Watch this. And, by the way, pay particular attention to what John MacArthur says.
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Daily Archives: April 9, 2015
April 9, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily Briefing Collection
There is no theme more central to the message of Scripture than the glory of God. —Gerald Bray
Apr. 9, 2015
BLOOMBERG
Same-sex couples across the U.S. may soon have the legal right to marry. In 28 states, their employer will still have the legal right to fire them.
Criminal hackers doing the bidding of the Russian government are believed to have hacked into a non-classified White House computer network last year, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits over the past four weeks than at any time in almost 15 years, signaling underlying strength in the labor market even as hiring cooled last month. From mid-March through the seven days ended April 4, jobless claims averaged 282,250 a week, the lowest since June 2000.
Google plans to offer a subscriber version of YouTube as soon as this year, letting viewers see millions of videos without having to sit through ads.
The past few years have seen an explosion of royals and tycoons around the globe who buy entire fleets of Aston Martins and Lamborghinis to support their proclivities. Bloomberg has discovered more than three dozen new billionaires in the world since January alone, and more than 300 since 2012.
Consumer confidence increased last week to an almost eight-year high as Americans viewed the U.S. economy in a more favorable light and said it was better time to spend.
New data show that budget cuts at the IRS mean the agency is investigating fewer wealthy taxpayers. An average taxpayer’s chance of being audited has tumbled 23 percent in three years, in line with an IRS budget that’s dropped an inflation-adjusted 17 percent since 2010. Only 0.9 percent of individual taxpayers were audited last year, the lowest proportion in seven years.
Central bankers unable to cut interest rates are failing to turbocharge the effect of declining oil.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. will close 200 of its 8,232 U.S. drugstores to reduce costs as its profits get squeezed by competition and by lower reimbursements from pharmaceutical insurers.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refrained from endorsing a framework nuclear deal agreed with world powers, saying he will only take a stance once a final accord is struck.
AP Top Stories
The bystander who shot video apparently showing a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man, said he knew right away the profound significance of the chilling footage he’d recorded.
Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries.
Outraged citizens are calling for an Orange County judge’s resignation after he reduced the sentence of a Santa Ana man convicted of sodomizing a toddler.
Mankiller, the first woman to be elected chief of a major American Indian tribe, is one of four finalists chosen by the campaign W20, whose goal is to present the White House with a woman candidate to replace Andrew Jackson on the paper currency.
El Salvador had more homicides in March than any other single month in a decade, a dark milestone that some attribute to the collapse of a gang truce and one that could mark a trend of greater violence to come.
The Islamic State group has lost control of “at least three large oil fields” in Iraq, depriving the jihadists of a crucial source of income, a German newspaper report said.
Philippine troops, backed by attack helicopters and artillery fire, battled with at least 250 Abu Sayyaf militants in the country’s restive south, leaving two soldiers and six militants dead.
The Islamic world is at risk of “disintegration” due to the current conflicts in the region between the Sunni and Shiite strands of the Muslim faith, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday raised its forecast for the chance of El Nino conditions during the Northern Hemisphere summer to 70 percent, up from a 60 percent chance last month, with a 60 percent chance it lasts through autumn.
BBC
The man accused of bombing the Boston Marathon in 2013 has been found guilty of all 30 charges that he faced, many of which carry the death penalty.
President Obama has condemned psychiatric therapies designed to “repair” gay, lesbian and transgender youth.
The Kenyan government has dismissed a claim that 166 students are still unaccounted for after the attack on Garissa University College.
Data shows the lowest weekly cases of Ebola since May 2014. Liberia has had no new cases of Ebola for five weeks and Guinea saw less than half the cases of the week before.
As many as four people were reported to have died after a man opened fire at the Palace of Justice in the Italian city of Milan before being arrested.
WND
With Muslim immigrants streaming into the United States at a rate of 100,000 per year, some of the communities targeted for new arrivals are seeking information on their new neighbors, only to be frustrated by federal bureaucrats and their hired contractors.
California lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require schoolchildren in the state to be vaccinated amid impassioned pleas from parents and doctors, even activist Robert Kennedy Jr. Under the proposal, parents would no longer be able to send unvaccinated kids to school with waivers citing religious or personal beliefs.
A planned screening of the Iraq war drama “American Sniper” at the University of Michigan has been canceled after complaints by students about portrayals of Arabs and the Middle East in the film.
Historic Omer Barley Offering Held in Jerusalem
After reenacting the historic Pesach (Passover) sacrifice offering last Wednesday, the Temple Institute together with Women on Behalf of the Holy Temple held another historic event, renewing the Omer harvest and offering of the new barley crop on Sunday.
Gay orgies and ‘murder’ scandals engulf Vatican
The Vatican has been embroiled in two separate, highly embarrassing, scandals. In one, a north Italian priest has been removed from office after allegations emerged that he had been surfing the internet to find gay lovers and had been involved in gay orgies. The other, which has generated – if possible – even more lurid press coverage in Italy, alleges a priest in the south of the country is under investigation on suspicion of murdering one of his parishioners.
Ubinas volcano explodes, spreads ashes over nearby village
Today the Ubinas volcano erupted after about four months of calm. The National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology of Peru (SENAMHI) calculated that the 2.5 km column of ash above the crater could reach more than 15 kilometers to the southeast.
Pentagon Moves More Communications Gear into Cheyenne Mountain
The gear is being moved into Cheyenne Mountain to protect it from electromagnetic pulses, said Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD. “[T]here is a lot of movement to put capability into Cheyenne Mountain and to be able to communicate in there,” Gortney said Tuesday during a news briefing at the Pentagon.
Kissinger and Schultz: Iran deal brings region closer to nuclear war
Two former secretaries of state and foreign policy icons, Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, join forces in pointing out the danger Obama is courting in this deal.
Double Earthquakes On San Andreas Fault Rock California-Mexico Border
The U.S. Geological Survey says two magnitude 4.0-plus earthquakes have struck the San Andreas fault on the California-Mexico border. The first one, a magnitude 4.2, struck at 12:30 p.m. PDT 7 miles southwest of Delta, B.C., Mexico at a depth of 16.1 miles.
3.5 magnitude earthquake reported near Lake Tahoe
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake was reported near the Incline Village neighborhood on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.
China urges caution from U.S. on dispute with Japan
China’s Foreign Ministry urged the United States on Thursday to act and speak cautiously after the U.S. defense chief repeated Washington’s opposition to any “coercive unilateral” actions by China over a group of islets disputed with Japan. Visiting Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter expressed opposition to any moves by China to undermine Japan’s administrative control of uninhabited islands…
Yemen crisis: Kerry warns Iran over Houthi rebel ‘support’
US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Iran over its alleged support for Houthi rebels in Yemen. He said the US would support any state in the Middle East that felt threatened by Iran, and would not “stand by” if Iran destabilised the region. The US is backing a Saudi-led coalition seeking to drive back the rebels and restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last month.
‘Summary killings’ of Ukraine soldiers in east – Amnesty
Amnesty International has said it has evidence pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine summarily killed four Ukrainian soldiers in their captivity. Witnesses…one government soldier was shot at point-blank range by a separatist commander. …videos of three others shown alive in captivity, then dead in a morgue with bullet wounds to their heads and upper bodies.
Obama calls for end to ‘gay conversion therapies’
US President Barack Obama has condemned psychiatric therapies designed to “repair” gay, lesbian and transgender youth. Mr Obama’s statement was in response to an online petition calling for a ban on conversion therapies. It gained over 120,000 signatures in three months. The petition was inspired by Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old transgender youth who committed suicide in December.
Iran will sign nuclear deal only if all sanctions lifted, Rouhani says
Iran will only agree to a final nuclear accord with six major powers if all sanctions imposed on the country over its disputed nuclear work are lifted, President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech on Thursday. “We will not sign any deal unless all sanctions are lifted on the same day … We want a win-win deal for all parties involved in the nuclear talks,” Rouhani said.
IsraAID seeks to help Kenya deal with grief management after mass killing
Following the horrific massacre by the radical Muslim terror group al-Shabab from Somalia which killed over 150 Christian students in Kenya, the Israeli relief group IsraAID is helping Kenyan government officials deal with the tragedy. … “IsraAIDs focus would be to provide post trauma training and treatment to help the affected community and service providers cope with their grief.”
Canada launches its first anti-ISIS airstrikes in Syria
Canada conducted its first air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants on Wednesday, expanding its role in the U.S. coalition against the militant group in Syria.
Le Pen seeks to prevent father’s run for office as family rift runs deeper
A bitter family feud between National Front leader Marine Le Pen and her father Jean-Marie deepened on Wednesday as she accused the 86-year-old founder of the far-right party of sabotaging its efforts to move into the political mainstream. Jean-Marie Le Pen, who last week defended a past comment that Nazi gas chambers were a “detail of history”, was quoted on Tuesday as calling France’s Spanish-born Prime Minister Manuel Valls “the immigrant” and defending Philippe Petain, leader of the war-time government that cooperated with Nazi Germany.
Obama Gives Despicable Response to Netanyahu’s Clarion Call for Iran to Recognize Israel
If this “deal” with Iran is so good, then why aren’t we operating from a moral high ground against the world’s number one state sponsor of Islamic terrorism?
ISIS releases more than 200 Yazidis, Kurdish officials say
ISIS on Wednesday released more than 200 Yazidis, a minority group whose members were killed, captured and displaced when the Islamist terror organization overtook their towns in northern Iraq last summer, officials said.
Tsarnaev guilty of Boston bombings. Where does trial go from here?
The jury in the Boston Marathon bombing trial on Wednesday did what it was expected to do, returning guilty verdicts on all 30 counts. Defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is now eligible to be sentenced to death in the second phase of the trial, which could begin next week and last until June.
U.S. senator seeks to remove key provision from Iran nuclear bill
A Democratic U.S. senator on Wednesday offered an amendment to a an Iran nuclear bill that would remove the measure’s tie to Iranian-sponsored terrorism, a change that could attract more support for the legislation from his party.
Daily Digest
THE FOUNDATION
“Strive to be the greatest man in your country, and you may be disappointed. Strive to be the best and you may succeed: he may well win the race that runs by himself.” –Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1747
TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Will Boston Bomber Get Death Penalty?
There never was a question of guilt. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense admitted as much on the first day of trial. Yesterday, the Boston jury handed down its decision: The 22-year-old who helped his brother plant pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013 is guilty on all 30 counts. Seventeen of those charges are punishable by the death penalty. Now, the most important part of the trial begins — deciding whether Tsarnaev will get life in a federal prison or be executed. “This [bombing] reminds us, once again, that this is not ordinary crime, it’s not even [an] ordinary enemy; these are people who are irredeemable,” political analyst Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News. “Nonetheless, I personally generally oppose the death penalty with some exceptions. I would rather not make him a martyr. Let him serve all his life and contemplate his deeds for decades.” For conservatives, it boils down to one question. Should jurors consider the effect Tsarnaev’s death would have on radical Islamists looking for martyrdom, or should the punishment match the crime?
Footnote: Tsarnaev’s mother said, “America is the real terrorist and everyone knows that,” adding, “My boys are the best of the best.” That explains some things.
SC Police Officer Charged With Murder Thanks to Video
Thanks to a citizen who filmed an altercation between a South Carolina police officer and a motorist, Rule of Law is being upheld in the death of Walter Scott. On Saturday, Officer Michael Slager of the North Charleston Police Department stopped Scott because of a broken taillight. According to the initial police account, Scott grabbed the officer’s Taser, and in the ensuing struggle Slager feared for his life and shot in self-defense. Officers then administered CPR, according to the police. But a video of the event that emerged earlier this week shows a vastly different story. Unlike the altercation in Ferguson between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, Scott turned and ran from the officer with what appeared to be the wires of the Taser trailing behind. Slager drew his gun, aimed at the fleeing man, and fired eight times. It appears the officer then planted the Taser next to Scott, and when other officers arrived on the scene, CPR was never given to him. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said at a news conference, “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. If you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision.” Slager was charged with murder and fired, which might not have happened without the video. Seems like a good case for body cameras. More…
With Iran Deal Crumbling, Pelosi Defends Negotiations
Well that was fast. Before Barack Obama could finish his victory lap around the Rose Garden, Iran announced a couple red lines that could derail the whole nuclear deal crazy train. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said inspectors would not be allowed to photograph or film the country’s nuclear sites, because it would endanger nuclear scientists. Then the country’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, said there were certain nuclear sites inspectors would be forbidden from entering. He said, “No such agreement has been made; principally speaking, visit to military centers is among our redlines and no such visit will be accepted.” Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate alike are skeptical of Team Obama’s negotiating prowess, as they are pushing a bill that says Congress must approve the Iran deal. But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stands in their way. She insists the “legislation undermines these international negotiations and represents an unnecessary hurdle to achieving a strong, final agreement.” Constitutionally, the Senate works with the president to make international treaties. What Congress does with the Iran deal isn’t Pelosi’s business.
U.S. Ships Arms to Yemen, Obama’s Foreign Policy Success Story
It’s plan B for the Obama administration after the government of Yemen dissolved in the face of warring groups in the nation. A few months ago, al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula was decimated. This week, the Obama administration’s strategy is to mitigate threats. Ashton Carter told an audience in Tokyo, “AQAP has seized the opportunity of the disorder there and the collapse of the central government. … Obviously it’s always easier to conduct counterterrorism when there’s a stable government in place. That circumstance obviously doesn’t exist in Yemen.” Now, the United States is sidelined, sending precision-guided munitions to the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that is fighting the Houthi rebels. In a twist of fate, Saudi Arabia was targeting U.S. arms in Yemen during its bombing runs because it feared those weapons would fall in the hands of the enemy. Whoever said war was economical? More…
If Biden Thinks He Makes Too Much, He Should Donate
It’s funny how the meaning of $200,000 differs from one politician to the next. For the Clintons, $200K is a pittance, a discounted speaking gig for Hillary. But for Joe Biden, that amount is almost too much, probably because he’s echoing his boss’ mantra about “middle-class economics.” During an appearance at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Biden said, “I make a lot of money now as vice president — I make a lot of money. When the president was thanking everyone for the sacrifices they made when they got us all in the Blair House — after he took office — and the financial sacrifices they made, he looked at me and said, ‘Except for Joe, he’s getting a pay raise.'” Biden needs it. According to the Washington Free Beacon, Biden doesn’t have a savings account. He never invested in stocks. His mismanagement of finances is a good reason no one should take financial advice from him. But when he leaves office and its $230,700-a-year salary, Biden will receive a pension of about $200,000 a year for life. If he thinks that’s too much, maybe he could do a bit better than the $369 annual average he gave to charity over a decade. More…
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read Amendment II: In Defense of Liberty, on how any discussion about the Rights of Man is nothing more than talk unless it includes discourse on the ability to defend those rights.
RIGHT ANALYSIS
Smelting Down the Water Supply
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Call it potty policy. This week, California took aim at the porcelain throne, mandating that all toilets — along with urinals and faucets — sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2016, conserve water. It’s part of a frantic effort to do anything to manage the state’s severe drought without actually doing what’s needed to manage the state’s severe drought.
While it’s true that California is in the fourth year of below-average precipitation, and that January and March of this year have been particularly dry, neither of these things is fully to blame for the intensity of the drought’s impact. Instead, the culprit is bad government policy and a three-inch fish.
Despite population growth, California has not completed a major water infrastructure project in nearly 50 years. Indeed, Democrats, including Governor Jerry Brown, have opposed state and federal water projects since the 1970s. And while California voters have authorized $22 billion in water bonds since 2000, most of the money has gone to environmental projects and not to safeguarding and improving water supply.
Then there’s the Delta smelt. The little swimmers, whose most appreciated contribution to society arguably comes in conjunction with the word “fried,” have become so revered by ecofascists that they’re willing to imperil the entire state to save them. Delta smelt are native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in northern California, and a federal rule from the 1970s limits diversion of water from this northern delta to the San Joaquin Valley and southern California — all for the sake of the smelt.
The ridiculousness becomes apparent when you consider that in the past two years more than 2.6 million acre-feet of water were let out into the San Francisco Bay because there was not enough capacity north of the delta to store the water, and the “save the smelt” policies wouldn’t allow the water to be sent to reservoirs south of the delta. So instead, the water was wasted.
Indeed, as The Wall Street Journal notes, “During normal [rainfall] years, the state should replenish reservoirs. However, environmental regulations require that about 4.4 million acre-feet of water — enough to sustain 4.4 million families and irrigate one million acres of farmland — be diverted to ecological purposes.”
And the problem is nothing new. A year ago, California, populated by thriving smelt, was in a similar situation. At that time, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the smelt and against diverting much-needed water south. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California took the issue to the Supreme Court, which earlier this year turned down the appeal, effectively raising a glass to smelt and a finger to California farmers and residents.
The water shortage has become so severe that the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which houses about one-third of California’s water reserve, is at a paltry 5% of its normal average. Given smelt priority and the mismanagement of billions intended for water improvement projects, Governor Brown has now instituted the first mandatory water restrictions in the state’s history, requiring cities and towns to cut usage by 25%, with possible fines of up to $10,000 per day for those localities that fail to meet the mandate.
While conserving water will help, it will hardly solve a problem decades in the making. For this, a good lesson is needed in prioritizing humans over fish. Now, please pass the tartar sauce.
Judge Rebukes Obama’s Immigration Deception
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| Judge Andrew Hanen |
The executive amnesty ordered by Barack Obama last November has been eclipsed in the headlines by his disastrous dealings with Iran. But the story isn’t over.
The amnesty would grant three-year stays of deportation, Social Security numbers and work permits to some illegal aliens, but in February U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen declared that Obama exceeded his authority and blocked the amnesty.
After further deliberation, Hanen this week declared his injunction will remain in place in part because Obama’s lawyers misled the court. The administration revealed two weeks after Hanen’s first ruling that it had already granted more than 100,000 work permits to illegals before the court issued its injunction, and the judge wasn’t too happy. “Whether by ignorance, omission, purposeful misdirection, or because they were misled by their clients,” Hanen wrote, “the attorneys for the Government misrepresented the facts.”
“Even worse,” he added [emphasis in the original], the government’s lawyers “urged this Court to rule before disclosing that the Government had already issued 108,081 three-year renewals under the 2014 DACA amendments despite their statements to the contrary.”
“Thus,” he concluded, “even under the most charitable interpretation of these circumstances, and based solely upon what counsel for the Government told the Court, the Government knew its representations had created ‘confusion,’ but kept quiet about it for two weeks while simultaneously pressing this Court to rule on the merits of its motion.”
So incensed was Hanen at this deception that he considered dismissing the case with prejudice, but opted instead for the greater good of settling the constitutional matters at hand through further court hearings. “Under different circumstances,” he wrote, “this Court might very well [consider striking the Government’s pleadings]. The Court, however, finds that the issues at stake here have national significance and deserve to be fully considered on the merits by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and, in all probability, the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Next week, the Fifth Circuit Court will hear oral arguments in the case. Clearly, Obama has flouted Rule of Law with his smoke and mirrors immigration strategy, and then misled Congress, the courts and the people to keep it in place. So it certainly bears watching whether the Fifth Circuit takes into account the administration’s deliberate deception.
In related immigration news, Obama’s policies have real world consequences. Word of Obama’s executive amnesty (notwithstanding the nuances of court battles) has surely made the rounds south of the border. “The second wave of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children has begun, with more than 3,000 of them surging across the Mexican border into the U.S. last month — the highest rate since the peak of last summer’s crisis and a warning that another rough season could be ahead,” The Washington Times reports. “Authorities report having captured 15,647 children traveling without parents who tried to jump the border in the first six months of the fiscal year.”
While those numbers are down a bit from last year’s record surge, 2015 is still on pace to be the second-biggest year on record.
Immigration officials say both violence in Central America and warmer weather are to blame for the influx, and there’s no doubt that’s at least partly true. But again, when the president of the United States issues an executive amnesty, it’s a virtual welcome mat for any who might come illegally — especially children, given Obama’s favorable treatment of them. Specifically, the administration ordered non-Mexican children to be released pending deportation proceedings. Those children rarely show up for hearings and end up staying in the U.S.
Obama himself once said, “I am not a dictator. I’m the president. … If in fact I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress then I would do so. … I’m not the emperor of the United States. My job is to execute laws that are passed.” We have no further witnesses, your honor.
TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- George Will: When Everything Is a Crime
- Ann Coulter: Can the Left Come Up With One True Story?
- Jonah Goldberg: Iran Nuke Deal Is No Deal At All
- Larry Elder: Someday the World Will Cry, ‘Why?!’
- Victor Davis Hanson: Is the Modern American University a Failed State?
OPINION IN BRIEF
French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755): “In republican governments, men are all equal; equal they are also in despotic governments: in the former, because they are everything; in the latter, because they are nothing.”
Columnist George Will: “What began as a trickle has become a stream that could become a cleansing torrent. Criticisms of the overcriminalization of American life might catalyze an appreciation of the toll the administrative state is taking on the criminal justice system, and liberty generally. … There are an estimated 4,500 federal criminal statutes — and innumerable regulations backed by criminal penalties that include incarceration. Even if none of these were arcane, which many are, their sheer number would mean that Americans would not have clear notice of what behavior is proscribed or prescribed. The presumption of knowledge of the law is refuted by the mere fact that estimates of the number of federal statutes vary by hundreds. If you are sent to prison for excavating arrowheads on federal land without a permit, your cellmate might have accidentally driven his snowmobile onto land protected by the Wilderness Act. … Given the principle — which itself should be reconsidered — of prosecutorial immunity, we have a criminal justice system with too many opportunities for generating defendants, too few inhibitions on prosecutors, and ongoing corrosion of the rule and morality of law. Congress, the ultimate cause of all this, has work to undo.”
Columnist Ann Coulter: “Without even knowing that the rape accuser, ‘Jackie,’ had refused to let Rolling Stone check the most basic elements of her narrative, every human being who read Sabrina Rubin Erdely’s piece knew it was nonsense by around the second paragraph. … Her managing editor, Will Dana, admitted that he should have ‘pull(ed) the strings a little harder … question(ed) things a little more deeply.’ Yes, maybe the editors were just not pushing hard enough. It’s as if a doctor attacked his patient with an ax, and the Columbia Medical Review responded with a forensic report concluding that the procedure failed to follow clinical protocols on hand hygiene, scrubs and restricted areas, while the doctor gallantly admitted that mistakes were made. How about not allowing reporters to go off on politically driven crusades against liberal hate-objects, like fraternities, the military and athletes? How about not basing entire stories on the uncorroborated dream sequences of fantasists?”
Comedian Conan O’Brien: “The top 15 contenders for the Republican presidential nomination own at least 40 guns among them. In other words, if we elect a Republican president, nobody is hopping over the White House fence.”
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
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Obama’s Iran Deal Falls On Ominous Bible Date
When President Obama announced a “framework” nuclear agreement with Iran – which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns threatens the very existence of his nation – few noticed the significance of the date …………. Click here for full story
Discovery Of Red Heifer Increases End Times Speculation
A fully red cow on a small farm outside Lakewood, New Jersey is attracting worldwide attention in orthodox Jewish circles and various movements with a Messianic or “End of Days” bent. Let me explain why………. Click here for full story
Devout Christian NHS Worker Launches Appeal After Being Suspended For Inviting A Muslim Colleague To Church
A devout Christian has launched an appeal against an employment tribunal which found she had ‘bullied’ a Muslim colleague by praying for her and inviting her to church ……….. Click here for full story
Arab League To Submit Timeline TO UN For Creation Of Palestinian State
Arab League foreign ministers decided on Tuesday to back a Palestinian resolution at the UN Security Council to call for setting a timeline for ending Israeli “occupation.” ……….. Click here for full story
Analysis: 8 Reasons Conservative Christians Are Concerned About Their Own Religious Freedom in the Obama Era
While conservative Christians have long fought for the religious freedom of religious minorities, they have become increasingly concerned about their own religious freedom in recent years. Here are 8 reasons that is happening ……… Click here for full story
On today’s Episode of The Briefing
1) Boston Marathon bomber found guilty, drama of determining death penalty begins
Tsarnaev guilty of Marathon bombings, Boston Globe (Milton J. Valencia, Patricia Wen, Kevin Cullen, John R. Ellement and Martin Finucane)
After the Tsarnaev verdict, the real drama begins, Boston Globe (Harvey Silverglate)
2) Norway approach to prisons exposes a misunderstanding of the depth of human evil
The Radical Humaneness of Norway’s Halden Prison, New York Times (Jessica Benko)
3) Stories recounting the viciousness of feticide confront Americans with the reality of abortion
Colorado Furor Erupts Over Charges Filed, and Not Filed, in Grisly Attack on Pregnant Woman, New York Times (Jack Healy)
Kansas Limits Abortion Method, Opening a New Line of Attack, New York Times (Erik Eckholm and Frances Roble)
4) White House announces future opposition to conversion therapy for homosexuality
Response to Your Petition on Conversion Therapy, White House (Valerie Jarrett)
In other news…
Officer Who Killed Walter Scott Is Fired, and Police Chief Denounces Shooting, The New York Times (Alan Blinder and Marc Santora)
South Carolina police officer charged with murder after shooting man during traffic stop, The Washington Post (Mark Berman, Wesley Lowery, and Kimberly Kindy)
More U.S. Women Are Going Childless, Wall Street Journal (Neil Shah)
How should parents react when children question their gender roles?, The Telegraph (Radhika Sanghani)
Southern Baptists and the Sin of Racism, The Atlantic (Emma Green)
Jesus Christ the family man? Why the church won’t buy it, The Guardian (Jonathan Jones)
Emotions high as LGBT protections repealed in Springfield, Springfield New-Leader (Stephen Herzog)
Missouri Voters Repeal LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law, Think Progress (Zack Ford)
New Wolf Report – Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein & the IFCJ
Most Americans now say Jesus actually a sinner
Schuller Funeral To Be Held at Former Crystal Cathedral, Now Owned by Catholic Diocese
Controversial healer claims bleach can cure Ebola, AIDS and autism
UK: Christian NHS worker suspended for inviting a Muslim colleague to church
Black Pastor Who Spoke At Rand Paul’s Rally: Obama Will “Evolve” From Christianity
NY Times Says Biblical Christianity Is What’s Stopping Full Acceptance Of The LGBT Agenda
Christians have moved far beyond Scripture when it comes to gender roles
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
The liberal rallying cry these days is that the bible is nothing more than “ancient texts” with little to meaning or relevance to our daily lives in our cutting edge, technology-laden, social society of 2015. These is heard not only in the New York Times piece we are discussing today, but also prevalent in the worship-du-jour Emergent Church as well.
But before you throw out the baby with the bath water, they are right about one thing. The only reason why there has not been an across the board buy-in on the same-sex lifestyle is because the last remnants biblical Christianity is preventing it. But like the legendary Titanic after it hit the iceberg began to take on water, the professing Christian church in America has already begun it’s lisping descent into Laodicean apostasy.
Frank Bruni, writing in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times today, said this:
“Several prominent denominations, which have come to a new understanding of what the Bible does and doesn’t decree, of what people can and cannot divine in regard to God’s will. And homosexuality and Christianity don’t have to be in conflict in any church anywhere. That many Christians regard them as incompatible is understandable, an example not so much of hatred’s pull as of tradition’s sway. Beliefs ossified over centuries aren’t easily shaken.” source
That’s an amazing statement. The bible very clearly states, in both Testaments, that God is 100% opposed to the same-sex lifestyle, in whatever form it takes. Jesus Himself, in stating that He came to fulfill the Law of Moses which condemns the same-sex lifestyle, also is set against it. The bible lists as the reason for the collapse of the Church in the last days not from an outward attack, but from an inward collapse. It’s called the great Falling Away:
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV)
Further, the Bible says in the book of Revelation, that the last Church is a weak, powerless, “lukewarm” Church that Jesus is so disgusted with that He “spews it” out of His mouth:
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14-16 (KJV)
This video shows a great example of how biblically ignorant liberals wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction:
The truly sad part of this video is that so many Christians will watch it and not even know why it’s such a perversion of what the bible teaches. Get yourself a copy of Clarence Larkin’s Dispensational Truth.
Bruni goes on to say that “In the United States, we have abandoned the idea that women are second-class, inferior and subordinate to men, but the Bible clearly teaches that,” said Jimmy Creech, a former United Methodist pastor who was removed from ministry in the church after he performed a same-sex marriage ceremony in 1999. “We have said: That’s a part of the culture and history of the Bible. That is not appropriate for us today.”
And we could say the same about the idea that men and women in loving same-sex relationships are doing something wrong. In fact the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have said that. So have most American Catholics, in defiance of their church’s teaching. source
As the New York Times clearly points out, in denomination after denomination, Christians are abandoning their standing on the Bible as the standard in all matters of faith and practice, and embracing the LGBT same-sex movement and lifestyle.
Don’t blame the liberals like Frank Bruni, don’t blame the socialist-progressive news rags like the New York Times, and don’t even blame the oh-so-enthusiastic for the LGBT lifestyle American president Barack Hussein Obama.
You want someone to blame? Go look in the mirror.
The post NY Times Says Biblical Christianity Is What’s Stopping Full Acceptance Of The LGBT Agenda appeared first on Now The End Begins.
At Easter Prayer Breakfast, Obama Mockingly Complains That He Is ‘Not Loved By Christians’ (VIDEO)
Once again, our president speaks negatively about Christians. At the Easter Prayer Breakfast, he said that Christians don’t always speak kindly about him. It’s always about him.
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:10 (KJV)
At the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast on Sunday, Obama said “On Easter, I do reflect on the fact that, as a Christian, I am supposed to love. And I have to say that sometimes, when I listen to less than loving expressions by Christians, I get concerned. But that’s a topic for another day.” “I was about to veer off; I am pulling it back,” he said with a smile. The president then appeared to pause before adding “that’s a topic for another day,” prompting laughter among the crowd.
Well, because we are sinners, and remain in these sinful bodies while we are on earth, yes – there will be times when we speak in a manner which does not please the Lord. If Mr. Obama was a Christian, he might be able to understand this.
Obama ignored the slaughter of Christians in Kenya during his remarks
But, if he is referring to Christians not agreeing with gay marriage and tax-payer funded abortion, and anything else which God tells us in His Word, is evil, then his words are meaningless.
For a president who has catered to the Muslim Brotherhood, isolated Israel from the White House, and is obviously a Muslim or a Muslim sympathizer – Obama saying this about Christians is the height of ignorance.
Does he speak of the thousands upon thousands of Christians who are being slaughtered on a daily basis by his beloved ISIS? We never hear a word. Does he mention even one word about the 148 Christians that were slaughtered in Kenya right before Easter by Muslim gunmen? Nope, not a word. But dare say something against Islam, and you will hear from him immediately. In fact, Obama said this in his best-selling book:
“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” – from Audacity Of Hope, page 261. Barack Obama
I know that I should be praying for Barack Obama. I must say, that it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been asked to do. In my flesh, I not only do not want to pray for him, but I hope every day that something will happen, and he will not be our president any longer.
A narcissist does not take kindly to criticism.
Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s own attributes. The term originated from the Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water.
Sometimes I wonder about the religion of Barack Obama. Could he be a Muslim? Perhaps. But here is what I think. I believe that our president is such a narcissist, that he worships himself. He refuses to come onto Fox News, because they tell the truth about him.
There is one thing of which I am sure, and that is that Barack Obama is NOT a Christian. There could be a book called BAD FRUIT and the pages filled with the evil things this man has done in his life. Everything is calculated. He makes no mistakes. He has his evil agenda, and he sticks to it. He is unrepentant.
He is carefully and subtly placing thoughts into the hearts and minds of his followers, that Christians are evil. His left wing followers hold onto his every word. I believe that he is setting the stage for Christians to be arrested for hate speech, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law (according to Obama).
He will stand before Jesus one day, and if he does not repent, he will be judged and cast into hell for eternity.
I never thought that I would ever see a president of the United States disparaging Christians, and promoting Muslims in our society. I guess America got what it deserved.
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:20-32 (KJV)
God please help America
MARANATHA!
The post At Easter Prayer Breakfast, Obama Mockingly Complains That He Is ‘Not Loved By Christians’ (VIDEO) appeared first on Now The End Begins.
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
Truth2Freedom Blog Disclaimer
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This blog is an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will keep people informed about current trends, current events, discussions and movements taking place within our church and culture.
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April 9, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily Blogroll Collection
There is no theme more central to the message of Scripture than the glory of God. —Gerald Bray
Commission Rules in Favor of Baker Who Refused to Decorate Bible Cakes Against Homosexuality
But Jack says that he placed the order and filed the complaint to make a point that business owners should have the right to operate in accordance with their conscience and convictions, and that if bakers have the right to refuse cakes against homosexuality, Christians should also have a right to decline cakes in favor of homosexuality.
The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much
By contrast, a major factor driving increasing costs is the constant expansion of university administration. According to the Department of Education data, administrative positions at colleges and universities grew by 60 percent between 1993 and 2009, which Bloomberg reported was 10 times the rate of growth of tenured faculty positions.
The Dead End of Sexual Sin
Today, I now stand in a long line of godly women — the Mary Magdalene line. The gospel came with grace, but demanded irreconcilable war. Somewhere on this bloody battlefield, God gave me an uncanny desire to become a godly woman, covered by God, hedged in by his word and his will. This desire bled into another one: to become, if the Lord willed, the godly wife of a godly husband.
The End of the University
The impression therefore arises that, outside the hard sciences, there is no received body of knowledge, and nothing to learn, save doctrinal attitudes. In The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom lamented the languid relativism that had infected the humanities—the belief, shared by students and teachers alike, that there are no universal values, and that we study merely out of curiosity the works that have come down to us. If we remain indifferent to the moral challenge with which they confront us, it is largely because we no longer believe that there is such a thing as a real moral challenge.
Love And Hate In A Foreign Country
The final piece of the puzzle is provided by the way sexuality has been made fundamental to identity. Again, this is an obvious legacy of Marcuse and company and one with great practical significance for the public square. For in contemporary Western society, once something is a matter of identity, it often has the privilege of functioning as a legal category.
Why Aren’t Calvinists Pacifists?
But Reformed Christians could use more skepticism about the wisdom and value of war, and about the aims of the nation in which they live. We should pray for leaders’ wisdom, and regretfully support wars when they meet standards of just conflicts (they should be limited, defensive, and so on). Instead, Reformed Christians, and American evangelicals generally, have sometimes seemed like zealous warmongers, believing their nation was seamlessly carrying forward the purposes of the kingdom of God.
Polygamy and Scripture
by Bill Muehlenberg
We expect those pushing radical agendas like the various sexual libertines, especially the homosexual lobby, to try their best to attack and twist Scripture as they seek to rationalise their sordid behaviours. Thus those calling for things like homosexual marriage and polyamory will try to claim that ‘the Bible fully supports polygamy, so what is the big deal?’
The Future of Religion – Church & Culture Blog
One of the more provocative reports on the future of world religion, 2010-2050, was recently released by the Pew Forum. Six years in the making, and encompassing data from 234 countries and territories, it is a landmark piece of research.
Based largely on population growth projections, it revealed how rapidly the religious profile of the world is changing. The précis of the report is nearly twenty pages in length, the full report much longer (245 pages), so here are a few headlines:
*The rumors of religion’s death have been exaggerated. Almost every major world religion (except Buddhism) will rise in numbers.
*The fastest growing world religion will be Islam.
*Despite Islam’s growth, Christianity will still be the world’s largest faith by 2050, but only barely. However, by 2070-2100, Islam will gain the numerical edge.
*Islam and Christianity, combined, will represent 6 out of every 10 human beings on the planet.
*In the United States, Christianity will retain its majority but decline, and Muslims will grow to surpass Jews as the second largest non-Christian American religion.
*The “rise of the nones” will continue in the West, but not on the wider global front, where the lack of religious affiliation will actually decline.
How to Respond to Headship Decisions: Guidance for Wives
Which is harder, leading or submitting? Don’t answer. The correct response is “yes.” There is a great deal of weight and responsibility placed upon the husband as head of his family.
The Daily Discovery (April 9, 2015)
Where is Our Discernment? – “Today we are talking about the NBC Miniseries A.D. The Bible Continues. It is endorsed by some of the biggest and most questionable evangelicals in Christendom. Its theology comes from Roman Catholic mystics. For Christian pastors, you can purchase a pre-packaged product that includes 12 weeks of sermons plus small group study guides. Where is our discernment? If we truly are students of end times, then is this is not a sign?”
Three Steps to Protect Christian Wedding Vendors – “The basic strategy here is to put the prospective client off in a legitimate way so they don’t call back, or have them disqualify themselves without the vendor having to weigh in explicitly regarding his willingness to participate in a same-sex marriage (SSM). I suggest the vendor follow these steps.”
Articles on the Religious Freedom Fiasco – “1. ‘The Post-Indiana Future for Christians’ by Rod Dreher—an interview with a ‘practicing Christian law professor at one of the country’s elite law schools’…”
WARNING: You Aren’t A Christian If… – “Do you think a true Christian habitually neglects church? Do you think you’re a Christian just because you’ve been baptized? Do you think you’re a Christian even though you don’t feel any guilt over sin? Watch this video and examine yourself carefully.”
What Jesus Said about Homosexuality – “Did Jesus say anything about homosexuality? That’s the challenge offered to Christians who cite the Bible as the basis for their convictions about same-sex marriage. My answer: Jesus said something in Leviticus 18:22-23
, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:10.”
SERMON:
John MacArthur – Inerrancy Under Attack
VIDEOS:
Bake for Them Two?
Do Christians get to disobey the government?
“If you alter or obscure the Biblical portrait of God in order to attract converts, you don’t get converts to God, you get converts to an illusion. This is not evangelism but deception.” – John Piper
The Trinity, The Assembly, and Sweet Potatoes
It seems like everyone and their dog is hearing “the voice of God” these days.
“Hearing the voice of God” used to be the mark of a prophet of God, but over the last century or so, it’s slowly become the mark of a “mature believer.” These days, “conservative” folk (like Beth Moore or Francis Chan) regularly suggest that God speaks to them…not in audible voices, but definitely in some sort of propositional statements (ultimately the audible/inaudible distinction is meaningless). The issue of “hearing the voice of God” is probably the most significant infiltration of bad Charismatic theology into non-Charismatic circles. It’s a train hauling insanity and heresy that is steaming through Evangelicalism and it seems like there’s no stopping it.
Still More On The Partial Rapture
Q. I was watching a televangelist, and he says that he believes all the blacksliders will not go in the rapture and the ones that are sitting back and not doing serving the Lord or doing his will. Is this true?
Our Careless Words
Q. I listened to a respected Bible/prophecy teacher tell the audience how Christians will be judged at the Bema seat for careless words. How he arrived at that conclusion mystifies me–all of our sins/careless words/hurtful behavior were judged at the cross. I understand that Jesus will judge our “Good Works;” not our behavior. I shook my head. He is absolutely wrong.How can a man well versed in the Bible come up with this?? Have I missed something?
More On The Woman Caught In Adultery
Q. I’ve heard discussions where it was stated that the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8, was most likely dragged there naked. Would that have been likely in 1st century AD? I imagine that modesty would have ruled and at least a sheet placed over her, not necessarily for her sake, but for women and children that may be out and about. Also, I find it interesting that so writings and talks state that this is Mary of Magdalene, when there is no evidence of this in the Bible. But what about the 7 demons. Any ideas on that statement?
Featured Blogs
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
Truth2Freedom Blog Disclaimer
This post was originally posted on:
https://truth4freedom.wordpress.com
(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist)
This blog is an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will keep people informed about current trends, current events, discussions and movements taking place within our church and culture.
A headline link on this blog post doesn’t necessarily mean that there is agreement or approval with all the views and opinions expressed within the headline linked article. Caution is also warranted with regards to the advertisements and links that are embedded within the headline linked article.
GTY Blog: The Context of Marriage
Selected Scriptures
Code: B150408
by Jeremiah Johnson
The moral mandates of Scripture are binding on all mankind, and to ignore them is sin. Living by God’s standards as revealed in Scripture results in human flourishing, and advocating for those standards is good and loving. But the primary message believers have for unbelievers is not a code of conduct or set of principles to live by.
Sadly, many of those who have fought long and hard to preserve a biblical view of marriage sent the wrong message to the world. As John MacArthur said years ago, politically-engaged Christians have too often made enemies of their mission field.
We are not faithful to text of Ephesians 5 when we attempt to enforce its standards on the world. In fact, doing so ignores the context of Paul’s exhortations and misdirects church resources that would be better used in equipping the saints to more fully live out God’s design for marriage.
Spiritual Necessities
In his book The Fulfilled Family, John MacArthur sets the stage for Paul’s discussion of marriage and family.
It is vital to understand that Paul wrote his instructions about marriage in Ephesians 5 for Christians. He addressed the entire epistle to a church. The first four chapters are all about the Christian’s position in Christ, and everything Paul said to fathers, mothers, and children presupposed that he was speaking to believers. If you’re not a Christian, there is no hope whatsoever that you can make your marriage and your family everything God intended them to be, unless you first acknowledge your need for Christ and trust Him as Lord and Savior.
Obviously, there are non-Christian families that appear to be successful, to a point. They may have orderly homes, with well-behaved children and close, lasting relationships between family members. But wherever Christ is not recognized as Lord of the family, the seeds of that family’s ultimate breakdown are already present. Such a family has no real spiritual stability, and (especially in a society where the family is already under siege) that family is courting disaster. To borrow imagery from Matthew 7:26–27, such a family is like an impressive structure built on sand. When the floodwaters come, its fall will be great.
For all the noise over defending traditional marriage, this fundamental point is rarely mentioned: God’s design for marriage and family starts with a right relationship with Him. Apart from a firm foundation in the Lord, no marriage can achieve what God intends for it.
What About the Unequally Yoked?
The fundamental necessity of salvation does raise some questions for believers who have an unsaved spouse. Can they expect anything close to the pattern laid out in Scripture? And what standard should believers hold their spouses to when they lack the essential elements for a godly marriage?
By God’s grace, I don’t have any firsthand experience of the daily struggle it must be to love someone who doesn’t love the Lord. What I do know is that holding nonbelievers to biblical standards they’re incapable of achieving is a good way to embitter them against the Bible, the church, and you. You’re wrestling with square pegs and round holes if you expect an unbelieving husband to love his wife as Christ loves the church, or an unbelieving wife to biblically submit to and support her husband in all things.
If you are unequally yoked in marriage, your daily prayer and focus must be the salvation of your husband or wife, not behavior modification. Short of true repentance and faith, unbelievers can’t hope to even comprehend God’s design for marriage and family, much less conform to it.
While Paul writes to believing wives and husbands, Peter writes to those married to unbelievers (1 Peter 3:1-7). In essence, Peter’s exhortation is to be a godly example to your spouse. Fulfill your responsibility as a husband or wife, and pray that as you live a life pleasing to God, the Lord will draw your spouse to Himself. Shine your light, not in an effort to ignite the stone-cold heart of your spouse, but as an act of worship to the Lord. And pray that the Lord will shine His light into your spouse’s heart in due time (2 Corinthians 4:6).
The True Focus of a Godly Family
The point of God’s design, after all, is not that we have impressive families or easy lives. The point is that every aspect of life in the family lines up under submission to His ultimate and final authority. The end result of all this is that God is glorified and the gospel adorned—nothing short of that fulfills His design.
Here’s how John MacArthur makes that very point in The Fulfilled Family:
Besides, apart from a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have no motivation for righteousness, no constraint from evil, and no real ability to obey from the heart what God commands for our families. That, then, is the essential foundation: Christ must be first in our hearts and in our families.
Remember, by the way, that Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). So He demands to be first in the family. It’s only when we love Him more than family that we can really love our families in the highest, purest sense.
He ends with an earnest call to any unbelieving readers, and it’s an appropriate way to end today’s post.
If you’re not a believer, you need to acknowledge your need of the Savior. Confessing that you have sinned against God, repent, and call on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Scripture says, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Available online at: http://www.gty.org/resources/Blog/B150408
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Is Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran good for our national security?
Iran’s chief negotiator: all the sanctions cease immediately
This is the top article on the Wall Street Journal right now. It’s written by two former Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger and George P. Shultz.
They are assessing the Iran deal:
While Iran treated the mere fact of its willingness to negotiate as a concession, the West has felt compelled to break every deadlock with a new proposal. In the process, the Iranian program has reached a point officially described as being within two to three months of building a nuclear weapon. Under the proposed agreement, for 10 years Iran will never be further than one year from a nuclear weapon and, after a decade, will be significantly closer.
[…]Progress has been made on shrinking the size of Iran’s enriched stockpile, confining the enrichment of uranium to one facility, and limiting aspects of the enrichment process. Still, the ultimate significance of the…
View original post 882 more words
The Man of Sin: Sitting in the Temple?
2 Thessalonians 2:4 says that the man of sin/lawlessness will take his seat in God’s temple and declare himself God. So what does it mean that he will sit in “the temple of God?” Baptistic Dispensationalists take this to be a physical temple in Jerusalem. For one example, John MacArthur says in the future the man of sin will go into the physical [rebuilt] Jerusalem temple half-way through the seven-year period of tribulation, which will inaugurate the last half of the tribulation called the Great Tribulation.
I believe a Reformed interpretation on this phrase (the temple of God) is more biblical than a dispensational one. For example, Anthony Hoekema explains it like this:
“The expression ‘take his seat in the temple of God’ should not be understood as implying that there will once again be a literal Jewish temple at the time of Christ’s return…. The expression is…
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Now Served Daily!
1 Corinthians, The Coalition, Worldly Wisdom, and Fire
In addition to Jordan’s excellent treatment of The Gospel Coalition’s bizarre and probably sinful decision to invite lost people to comment on justice and mercy, I’d like to pile on with some thoughts of my own. Though I am tempted to include a rant about the futility of conference upon conference upon conference upon conference upon conference while you can’t find a single Christian most of the time proclaiming the Gospel at large gatherings of people or outside their local child sacrifice center, I’ll stop here and stick with comments inspired by the First Epistle to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians Chapter 1
Verses 4-9 are descriptive of those who have been born again by the Spirit of God. Lost people are none of these things. They have not received grace from God in Christ, have not been enriched in Him, the testimony of Christ has been rejected in…
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Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel
by Mike Ratliff
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. (Philippians 1:27-30 NASB)
The growing apostasy of the visible church all around us can be alarming at times. In fact, there are times that those leading the way into that apostasy seem to “raising…
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