Feb. 1, 2016
BLOOMBERG
In the final hours before the Iowa caucuses, the three leading Republican candidates sharpened their arguments against one another.
Household spending cooled in December as Americans used gains in incomes to boost their savings.
The stock market is starting to reflect the priorities of the millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000. Leisure and travel-related stocks, including pubs, airlines and pizza restaurants, have trumped retailers since consumer confidence picked up following the financial crisis.
Last month’s plunge in crude to $30 a barrel proved too much of a bargain for China to turn down even as its economy lurches toward the weakest growth in a generation. Chinese companies booked tankers to collect more West African crude in February than in any single month since at least 2011, data from the physical shipping market collated by Bloomberg show.
The number of Zimbabweans who will need emergency food aid this year may have doubled or trebled from last year, Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira said. The southern African nation is facing its worst drought in almost two decades, withering crops and killing cattle as water sources run dry.
Manufacturing in the U.S. shrank in January for a fourth consecutive month as businesses cut staffing plans. Growth resumed in new orders and production, indicating some stabilization in the industry.
American drivers are within shouting distance of $1.50 a gallon for the first time since 2009. Thanks to a glut of oil that has spurred refiners to make as much fuel as they can, pump prices nationwide are down about 26 cents a gallon from a year ago, which is translating into almost $80 million a day in savings for U.S. drivers
AP Top Stories
A teenage rape victim was allegedly sexually assaulted a second time while in hospital receiving treatment for the original attack in India’s east, police said Monday, in the latest case of violence against women.
A survivor hidden in a tree said he watched Boko Haram extremists firebomb huts and heard the screams of children burning to death, among 86 people officials say died in the latest attack by Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremists.
Beijing is being called on to issue a tougher response to Washington after the U.S. Navy sent a destroyer to within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea on Saturday. China said it opposed the U.S.S. Curtis Wilbur’s presence near Triton Island on Saturday, calling it a “provocative move,” according to the South China Morning Post. But military figures and state media say this isn’t enough. “The U.S. is stepping up its provocation and challenging China’s ability to defend its territory,” retired colonel Yue Gang told the Post. “There will probably be more provocation if Beijing does not step up.”
Police arrested the maverick founder of China’s largest online finance business on suspicion of fleecing 900,000 investors of $7.6 billion, in what could be the biggest financial fraud in Chinese history.
Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno was fined $86,000 after a surgeon left a towel in a patient’s stomach during surgery.
A former Ohio seminarian arrested for allegedly seeking to have sex with infants and young girls in Mexico was carrying $2,000 in cash along with baby clothes and a bottle in his luggage. Joel Wright had previously traveled to Tijuana in an unsuccessful attempt to adopt a child.
Iran says it now has access to more than $100 billion worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
Thailand expects a million visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year, 19 percent more than last year.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is concerned a stalemate in the peace process between Israel and Palestinians is reaching the point of no return for a two-state solution.
Russia’s air force has carried out 468 sorties in Syria over the past week, hitting more than 1,300 “terrorist” targets, Russian news agencies quoted Russia’s Defense Ministry as saying on Monday.
More than 3,000 Turkmens and Arabs fleeing advances by pro-government Syrian forces in the north of Latakia province have crossed into Turkey over the past three days.
The first freely elected parliament in Myanmar for 50 years has held its opening session.
BBC
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila has put on hold a plan to open his country home to a family of asylum seekers, apparently for security reasons.
Nigeria is holding talks with the World Bank to help it fund a forecast $11bn budget deficit. However, Finance Minister Adeosun said in a statement that it was not applying for an “emergency loan”.
At least 71 people have died in blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of Syria’s capital Damascus.
WND
It’s a case in which the U.S. government has been accused of claiming the authority to “determine what is in fact a sin.” The Little Sisters of the Poor case against the Obamacare law is moving toward a resolution with the U.S. Supreme Court announcing arguments have been scheduled for March 23. “If this appeal is lost, the government becomes the head of every religious denomination in the country by its assumed authority to determine what is in fact a sin,” said Thomas More’s president, Richard Thompson.
Britain’s fertility regulator has approved a scientist’s request to edit the human genetic code in an effort to fight inherited diseases – but critics fear the new technique crosses too many ethical boundaries.
Top News – 2/1/2016
Asteroid so huge it has its own MOON set to zoom past earth today
AN asteroid capable of eradicating all life across the globe is zooming towards Earth and traveling with its very own moon in tow. Asteroid 1998 QE2 has the same level of force as the giant rock that eliminated the dinosaurs, experts have said, and will make its near-miss approach to Earth later tonight.
Fears of the ‘big one’: Volcano explodes 1.8 miles high hours after massive earthquake
A HUGE volcano has seen a massive eruption of toxic ash and gas just hours after a major earthquake rocked the region, causing shopping centre evacuations. The Karymsky volcano in Russian Kamchatka’s eastern volcanic zone spewed ash up to 3km into the air, according to the Regional Emergencies Ministry. Airlines have been placed on an “orange” warning to avoid the area following today’s eruption. It came less than 48 hours hours after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake tore through the region…
150,000 homes without power, gusts up to 115mph as El Nino storm hits US southwest
Over 150,000 US households were left without electricity as gusts of an El Nino-driven storm downed trees and power poles is Southern California. Gusts of wind up to 115mph were recorded, with locals taking to social media to share the aftermath.
A New Madrid Earthquake Is Coming And America Will Be Shaken Like Never Before
In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey has admitted that the New Madrid fault zone has the “potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought“, and the number of significant earthquakes in the middle part of the country has more than quintupled in recent years.
Leviathan’s First Deal Signed With Israeli-Turkish Consortium
The Leviathan natural gas field is launching its debut into the world of domestic production and foreign export, simultaneously. The mammoth natural gas field will supply two private companies with its natural resource in a new $1.3 billion contract signed with Edeltech Group (owned by the Edelsburg family) and its Turkish partner, Zorlu Enerji.
Comment: Shooting attack in Beit El signals the start of an armed intifada
The terror attack yesterday [Sunday] in Beit El seems to mark the beginning of the next armed intifada we have so far sought to avoid.
Will Two-Thirds of Israelis Perish?
There is a popular belief, even among Christian lovers of Israel, that according to Zechariah’s prophecy, two-thirds of the Jewish people in Israel “will be cut off and perish” (Zech. 13:8). This interpretation is tied to the belief of how God will bring about Israel’s ultimate salvation.
Very shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Balleny Islands region, Antarctica
A very shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Balleny Islands region, Antarctica at 17:39 UTC on January 31, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 40 km (25 miles). There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles) radius.
Gov’t approves mixed prayer area at Western Wall
According to the proposed arrangement, a new prayer area will be set up south of the existing separate prayer areas. The new prayer area will be modeled on the one set up at Robinson’s Arch two years ago where Women of the Wall could worship, and will allow Reform and Conservative Jews to pray according to their custom.
60% of Jordanian students have never heard of ‘Al-Aqsa’
A new survey published by the University of Jordan raises a startling statistic which challenges quite a few deeply-rooted fundamental assumptions surrounding the Temple Mount. The survey, conducted among 6,000 Jordanian students, asked only one question: What is al-Aqsa Mosque? The result: More than 60 percent of the students did not know how to answer.
We Need a New Government Agency to Oversee the Search for Immortality
Scientists increasingly agree that we’re fast approaching a moment in medicine—probably within 30 years—where we won’t just be significantly lengthening human lifespans, but probably conquering death too. Medicine’s main goal will no longer be to just improve health, but to attempt to guarantee survival for every person that exists on the planet. We must remember the greater good for society and ourselves…
China shares fall as economic pulse slows
Chinese shares stumbled lower on Monday after an official measure of activity in the giant factory sector fell to its lowest since mid-2012, offering no respite for markets from the country’s economic drift.
Pope Francis Said to Bless Human-Animal Chimeras
A Spanish scientist working at the Salk Institute in California told Scientific American that Pope Francis personally blessed his cutting-edge research to mix human cells into animal bodies.
4.1 Earthquake Recorded in Western Montana
The quake occurred at 7 a.m. yesterday in a sparsely populated area about 15 miles east of the small community of Lincoln or 28 miles northwest of Helena.
Scientists get ‘gene editing’ go-ahead
UK scientists have been given the go-ahead by the fertility regulator to genetically modify human embryos. The research will take place at the Francis Crick Institute in London and aims to provide a deeper understanding of the earliest moments of human life. The experiments will take place in the first seven days after fertilisation and could explain what goes wrong in miscarriage.
Lift-off for Europe’s space laser network
Europe has begun to roll out a data superhighway in orbit above the Earth. The first node in the network is a telecommunications satellite that was launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. It will use a laser to gather pictures of the planet taken by other spacecraft and then relay them to the ground.
Syria conflict: Dozens killed near Sayyida Zeinab shrine
At least 71 people have died in blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of Syria’s capital Damascus. A bus station and a building housing military headquarters were hit by the blasts, which mangled nearby vehicles. It happened as the government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva in a bid to start talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict.
African Union abandons plans to send peacekeepers to Burundi
The African Union has abandoned its plan to send 5,000 peacekeepers to help restore stability to troubled Burundi. Officials said they would instead encourage political dialogue between Burundi’s opposing sides. Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza had fiercely opposed the AU plan’s to send peacekeepers.
IDF partial blockade in Ramallah response to alerts of future attacks from city
The IDF has placed a partial blockade around Ramallah on Monday morning, allowing only residents of the Palestinian city to enter and leave it. An army spokeswoman said the partial closure placed around the major city…came following “concrete alerts regarding future acts of terrorism originating in the city,” as well as a spate of recent attacks, including the shooting attack by a PA policeman on IDF soldiers on Sunday.
Company Developing ‘Tech Tattoos’ So People Can Track Their Medical, Financial Info
Could we soon be carrying all of our medical and financial information on a tattoo? Software company Chaotic Moon has developed a “tech tattoo” that gets embedded into a person’s arm and can track a person’s financial and medical information.
Israel’s Netanyahu Warns Gaza Militants Against Attacking
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza on Sunday that his country will retaliate with “greater force” than deployed in the 2014 Gaza war if cross-border tunnels are used to attack Israel.
Was Zika outbreak caused by release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil?
The Zika virus outbreak currently gripping the Americas could have been sparked by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in 2012, critics say. The insects were engineered by biotechnology experts to combat the spread of dengue fever and other diseases and released into the general population of Brazil in 2012.
Ouch: U.S. economy stumbles with 0.7 percent growth in 4Q 2015
Obama will be gone this time next year, but have we learned enough from the past seven years not to elect another socialist or a socialist who masquerades as something else?We’re always told that consistent economic growth will get us out of all our fiscal problems. That’s not true, although it would certainly help. We recently told you that deficit projections for coming years are looking pretty scary, and even those projections depend on some pretty rosy assumptions about future economic growth.
Election 2016’s about Obama’s visceral hatred of America
Election 2016 is about the turnaround survival or continuing downfall of Western Society as we know it.The 2016 election is about the possibility of releasing the USA from its lockdown of hatred; a hatred that has all but swiped America off the world map; a hatred that gutted America’s role as leader of the Free World, the same way as it gutted the nation’s Armed Forces; a hatred that allows murderers and rapists to be set free from prisons; a hatred that gives carte blanche to ISIS, which the current administration refuses to even name, and everything in between.
Boko Haram burned children alive in Nigeria, witness says
A survivor hidden in a tree says he watched Boko Haram extremists firebomb huts and heard the screams of children among people burned to death in the latest attack by Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremists.
Global Trade Collapsed In January: Bellwether South Korea Exports Crash “Most Since Lehman”
As the first major exporting nation to report each month, all eyes and hopeful speculative capital was glued to tonight’s South Korean trade data. After a brief respite in November, December’s drop was worrisome, but January’s just reported 18.5% crash – the most since the financial crisis – has only been seen during a US economic recession.
US pledges $97M to combat Ethiopia’s drought
The U.S. has boosted its emergency food aid to Ethiopia by nearly $100 million to combat one of the worst droughts in decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced Sunday.
Top Headlines – 2/1/2016
Netanyahu to Hamas: Israel will strike with ‘greater force’ than 2014 war if attacked from tunnels
Defense Minister Ya’alon: No Gaza attack tunnels under Israeli homes
Report: Senior Hamas official blames Iranian ‘liars’ for deserting Hamas
Hamas hints at prisoner exchange with Israel
Palestinian tries to cross West Bank barrier, attempts to stab a soldier and is shot and killed
Palestinian Authority police praises member of its ranks that carried out shooting attack
‘French peace initiative bolsters Palestinian rejectionism’
Kerry phones Abbas over Israeli-Palestinian tensions
Biden talks regional security with Israel, Cyprus leaders
Ban fires back at Israeli criticism of UN speech: ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’
UN’s Ban scolds Israeli officials who ‘twisted’ his criticism about Israel’s policies
$1.3 billion of natural gas pledged for two new Israeli power plants
UK official slams Israel after criticizing Rouhani during Holocaust memorial ceremony
Iran’s supreme leader awards medals to troops who ‘captured’ U.S. sailors
Egypt attacks in Sinai leave four security forces dead: officials
U.N. asks for $861 mln to help Iraq meet humanitarian bill
UN rights head: War crimes should not be part of any Syria amnesty
Discord intensifies at Syria talks after dozens killed in Damascus blasts
ISIS claims bombings that kill dozens, as Kerry pushes ‘peaceful’ Syria
EU chief says Damascus blast meant to disrupt peace talks
At least 60 killed in terror attack at Shi’ite holy site in Syria
Islamic State announces expansion into Southeast Asia with attacks, threats
French-speaking jihadist executes ‘apostates’ in IS video
Over 10,000 migrant children missing: Europol
Teenage girl admits making up migrant rape claim that outraged Germany
EU agrees Britain could curb migrant benefits immediately
Austria says it plans to step up deportations of migrants
Minnesota groups seek money to keep youths from extremism
Nigerian Boko Haram extremists burn homes with villagers still inside
Saudi police arrest 9 American ‘terror’ suspects: report
Americans not believed among militants detained by Saudis: U.S. officials
Al-Qaida Seizes Southern Yemeni Town
Saudi Arabia faces years of austerity after oil price crash
Oil prices slip on weak Asian data, fading prospect of output cut
Global Trade Collapsed In January: Bellwether South Korea Exports Crash “Most Since Lehman”
U.S. Economy Grew Anemic 0.7% in Fourth Quarter
Europe’s Biggest Exchange Warns ‘Brexit’ May Spur London Exodus
Cyberthieves Have a New Target: Children
‘Eyewash’: How the CIA deceives its own workforce about operations
Company Developing ‘Tech Tattoos’ So People Can Track Their Medical, Financial Info
Poll: Trump, Sanders voters see rigged political system
Bernie Sanders’ team questions Microsoft’s involvement in Iowa Caucus app
Microsoft’s Bing just called the first four primaries for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
Iowa caucuses 2016: Advancing snow may deter voters
Colorado to Iowa, Michigan face blizzard Monday into Groundhog Day
Tornadoes, damaging wind to accompany severe storms across Mississippi Valley on Groundhog Day
Deadly California weather leaves 150,000 without power
US pledges $97M to combat Ethiopia’s drought
Snow falls in Kuwait for ‘first time ever’
Watch the Moon Pass Through the Five Morning Planets This Week
6.0 magnitude earthquake hits the Balleny Islands region
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Panguna, Papua New Guinea
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 19,000ft
Karymsky volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 13,000ft
Copahue volcano in Argentina erupts to 11,000ft
El Nino Climate Pattern May Influence Disease Outbreaks Globally
Carriers, cruises offer refunds on Zika concerns
Zika: Colombia cases in pregnant women double in a week
Phoenix Council Members Try To Block Satanists From Delivering Prayers
Young Jr. , Furtick, Stanley, & Meyer to be featured in new Netflix Series
Jonathan Cahn Partners With Arch Heretic Ken Copeland
Ten Reasons ‘Jesus Calling’ is a Dangerous Book
Children, Toddlers, Babies Sing: ‘Always Submit To The Church Administration’
Company Developing ‘Tech Tattoos’ So People Can Track Their Medical, Financial Info
Obama to Visit US Mosque With Deep Extremist Ties
Frontrunning: February 01
- Stocks cautious after rocky China data, bonds fly high (Read More)
- Oil falls on China data, fading prospect of OPEC action (Read More)
- Republican Vote in Iowa Caucus Hinges on Newcomer Turnout (Read More)
- When Trump tells supporters not to donate, they mostly listen (Read More)
- Goldman Sachs Employees Shift to Rubio as Bush Support Fades (Read More)
- Four Theories on How Oil Has Hypnotized the Global Stock Market (Read More)
- Global Yields Hit 12-Month Low With Japan 2-Year at Minus 0.16% (Read More)
- Record China Factory Gauge Slump Adds to Monetary Policy Dilemma (Read More)
- Euro-Area Factories Cut Prices as Deflation Risks Loom Large (Read More)
- Oops: Cheap oil less of a boon for U.S. growth than in the past (Read More)
- February Is the Longest Month for Central Bank Watchers (Read More)
- Marc Andreessen and Silver Lake have considered a deal for Twitter (Read More)
- Credit Suisse, Barclays to Pay $154.3 Million to Settle ‘Dark Pool’ Investigations (Read More)
- Death toll up to 70 from Islamic State Damascus attack (Read More)
- Toyota to stop Japan production for one week due to steel shortage (Read More)
- HSBC to Freeze Hiring, Salaries in 2016 Amid Cost Reductions (Read More)
- Marissa Mayer to Make Case That Yahoo Can Be Turned Around (Read More)
- Zika virus spreads fear among pregnant Brazilians (Read More)
- Google Defends U.K. Tax Accord as Legal, Not ‘Sweetheart Deal (Read More)
- China Calls Lending Platform Ezubo a $7.6 Billion Ponzi Scheme (Read More)
- China-Built High-Speed Rail in Indonesia Gets Off to Bumpy Start (Read More)
The Briefing
1) Origin of “-phobic” in cultural vocabulary reveals link between conversation and worldview
How ‘-Phobic’ Became a Weapon in the Identity Wars, New York Times Magazine (Amanda Hess)
2) Multiplication of new gender pronouns a rejection of God’s design of man as male and female
She? Ze? They? What’s In a Gender Pronoun, New York Times (Jessica Bennett)
In other news…
Diane Rehm’s next act: Using her famed voice to fight for the good death, Washington Post (Karen Heller)
Retail Apocalypse: 2016 Brings Empty Shelves And Store Closings All Across America
Major retailers in the United States are shutting down hundreds of stores, and shoppers are reporting alarmingly bare shelves in many retail locations that are still open all over the country. It appears that the retail apocalypse that made so many headlines in 2015 has gone to an entirely new level as we enter 2016. As economic activity slows down and Internet retailers capture more of the market, brick and mortar retailers are cutting their losses. This is especially true in areas that are on the lower portion of the income scale. In impoverished urban centers all over the nation, it is not uncommon to find entire malls that have now been completely abandoned. It has been estimated that there is about a billion square feet of retail space sitting empty in this country, and this crisis is only going to get worse as the retail apocalypse accelerates. (Read More…)
Why are small towns in conservative states being specifically targeted for refugee resettlement? Of course the Obama administration will never publicly admit that this is happening, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what is going on. Just look at the uproar that refugee resettlement is now causing in small communities in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Kansas. The Obama administration has deemed large cities such as Washington D.C. to be “too expensive” for the refugees, and so large numbers of them are being dispersed throughout smaller communities all over the nation. If you drop a few hundred refugees into a major city of several million people, it isn’t going to make much of a difference. But if you drop a few hundred refugees into a small town that has only a few thousand people living there, you can start to fundamentally alter the character of the whole area. Could it be possible that this is yet another way that Barack Obama is attempting to “fundamentally transform” America? (Read More….)
Daily Digest
February 1, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman.” —John Adams, 1815
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Some Clinton Email Too Classified to Release
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“I take classified information very seriously,” Hillary Clinton insisted Sunday. “You know, you can’t get classified information off the classified system in the State Department to put onto an unclassified system, no matter what that system is.” She’s not exactly correct, but it would take a herculean effort to strip classification markings — which is apparently what she did. “There is absolutely no evidence that I ever sent or received any email marked classified.” Marked is the key word in Clinton parsing, and even former Clintonista George Stephanopoulos cornered her on that one: “You’ve said many times that the emails were not marked classified. The non-disclosure agreement you signed as secretary of state says that that’s really not that relevant. It says classified information is marked or unmarked classified and that all of you are trained to treat all of that sensitively and should know the difference.” Bingo, though her comments above were, astoundingly, in reply to his charge.
It’s certainly inconvenient that the State Department just announced it would not release 22 of her emails at all because revealing the information contained in them — even if redacted — would be too damaging to national security. The State Department has already released more than 1,300 of Clinton’s classified emails, but these 22 are so serious as to merit holding them. (Those and 18 more that are direct communications with Barack Obama, who famously claimed he only found out about Clinton’s email practices “through news reports.”)
Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy sums up the problem: “The reasoning behind that conclusion is alarming. It is not just that the intelligence community (IC) understandably wishes to keep top secret national-defense information under wraps. Because of how recklessly Clinton and her top aides handled classified information, the IC must operate under the assumption that there are copies of these 22 emails floating around — whether in the possession of current or former government officials but unaccounted for or, worse, in the possession of, say, foreign governments that managed to hack into Clinton’s unsecured private system. If the State Department were to release publicly even redacted copies of the emails, those who may have complete copies will be able to figure out the SAP information and use that knowledge both to compromise government sources and programs, and in analyzing other U.S. government information to which they’ve gained access. In other words, it is potentially catastrophic.”
Heck, even Bernie “Sick and Tired of Her Damn Emails” Sanders now thinks Clinton’s malfeasance is “a very serious issue,” though he swears, “I’m not going to politicize it.”
Finally, on a related note, Defense Secretary Ash Carter has decided not to pursue further punishment for Gen. David Petraeus over mishandling of classified information. Perhaps Carter is simply trying to make life easier for Clinton.
Is Cruz a Liar?
“Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have the identical position on health care, which is they want to put the government in charge of you and your doctor,” Ted Cruz said Sunday, attacking his rivals’ health care plans. “Fact checking” site PolitiFact rated this statement false — because Clinton is the least leftist of the three, as she wants to preserve ObamaCare.
The next day, Trump called into ABC to defend his position. “Look, Ted Cruz is a total liar,” Trump said. “I’m so against ObamaCare. I’ve been saying it for two years in my speeches. I’m going to repeal and replace ObamaCare.”
So the question is this: What will Trump replace Obama’s failed policy with? Currently, Trump has not released a detailed health care plan. But if his past comments are any indicator, he will support some sort of single-payer health care system, similar to that of the socialist candidate. In 2000, while Trump was pondering a third-party presidential run, he published a book, “The America We Deserve.” In it, he wrote in praise of single-payer health care systems like the one in Canada: “We must have universal health care. I’m a conservative on most issues but a liberal on this one.”
In this weekend’s interview with ABC, Trump insisted he did not support single-payer, but he was downright idealistic regarding providing health care — and he sounded eerily like the liberals that condemn conservatives for their focus on fiscal responsibility: “We’ll work something out. That doesn’t mean single-payer and maybe [Cruz has] got no heart. And if this means I lose an election, that’s fine because frankly, we have to take care of the people in our country. We can’t let them die on the sidewalks of New York, or the sidewalks of Iowa, or anywhere else.”
The results, we fear, will be that TrumpCare would expand government even further and fulfill the ideological policy goals set by Obama.
Iowan Votes Matter!
It’s Iowa Caucus Day! Finally, after months of talk, donations, debates and ads, the corn meets the harvester when Iowans cast their votes — or in terms of the Democrat caucuses, stand by their candidates. Iowa delegates make up only 1% of the total available delegates nationwide, but because the Hawkeye State holds its caucus first, it’s the state that often sets the tone for the rest of the election. While the returns will start rolling in at 8:30 p.m. EST, the forecasts predict that Hillary Clinton will end up victorious, though if Bernie Sanders comes from behind for a win, it could handicap Clinton. The GOP race is mainly a competition between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, with Trump favored with a 46% chance of winning, according to polling website FiveThirtyEight.
This means the race may come down to whoever can run a better get-out-to-vote campaign. Cruz is burning the shoe leather in a get-out-to-vote campaign that features 12,000 volunteers going door to door. Meanwhile, Trump is relying on the energy generated through his rallies to get his supporters — many potential first-time caucus-goers — out to their precincts tonight. Meanwhile, Marco Rubio, currently the GOP’s third-place candidate, has seen a bump in the polls. Rubio really needs a stronger-than-expected finish to propel him forward to wins in future battleground states. Regardless of what happens, tonight is when the presidential race really gets its start.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
You Will Know Them By Their Fruits
By Robin Smith
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| Jesus curses the fig tree |
In this most unconventional election cycle, there have been a few things that have remained constant. One of them is the effort on the campaign trail to appeal to Christians.
Call them by whatever name of the era — the “Moral Majority,” the “Religious Right” and now “evangelicals” — those who generally affiliate with the Republican Party due to non-negotiable issues of their faith comprise a large number of voters. That’s especially true in early contest states like Iowa and South Carolina.
In the 2012 Iowa Caucus, those who self-identified as “evangelical” or born-again Christians in an entrance poll by Edison Research numbered 57% of all participants. The value of this group of voters is undisputed; yet winning the hearts and minds of these voters seems to be awkward for many campaigns, which, alone, should convey a message.
Evoking surprise from some candidates and their Beltway consultants, these voters are driven by their faith in the civic arena to pursue obedience in Christ’s command to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light to the world.” These same values voters aren’t looking for a preacher but are sure quick to spot the inconsistencies of pandering politicians who fall back on props and catch phrases.
A few weeks back when Donald Trump took the platform at Liberty University, the audience of the Christian school, founded by evangelical stalwart and pastor Jerry Falwell, caught the real-estate tycoon making reference to a Bible verse in a manner that exposed his unfamiliarity with Scripture. Instead of quoting “Second Corinthians,” Trump referenced “Two Corinthians.”
Gaffe of the century? Hardly, but his cavalier dismissal of questions about his faith made it something to ponder.
Trump’s ascendency has been borne out of an absolute disgust toward “the GOP Establishment,” which excels in empty promises and deliberate lies to the base so as to get elected. Those promises have too often been forgotten by those safely ensconced in their DC digs. The obvious question has to be asked, “Why are these same voters permitting Donald Trump to use their faith with such disregard and deception?”
Was it more disgusting to watch an abortion-loving, same-sex-marriage-defending Leftmedia to screech indignations about Trump’s misuse of the Bible, or to witness the very casual and superficial use of God’s Word by someone proclaiming it the only book better than his own?
Far more important was another of Trump’s illustrative musings.
Speaking to a group of Christians at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa last summer, Trump’s response to pollster Frank Luntz’s question should have alarmed values voters. When asked, “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness?” Trump’s answer appeared to be far from a sincere evocation of one’s need of a Savior who redeems from sin and more a calculated reply to continue the narrative that he controls his own destiny: “I’m not sure I have. … I don’t think so. If I do something wrong, I just try and make it right.”
That’s the answer of a man who seemingly doesn’t understand the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith.
With just these two examples, never mind the long list of liberals and their secular causes that Trump has supported over the course of time, all may easily discern that his goal is an awkward courting of Christian voters. With a longer history of behavior and actions that seem as comfortable easing in and out of the talking points that fit a specific audience as one would be taking off a jacket in a costume change, Trump has been very adaptable over this election cycle to woo his loyal following.
There is danger in patronizing devout Christians to garner their votes. One account in Scripture records Jesus Christ passing a fig tree, full of foliage yet barren of the buds that would produce fruit during season. Christ, finding no signs of the early edible precursors to figs, gave a harsh response to the tree’s healthy appearance and lack of creative obedience to yield fruit. His curse caused the tree to wither and was a clear demonstration, among many others, that the expectation to produce fruits of the faith is part of the life of obedience as a believer.
A word of caution to voters and activists: The moment that our time, talent and treasure go disproportionately to causes that compete for our faith and the passions of our efforts, we are idolaters. The passion for winning a political campaign in the heart of a Christian should be fueled by the desire to honor Christ and not to gain power, prestige nor the prowess of the purse.
Further, politicking for Jesus followers while taking liberties with His Truth to which Christians are called is dangerous. While some are personally pious, others, paradoxically, employ the Biblical Buffet approach to make one’s platform of issues “Christian enough” but culturally acceptable.
It’s clear. There is power in the votes belonging to values voters. It’s also evident that some dare to touch that which is sacred and precious in a very cheap and demeaning manner to appeal to those voters.
Values voters don’t want a theocracy and know that Liberty enhances the practice of one’s faith. Yet the same deception employed by the governing class to be elected only to squander the GOP majority must serve as the benchmark to authenticate leaders who operate from consistent principles, rather than those whose foliage is appealing to the eye but bears no fruit.
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MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
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BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Thomas Sowell: Grow Up!
- Rich Lowry: The Quisling Establishment
- Peggy Noonan: Socialism Gets a Second Life
For more, visit Right Opinion.
TOP HEADLINES
- Obama to Visit Mosque With Extremist Ties
- Iran Gives Medals for Capture of U.S. Sailors
- America’s Economic Freedom Has Rapidly Declined Under Obama
For more, visit Patriot Headline Report
OPINION IN BRIEF
Thomas Sowell: “More than two centuries ago, Edmund Burke said: ‘Constitute government how you please, infinitely the greater part of it must depend upon the exercise of the powers which are left at large to the prudence and uprightness of ministers of state.’ In other words, the personal character of the people to whom you entrust the powers of government matters even more than what kinds of government institutions there are. There have been some good kings and some bad presidents, as well as vice versa. In a world where the future of this country is threatened from within by increasingly angry polarization, and where external threats can become nuclear, are we really going to entrust the safety of this country to a man who still needs to grow up? … The White House is not a place for on-the-job training. You are supposed to be ready, or at the very least grown up, before you walk in the door. Aging happens automatically, but maturity is optional — and it is an option that Donald Trump has not yet chosen to exercise. … Trump is not the only one who needs to act like an adult. With this country starting to unravel from within, while ruthless enemies overseas are developing both nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles to deliver them, we face problems that cannot be solved by candidates with glib words or by voters who vote for whoever meets their emotional needs. If you don’t understand the issues, but want to do your patriotic duty, then stay home on election night, whether in the primaries or in the national election in November. Uninformed voters turn elections into a game of playing Russian roulette with the future of America.”
SHORT CUTS
The Gipper: “The themes of a sound foreign policy should be no mystery, nor the result of endless agonizing reappraisals. They are rooted in our past — in our very beginning as a nation.”
Observations: “[A]fter months of Trump leading the polls, fatalism about him has set in. Nothing can be done to stop him, and the sophisticated play is to pre-emptively accept him. Perhaps Trump will sweep all before him. But no one has voted yet, and there are still vastly preferable, more conservative candidates in the field, including Cruz and Marco Rubio. When it comes to Trump, the pungent phrase Cruz used about the establishment during the government shutdown fight is apt. It is indeed the ‘surrender caucus.'” —Rich Lowry
The BIG lie: “What … some officials over [at the Justice Department] have said is that [Hillary Clinton] is not a target of the [email] investigation. So [an indictment] does not seem to be the direction that it’s trending.” —Josh Earnest
Braying Jenny: “This [email debate] is very much like Benghazi. … The Republicans are going to continue to use it, beat up on me. I understand that. That’s the way they are. But after 11 hours of testimony, answering every single question, in public, which I had requested for many months, I think it’s pretty clear that they’re grasping at straws and this will turn out the same way.” —Hillary Clinton
Nope. There’s a reason our rights are codified: “The [gun control] actions we can and should take can certainly be done consistent with the Constitution and the rights of gun owners. That has never been in doubt, unless you’re a paid lobbyist for the gun lobby. There is no doubt about that.” —Hillary Clinton
Braying Jackass: “When Republicans talk about family values, what they are saying is that no women in this room, in this state, in this country should have the right to control her own body.” —Bernie Sanders
And last… “Surely it means something that Mr. Obama spent eight years insisting he was not a socialist, and Bernie Sanders is rising while saying he is one.” —Peggy Noonan
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
“The Patriot Post (http://patriotpost.us/subscribe/ )”
Trampling Christ, Christians, and Country: LGBT Troops Steamroll Religious Freedom
By David Fiorazo
It is undeniable the LGBT movement has grown in acceptance, public opinion, influence, and more recently – in boldness throughout the West. Almost simultaneously, just over fifty years ago Christians in America became less active, visible, and vocal in public while LGBT proponents gladly stepped in. As our passion for truth and biblical morality faded, those fighting against God and Christian values have become more committed and emboldened.
Company Developing ‘Tech Tattoos’ So People Can Track Their Medical, Financial Info
Could we soon be carrying all of our medical and financial information on a tattoo?
Software company Chaotic Moon has developed a “tech tattoo” that gets embedded into a person’s arm and can track a person’s financial and medical information.
How Strong Delusion is Setting the Final Stage – Part 1
Jan Markell, Eric Barger and Michele Bachmann spend the hour talking about the strong delusion that has been poured out on the earth and how this is setting the final stage. It has unleashed absolute evil but the three remind listeners that God remains in control and the events are fulfilling some predicted scenarios in the Bible. We should look up rather than be in despair. Part 2 of the discussion is next week. We use the mobile app found at http://www.oneplace.com.
The Beck Lies: Mormon Leads Prayer to False God at Ted Cruz Campaign Office
Over at Pulpit & Pen, Seth Dunn informs us that Ted Cruz is surrounded by cultists, knows it, and it doesn’t seem to bother him. To be fair, to get elected, political candidates need financial support and people’s votes. To that end, Marco Rubio, a Roman Catholic, has stated that he “fully understands Catholic doctrine” yet he would have people believe he’s an evangelical. And Donald Trump states that he’s a “Presbyterian Protestant,” that he believes in God but has never asked for forgiveness. Since the sincere Christian understands sin, repentance and forgiveness, Dunn wonders if The Donald is a true a Christian.
But this is not about Rubio and Trump; it’s about Southern Baptist presidential candidate Ted Cruz praying with a cultist. Seth Dunn begins with the following quote:
“I have prayed for the next George Washington. I believe I have found him (in Ted Cruz).” Glenn Beck
[crn_link url=”http://pulpitandpen.org/2016/01/31/the-beck-lies-mormon-leads-prayer-to-false-god-and-ted-cruz-campaign-office/”%5D
Read our Research Paper on Mormonism
The Charismatic Prosperity Movement Is Nothing More Than A ‘Christian’ Cult
Todd Bentley is one of the more openly demonic preachers in the Charismatic movement, as this video will clearly show. Everything he says is a lie, including claims that it “rains gold” everywhere he goes and that he has personally “raised 35 people from the dead”. This is pure end times lunacy.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” 1 Timothy 4:1 (KJV)
Today we will show you four videos that, beyond of the shadow of any doubt, display the high level of demonic activity that is manifested in the Pentecostal Charismatic churches in America, Australia and Canada. What you will see here has nothing to do with the Bible, with Christianity, and with the Holy Spirit of God. These televangelists are thieves and liars, twisting the scriptures in order to fleece the flock.
The Demon Possessed Preachers Of The Charismatic Movement:
This video shows the evil spirit present in the modern-day Pentecostal Charismatic movement. Being led around on a dog leash, howling like a wolf, and insane, uncontrolled laughter are only a few of the Satanic manifestations present. If you think that modern-day speaking in tongues are from the Holy Spirit, you won’t after watching this. If these things are happening in YOUR church, we advise you to RUN and GET OUT of there immediately.
Todd Bentley And The Manifestation Of Evil:
“And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:26 (KJV)
Todd Bentley is one of the more openly demonic preachers in the Charismatic movement, as this video will clearly show. Everything he says is a lie, including claims that it “rains gold” everywhere he goes and that he has personally “raised 35 people from the dead“. This is pure end times lunacy.
Show Me The Money!:
Why do Pentecostal preachers spend so much time trying to “teach you about the tithe”? Because their lavish, opulent millionaire and billionaire lifestyles depend on it. And just for the record, do you know why YOU send them all that money? Because your greedy heart wants to be wealthy like they are, that’s why. Yes, they have deceived you, but it was with your permission.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
Bethel Church, IHOP and the Toronto Blessing
Imagine if you will a church that, while using the same type of smoke machine as made popular in 1980’s MTV music videos, calling it a “glory cloud” from Heaven, and having the congregants dancing around in it and confirming the deception. What??? Yep. This garbage is what is passing for a modern-day manifestation of the “holy spirit”. But not content with simply producing a cloud, they make it “rain” with feathers and gold flakes from “Heaven”.
This is nothing more than devils in the Church, preaching lies, and fleecing the flock. If your church is involved with holy laughter, falling gold flakes, raising the dead and being slain in the spirit, these are manifestations of Satan, and they have nothing, nothing, nothing to do with God and the Bible.
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14,15 (KJV)
The Daily Discovery (February 1, 2016)
ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
(Click title to go to full article)
Why We Pray for Our Meals – “Praying before we eat a meal is a beautiful thing — or should be a beautiful thing. It is gloriously appropriate to give thanks and praise to God from whom all blessings flow. And to have food to eat is a merciful blessing.”
Embracing Imperfection in a Practically Perfect Pinterest World – “It has been five years and I am just now learning to embrace the beautiful mess that accompanies motherhood. Before kids, things were just so… Magazines and clever books sprawled across the coffee table with the most intentional haphazard tidiness. Glass jars brimmed with crisp white cotton balls on the bathroom vanity. Festive bowls of holiday candy were strategically placed around the home and decorative pillows were plump and perfectly placed.”
Rachel Held Evans and the Anvil – “From time to time, I have had my differences with The Gospel Coalition. Most of the differences have been adjectival, but they have been real nonetheless. But with that said, I do want to take an occasion that has recently presented itself to make a point that underscores how much we are on the same team, wearing the same jersey.”
The Secret to a Happy Life – “James is sometimes called the ‘New Testament book of Proverbs.’ That’s because of passages such as James 4 that give us a series of loosely linked aphorisms of practical, godly wisdom. This chapter begins with our universal concern about conflict…”
Why the Bible Is Hard to Understand—and What You Can Do About It – “It’s common for Christians to say they’ve read the Bible their whole lives. But many don’t completely understand what large portions of the Scriptures mean.”
SERMON:
Paul Luedke – The Message of Repentance
VIDEOS:
Christian Dating, Love And Marriage
How do you know when you are “ready” to start dating?
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
Check out
Blogs
The Belt Is Still Buckled: America’s 100 Most Bible-Minded Cities of 2016
See where your city places in the “Most Bible-minded cities” league table.
To Prevent Back Pain, Orthotics Are Out, Exercise Is In – The New York Times
“Of all the options currently available to prevent back pain, exercise is really the only one with any evidence that it works.” Only two things I’d add are this book and Mackenzie lumbar rolls. They revolutionized my life 12 years ago,
The Necessity of Expository Preaching
Derek Thomas: “According to the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, the best thing he ever did was to discover the “fundamentalist” teacher Jack Grout, who taught him the basics that he has followed ever since. Great preachers, like great golfers, follow basic rules. The more they practice these rules, the better they become.”
What I hope someone would say at my funeral
Aaron Armstrong: “Sometimes, the slightly morbid side of me wonders what would be said at my funeral. There’s a tendency to clean up people’s lives. I’ve been to, and known others who’ve had this experience as well, where you start to wonder if you wound up in the wrong memorial service. The person being spoken of doesn’t match your experience.”
20 Quotes from Sinclair Ferguson’s New Book on Legalism, Antinomianism, and Assurance
“This book nourished my faith even while ex posing subtle ways I’m tempted to both legalism and antinomianism, and how the gospel is the answer to both. Yes, a book on an 18th-century Scottish theological controversy over law and grace did all that.”
New Book
The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters by Sinclair Ferguson. Hardcover now available.
Kindle Books
The Religions Next Door: What we need to know about Hudaism,Hinduism,Buddhism and Islam and what reporters are missing by Marvin Olasky $1.99.
The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness $1.99.
Finishing Our Course with Joy: Guidance from God for Engaging with Our Aging by J I Packer $2.99.
Links I like
Kindle deals for Christian readers
Welcome to February! With a new month comes new deals from publishers, starting with the following from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan:
- The Money Answer Book by Dave Ramsey—$1.99
- No Compromise by Melody Green—$2.99
- Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson—$2.99
- The Call by Os Guinness—$2.99
- Limitless Life by Derwin L. Grey—$2.99
- Yawning at Tigers by Drew Dyck—$2.99
- A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War by Joseph L0conte—$3.99
- Churchill’s Trial by Larry Arnn—$2.99
- Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield—$2.99
- Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff—$2.99
- Has Christianity Failed You? by Ravi Zacharias—$3.99
Also on sale this week are Finishing Well to the Glory of God by John Dunlop, MD ($2.99) and Finishing Our Course with Joy by J.I. Packer ($2.99).
The Gospel Marinated Life
Late last week, I joined Ryan on the Gospel Marinated Life podcast for a conversation revolving around my book, Contend: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World. Listen at Ryan’s website or check it out on iTunes.
The Thinking Pastor
Ray Ortlund shares the manuscript of his session at The Pastors’ Conference of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.
Don’t Theologize or Spiritualize Ministry Mediocrity
David Prince:
I believe in the primacy of Christ-centered expository preaching in the life of the church. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserted in his classic book, Preaching and Preachers, “I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. Lloyd-Jones also wrote in Preaching and Preachers, “True preaching, after all, is God acting. It is not just a man uttering words; it is God using him.”
Fix your grammar
I may have shared this a couple years ago, but it’s still pretty funny:
Can Acts 17:23 Be Used in the Muslim-Christian Same-God Discussion?
Justin Taylor shares a transcript of Don Carson’s response during a panel at the recent Bethlehem College & Seminary Pastors Conference.
On a Carson related note, this video is also worth 3 minutes of your time:
3 Things Your Bible Doesn’t Say About Money
Graham Beynon:
When it comes to money, God has a lot to say. So it’s time to set the record straight on three things the Bible does not say about money—despite what we may have heard. Here are three wrong views.
All the Poor and Powerless
David Mathis:
This is one of the great paradoxes of the gospel. It is the poor he makes rich, the weak he makes strong, the foolish he makes wise, the guilty he makes righteous, the dirty he makes clean, the lonely he loves, the worthless he values, the lost he finds, the have-nots who stunningly become the haves — not mainly in this age, but in the new creation to come.
A La Carte (February 1)
Today’s Kindle deals include Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson ($2.99); Finishing Our Course with Joy ($2.99) and Rediscovering Holiness ($2.51) by J.I. Packer; Finishing Well to the Glory of God by John Dunlop ($2.99); Has Christianity Failed You? by Ravi Zacharias ($3.99); Yawning at Tigers by Drew Dyck ($2.99); The Call by Os Guinness ($3.99); No Compromise by Melody Green ($2.99); God’s Crime Scene by J. Warner Wallace ($3.99). Also check out Amazon’s general market monthly deals.
Logo users can check out the free book of the month (which is actually a journal) while those who are into audiobooks can download I Don’t Have the Faith to Be an Atheist for free from Christian Audio.
Patient Parenting
Sometimes parenting is really, really hard. We’ve been experiencing some of those times lately, so this article was a joy to read.
You Can Trust God with Your Kids
Speaking of parenting, here is encouragement that you can trust God with your kids.
Ten Biblical Truths on the Obedience of Children
Sticking with the theme of parenting, read John Piper’s ten biblical truths on the obedience of children.
When Will It End?
And then one more—a mother’s reflection on just how quickly it all goes by.
How ‘Church Relevance’ Is Boring
It’s so true—all of this relevance stuff gets so boring.
Helping One Another Forsake Sin and Follow Jesus
Randy Alcorn tells how and when to help others forsake sin in order to follow Jesus.
New from Crossway: Crossway just released numerous books at the end of January, and they look excellent. I specifically recommend you check out these: The Miracles of Jesus by Vern Poythress, The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson, Family Worship by Donald Whitney, Christ or Chaos by Dan Dewitt, and Church in Hard Places by Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley.
The Secret to a Happy Life
R.C. Sproul: “The world is marked by warfare. There’s global war and national conflict; there’s warfare in the church; there’s warfare in the community; there’s warfare in the home—there’s conflict all around us.” What’s the key to happiness in a world like this?
How R.C. Sproul’s Words Changed My Life
Speaking of R.C. Sproul, I enjoyed this. “I asked a question about pride and success. Sure, I could have struck a nerve with double predestination or eschatology or whatever. But I can find those answers on my own. I wanted to ask a question that only Sproul could answer, so I asked this…”
If you want to see what judgment looks like, go to the cross. If you want to see what love looks like, go to the cross. —D.A. Carson
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China Once Again Calls on US to Cease Maneuvers in S China Sea Posted: 01 Feb 2016 07:26 AM PST China has accused America of violating Chinese territorial waters by patrolling near the Paracel Islands archipelago, conducted by a US Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur. The destroyer approached the island of Triton in the Paracel Islands archipelago at a distance of 12 nautical miles. According to Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis, the move was aimed at the protection of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He added that the operation was a provocation to China, Taiwan and Vietnam, who according to the US are trying to limit the rights and freedom of navigation. “An incursion by a US warship in Chinese territorial waters on Saturday is the latest attempt by Washington to return tension to the South China Sea and encourage more regional stakeholders to challenge China,” wrote China Daily.
The post China Once Again Calls on US to Cease Maneuvers in S China Sea appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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Big U.S. banks will be rolling out ATMs that take smartphones, not cards Posted: 01 Feb 2016 07:18 AM PST To the long list of things you can do with your phone — including watch a movie, buy a latte and hail a ride — prepare to add one more: get cash. Over the next few months, the nation’s three biggest banks will start rolling out ATMs that will let customers withdraw currency using their smartphones instead of debit cards — the latest step toward a future in which phones could replace bank branches and wallets. “My boys are 5 and 6 — I don’t think they’ll carry around plastic when they grow up,” said Michelle Moore, head of digital banking for Bank of America, which plans to make cardless ATMs widely available as early as May. San Francisco banking giant Wells Fargo plans to offer cardless access at a limited number of ATMs by this summer and at all ATMs by the end of the year. Most of JPMorgan Chase’s ATMs will start offering cardless access sometime in the second half of the year. Cash machines that work with a phone instead of a card aren’t new, but they are rare. Downtown L.A.’s City National Bank unveiled cardless ATMs in 2013, and a few regional banks have followed suit over the last year, but the number of cardless ATMs now stands in the low thousands nationwide. FULL REPORT The post Big U.S. banks will be rolling out ATMs that take smartphones, not cards appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Why These Two Pastors Keep Judging Each Other
Posted: 01 Feb 2016 07:11 AM PST (Joseph Mattera) Many years ago, I was shocked when I realized that not all pastors have a strong gift of leadership. While that is OK, it is important to understand this to avoid confusion or frustration because of pastoral expectations and limitations. Of course, technically, anybody who has a follower is a leader, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to the gift of leadership as shown in Romans 12:8. Those with this Romans 12 leadership gift, in my opinion, have the ability to influence people way beyond the reach of the four corners of a church building. Many pastors who only have the grace to function with hands-on ministry approach to personally touch those who are part of their congregation are sheep pastors. In contrast, leader pastors have a grace and vision to develop leaders who will in turn develop other leaders and beyond. The difference between these two types of pastors is in their goals, objectives and methodologies, not in their love for people, which is great. (If a pastor in either category doesn’t love their congregation, they are not a true pastor or shepherd.) Because of a lack of understanding between pastors who fit in these two different categories, they tend to hold a negative view of each other and can be judgmental. I found that there is a need for both of these pastor-types as leaders to make the body of Christ effective. A best-case scenario is to have a senior pastor of a congregation with a strong gift of leadership and have support pastors who fit in the sheep pastor category. CONTINUE The post Why These Two Pastors Keep Judging Each Other appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| Britain Approves Controversial Gene-Editing Technique
Posted: 01 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST Britain’s fertility regulator has approved a scientist’s request to edit the human genetic code in an effort to fight inherited diseases — but critics fear the new technique crosses too many ethical boundaries. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority announced Monday it has granted a research application to a team led by scientist Kathy Niakan to try to understand the genes that human embryos need to develop successfully. Scientists say gene-editing techniques could one day lead to treatments for conditions like HIV, which causes AIDS, and inherited diseases like muscular dystrophy and sickle cell disease. Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryo’s growth. This research will “enhance our understanding of (in vitro fertilization) success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development,” said Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute. Peter Braude, an emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at King’s College London, said the mechanisms being investigated by Niakan and colleagues “are crucial in ensuring healthy, normal development and implantation” and could help doctors understand how to improve in vitro fertilization rates and prevent miscarriages. FULL REPORT The post Britain Approves Controversial Gene-Editing Technique appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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Posted: 01 Feb 2016 07:01 AM PST (Joe Dawson) This is going to be the year of acceleration, shifting, alignment, stepping into, regaining, fulfillment, abundance, overflow, suddenly and the year of the launch. The Lord showed me a very clear, prophetic vision about a launching pad. Before anything is shot off of a launching pad it must be in the very center of it so that it will make sure it hits the destination. Before the people at NASA launch a rocket or space shuttle into space, they make sure it is in the center of the pad and that everything is working properly. When everything is aligned properly, then there is a sudden shifting in, and the rocket or space shuttle is shot with the great acceleration into space. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” This is the year of self-positioning, not self-promoting. God knows the perfect timing and when we are ready for our launch. This is a year that the shifting is about to happen in our lives and ministries. There will be an acceleration and an abundance that will come from a “suddenly” moment in our life. I felt the Lord say in March and April that we will start to see numerous people who have been in the season of seeking the Lord through prayer and fasting and reading of the Word, step into a “suddenly” moment. Many people will start to walk in the supernatural things of God that look impossible in the natural. The Lord spoke to me that this is going to be a year that many people would do great exploits for Him that naturally they have never had the courage to do. The Lord spoke to Joshua, in Joshua 1:6,-7 & 9, and told him to be strong and full of courage and do not be dismayed because the Lord is with you wherever you go. The Lord speaks to Joshua and said, “As I was with Moses, I will always be with you” (verse 5). Moses led the children of Israel on a 40-year journey that should’ve only taken 12 days. He never prepared the people to take the promises of God and take the Promised Land. After Moses passed away Joshua took the reins and the Lord told him to prepare the people’s heart, listen to Him, send the priests and the ark in front to the Jordan River and watch what He says and does because they had never gone that way before (Joshua 3). The priests standing in the Jordan is symbolic of the American Church going half way but not completing going into the Promised Land. God is raising up a company of Joshua-minded people who will lead America into the Promised Land. We must have Revival and Awakening in our land. In America we are about to enter into a season that we have to understand what the Lord is saying because we have never gone this way before and we’ve never done it this way before. A few weeks ago the Lord said to “Make sure that you are fully awakened to the purposes and the plans that I’ve spoken to you and I will do all that I said that I was going to do.” When the Lord said this, I was stirred with excitement for all of the great things that we are about to experience through God in America. Then the Lord said, “Yes, you and so many others are pregnant, dated with the purpose and a dream that I have given you, but do not push prematurely. Just like when a woman gives birth a month or two early, yes the baby will live but it needs to be developed full-term.” The Lord said, “In the right season just like I told Joshua, when you position yourself on the launching pad, I will launch you and many others to see all that I have for America in this year.” The Lord has also been speaking to me about “supernatural thinkers”. When the Lord gives you a vision or dream, never try to figure out how you are going to do it in the natural. What the Lord is about to do in this day and hour is going to be done by the supernatural power and hand of God. God is going to make key alignments amongst people and ministries to advance the Kingdom of God in this hour. Remember my friends, the launching pad is the place of prayer! The post A Launch Pad Year appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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Was Zika outbreak caused by release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil? Posted: 01 Feb 2016 06:54 AM PST The Zika virus outbreak currently gripping the Americas could have been sparked by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in 2012, critics say. The insects were engineered by biotechnology experts to combat the spread of dengue fever and other diseases and released into the general population of Brazil in 2012. But with the World Health Organisation(WHO) now meeting in Geneva to desperately discuss cures for the Zika virus, speculation has mounted as to the cause of this sudden outbreak. The Zika virus was first discovered in the 1950s but the recent outbreak has escalated alarmingly, causing birth defects and a range of health problems in South and central America. The first cases were reported in Brazil last May with up to 1.5 million people now thought to be affected by the virus which is spread by mosquitoes endemic to Latin America. FULL REPORT The post Was Zika outbreak caused by release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil? appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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PROPHECY WATCH: ‘Tech Tattoos’ To Track Personal Medical and Financial Info Posted: 01 Feb 2016 06:51 AM PST Could we soon be carrying all of our medical and financial information on a tattoo? Software company Chaotic Moon has developed a “tech tattoo” that gets embedded into a person’s arm and can track a person’s financial and medical information. Eric Schneider, the company’s hardware creative technologist, explained the tattoo can monitor if a person is about to get sick. “Rather than going to the doctor once a year for your physical, this tech tattoo can be something you put on your body once a year and it monitors everything that they would do in a physical and it sends that to your doctor, and if there’s an issue they can call you,” Schneider said. “So the tech tattoos can really tie in everything into one package. It can look at early signs of fever, your vital signs, heart rate, everything it needs to look at to notify you that you’re getting sick or your child is getting sick.” The tattoo will transmit this information wirelessly to a mobile app or computer being monitored by their health professionals. Schneider also said that people would be able to carry their financial information through this tattoo. FULL REPORT The post PROPHECY WATCH: ‘Tech Tattoos’ To Track Personal Medical and Financial Info appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
| World Health Organization to hold emergency meeting Monday on Zika virus
Posted: 31 Jan 2016 08:44 PM PST The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Monday to find ways to battle the Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects and “spreading explosively” through the Americas. The WHO could classify the Zika outbreak now in 25 countries and territories as a “public health emergency of international concern,” deserving of a coordinated global response. An emergency declaration is “similar to a global Amber Alert for public health,” Susan Kim, deputy director of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law in Washington, said Sunday. “An emergency declaration by WHO is a spotlight on the issue, telling the world that this is something the world needs to pay attention to.” Zika is “a novel, emerging infection that we know very little about,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown’s O’Neill Institute, who urged the WHO to act in a JAMA editorial last week. “The people in these countries deserve the protection of the international community and the World Health Organization.” FULL REPORT The post World Health Organization to hold emergency meeting Monday on Zika virus appeared first on End Time Headlines. |
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What is The Gospel?
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
What Is the Gospel?
There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the gospel.
The gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness–or lack of it –or the righteousness of another. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.
The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.
The Gospel on 5 Fingers
If you picked up a hitchhiker (not that I recommend doing that) and he saw a Bible on your car seat and said, “I’ve heard about this thing called the Gospel – can you explain it to me before you drop me off in one minute up the street?” What would you say?
Can you explain the gospel in 30 seconds? In one minute? In five minutes?
Here’s one way I have found helpful. The five main components of the gospel can be remembered on 5 fingers of one hand. Here they are:
1) Jesus’ birth
2) Jesus’ life
3) Jesus’ death
4) Jesus’ resurrection
5) Jesus’ ascension
Obviously each point can be elaborated on depending on how much time you have. Here’s the short version:
1) Jesus’ birth – Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, the Messiah, became a human being – took on flesh, and was born of a virgin.
2) Jesus’ life – Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. Though he was tempted in every way as we are, he never once sinned.
3) Jesus’ death – on the cross, Jesus himself took all our sins and paid for them. God the father counted all our sins to Jesus as if he himself had personally committed them. Then Jesus bore God’s wrath towards sin – the punishment we deserved – as a substitute for us.
4) Jesus’ resurrection – within 3 days, Jesus rose physically from the dead, proving that his sacrifice for sins have been accepted by God, since the punishment for sin was death. Jesus was seen by numerous people after he rose including 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15).
5) Jesus’ ascension – Jesus ascended physically into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And someday he will return to the earth.
That’s the gospel, the good news, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and this good news and call upon him he will save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
That’s a simple way to remember the gospel – five fingers. Even a child can do it. So ask God to give you opportunities to share his good news today.
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
Resource Links
CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.
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
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(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist).
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— Augustine
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