BLOOMBERG
The U.S. government banned all use of Kaspersky Lab Inc. software in federal information systems, citing concerns about the Moscow-based security firm’s links to the Russian government and espionage efforts.
The last time Vladimir Putin sent thousands of troops into Belarus to defend against an imaginary invasion from the west, a real war erupted on Russia’s periphery within months — in Ukraine in 2014. So the latest iteration of the week-long Zapad, or West, bilateral war game, which kicked off Thursday, is alarming officials across Europe, particularly now that Russia is in the middle of a historic arms buildup and its relations with the U.S.-led NATO military alliance are the tensest since the height of the Cold War.
Russian security services believe Islamic State is behind a wave of hoax bomb threats that have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from government buildings, shopping malls and airports across the country.
Nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated from airports, schools and government buildings across Russia, including an iconic department store on Red Square, amid a wave of fake bomb threats that officials called unprecedented. “There’s never been anything like this before, it’s 100 percent organized telephone terrorism.”
The U.S. is investigating lenders for allegedly pressuring veterans and members of the military into unneeded mortgage refinances — unsavory conduct that not only leads to higher consumer costs but has consequences for one of the world’s largest bond markets.
Ten months after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared a victory over Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group is stepping up attacks in the far northeast of the country. Boko Haram militants deployed at least 80 children as “human bombs” this year.
Halimah Yacob, 63, will become Singapore’s first female president when she is sworn in Thursday as the city’s eighth head of state. She was named president-elect as the only eligible candidate this week, after two others were disqualified in an election reserved for minority ethnic Malay candidates.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds his 10th summit with India’s leader Narendra Modi on Thursday, underscoring the importance of strategic ties between the countries as the two face an increasingly assertive China. Supplying submarine technology would lock Japan and India into an even tighter defense relationship for years to come.
Japan’s effort to rein in soaring health-care costs threatens to become a source of tension in economic relations with the U.S. after running into opposition from the American pharmaceutical industry.
North Korea threatened to use a nuclear weapon against Japan and turn the U.S. into “ashes and darkness” for agreeing on fresh United Nations sanctions this week — rhetoric that is likely to exacerbate tensions in North Asia.
AP Top Stories
The death toll from Hurricane Irma in the United States continued to climb Thursday, with at least 31 dead across three states.
The United Nations appealed on Thursday for massive help for nearly 400,000 Muslims from Myanmar who have fled to Bangladesh, with concern growing that the number could keep rising, unless Myanmar ends what critics denounce as “ethnic cleansing”.
The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday awarded Boeing a contract worth just less than $600 million to begin the preliminary design of the next Air Force One planes.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R.-Calif., called Wednesday for tough new sanctions on Chinese banks that do business with North Korea. Royce also said the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang has been losing its totalitarian grip on a population increasingly getting information from short-wave radio and contraband South Korean movies.
One student is dead and three others are injured after a shooting at Freeman High School in Rockford, Washington, on Wednesday morning.
Former President Obama announced in a video Wednesday morning that civic leaders from around the world will meet next month in Chicago for the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit.
NASA scientists are preparing to kill off the Cassini space probe with a spectacular 70,000mph suicidal dive into Saturn’s atmosphere on Friday.
BBC
At least 50 people have been killed in two attacks in southern Iraq, health officials say.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has devised a “rabbit plan” to counter the economic war he says is being waged against his government by “imperialist forces”. The president urged crisis-hit Venezuelans to breed rabbits and eat them as a source of animal protein.
Lucia Topolansky, senator and wife of ex-President Jose Mujica, has become Uruguay’s first female vice-president. A former left-wing guerrilla like her husband, she escaped prison, spent 13 years in jail, and survived torture.
At least 23 students and teachers have died in a fire at a religious school in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The trial of two teachers on terror-related charges has opened in Turkey – marked by the absence of the accused. They have been on hunger strike for six months in protest at their dismissal from their jobs. Authorities prevented them from appearing in court, saying they could attempt to escape. But supporters said the government did not want them to be seen in their emaciated state.
WND
An independent investigation of a mosque in New Hampshire’s capital city that found evidence of “extremist” teaching has prompted counter-charges of bigotry and “Islamophobia” from the police chief and city council members.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un has apparently been using old Google earth photos to “pinpoint” his targets.
The Briefing 09-14-17
A judge comes clean about how he actually judges
The influence of pragmatism in the culture and its understanding of truth
Transgenderism goes to college: Women’s colleges struggle to define what it means to be a woman
Why a dress code is never simply a dress code
The post The Briefing 09-14-17 appeared first on AlbertMohler.com.
News – 9/14/2017
North Korea: We will reduce America to ‘ashes and darkness’
A North Korean state agency on Thursday afternoon published a statement threatening to use nuclear weapons on the United States and Japan. The statement comes after the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea.
Under Trump, future of U.S. nuclear arsenal slowly taking shape
Mattis’ tour of America’s doomsday weaponry comes as President Donald Trump uses bellicose rhetoric about the “fire and fury” that could await North Korea, should it choose to attack the United States.
While Christianity dies in Germany, Islam springs up in its place
All across Germany, churches now sit mostly empty on Sunday mornings, and it’s a problem for Catholics and Protestants alike. While Christianity is dying in Germany, Islam is on the rise. Historian Walter Laqueur wrote that Germany had about 700 “little mosques and prayer rooms” in the 1980s but “more than 2,500 at the present time” – and that was in 2009.
Jewish People Are in Second Stage of Redemption: Rabbi
The Jewish people are living in the second stage of redemption, the period of the ingathering of the exiles, believes Jewish historian Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf. “Kibbutz galuyot (ingathering of exiles) is a stage in the life of the Jewish people and we are deeply immersed in that stage,” he told Breaking Israel News.
Trump: “No Deal Was Made Last Night On DACA… The Wall Will Be Built”
“While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to”, while White House legal affairs director Marc Short said the Dems’ DACA statement was “misleading,” and said no deal on DACA or border wall $$ was reached tonight.Unable to reconcile this glaring confusion, we said “Or, in other words, deal but no deal at the same time. Hopefully by tomorrow morning someone will know what really happened.” Well, tomorrow has arrived and that someone appears to be president Trump himself, who moments ago tweeted that “No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote.
Iranian nuclear smuggling ring sent to top German court
The German Federal Court of Justice will rule on whether three businessmen can face criminal penalties for selling nuclear technology to Iran, allegedly to be used to develop weapons, prior to the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers…The businessmen – Bernd Gehrad L., René L. and Ralf C. – delivered 51 highly specialized valves to Iran between 2010 and 2011.
Australia Day: Council scraps ‘grossly insensitive’ celebration
A third council in Melbourne has voted to scrap Australia Day celebrations out of respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Australia’s national day on 26 January marks the anniversary of the arrival of Britain’s First Fleet in 1788. Moreland City councillor Sue Bolton said the commemoration was “like celebrating the Nazi Holocaust”, the Australian Associated Press reported.
Russia launches Zapad war games in Belarus
Russia and Belarus have launched a large-scale joint military exercise, called Zapad-2017, which has made nearby Nato countries nervous. It is one of Russia’s biggest military exercises since its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. Russia’s defence ministry says about 12,700 troops are participating, but Nato expects the numbers to be higher.
Saudi Arabia ‘arrests clerics in crackdown on dissent’
The authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested more than 20 clerics and intellectuals in an apparent crackdown on dissent, activists say. Prominent Islamist clerics Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni are among those reportedly detained since the weekend. There has so far been no confirmation from the authorities.
Duke recruits men for program to fight ‘toxic’ masculinity
Duke University is recruiting male students for a nine-week program that pledges to “destabilize masculine privilege” and “interrogate masculinity.” The program, known as the Duke University Men’s Project, seeks to help men examine how their masculinities exist “often in toxic ways” while beginning “the work of unlearning violence.”
North Korea threatens to ‘reduce the US to ashes’ and ‘sink Japan into the sea’
North Korea has threatened to nuke Japan and reduce the US ‘to ashes and darkness’ in response to the latest sanctions imposed by the UN. The threat was issued via the North’s state news agency as US defense officials said the regime has spent the last 48 hours moving mobile missile launchers and preparing fixed sites for launch.
Antifa activists say violence is necessary
Anti-fascist activists, or “antifa,” increasingly mobilized in the wake of President Trump’s election, are unapologetic about what they describe as the necessary use of violence to combat authoritarianism. While…activists within it emphasize that not everyone who participates in anti-fascist activism engages in violence, they say the use of force is intrinsic to their political philosophy.
Nevada could be first state to set up marijuana lounges
Nevada could become the first state to allow users of recreational marijuana to light up in clubs and lounges, a state legal body said this week, opening a new front in what is already a booming pot business.
Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S. Government Computers
The federal government moved on Wednesday to wipe from its computer systems any software made by a prominent Russian cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Lab, that is being investigated by the F.B.I. for possible links to Russian security services.
Amazon deletes one-star reviews of Hillary Clinton’s new book
Amazon has been monitoring and deleting reviews after Hillary Clinton’s new book was greeted with a torrent of criticism on the day it was released. What Happened, which covers the former Secretary of State’s unsuccessful election campaign against Donald Trump, was published on Tuesday. Clinton and her publisher Simon & Schuster claimed the book would offer a candid account of her failure and her own reflection on it.
De-Dollarization Spikes – Venezuela Stops Accepting Dollars For Oil Payments
Did the doomsday clock on the petrodollar (and implicitly US hegemony) just tick one more minute closer to midnight? Apparently confirming what President Maduro had warned, following the recent US sanctions, The Wall Street Journal reports that Venezuela has officially stopped accepting US Dollars as payment for its crude oil exports.
US Military Observes North Korean Missile Launchers Being Prepared
On the heels of the release of satellite imagery showing notable instability around the site of North Korea’s nuclear bomb testing facility, NBC reports that three US military officials have observed North korea moving mobile missile launchers and preapreing hard sites in the last 48 hours.
Japan and India Discuss Defense as China Gets Bolder
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds his 10th summit with India’s leader Narendra Modi on Thursday, underscoring the importance of strategic ties between the countries as the two face an increasingly assertive China. Supplying submarine technology would lock Japan and India into an even tighter defense relationship for years to come.
The Debt Threat
Walter Williams
Who is really putting our nation in peril?
The largest threat to our prosperity is government spending that far exceeds the authority enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Federal spending in 2017 will top $4 trillion. Social Security, at $1 trillion, will take up most of it. Medicare ($582 billion) and Medicaid ($404 billion) are the next-largest expenditures.
Hillary’s New Book Now Has A Rating Of 4.9 Out Of 5 Stars (After Hundreds Of 1 Star Reviews Were Deleted)
Hillary Clinton’s new book entitled “What Happened” is the hottest selling book in America at this moment, and thanks to the deletion of approximately 800 one star reviews, the remaining reviews make it sound like it is a masterpiece. As I write this article, “What Happened” currently has an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Of course just like Clinton’s campaign, that rating is completely fraudulent, but if this really is Hillary’s “final chapter” I think that it is somehow appropriate that she goes out this way. The Clintons were frauds from the very beginning, and so a fake rating for a book full of lies about a campaign run by con artists is just par for the course. (Read More…)
Amazon deletes one-star reviews of Hillary Clinton’s new book
We just got more evidence that the middle class is being systematically eviscerated. According to a GOBankingRates survey that was just released, more than half the country has less than $1,000 in savings. So in the event of a major economic disaster of some kind, over 50 percent of the nation is going to be completely out of cash almost immediately. For years I have been writing about the steady decline of the middle class in the United States, but I still get astounded by numbers such as these. According to this new survey, only 25 percent of all Americans have $10,000 or more in savings at this point… (Read More…)
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ZeroHedge Frontrunning: September 14
- Trump Says No Deal Reached on DACA (Read More); Trump Denies Democrats’ Claim That They Made a Deal on ‘Dreamers’ (Read More)
- Weak China data knocks global stocks off record highs (Read More)
- GOP to Release Tax Overhaul as Trump Says Rich Won’t Benefit (Read More)
- North Korea threatens to ‘sink’ Japan, reduce U.S. to ‘ashes and darkness’ (Read More)
- Saudi Arabia Clamps Down as Prince Consolidates Power (Read More)
- Thank You for Calling Equifax. Your Business Is Not Important to Us (Read More)
- BOE Says Interest Rates Could Rise Within Months (Read More)
- U.S.’s Mnuchin Sought Government Plane for Honeymoon in Europe (Read More)
- New York’s Plaza Hotel Is in the Sights of This Shy Billionaire (Read More)
- Russian submarines fire cruise missiles at Islamic state in Syria (Read More)
- United Tech-Rockwell Deal Faces Potential Antitrust Obstacle (Read More)
- Shortage of Insurance Adjusters Could Stall Florida’s Recovery (Read More)
- Campaigners unveil banner linking racism and baseball at Red Sox game (Read More)
- This Is the Crazy Tax Math Trump Must Master, Fast (Read More)
- Samsung’s New $300 Million Fund Bets on Automotive Innovation (Read More)
- United Tech-Rockwell Deal Faces Potential Antitrust Obstacle (Read More)
- Goldman Takes Stake in Under Armour CEO’s Baltimore Development (Read More)
Featured Blogs
Headlines – 9/14/2017
Rights group slams Israeli banks for supporting settlements
World Bank calls for steps to bolster Palestinian economy
New app to crack down on illegal Palestinian West Bank construction
World Tourism Organization postpones Palestinian membership application for 2 years
Israeli envoy to preside over UN General Assembly as Netanyahu delivers speech
Iran’s president to address UN amid debate over nuclear deal
Netanyahu arrives in Colombia, looks to help post-conflict efforts
Colombian president thanks Netanyahu for Israeli help clearing landmines
Group calls for Jewish Day of Unity to pray for peace and stability
Neo-Nazis plan to march near Swedish synagogue on Yom Kippur
President calls for more high-tech to realize Shimon Peres’s dreams
Is Israeli tech behind iPhone X’s new facial recognition feature?
Haredi MK Who Attended His Nephew’s Same-Sex Wedding Forced to Resign
Israel’s Military Exemption for Ultra-Orthodox Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Lieberman: ‘Anyone over 18 must enlist’
Israel is courting Syrian ‘hearts and minds’ to keep Hezbollah away
Israeli Ambassador To U.S.: We Will ‘Act To Enforce’ Syria Red Lines
Iran inks deals to repair Syria’s war-hit power grid
Access To Military Sites Debated As White House Reconsiders Iran Nuclear Deal
Russia Seeks Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation in Order to Save Assad, Weaken Iran
Firebomb hurled at Russian Jewish group’s Moscow offices
Rohingya crisis: Humanitarian situation catastrophic, UN says
Girl strapped with bomb kills 5 in Cameroon mosque
Suicide bomb near cricket stadium in Afghan capital kills at least 2
Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ unarmed man attacks 7 in Toulouse
Japan and India Discuss Defense as China Gets Bolder
North Korea nuclear test may have been twice as strong as first thought
North Korea threatens to “sink” Japan, reduce U.S. to “ashes and darkness”
North Korea vows to accelerate weapons program following new US sanctions
North Korea’s secretive small arms exports under spotlight in global survey
Jimmy Carter brands US ‘oligarchy’ & urges Trump to sign N. Korea peace treaty
Fearing Russia, Sweden holds biggest war games in 20 years
Erdogan: Turkey will take its own security measures after Russia S-400 deal
15,000 evacuated in Moscow after bomb threats
Trump punishes sanctuary countries, halts visas for nations that refuse to cooperate on deportations
Schumer, Pelosi say they have deal with Trump to protect ‘Dreamers’
Clinton: It’s time to abolish the Electoral College
Stunning testimony: Voting machines can be hacked without a trace of evidence
Is Your Refrigerator A National Security Risk?
Failure to patch two-month-old bug led to massive Equifax breach
De-Dollarization Spikes – Venezuela Stops Accepting Dollars For Oil Payments
Next year, scientists will send messages to search for aliens
5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Paredon, Mexico
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 24,000ft
Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 22,000ft
Sheveluch volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 17,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft
Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 12,000ft
South China province braces for Typhoon Doksuri
Typhoon Talim sideswipes eastern China, aims for Japan with damaging winds and flooding
Record rain as typhoon batters southern Japanese islands
Tropical Storm Max expected to bring ‘dangerous flooding’ to Mexico
Eight Dead From Sweltering Nursing Home as Florida Struggles After Irma
Christians beat FEMA, and in so doing, tame Big Government
EU pledges to ‘make our planet great again’
‘Owning a pug is not cool’ Lords warn, as health concerns about genetically modified dogs increase
DR Congo cholera outbreak claims 500 lives
Study prompts call to examine flu vaccine and miscarriage
Edie Windsor, Whose Lawsuit Made Same Sex Marriage the Law of the Land, Dies at 88
At Least 11 Mayors Accused Of Child Sex-Related Crimes Since 2016
Planned Parenthood Teams up with Satanists to Promote Abortion in Missouri
McDonald’s employee gives birth and tries to flush infant down toilet, D.A. says
1 Dead, 3 Injured After Student Opens Fire At Washington State High School
‘Attacks on Religious Liberty’ in US Increased 133 Percent in Last 5 Years: Report
Mike Ratliff – Sanctification is the triumph of grace over the power of sin
Marsha West – Liberals created the culture of evil and death
Charisma Media Editor LeClaire attacks news groups – asks for “responsibility in journalism”?
Idolatry of the Roman Catholic Eucharist
Planned Parenthood teams up With Satanists to Promote Abortion in Missouri
60 Percent of Pastors’ Spouses Say Church Salary Not Enough to Meet Needs: LifeWay
| Do 40,000 Lightning Strikes Over Southern Cali Point To A Mega Quake On The Horizon?
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:44 AM PDT
brought plenty of lightning to the Golden state’s southern region, but almost no rain. The greatest rain total of .44 inches at Sudden Peak on Sunday. By Monday morning, heavy showers, thunderstorms, and 35-mph winds were reported in eastern Los Angeles County.But now conspiracy is swirling around this fascinating and unique electric storm. Strange lights and electrons acting oddly seem to have been appearing either before or during major earthquakes – like the recent 8.2 magnitude quake in Mexico. Could these lightning strikes be a sign that California’s mega quake is on the horizon? READ MORE |
| These Alarming Faith Stats Should Rock Every Pastor, Church and Christian to Their Core
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:41 AM PDT
when compared to 1983 when just 32 percent of the public said the same, according to statistics collected by the National Centre for Social Research, a social research group.Overall, just over four-in-10 British citizens said that they are Christian, with the declines coming in hardest among Church of England members, with just 15 percent of the population claiming allegiance to the Anglican church. READ MORE |
| Giant sinkhole opens up in Apopka, Florida forming like giant crack in the earth
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:31 AM PDT
comments, the resulting flooding also caused apocalyptical sceneries like this giant sinkhole literally scaring the Earth in Apopka: This sinkhole is so large, it can almost be qualified as a huge crack in the ground. It appears to be about 25 yards wide in some places. READ MORE |
| Small Churches That Evangelize, Share the Gospel With Non-Believers and Retain Most Converts
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:20 AM PDT
Excellence of New Orleans Baptist Theological Center. “The phone survey of 1,500 pastors of small churches — evangelical and black Protestant congregations of 250 or fewer — asked how many converts each church had in the last 12 months and whether those converts stayed with the church after they came to faith,” the study explained. READ MORE |
| Jewish, Muslim and Christian Leaders call for Greater Religious Tolerance in U.S., World
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:16 AM PDT
Declaration for Religious Tolerance.” King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of Bahrain wrote the document. According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a global human rights organization co-sponsoring the event, the declaration is the first of its kind written by an Arab Head of State. It “calls for people of all faiths to show respect for, and protection of, the rights of everyone to practice their religious affiliations in dignity and peace,” the Simon Wiesenthal Center shared on Facebook. READ MORE |
| Sweden launches largest war games in 23 years
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:10 AM PDT
also host personnel from around 40 government agencies from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Lithuania, Norway and the United States, to practice active deterrence against a foreign enemy.“It is the greatest, the biggest, military exercise we have conducted for 23 years. We are exercising in a context where we are at home protecting our country, where we have the situation occurs when there is a military aggression towards a country,” Swedish Chief of Defense Micael Byden said Wednesday. |
| N. Korea vows to sink Japan for ‘dancing to US tune’ & reduce US to ‘ashes and darkness’
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 06:04 AM PDT
rabid dog.” The 15-member United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously approved a new round of sanctions on Monday, targeting North Korea’s textile exports and oil imports following Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test. “There’s limit to patience,” the North’s state-run KCNA state news agency cited the spokesperson of the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee as saying on Thursday. He accused the whole UN body of being a “tool of evil” serving Washington interests. READ MORE |
| NFL QB Warns of the Most Common ‘Lie the Devil Wants You To Believe’
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 05:59 AM PDT |
| Time to Rebuild or Repent? Benham Brothers Point to America’s ‘Storm Surge of Moral Corruption’
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 05:55 AM PDT  The Benham Brothers are speaking out on social media about the recent hurricanes in the country, calling them signs that America needs to repent. Jason and David Benham posted a video on Facebook saying as Americans paused to remember the 16th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, thenation’s spiritual condition has declined dramatically since then. “One of the things that we heard a lotwas rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. But the word we didn’t hear was repent,” David said. He points to the 2015 Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage in America, and growing racial unrest. “As a nation, if you would have told us back then in 2001 that in 2017 we would be completely redefining what gender means, what marriage means, what sexuality means,” he began. READ MORE |
| Middle Class Being Destroyed: Only 25% Of All Americans Have $10k Or More In Savings
Posted: 14 Sep 2017 05:51 AM PDT
Other surveys have come up with similar results. One discovered that about two-thirds of the country is living paycheck to paycheck, and another which was conducted by the Federal Reserve found that 44 percent of all U.S. adults do not even have enough money “to cover an unexpected $400 expense”. READ MORE |
A volatile storm has ignited a slew of 40,000 lightning strike in southwestern California. The strikes have hit Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties – all between September 10-11. The 
Much has been said about the rise of the religiously unaffiliated here in America, but over in England it seems the situation is much more dire than it is here in the states. In fact, more than half — 53 percent — of Brits now report that they are not at all religious, up five percentage points since 2015, the Independent reported. And, perhaps more stunningly, 
A gigantic sinkhole opened up in Apopka, Florida on September 13, 2017, literally opening a crack in the Earth. Another consequence of Hurricane Irma big time flooding. Irma was so powerful that it drained shorelines in Florida and the Bahamas. And as some already asked me on Facebook and in the
A study published by 
Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders gathered in Los Angeles at the Museum of Tolerance Wednesday to discuss progress on religious freedom in the Arab world. They also called for more religious tolerance in the world and in the U.S. The gathering included a morning news conference and also an evening ceremony at which the leaders will release publicly for the first time a document known as the “Bahrain
Sweden is hosting its largest military games so far this century to prepare for a possible Russian attack. The number of troops involved exceeds by several thousand those participating in the concurrent Russia-Belarus Zapad 2017 drills. Sweden’s Aurora 17 military exercise, the largest in over two decades, involves a total of 19,000 Swedish troops, as well as 1,435 soldiers from the US. Non-NATO member Sweden will
Pyongyang says it is the time to “annihilate” the US and turn it into “ashes” for initiating the latest round of sanctions. The North has also threatened Washington’s allies in the region, vowing to “sink” Japan and “wipe out” South Korea. North Korea made yet another threat to the US and its allies in the region, Japan and South Korea, on Wednesday, KCNA reported. The North accused the US of “cooking up” the latest restrictive measures against it and demanded that the US be beaten “to death as a stick is fit for a
(By Michael Snyder) We just got more evidence that the middle class is being systematically eviscerated. According to a What is The Gospel?
Who Do You Think That I Am?
Selected Scriptures
Code: A335
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:
JESUS IS GOD
While Jesus was on earth there was much confusion about who He was. Some thought He was a wise man or a great prophet. Others thought He was a madman. Still others couldn’t decide or didn’t care. But Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). That means He claimed to be nothing less than God in human flesh.
Many people today don’t understand that Jesus claimed to be God. They’re content to think of Him as little more than a great moral teacher. But even His enemies understood His claims to deity. That’s why they tried to stone Him to death (John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified (John 19:7).
C.S. Lewis observed, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (Mere Christianity [Macmillan, 1952], pp. 40-41).
If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God!
JESUS IS HOLY
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13).
As God, Jesus embodied every element of God’s character. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” He was perfectly holy (Hebrews 4:15). Even His enemies couldn’t prove any accusation against Him (John 8:46)
God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR
Our failure to obey God—to be holy—places us in danger of eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The truth is, we cannot obey Him because we have neither the desire nor the ability to do so. We are by nature rebellious toward God (Ephesians 2:1-3). The Bible calls our rebellion “sin.” According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And we are incapable of changing our sinful condition. Jeremiah 13:23 says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”
That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. We might even be involved in various religious or humanitarian activities. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death: “The soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s hard for us to understand because we tend to evaluate sin on a relative scale, assuming some sins are less serious than others. However, the Bible teaches that all acts of sin are the result of sinful thinking and evil desires. That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences. We need to be changed inwardly so our thinking and desires are holy
Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us, thereby delivering us from the power and penalty of sin: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for sinners: “Christ … died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” He alone is “our great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13).
JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE OBJECT OF SAVING FAITH
Some people think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. But without a valid object your faith is useless
If you take poison—thinking it’s medicine—all the faith in the world won’t restore your life. Similarly, if Jesus is the only source of salvation, and you’re trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, your faith is useless.
Many people assume there are many paths to God and that each religion represents an aspect of truth. But Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). He didn’t claim to be one of many equally legitimate paths to God, or the way to God for His day only. He claimed to be the only way to God—then and forever.
JESUS IS LORD
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him
The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Confessing Jesus as Lord means humbly submitting to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11). Believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection—the pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed the deity and authority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts 17:30-31).
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15); and “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31).
It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).
Jesus is the sovereign Lord. When you obey Him you are acknowledging His lordship and submitting to His authority. That doesn’t mean your obedience will always be perfect, but that is your goal. There is no area of your life that you withhold from Him.
JESUS IS THE JUDGE
All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Him as their Judge: “God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living God, the Holy One, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge.
Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question. He alone can redeem you—free you from the power and penalty of sin. He alone can transform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Available online at: https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A335
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“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4).
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