was then called - provided an economic engine which could revitalize our economy. Others seem to believe that after the Second World War Britain needed to recast her geopolitical position away from empire, and towards a more realistic one at the heart of Europe. Neither of these arguments, however, makes any sense at all.

 

The EEC in the 1960s and 1970s was in no position to regenerate anyone's economy. It spent most of its meagre resources on agriculture and fisheries and had no means or policies to generate economic growth.

 

When growth did happen, it did not come from the EU. From Ludwig Erhard's supply-side reforms in West Germany in 1948 to Thatcher's privatization of nationalized industry in the Eighties, European growth came from reforms introduced by individual countries which were copied elsewhere. EU policy has always been either irrelevant or positively detrimental (as was the case with the euro).

 

Nor did British growth ever really lag behind Europe's. Sometimes it surged ahead. In the 1950s Western Europe had a growth rate of 3.5 per cent; in the 1960s, it was 4.5 per cent. But in 1959, when Harold Macmillan took office, the real annual growth rate of British GDP, according to the Office of National Statistics, was almost 6 per cent. It was again almost 6 per cent when de Gaulle vetoed our first application to join the EEC in 1963.

 

In 1973, when we entered the EEC, our annual national growth rate in real terms was a record 7.4 per cent. The present Chancellor would die for such figures. So the economic basket-case argument doesn't work.

 

What about geopolitics? What argument in the cold light of hindsight could have been so compelling as to make us kick our Second-World-War Commonwealth allies in the teeth to join a combination of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Italy?

 

Four of these countries held no international weight whatsoever. Germany was occupied and divided. France, meanwhile, had lost one colonial war in Vietnam and another in Algeria. De Gaulle had come to power to save the country from civil war. Most realists must surely have regarded these states as a bunch of losers. De Gaulle, himself a supreme realist, pointed out that Britain had democratic political institutions, world trade links, cheap food from the Commonwealth, and was a global power. Why would it want to enter the EEC?

 

The answer is that Harold Macmillan and his closest advisers were part of an intellectual tradition that saw the salvation of the world in some form of world government based on regional federations. He was also a close acquaintance of Jean Monnet, who believed the same. It was therefore Macmillan who became the representative of the European federalist movement in the British cabinet.

 

In a speech in the House of Commons he even advocated a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) before the real thing had been announced. He later arranged for a Treaty of Association to be signed between the UK and the ECSC, and it was he who ensured that a British representative was sent to the Brussels negotiations following the Messina Conference, which gave birth to the EEC.

 

In the late 1950s he pushed negotiations concerning a European Free Trade Association towards membership of the EEC. Then, when General de Gaulle began to turn the EEC into a less federalist body, he took the risk of submitting a full British membership application in the hope of frustrating Gaullist ambitions.

 

His aim, in alliance with US and European proponents of a federalist world order, was to frustrate the emerging Franco-German alliance which was seen as one of French and German nationalism.

 

Monnet met secretly with Heath and Macmillan on innumerable occasions to facilitate British entry. Indeed, he was informed before the British Parliament of the terms in which the British approach to Europe would be framed.

 

Despite advice from the Lord Chancellor, Lord Kilmuir, that membership would mean the end of British parliamentary sovereignty, Macmillan deliberately misled the House of Commons - and practically everyone else, from Commonwealth statesmen to cabinet colleagues and the public - that merely minor commercial negotiations were involved. He even tried to deceive de Gaulle that he was an anti-federalist and a close friend who would arrange for France, like Britain, to receive Polaris missiles from the Americans. De Gaulle saw completely through him and vetoed the British bid to enter.

 

Macmillan left Edward Heath to take matters forward, and Heath, along with Douglas Hurd, arranged - according to the Monnet papers - for the Tory Party to become a (secret) corporate member of Monnet's Action Committee for a United States of Europe.

 

According to Monnet's chief aide and biographer, Francois Duchene, both the Labor and Liberal Parties later did the same. Meanwhile the Earl of Gosford, one of Macmillan's foreign policy ministers in the House of Lords, actually informed the House that the aim of the government's foreign policy was world government.

 

Monnet's Action Committee was also given financial backing by the CIA and the US State Department. The Anglo-American establishment was now committed to the creation of a federal United States of Europe.

 

Today, this is still the case. Powerful international lobbies are already at work attempting to prove that any return to democratic self-government on the part of Britain will spell doom. American officials have already been primed to state that such a Britain would be excluded from any free trade deal with the USA and that the world needs the TTIP trade treaty which is predicated on the survival of the EU.

 

Fortunately, Republican candidates in the USA are becoming Eurosceptics and magazines there like The National Interest are publishing the case for Brexit. The international coalition behind Macmillan and Heath will find things a lot more difficult this time round - especially given the obvious difficulties of the Eurozone, the failure of EU migration policy and the lack of any coherent EU security policy.

 

Most importantly, having been fooled once, the British public will be much more difficult to fool again.

 

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