Apr. 20, 2016
BLOOMBERG
UnitedHealth Group Inc. will drop out of government-organized health insurance markets in at least 18 states as the U.S. industry leader tries to stem losses from participating in Obamacare, the healthcare overhaul that has brought coverage to millions of people.
The FBI confiscated 3,000 to 4,000 phones of all makes from October through March, of which 13 percent had encrypted data that couldn’t be accessed
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Maryland program that subsidized the construction of new power plants, saying it infringed on federal authority to regulate wholesale electricity rates.
Russia is planning to revamp its fiscal policy with a new budget rule designed to insulate its economy from swings in crude prices. The proposed mechanism would prevent the government from spending excess revenue above a pre-set oil price. The crude-price cutoff would be in the range of about $40 to $50 a barrel, and income received above that will be stowed away in reserves.
The maker of Dreyer’s ice cream will alter more than 100 products via changes that include ditching high fructose corn syrup and genetically-modified ingredients from some of them.
AP Top Stories
A fresh tremor rattled Ecuador before dawn Wednesday, a magnitude-6.1 magnitude jolt that set babies crying and adults pouring into the streets, fearful of yet more damage following a monster earthquake over the weekend.
Iran’s president criticized the use of thousands of undercover morality police in Tehran to report on young women who are not wearing a full Islamic hijab or those who play loud music in their cars.
China is marking National Security Education Day with a poster warning young female government workers about dating handsome foreigners, who could turn out to have secret agendas.
Motorcycle gunmen shot dead seven policemen guarding a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s southern port city Karachi, officials said, a brazen attack in the country’s economic hub.
The Pentagon on Tuesday called on China to reaffirm it has no plans to deploy military aircraft in the Spratly Islands after Beijing used a military plane to evacuate sick workers from a new airstrip on an island it has created in the disputed South China Sea.
Air strikes on two markets killed up to 50 people in northwest Syria on Tuesday, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power also launched strikes against rebels in the province of Latakia, a rebel group and a conflict monitor said.
President Obama arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to meet Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ahead of a summit with other Gulf Arab leaders on Thursday and with regional tensions with Iran likely to be high on the agenda.
Intel is cutting 12,000 jobs – about 11 percent of its workforce – as it reorganizes to confront a decline in sales of personal computers.
Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik has won part of his human rights case against the Norwegian state. The court upheld his claim that some of his treatment amounted to “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.
The death toll from Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Ecuador has risen to 525 and could increase by many more, authorities in the country say.
BBC
At least 330 million people are affected by drought in India, the government has told the Supreme Court. Authorities say this number is likely to rise further given that some states with water shortages have not yet submitted status reports.
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has asked Belgium to close two nuclear reactors temporarily because of concerns over safety. The two ageing Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors were taken offline in 2012 when defects were found in the walls of the reactors’ pressure vessels.
Utah has become the first to declare pornography a public health risk in a move its governor says is to “protect our families and our young people”. The bill does not ban pornography in the mainly Mormon state.
The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, has given a rare speech on the final day of the country’s Communist Party congress. The former president, 89, acknowledged his advanced age but said Cuban communist concepts were still valid and the Cuban people “will be victorious”.
An extensive aerial and underwater survey has revealed that 93% of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching. This follows earlier warnings that the reef was experiencing its worst coral bleaching event on record.
Two people were burned to death on Monday during xenophobic violence in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, the police have said in a statement.
The French government plans to extend a state of emergency imposed after the Paris attacks in November to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said.
Saudi Arabia is reported to be close to securing a $10bn loan deal from international banks as it tries to recover from plunging oil revenues.
WND
Tennessee’s General Assembly voted by a wide margin to sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program, alleging violations of the Tenth Amendment, the one that guarantees states hold all rights not specifically delegated to the national powers.
Documents being revealed by the U.S. House Select Panel on Infant Lives, set up to investigate the abortion industry after David Daleiden and his Center for Medical Progress released videos in 2015 documenting Planned Parenthood officials negotiating for higher pay for baby body parts, confirm the profit in the trade.
Top News – 4/20/2016
Palmyra Arch: Destroyed by Daesh, Now Standing Tall in the Center of London
The project — commissioned by Oxford and Harvard Universities — used state of the art 3D technology to map the arch’s dimensions from thousands of images, before master craftsmen carved the 20ft replica from Egyptian marble. Only a single arch of the ancient ruins of the Temple of Bel remained after Daesh terrorists destroyed it in September last year.
With Cyclone Fantala, the Indian Ocean experiences its strongest storm on record
It’s now the Indian Ocean’s turn. After record setting cyclones in the Northeast Pacific (Hurricane Patricia, Oct. 2015), and the Southwest Pacific (Tropical Cyclone Winston, Feb. 2016), the Indian Ocean has now experienced its strongest storm on record. Fantala’s wind speeds reached an estimated 170 miles per hour on April 18, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The Feast of the Messiah on Passover
Acharon shel Pesach, the last day of Passover, is associated with the Messiah – and the future redemption.
Small earthquake swarm continues in northern Arizona
A swarm of dozens of small earthquakes shaking a sparsely populated part of northwestern Arizona is entering its fourth week.
Magnitude-6.1 tremor jolts Ecuador days after deadly earthquake
Ecuador – A fresh tremor rattled Ecuador overnight, a 6.1 magnitude jolt that was the strongest aftershock since a lethal earthquake killed hundreds of people on Saturday. There was no immediate report of further damage.
The terror academy
Al-Quds University (AQU) in Abu Dis, where some members of the next generation of Palestinian doctors and academics are studying, has become a terrorism nest during the latest wave of violence. Mohand Halabi, who killed Nahmia Lavi and Aaron Bennett in the current terror wave’s first stabbing attack, was a law student at the university.
Parents blast barmy council for telling kids as young as 4 to pick sex ’they identify with’
ANGRY parents have blasted a council that wants kids as young as four to choose the gender “they most identify with” before starting school. It wrote to parents urging them to support their child’s choice of “gender identity” in a letter confirming primary school places this week.
Ecuador quake deaths pass 500 with hundreds still missing
The death toll from Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Ecuador has risen to 525 and could increase by many more, authorities in the country say. Figures given by officials for the number of people missing ranged from 231 to 1,700. Thousands of people have been left homeless, making them vulnerable to dirty drinking water and disease.
Germany urges Belgium to shut nuclear reactors temporarily
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has asked Belgium to close two nuclear reactors temporarily because of concerns over safety. The two ageing Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors were taken offline in 2012 when defects were found in the walls of the reactors’ pressure vessels. They were restarted late last year amid concern in the Netherlands and Germany.
France seeks state of emergency extension for Euro 2016
The French government plans to extend a state of emergency imposed after the Paris attacks in November to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said. Given the scale of the event, security has to be ensured, he said in a radio interview. The proposed two-month extension will require parliamentary approval.
India says 330 million people affected by severe drought
The Indian government has told the Supreme Court that 330 million people are affected by drought in the country. It said that nearly 256 districts across India, home to nearly a quarter of the population were impacted. Authorities say this number is likely to rise further given that some states with water shortages have not yet submitted status reports.
Sorry, North Korea: Kim Jong-un Isn’t God
North Korea without doubt is unique. If nothing else, its claimed accomplishments rival the faux Russian achievements cited by Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek….But the North Korean regime has gone a step further in claiming that Great Leader Kim Il-sung, grandfather to Cute Leader Kim Jong-un, as I call the latter, is not only god, but recognized as such by America’s legendary evangelist Billy Graham.
Utah Governor Declares Pornography a Public Health Crisis
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday signed a resolution that declared pornography a public health crisis. The measure calls for education and policy changes to stop pornography exposure and addiction, which the resolution says leads to the hypersexualization of teens, prostitution and cheating spouses, among other problems. “We realize this is a bold assertion and there are some out there who will disagree with us,” Herbert told reporters at a news conference, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “We’re here to say it is, in fact, the full-fledged truth.”
Intel to cut up to 12,000 jobs as PC industry swoons
Intel Corp said on Tuesday it would cut up to 12,000 jobs globally, or 11 percent of its workforce, as it refocuses its business towards making microchips that power data centres and Internet connected devices and away from the declining personal computer industry it helped found.
Feds Building Massive Online DNA Database
A new online portal would let scientists access vast amounts of genomic data from patients involved in heart, lung, blood and sleep research studies.
Can a burgeoning satanic movement actually effect political change?
Robert Eggers’ period horror film “The Witch” has been one of the surprise hits of 2016. It’s even gained a second wind since its February 23 release: the first weekend of April it played on 666 screens around the country, raking in an additional USD$465,000.
Saudi Arabia takes out $10bn in bank loans
Saudi Arabia is raising $10bn from a consortium of global banks as the kingdom embarks on its first international debt issuance in 25 years to counter dwindling oil revenues and reserves.
Top Headlines – 4/20/2016
- After big New York wins, Trump and Clinton cast themselves as inevitable (Read More)
- Eastern States Take Turn in Presidential Primary Spotlight (Read More)
- China’s Stocks Tumble Most in Seven Weeks to Break Trading Calm (Read More)
- Oil falls on end to Kuwaiti strike, supply outlook (Read More)
- Oil price’s decline weighs on global stock markets (Read More)
- Blankfein’s Decade Ending With a Thud on a Humbled Wall Street (Read More)
- Toyota to Resume Production at Most Japan Plants Next Week (Read More)
- Apple refused China request for source code in last two years (Read More)
- Japan’s Trade in Surplus as Imports Drop for Fifteenth Month (Read More)
- EU charges Google with abusing Android market dominance (Read More)
- Saudi $10 Billion Financial District Is Missing One Thing: Banks (Read More)
- Brazil’s Rouseff slams impeachment drive as ‘sexist’ (Read More)
- Lira Rises on Relief Turkey’s Interest Rate Cut Met Expectations (Read More)
- VW resists move for trial instead of EPA settlement (Read More)
- Coca-Cola Profit Tops Estimates as New Drink Sizes Boost Sales (Read More)
- Saudi Arabia close to securing $10 billion bank loan: sources (Read More)
- Commerzbank CEO Says Slow Quarter Means `Challenging’ 2016 (Read More)
- EMC Earnings Fall Short as Storage Demand Is Hurt by Cloud (Read More)
- Germany Asks Belgium to Shut Two Nuclear Reactors (Read More)
Kerry vows to continue pushing for ‘two-state solution’
Biden slams Netanyahu hours after Jerusalem attack
White House backs Biden’s criticism of Israel
US feels ‘overwhelming frustration’ with Israeli government, says Biden
Merkel: Unlikely that a PA-Israel deal will be signed in the near future
After bus bombing, Abbas says he rejects ‘all terrorism’
Hamas: Bus attack is ‘just the beginning’
Hamas official: We are not striving to escalate the situation
IDF prepares new training to counter Hamas tunnels
Israel finds a tunnel, Egypt destroys another, but Hamas is defiant
Israel says it still wants Temple Mount cameras after Jordan reneges
Likud minister: Calling Temple Mount ‘Al-Aqsa’ is ‘ignorance’
Hopes for Temple Mount to be ‘flattened’ expressed at Passover sacrifice ceremony
Three indicted in Jerusalem for helping fund extremist efforts on the Temple Mount
EU rejects Netanyahu’s comments on the Golan Heights
‘EU doesn’t recognize Israeli occupation of the Golan’
US: Golan Heights are not part of Israel
Jews who refused to leave Yemen having second thoughts
Islamic radicalization fuels ‘dire’ threat to Jews in Europe, congressional panel hears
Belgium says seen signs that Islamic State has sent more fighters to Europe
Belgium says ‘terrorist fighters’ planning new Europe attacks
Fewer foreigners arrive in Switzerland amid anti-immigration mood
Iraqi families sell organs to overcome poverty
Iraqi police find 2 mass graves in Islamic State-free Ramadi
Syria peace talks founder after dispute over transitional government
Syrian talks appear doomed as air strike kills dozens in market
Obama calls Putin for ‘intense’ talks on Syria, Ukraine
US, Iran diplomats meet at UN on sanctions, Syria
Russia says it will complete S-300 delivery to Iran by end of year
Dozens killed in Kabul as Taliban attack
U.N. warns of Western Sahara war if peacekeeping mission ends
Saudi Arabia Borrows Ten Billion Dollars As Oil Slump Drains Reserves
Sept. 11 families upset by White House effort to derail bill
Immigrant kids placed with adults who are in US illegally
Fight Over Delegate Rules Escalates for Both Parties
GOP chairman reassures Hill Republicans about convention rules
NBC Reporter: Cruz to Win Half Of Pennsylvania’s Delegates, “Even If He Comes In Distant Third”
Can a burgeoning satanic movement actually effect political change?
Court troubled by surveillance excesses at FBI, NSA
The Sub-Zero Club: Getting Used to the Upside-Down World Economy
Goldman posts weakest results in four years, revenue tumbles 40 percent
Rio Warns of Fiscal Collapse as Brazil States Seek Debt Relief
Oil gains on Kuwait strike; global shares highest since December
Kerry: Iran only received $3 billion since nuclear deal
U.S. says North Korean foreign earnings at risk over nuclear tests
S. Korea, Japan, US warn Pyongyang over possible nuclear test
Authorities in former Soviet state arrest six people attempting to sell $200 million of uranium-238
Thinking the Unthinkable: Russia Has Re-Emerged As a Great Power
5.5 magnitude earthquake hits near Muisne, Ecuador
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Port Blair, India
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Santa Maria, Philippines
Hopes fade of finding survivors from Ecuador quake as death toll reaches 443
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 13,500ft
Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 12,000ft
Tenggar Caldera volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
This electronic tattoo turns your skin into a screen
Deserting ObamaCare: UnitedHealth, nation’s largest health insurer, bolts, fears huge losses
The war on drugs has failed. Now the U.N. is thinking about legalization
‘Super gonorrhea’ may go global, become untreatable
Appeals Court Favors Transgender Student in Virginia Restroom Case
Civil rights commission says N.C. bathroom law jeopardizes physical safety of transgender people
Utah becomes first state to declare pornography a public health crisis
Church Leader’s Wife Buried Alive, Killed by Chinese Authorities for Protesting Church Demolition
Bud Ahlheim – LOTZ … Of Nonsense
Azusa Now 2016 – Drawing You Into the Strong Delusion
In the Wake of Azusa Now a False Pentecostal Revival is Sweeping the West Coast
Chelsea Clinton: Abortion “is at the core of our human rights”
In the Market for Fetal Body Parts, a Baby’s Brain Sells for $3,340
More than 25 million people live in the vicinity of Mt. Popocatepetl, including Mexico City’s 18 million residents. At 2:32 local time on Tuesday morning, the most dangerous volcano in Mexico roared to life in spectacular fashion, and this has many experts extremely concerned about what is coming next. Popocatepetl is an Aztec word that means “smoking mountain”, and historians tell us that once upon a time entire Aztec cities were buried in super-heated mud from this volcano. In fact, the super-heated mud flows were so deep that they buried entire Aztec pyramids. A full-blown eruption of Mt. Popocatepetl would be a catastrophe unlike anything that modern Mexico has ever experienced before, and considering what has been happening in Ecuador, Japan and at Yellowstone over the past week, I believe that there is great reason for concern. (Read More…)
Lawsuits involving TBN carry into fourth year
MEDIA | A flood of lawsuits involving TBN and members of the Crouch family continues into a fourth year
Obama scaring states into funding Planned Parenthood
The Obama administration is trying to scare states into changing their policies by claiming it is against federal law to defund Planned Parenthood.
Pat Boone Slams ‘SNL’ For ‘Taking Satan’s Side’ in Skit Mocking Christian Faith: ‘Believers in God Deserve an Apology’
Legendary Christian singer Pat Boone has accused NBC and Saturday Night Live of “taking Satan’s side” following a recent skit which mocked the faith-based film “God’s Not Dead 2.”
German Pastor Vilified for Boldly Preaching Gospel: ‘Spiritual War Between Christ and Devil’
A German pastor who has been criticized for preaching boldly, directly and unapologetically about the Gospel said he thinks it is his “duty to do this preaching in this way for our Lord.”
‘God Is Gay’: Blasphemous Saturday Night Live Skit Mocks Bakeries That Decline Same-Sex ‘Weddings’
The segment, entitled “God Is a B**b Man,” features comedienne Vanessa Bayer, who plays a small town baker named Beth Walsh.
In the movie trailer parody of the “God’s Not Dead” films, a man enters Walsh’s bakery and requests a wedding cake.
Christianity Demonized as a Global Menace – David Limbaugh
What’s the problem, you ask? Well, in the United States, according to Kivel, between 7,000 and 10,000 predominantly white Christian men run the major institutions and “colonize our mind” with Christianity’s core ideas, which leads to most of the world’s problems.
Is There Time to Make America Great Again? – Jan Markell
By Jan Markell
Had enough yet? Enough of “Campaign 2016.” Enough of the boasting, pride, self-aggrandizement, me-centered rhetoric from almost 20 presidential candidates over the last year? The Bible comes to modern day politics when you read II Timothy 3 in light of this year’s election. Those who are lovers of self really wear on you. One almost wants to push the pause button and shut them up as we can conveniently do with online videos.
Derivatives – the Elephant in the Room: If We Ignore It, Maybe It Won’t Crush Us
The most gargantuan financial time bomb in history – innocuously termed “derivatives” – is ticking. This Wall Street-created financial monstrosity now comprises over $700 trillion, and some estimates put it as high as $1.5 quadrillion. First created in the ’80s and ’90s by Wall Street as an insurance hedge for stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate mortgages, and other assets, derivatives have become the biggest speculative financial bubble in world history and presently threaten the entire global financial system. Even though they triggered the catastrophic 2008 global financial crisis, with trillions of dollars of subsequent losses, they have since grown substantially and are still not understood by 99.9% of the public or our political leaders.
Wall Street is ingenious in (notorious for) creating new, highly leveraged, speculative paper schemes that separate investors from their money and ring the Wall Street cash registers. Derivatives are the biggest and most speculative of these schemes, and have brought hundreds of billions in profits into the big banks and brokerage firms in recent years. It’s all about greed! Total United States bank exposure to derivatives at this writing is $280 trillion – up from about $15 trillion 20 years ago. This whole bizarre speculative bubble that Wall Street has created is reminiscent of the wild speculative activity on Wall Street in the 1920s just prior to the crash of 1929 – but this bubble is a thousand times bigger!
Derivatives are artificial instruments that derive (hence “derivatives”) their value from actual underlying investments, like stocks, bonds, real estate mortgages, etc. They include interest rate swaps, interest rate options, currency futures and options, stock index futures and options, swaptions, caps, floors, collars, Collateralized Mortgage Obligations, commodities futures and options, forward commodity contracts, equity linked bank deposits, IOs (Interest Only mortgages), POs (Principal Only mortgages), synthetic securities, MITTS (Market Index Targeted Term Securities), Eurodollar futures, yield curve notes, and dozens more such highly leveraged “investments” created by the Street in recent years. Mortgage derivatives (CMOs) are one of the most vulnerable areas of the global derivatives pyramid – costing institutions and investors trillions in losses in the great debt implosion of 2008.
(Excerpt from McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, December 2015)
The Daily Discovery (April 20, 2016)
ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
(Click title to go to full article)
The Pastor’s “Typical” Week – “The pastor’s week doesn’t begin with the first item on your to-do list; it begins at the heart level. Here are a few reflections I have come to believe, followed by some suggestions aimed at encouraging the pastor’s heart during the week.”
Back To The Basics: Apologetics Pt 2 – A Biblical Perspective – “There are several important passages in scripture that shed considerable light on just what apologetics is and how it should be done. The first thing that you should understand from Scripture is that apologetics is a biblical word. It comes from the Greek word apologia which doesn’t mean an apology, but rather a defense (a verbal defense, in the legal sense) of something. The word is used this way in several passages in the New Testament including Acts 22:1, Acts 25:16 and 2 Tim 4:16 where Paul uses it to describe a legal defense in a judicial setting (or at least in the face of a mob bent on ‘justice’). It is also used in the more general sense of defending the Gospel or defending the validity of Christian hope in 1 Corinthians 9:3, Philippians 1:7, and of course 1 Peter 3:15 that says we are always to be ready to make a defense for the hope that is in us.”
Back To The Basics: Apolegetic Pt 3 – Presuppositional Apologetics – “The goal of presuppositional apologetics, like all other apologetic methods is to provide a rational basis for Christian faith. It does so by defending Christianity against the counter claims of non-religious world views such as atheism or secular humanism and against the claims of other religions. It also is used to attack (intellectually, we must always be winsome in an apologetic encounter) the claims of other world views and to show not only that Christian faith is reasonable, but that it is sure and that all other world views and religions are absolutely false (it is much more suited to this latter task than other apologetic methods).”
Isolation from the Church Is Dangerous – “Several years ago when we lived in Tennessee, my wife was visiting her parents in Georgia. She went to go inside after being outdoors with the children and she called for our dog, but he didn’t come. After searching around, she walked behind her father’s wood working shop and discovered a coyote holding Chipper, our little 6 pound shih tzu (who was 10 years old at the time of the attack), in his mouth. She immediately started clapping her hands and as she approached the coyote, he dropped Chipper and ran off into the woods. After a tedious surgery and a hefty bill at the local veterinarian’s office, little Chipper survived. After more than 6 years, the same exact thing happened to my in-laws’ dog just a couple of weeks ago. He was rescued by my father-in-law behind his shop where a coyote had him firmly clamped in his jaws in a death grip. After a trip to the same veterinarian, their dog looks as if he will make a full recovery as well.”
Visual Theology Releases Today! – “Today is the day! Today is the official launch day for my new book Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God
SERMON:
Tom Buck – 2 Timothy 1:1-7
VIDEOS:
How Can Homosexuality Be Wrong If It Doesn’t Harm Anyone?
Biblical Love
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
The post The Daily Discovery (April 20, 2016) appeared first on Entreating Favor.
A La Carte (April 20)
Today’s Kindle deals include Same-Sex Attraction by Ed Shaw ($2.99); The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz ($1.99); Jesus Behaving Badly by Mark Strauss ($2.99); The Gospel-Driven Life by Michael Horton ($2.99). Crossway will send you the ebook of James Hamilton’s What Is Biblical Theology? if you fill out a short survey.
This week’s deals from Westminster Books are all books authored by women, headlined by Jen Wilkin’s new book None Like Him. Also, check out Seeing Christ in All of Scripture, a new book from the Westminster faculty that’s available for purchase or free download.
Reviews for Visual Theology are beginning to come in. Here’s one from David Steele.
Why We Need Anonymous, Plodding Church Planters
This is so good and so important. “Unfortunately, for us to plant the kinds of churches we need to plant the men who feel called to planting must change their expectations and their definition of ‘success.’ We cannot bear another generation of church planters who want to be the next big thing. Men hungry for acclaim will do nothing to make a dent in the number of people in our culture who do not know Jesus.” (Jared Wilson’s article Listen to the Little Guy Too is complementary.)
When Her House Was Scheduled for Demolition
I love to hear of the lives and faith of Christian brothers and sisters from far across the world.
Making Manuscripts
This video from Getty Museum shows what went into making a medieval mansucript. It is incredibly labor intensive!
Reformed Theology is Indigenous to African American Christianity
“No matter how you define it, the core tenets of Reformed theology are woven into the fabric of African American Christianity. The sovereignty of God over all of life, his special prerogative in issues of salvation, and the authority of the Bible are endemic to the black church tradition.”
Isolation from the Church Is Dangerous
I can’t tell how many times I’ve seen the pattern: First people isolate themselves from the church, then they begin to distance themselves from Christ.
This Day in 1718. 298 years ago today, David Brainerd, missionary to New England’s Native Americans, was born in Connecticut. *
Theological Primer: The Holy Spirit
Kevin DeYoung put together a 1,000-word primer on the Holy Spirit.
Secret Shame Of The Middle Class
Rod Dreher on the way we spend our money: “I think this must be an extraordinary thing, in terms of history: people who spend recklessly to give themselves the lives they think they deserve. If you think about it, though, our culture, which valorizes Authenticity, encourages this.”
A Response to Swaim’s “Stott Bowdlerized”
Since I linked to the original article it’s only fair that I link to the response from Eerdmans.
Make no mistake: to be at peace with your sin is to be at war with God. —Kevin DeYoung
Links I like
Free eBook: What Is Biblical Theology?
You can get a free digital copy of What is Biblical Theology? by James Hamilton from Crossway in exchange for filling out a short survey.
A response to Stott Bowdlerized
James Ernest, EIC of Eerdmans, wrote a response to the article that appeared in First Things last week.
Listen to the Little Guy Too
Jared Wilson:
He’s right. We are obsessed. We are obsessed with bigger, better, faster. We define success according to quantity and presentation. We reckon churches increasing in size as effective. And so our heroes are the big church guys. They speak at the conferences, they publish the books, they exert the influence.
But the guys at the “little churches” have just as much, if not more, to teach us about how to shepherd and how to disciple.
Should You Try to Be the “Fun” Parent?
Russell Moore:
A young teenage boy died recently, in a hotel room after an overdose of drugs. The partiers around him didn’t even know he was in trouble until it was too late. Sadly, that story is all too common. This story is different, though, because the partiers weren’t peers or friends. They were his mother and grandmother. This man’s mother, who didn’t have full custody, told police she had provided them with drugs because she wanted to be the “fun weekend mom.”
I have to admit that my first instinct is to judge this woman. After all, what kind of person would be this selfish to give her child what would destroy him, just so that he would view her the way he would his buddies? At the root here, though, is a temptation that every parent faces, though usually not to the extreme of dealing illicit drugs. We want our children to love us, and to like us, and many of us do this by asking what our children want and seeking to conform to that.
Toronto Workshop on Biblical Exposition
This looks like a great event.
We Are Made in the Image of God
Ravi Zacharias:
Three Questions: Forgiveness
Melissa Kruger:
I like to be asked thought-provoking questions. However, in our busy lives it is difficult to take time to still our minds and follow Paul’s simple instruction to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching” (1 Tim. 4:16). Jesus also instructed his disciples, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down” (Luke 21:34). Three Questions is a series designed to put forth a few questions once a month. They can be used for personal reflection or perhaps as a way to spur on meaningful conversation in an accountability or small group.
3 Things the Christian is Always… and Never… Giving Up
Michael Kelley:
The Christian life is about loss. It can seem like everywhere you turn in Scripture, there is a command involving putting away, or taking off, or giving up. Jesus Himself made no bones about it, urging His followers to not have some kind of easy-belieivism, a following without sacrifice, but instead to know what they were getting into. To count the cost. To understand the implications before they jumped in. When the huge crowds were following Jesus, He didn’t try to win them over with clever rhetoric or veiled campaign promises; instead, Jesus would thin the crowds with difficult teachings and counter-intuitive commands.
No one ever accused the Messiah of being a great PR guy.
Check Out
Blogs
What Happened When I Stopped Using Screens After 11 p.m |Alex Cavoulacos, Fast Company
“Not sold on giving your iPhone a bedtime? Here are the four things I learned from cutting off my screen time:”
I packed up my notes and walked off stage mid-sermon | The Good Book Blog
“I was preaching one Wednesday night when, in the middle of the sermon, I packed up my notes and walked off the stage-with no explanation to the congregation. I had just had it, and I wasn’t going to take it any more.”
What To Do When a Pastor Falls | Russell Moore
“This is not the first time this has happened. I’ve seen it since I was a child, from preachers whose names virtually no one reading this would know to preachers most would recognize. Maybe you’ve experienced this, and like me you find yourself reeling in sadness, regret, and even anger. So what should we do?”
Reflections on Fallen Pastors | Timothy Raymond, Credo Mag
“Maybe it’s just me but whenever I hear this kind of news, almost always through blogs, I’m deeply disturbed. I’m sort of spiritually messed-up for the next couple days. Specifically, I have reactions of confusion, sadness, and fear.”
Taking Notes By Hand May Be Better Than Digitally, Researchers Say | James Doubek, NPR
“‘When people type their notes, they have this tendency to try to take verbatim notes and write down as much of the lecture as they can,’ Mueller tells NPR’s Rachel Martin. ‘The students who were taking longhand notes in our studies were forced to be more selective — because you can’t write as fast as you can type. And that extra processing of the material that they were doing benefited them.’”
7 Ways to Live with Diabetes to the Glory of God | Josh Philpot, TGC
One for my daughter. “Last September I celebrated two 10-year anniversaries, one being my wedding and the other the day I discovered I was a Type 1 diabetic. ”
Peaceful Polemics Online | Tim Challies, Ligonier.org
“Our fast-paced, always-on, digital world brings us unparalleled opportunities to speak. It allows us to extend our voices around the world with the simple click of a single button. But it also offers unparalleled opportunities to do so poorly, to do so in ways that deny rather than display the fruit of the Spirit.
Secret Shame Of The Middle Class | Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
“This is a pretty sobering piece by Neal Gabler, a well-known and respected writer of serious books, who confesses that he and his wife are pretty much broke. And they aren’t alone.”
New Book
Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God by Tim Challies and Josh Byers
Kindle Books
Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life by Ed Shaw ($2.99)
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an by James R. White ($1.99)
Bella’s Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation by Rick and Karen Santorum ($0.99)
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization by Steven Solomon ($1.99)
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Pearl Jam cancels North Carolina concert due to anti-LGBT law Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:19 AM PDT Pearl Jam, one of the biggest bands in music, has canceled a concert in North Carolina due to the state’s anti-LGBT law. They were joined Monday by… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
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China tests ICBM capable of striking US within half an hour Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:15 AM PDT Beijing has successfully tested a new long-range ballistic missile capable of engaging any potential target worldwide. The rocket takes just 30 minutes to cover its maximum 12,000km… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
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Rich Americans seek black market brain implants in bid to plug into artificial intelligence ‘matrix’ Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:12 AM PDT A pair of super-rich American technology gurus are planning to undergo surgery to install experimental implants directly into their brain. The two men are currently trying to… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| ‘Divine’ Sonogram Appears to Show Jesus on the Cross
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:09 AM PDT An Indiana mother-to-be received what some are calling a divine surprise after a prenatal checkup! A sonogram of Aley Meyer’s baby boy appears to show an image… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Strong Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Strikes NE of Namie, Japan
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:57 AM PDT Japan continues to reel from continues earthquakes as the USGS has reported a magnitude 5.8 earthquake has struck North East of Namie, Japan. At this time, there… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Turkey Seizes 6 Christian Churches, Including 1,700 Year Old Historic Church
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:10 AM PDT The Turkish government has seized the last remaining Christian churches in the war-torn southeastern city of Diyarbakir and declared them as state property. World Watch Monitor reports… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Federal Court Demands Virginia School Open Boy’s Bathroom To Girl
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:03 AM PDT A federal circuit court ruled a Virginia school board violated Title IX law by prohibiting a girl who considers herself a boy from using the male restroom… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Mysterious blood red sky baffles residents of El Salvador
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:57 AM PDT What is this mysterious red glow in the sky of Chalchuapa, El Salvador? The unexplained glow baffled residents on April 17, 2016. Could it be a meteor… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Preachers That Are Saying It Is ‘Anti-Christian’ To Get Prepared Are Being Exceedingly Irresponsible
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:53 AM PDT (Michael Snyder) Is it “anti-faith” to prepare for the very hard times that are coming? You would be surprised at how many Christians believe that this is… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Baltimore City councilwoman proposes $15 minimum wage
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:50 AM PDT A Baltimore City councilwoman introduced a bill Monday that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke introduced the bill… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Government Jeopardizing Safety of Christian Children
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:42 AM PDT Alliance Defending Freedom filed its opening brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday in a case that addresses the question of whether states can exhibit hostility to… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
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Burst of light may be one of the most monumental space discoveries ever made Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:40 AM PDT In September, physicists made a monumental discovery that opened up a new window to the universe. Using equipment called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), the researchers… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Unusual Miracles Mark ‘West Coast Rumble’ Revival in Seattle
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:31 AM PDT (Julia Duin) They call it the West Coast Rumble: a set of multiweek revivals in Seattle and San Diego, plus a large Christian rally in Los Angeles… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| We are closing in on possible whereabouts of Planet Nine
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:28 AM PDT The search zone is growing smaller. Astronomers have further constrained the likely whereabouts of Planet Nine: the planet that, if it exists, is more massive than the… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Cyclone Fantala Becomes Third Record-Breaker
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:24 AM PDT Last October, Patricia came ashore in Mexico with the strongest hurricane winds ever recorded on Earth, at over 200 miles per hour. Then, this February, Winston broke… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Obama scaring states into funding Planned Parenthood
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:19 AM PDT Vikki Wachino’s Tuesday letter to state Medicaid agencies in all 50 states strongly reminded them that they can not cut funding to otherwise qualified medical providers just… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| ‘Walnut-sized’ hailstones pound India
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:14 AM PDT Hailstones said to be ‘as big as walnuts’ pounded Suruhuto-Asuto town, in Zunheboto district on April 18. According to local functionaries of a political party, the hailstones… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Huge meteor streaks across the skies of St. Louis
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:11 AM PDT A meteor streaked across the St. Louis area on Friday at about 10:16pm. We received many reports from viewers about the shooting star. Sightings of the streak… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Strong 6.2 Earthquake strikes off coast of Ecuador
Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:07 AM PDT A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador this morning, just days after a major quake hit the country, killing nearly 500 people. This morning’s… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
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Saudi Arabia Borrows 10 Billion As Oil Slump Drains Reserves Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:04 AM PDT Saudi Arabia is raising $10bn from a consortium of global banks as the kingdom embarks on its first international debt issuance in 25 years to counter dwindling… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| The Shaking Continues: The Most Dangerous Volcano In Mexico Has Erupted In Spectacular Fashion
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:45 PM PDT (Michael Snyder) More than 25 million people live in the vicinity of Mt. Popocatepetl, including Mexico City’s 18 million residents. At 2:32 local time on Tuesday morning,… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Powerful 7.3 Japan Quake Jolted Cities over 62 Miles Away
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:42 PM PDT The magnitude-7.3 earthquake that pounded Kumamoto Prefecture early Saturday was more powerful than a foreshock that struck two days earlier. The seismic activity then moved northeast to… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Target Announces Transgender customers can use bathroom matching gender identity
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:34 PM PDT Target is making a stand on the debate around what type of bathrooms transgenders can use. In a statement posted on its company website Tuesday, the discounter,… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Los Angeles High School Opens Commingled 15-Stall ‘All Gender Restroom’
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:28 PM PDT A high school in California has converted a girls’ restroom into a “gender neutral” restroom to accommodate students who identify as transgender or no gender at all,… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
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EU gives Poland greenlight to ramp up tensions with Russia Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:21 PM PDT The Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski recently called Russia ‘an existential threat’ to Poland and the EU. In his view, Russia is even more dangerous than so-called… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Experts Warns Of Megathrust Earthquake Brewing in India
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:18 PM PDT A subduction process similar to the one that caused the Ecuadorean quake is happening under the Himalayan region as well, where the Indian plate is getting inside… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| California Is Marked for Glory
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:06 PM PDT (Ryan Lestrange) The day after TheCall, I was ministering in Chino, California when the spirit of prophecy broke out. This is a significant prophetic word for the… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| BIRTH PANGS: Earthquakes and Volcanoes In Sudden Eruption Spree
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:59 PM PDT A flurry of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions wreaked havoc around the globe in the past week and reignited widespread interest in the natural time bombs beneath humanity’s… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Muslim Brotherhood descends on Capitol Hill with stealth agenda
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:55 PM PDT Monday was the second annual National Muslim Advocacy Day in which Muslims descended on Captol Hill to address concerns such as “Islamophobia” with their senators and congressmen…. Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocks South Georgia
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:50 PM PDT A magnitude 5.9 earthquake recently struck north of South Georgia on Tuesday (April 19, 2016), as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake bulletin. The… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| The Voice of Healing Movement’s Unusual Miracles, Signs and Wonders
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:45 PM PDT From legs growing out to removing blindness, Dennis Lindsay recalls how God used his father J. Gordon Lindsay to perform miraculous healings. In one memory, Dennis recalls… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| 100 Thousand Member “Satanic Temple Movement” Rising In America
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:40 PM PDT Robert Eggers’ period horror film “The Witch” has been one of the surprise hits of 2016. It’s even gained a second wind since its February 23 release:… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Intel Lays Off 12,000
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:35 PM PDT One of the top users of foreign workers imported via the H-1B visa program announced Tuesday it’s laying off about ten percent of its global workforce. Tech… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Rio Warns of Fiscal Collapse…
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:27 PM PDT Rio de Janeiro said it’s running out of money to pay for basic services months before the Olympic Games while other Brazilian states warned of similar financial… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
| Secret Service running out of agents…
Posted: 19 Apr 2016 04:24 PM PDT Two lawmakers claimed Tuesday that the U.S. Secret Service may need to seek outside help to fulfill its mission because agents are leaving the agency faster than… Read more at End Time Headlines. |
China: Christian Woman Killed by Bulldozer while Protesting Demolition of Church| Opinion | ||||||||||||
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Our Time is Short
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 In A Nutshell
Now, with regard to this rule of faith—that we may from this point acknowledge what it is which we defend—it is, you must know, that which prescribes the belief that there is one only God, and that He is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced all things out of nothing through His own Word, first of all sent forth; that this Word is called His Son, and, under the name of God, was seen “in diverse manners” by the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, at last brought down by the Spirit and Power of the Father into the Virgin Mary, was made flesh in her womb, and, being born of her, went forth as Jesus Christ; thenceforth He preached the new law and the new promise of the kingdom of heaven, worked miracles; having been crucified, He rose again the third day; (then) having ascended into the heavens, He sat at the right hand of the Father; sent instead of Himself the Power of the Holy Ghost to lead such as believe; will come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of everlasting life and of the heavenly promises, and to condemn the wicked to everlasting fire, after the resurrection of both these classes shall have happened, together with the restoration of their flesh. This rule, as it will be proved, was taught by Christ, and raises amongst ourselves no other questions than those which heresies introduce, and which make men heretics.
Tertullian, “On Prescription Against Heretics,” Chapter XIIl
Ravi Zacharias explains the gospel in two minutes:
The Gospel on 5 Fingers
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
The Perseverance (Security) of the Saints
Notice all the Scripture references!
It is not just a handful of texts that teach the perseverance of the saints: the entire gospel sustains and confirms it. The Father has chosen them before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), ordained them to eternal life (Acts 13:48), to be conformed to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29). This election stands (Rom. 9:11; Heb. 6:17) and in due time carries with it the calling and justification and glorification (Rom. 8:30). Christ, in whom all the promises of God are Yes and Amen (2 Cor. 1:20), died for those who were given him by the Father (John 17:6, 12) in order that he might give them eternal life and not lose a single one of them (6:40; 17:2); he therefore gives them eternal life and they will never be lost in all eternity; no one will snatch them out of his hand (6:39; 10:28).
The Holy Spirit who regenerates them remains eternally with them (14:16) and seals them for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). The covenant of grace is firm and confirmed with an oath (Heb. 6:16–18; 13:20), unbreakable like a marriage (Eph. 5:31–32), like a testament (Heb. 9:17), and by virtue of that covenant, God calls his elect. He inscribes the law upon their inmost being, puts his fear in their heart (Heb. 8:10; 10:14ff.), will not let them be tempted beyond their strength (1 Cor. 10:13), confirms and completes the good work he has begun in them (1 Cor. 1:9; Phil. 1:6), and keeps them for the return of Christ to receive the heavenly inheritance (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:4–5).
In his intercession before the Father, Christ acts in such a way that their faith may not fail (Luke 22:32), that in the world they may be kept from the evil one (John 17:11, 20), that they may be saved for all times (Heb. 7:20), that their sins will be forgiven them (1 John 2:1), and that they may all be where he is to behold his glory (John 17:24). The benefits of Christ, which the Holy Spirit imparts to them, are all irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). Those who are called are also glorified (8:30). Those who are adopted as children are heirs of eternal life (8:17; Gal. 4:7). Those who believe have eternal life already here and now (John 3:16). That life itself, being eternal, cannot be lost. It cannot die since it cannot sin (1 John 3:9). Faith is a firm ground (Heb. 11:1), hope is an anchor (6:19) and does not disappoint us (Rom. 5:5), and love never ends (1 Cor. 13:8).
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