Daily Archives: April 17, 2018

April 17: It’s Actually Quite Simple

Deuteronomy 31:30–32:52; 2 Corinthians 8:8–15; Psalm 45:1–17

“May my teaching trickle like the dew, my words like rain showers on tender grass … For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just; he is a faithful God, and without injustice; righteous and upright is he” (Deut 32:2–4).

We all teach in some way. Some of us teach at church, others teach co-workers or employees. Some teach the children in their household, and others teach simply by doing (although we don’t always acknowledge these roles). If all of us lived by Moses’ prayer, things would be quite different. Imagine a world where we proclaimed Yahweh’s greatness in all we say and do.

Moses’ words also teach us something about God. If we’re looking for perfection in what we do, we should look to the one who actually manifests it. If we’re looking to be faithful, we should rely on the one who is faithful in all He does. If it’s right actions we desire in our lives and the world, we should seek the upright one.

There is no doubting that the problems in our lives and world are complicated. They can’t be undersold, and the difficult stories can’t be told too many times. But there is a place to look when we need guidance and revitalization. There is a rock to stabilize us; we have a firm foundation (compare Matt 7:24–27).

The first-century Corinthian church was tasked with carrying out Paul’s work of bringing many in Corinth to Jesus and listening to the Spirit so that they could be God’s hands and feet in the city. We, like the Corinthian church, have work to finish (2 Cor 8:10–12).

God has given us action steps as individuals and as communities. And if we doubt that, then it is our job to seek answers from Him. Often we are unsure because we aren’t listening to Him; we aren’t really seeking His will.

May we feel like Moses about our own teaching work—the work of proclaiming Jesus in what we do and say. May we make the same requests of God.

Then, may your words trickle down like rain showers on tender grass. May you find the words God wishes to speak through you, and may you find the people who you are meant to teach.

Who are you tasked with teaching? What work has God given you? How can you improve that work and make it more glorifying to Him?

John D. Barry[1]


[1] Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012). Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

April 17 Breaking the Bondage of Legalism

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

✧✧✧

Legalism can’t produce a pure heart.

By the time Jesus arrived, Israel was in a desperate condition spiritually. The Jewish people were in bondage to the oppressive legalism of the Pharisees, who had developed a system of laws that was impossible to keep. Consequently, the people lacked security and were longing for a Savior to free them from guilt and frustration. They knew God had promised a Redeemer who would forgive their sins and cleanse their hearts (Ezek. 36:25–27), but they weren’t sure when He was coming or how to identify Him when He arrived.

The enormous response to John the Baptist’s ministry illustrates the level of expectancy among the people. Matthew 3:5–6 says, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.” The uppermost question in everyone’s mind seemed to be, “How can I enter the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Jesus Himself was asked that question by many people in different ways. In Luke 10:25 a lawyer asks, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” In Luke 18:18 a rich young ruler asks exactly the same thing. In John 6:28 a multitude asks, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus at night with the same question, but before he could ask it, Jesus read his thoughts and said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

As devoutly religious as those people might have been, they would remain spiritually lost unless they placed their faith in Christ. That’s the only way to enter the Kingdom.

Still today many people look for relief from sin and guilt. God can use you to share Christ with some of them. Ask Him for that privilege, and be prepared when it comes.

✧✧✧

Suggestions for Prayer:  Pray for those enslaved to legalistic religious systems. ✧ Be sure there is no sin in your life to hinder God’s work through you.

For Further Study: Read Galatians 3. ✧ Why did Paul rebuke the Galatians? ✧ What was the purpose of the Old Testament Law?[1]


[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 120). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Redemption and depravity

Possessing the Treasure

by Mike Ratliff

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9:15 (NASB) 

The Gospel is explained very well in the New Testament. The role of the Church in the World from the time of Christ’s Ascension until His return is very well defined for us there as well (to go and make disciples from all the earth, teaching them to observe all that He taught…) This Great Commission is not to ‘be the Gospel’ nor is it to ‘redeem the earth’ nor is it to ‘make the world a better place.’ No, it is to go and tell the Good News that we have a mediator of a new covenant and…

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Christian Denominations Set To Settle Disputes In Annual Hunger Games — The Babylon Bee

NEW MEXICO—Deep in the heart of the American Southwest, final preparations are being made for a highly anticipated annual tradition: The Christian Denominational Hunger Games, an event intended to ease tensions between various Christian traditions and satiate interdenominational bloodlust. One male and one female volunteer participates from each faith tradition, though if no one steps…

via Christian Denominations Set To Settle Disputes In Annual Hunger Games — The Babylon Bee

APRIL 17 NOT READY FOR HEAVEN?

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

Psalm 104:34

I can safely say on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven!

Now, I can almost hear someone saying, “Is Tozer getting away from justification by faith?”

I assure you that Martin Luther never believed in justification by faith more strongly than I do. But nowadays there is a deadly, automatic quality about getting saved.

This bothers me greatly: “Sinner, just put a nickel’s worth of faith in the slot, pull down the lever and take out the little card of salvation.” Tuck it in your wallet and off you go—a justified believer!

But really, my brother or sister, we are brought to God and to faith and to salvation that we might worship. We do not come to God that we might be automatic Christians stamped out with a die!

God has provided His salvation that we might be, individually and personally, vibrant children of God, loving God with all our heart and worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness!

Lord, I bow before You this morning as my Lord and King. You are deserving of all my love and praise and worship.[1]


[1] Tozer, A. W. (2015). Mornings with tozer: daily devotional readings. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

April 17, 2018 Truth2Freedom Briefing Report (US•World•Christian)

BLOOMBERG

International investigators will head on Wednesday to the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria that provoked a U.S.-led missile strike.

A bipartisan group of senators proposed updating Congress’s authorization for U.S. military action in the Middle East, days after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Syria to retaliate against a chemical weapons attack.

The IRS could face restructuring as it struggles to implement a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the U.S. tax code. The agency has been crippled by years of budget cuts leaving it vulnerable to fraudsters and relying on computer program languages that date back to the 1950s. And a recent agreement will require some of the IRS’s tax regulations to be vetted by the White House Budget Office for the first time in decades.

Prime Minister May will face a second debate in as many days on Britain’s role in bombing Syria after she stayed late the night before listening to lawmakers’ views in the House of Commons.

South and North Korea are discussing plans to announce an official end to the military conflict between the two countries that are still technically at war.

Russia is using compromised computer-network equipment to attack U.S. and British companies and government agencies, the two countries warned in an unprecedented joint alert.

Investors need to prepare for downside as the end of the economic cycle is near and U.S. markets are priced for best-case scenarios, Morgan Stanley says.

The IMF predicted the world economy’s strongest upswing since 2011 will continue for the next two years, but warned the seeds of its demise may have already been planted.

Apple plans to integrate recently acquired magazine app Texture into Apple News and debut its own premium subscription offering. The move is part of a broader push by the iPhone maker to generate more revenue from online content and services.

U.S. new-home construction rose by more than forecast in March on a rebound in multifamily starts, giving a boost to first-quarter economic growth, government figures showed Tuesday.

Microsoft Corp., Facebook Inc. and dozens of other technology companies from around the world have come together to help protect people from malicious cyberattacks. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord commits 34 companies to “protect all users and customers everywhere” from attacks, whether “criminal or geopolitical.” The agreement also calls on the companies to oppose cyberattacks on innocent citizens and enterprises, and specifically to “not help” governments launch them.

AP Top Stories

Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, broke the law by spending $43,000 to install a soundproof phone booth, a government watchdog concluded in a report released Monday.

Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Monday unveiled a new authorization for use of military force, or AUMF, that redefines the limits on President Donald Trump’s ability to attack non-state terrorist groups around the world. This is not related to Trump’s recent strikes in Syria.

A 13-year-old boy and an amateur archaeologist have unearthed a “significant” treasure trove in Germany which may have belonged to the legendary Danish king Harald Bluetooth who brought Christianity to Denmark.

China has said it will “protect the interests of Chinese firms” after the U.S. banned American firms from selling parts to China’s ZTE Corp for seven years. It’s a potentially devastating move for the telecoms equipment maker and exacerbates tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

A lawyer who burned himself to death in a grisly protest against ecological destruction was a nationally known gay rights advocate and lead attorney in a famous case involving transgender murder victim Brandon Teena. The charred remains of 60-year-old David Buckel were found in a grassy meadow in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park at dawn Saturday, as early-morning cyclists and joggers strode by. He left a suicide note in a shopping cart near his body, writing that he hoped his act would bring attention to the need to protect the environment.

EU foreign ministers on Monday backed “all efforts” to stop Syria using chemical weapons, after weekend strikes by Britain, France and the US, but called for renewed efforts to find a political solution to the seven-year war.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France will contribute $61.9 million toward urgent humanitarian aid for Syria following a meeting with a group NGOs in Paris.

BBC

The Canadian government has recalled families of its diplomatic staff in the Cuban capital, Havana.

China’s economy grew at an annual pace of 6.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

The first person in the world to receive two facial transplants says he is feeling well, three months after his latest groundbreaking operation.

WND

California has rejected terms of the federal government’s initial plans for sending National Guard troops to the border because the work is considered too closely tied to immigration, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

Organs harvested from patients who died of a drug overdose are safe and effective for transplant patients, researchers wrote in a medical journal on Monday. As the opioid epidemic continues its toll on human lives, organ donation has increased by 24-fold over a 16-year period.

A heightened focus in Congress and the Pentagon is developing on a weapon that could strike a target anywhere in the world in under an hour, says a new report from the Congressional Research Service.


The Briefing — Tuesday, April 17, 2018

1) Cultural shift on marijuana tracks along the same lines as shift on same-sex marriage

2) Former Speaker John Boehner ‘evolves’ on marijuana, joins board of cannabis company

3) Liberal New York Governor Andrew Cuomo challenged from the left by pro-marijuana, lesbian actress

4) Why the black market for marijuana grows where marijuana is legalized

Barrons (Bill Alpert) –
Marijuana Stocks Could Be a Buzzkill

5) Morality, money, and celebrity: The anatomy of a corporate shakedown over same-sex marriage in Bermuda


News – 4/17/2018

An End-Of-Days Guide to the Current Conflict in Syria

As the tensions in Syria have escalated into a US-led missile attack on Friday, several end-of-days experts weigh in on the situation, explaining who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, what are the real causes and what do Biblical sources say will happen.

Calling for Violent Jihad in Australia

The Noble Qur’an seeks to enlist Muslims in violent jihad against non-Muslims, to establish an Islamic caliphate. Second, it aims to engage with Christians. The longest essay in the appendices is an argument that Jesus was a prophet of Islam

Report: Iran preparing for direct confrontation with Israel

Tehran is preparing for a sustained campaign of direct confrontation with Israel, with plans to use the Iranian military’s growing presence in Syria to launch attacks on targets inside the Jewish state. For decades, the radical Islamist regime in Tehran has engaged in a de facto war with Israel via proxies – using terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to attack Israeli civilian and military targets. On Tuesday, however, Israeli security officials revealed that Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, using its growing military assets on Israel’s northern border to strike targets inside the Jewish state.

The world goes mad when it comes to Israel

Look at how the media misinformation works against Israel in the world. The sequence is known: Chemical attack in Syria followed by Israeli raids against an Iranian base. But the newspapers decided to accompany the news of the Israeli strike with images of the victims of the chemical attack – better if children – next to the words “Israel” and “deadly”. As if it was Israeli and not Syrian, the hand that spread the gas.

Orange County city votes again to opt out of California’s sanctuary state law

A Southern California city council voted Monday for the second time to cement its opposition to the state’s sanctuary law following a tense 5-hour debate and clashes between anti-sanctuary measure supporters and protesters. Los Alamitos Council members voted 4-1 to opt out of a state law that prohibited state and local police agencies from informing federal authorities in cases when illegal immigrants facing deportation are released from detention. It is the second time the council voted in favor of the ordinance as the city’s laws required the council to have a second reading of the measure before officially approving it.

Caroline Glick: Germany Abets a New World War

the Jerusalem Post reported that the Germany’s Krempel Group provided components found on the Iranian rockets used by the Syrian regime in its chemical attack in Douma. Germany is the principle obstacle to substantive changes to the agreement. Germany refuses to agree to apply sanctions against Iran for its development of ballistic weapons.

Netanyahu: Israel on guard against Iranian terror attacks on diplomats

Israel’s security services are poised to thwart any attempt to harm Israel’s diplomats abroad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday amid Iranian threats that it will avenge the attack last week on the T4 airbase near Homs, Syria, that has been attributed to Israel. Netanyahu was speaking at the Foreign Ministry’s annual memorial ceremony for 16 employees killed in terrorist attacks, 14 of them murdered abroad.

IDF releases intelligence proving Iranian military involvement in Syria

The Israel Defense Forces released photo intelligence Tuesday morning which demonstrates the scope of the military relationship between Tehran and Syria, specifically indicating Iranian military presence and establishment in the Arab state. The intelligence includes photographs of a military base in Deir ez-Zor located in eastern Syria. In the photograph, there is proof of Ilyushin planes transporting weapons from Iran to Syria.

Ex-Spies Are Harvesting Facebook Photos For A Massive Facial Recognition Database

…As described on the Terrogence website, the database consists of facial profiles of thousands of suspects “harvested from such online sources as YouTube, Facebook and open and closed forums all over the globe.” Those faces were extracted from as many as 35,000 videos and photos of terrorist training camps, motivational clips and terror attacks. That same marketing page was online in 2013,…indicating the product is at least five years old.

35,000 Soldiers Participate In Norway’s Biggest War Drill Since The Cold War

This fall, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will be leading the most significant military exercise across the entire country of Norway since the Cold War. Initial reports from Verdens Gang, indicate about 35,000 military personnel from 30 different countries are expected to attend the Trident Juncture NATO drill.

Turkey rules to keep US pastor in jail

A Turkish court ruled Monday to keep an American Christian pastor in custody, deeming him to be a flight risk, after his trial opened in a case that has raised tensions with Washington. Andrew Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in the western city of Izmir, has been detained by Turkish authorities since October 2016. If convicted, he risks up to 35 years in jail.

China’s first quarter growth beats expectations at 6.8%

China’s economy grew at an annual pace of 6.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to official data, beating forecasts for the period. The growth figures for January to March were also above Beijing’s 2018 annual growth target of “around 6.5%”.

Canada sends home families of diplomats posted in Cuba

The Canadian government has recalled families of its diplomatic staff in the Cuban capital, Havana. The move comes as 10 Canadians continue to show unexplained brain symptoms, government officials said. The Canadians, including some minors, have suffered from dizziness, nausea and difficulty concentrating.

Israeli ambassador to Jordan takes up his post, ending spat

The Foreign Ministry says its new ambassador to Jordan is starting his posting, ending a months-long spat between the two countries over a deadly embassy shooting. Amir Weissbrod’s posting ends one of the tensest periods between Israel and Jordan since the two signed a peace treaty in 1994. Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon says Weissbrod arrived in the capital, Amman, on Monday.

EU is a haven from world’s dangers, Macron tells Europeans

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a call to Europeans on Tuesday not to retreat into nationalism but to build the European Union as a bulwark for liberal democracy against a disorderly and dangerous world. Addressing the European Parliament…the 40-year-old head of state won a standing ovation from most lawmakers after condemning the rise of “illiberal democracies” even within the EU.

U.S., Mexico and Canada hasten NAFTA talks as elections loom: Pena Nieto

The United States, Mexico and Canada will expedite NAFTA talks in a push to reach a deal in coming weeks, Mexico’s president said on Saturday after a meeting with the U.S. vice president and Canadian prime minister.

Judicial Watch: Defense, State Department Documents Reveal Obama Administration Knew that al Qaeda Terrorists Had Planned Benghazi Attack 10 Days in Advance

Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained more than 100 pages of previously classified “Secret” documents from the Department of Defense (DOD)and the Department of State revealing that DOD almost immediately reported that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was committed by the al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned at least 10 days in advance.

Cashless restaurants like Tender Greens are rising in number

If you’re craving the Serrano Grilled Shrimp Bowl at the Tender Greens salad chain, don’t bother bringing cash. Tender Greens, with28 restaurants on the East and West coasts, is one of a growing number of eateries that are either shunning cash and only accepting credit and debit cards and contactless payment systems, like Apple Pay, or experimenting with the strategy.

Judge orders government to inform immigrant children in federal custody of right to abortion
Notices to be given ‘to all unaccompanied minors’ regardless of whether they are pregnant — or even girls

Pride Parade Bans Drag Queens Over Fears They’ll Offend Trans People
Free Pride Glasgow, which bills itself as being a “non-commercial” and more open-minded alternative to the traditional Glasgow LGBT pride events, is taking drastic steps to prevent the oppression of marginalized peoples, banning drag queens from its annual parade.

Syrian anti-aircraft batteries responding to massive aerial attack in Damascus – believed to be Israeli warplanes carrying out strike

SYRIA’S air-defences have been firing at “unidentified objects” over Damascus in what is believed to be an Israel airstrike, it has been reported.

“It Was The First Time We Attacked Live Iranian Targets”: Israel Admits Striking Iran Base In Syria

A senior Israeli military official admitted to NYT columnist Thomas Friedman that Israel targeted the Iranian drone command center at the T4 air base in Syria last week, an airstrike which killed 14 people, half of whom were Iranians active in Syria. “It was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets — both facilities and people,” said the Israeli military official quoted by Haaretz.

FEC Hit With Lawsuit Over Ignoring Civil Complaint Accusing Hillary, DNC in $84 Million Money Laundering Scheme

According to a lawsuit filed Monday, Hillary Clinton’s camp and the DNC are being accused of using state chapters as strawmen to launder approximately $84 million in an effort to evade campaign donation limits and the Federal Election Commission ignored complaints exposing this corruption, Fox News reported.

OAN Reporter ‘Finds No Evidence of Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria’

Pearson Sharp of One America News obtained exclusive access to where the chemical attack was alleged to take place in Douma and is reporting and that after interviewing dozens of people, the consensus by residents is that the incident was staged by the rebels to help them escape.

CYBER WAR: UK, US Accuse PUTIN of Launching Global Hacking Campaign

Officials from the United Kingdom and the United States publicly accused the Russian government of coordinating a global cyber-attack Monday; saying Kremlin-backed hackers have “infected” computer systems around the world.

US And Allies Bomb Syria The Night Before International Inspectors Arrive

The United States, Britain, and France stomped international law to introduce rockets against Syria, declaring to have “evidence” of the government’s use of chemical weapons.

From ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ to ‘climate restoration’

At least a  decade ago, the fraudsters relabeled their purported peril as “climate change,” allowing any unusual weather to be blamed on mankind’s use of fossil fuels.

On Israel’s 70th, become a part of history as you look back on it

It’s a week for the history books, as Israel celebrates its 70th, with some extraordinary events, ceremonies and activities planned to mark the country’s seven decades of official existence.

Mid-Day Snapshot

Apr. 17, 2018

Tips for Income Redistribution Day

Hard-working Americans are reminded just how big a bite Uncle Sam takes out of their paychecks.

The Foundation

“An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation.” —John Marshall (1819)

Headlines – 4/17/2018

Egypt invites Hamas leaders for talks on Gaza protests, reconciliation

Abbas wants Trump to create two Palestinian states

EU warns viability of Palestine is being ‘constantly eroded’

Susan Rice warns of Iran deal disaster, mocks Trump on Mideast peace

Bernie Sanders: Israel has ‘massively overreacted’ to Gaza protests

PLO envoy: A Palestinian state would ‘celebrate Jewish connection to Jerusalem’

Court rules Israelis on Temple Mount may call out, ‘Am Yisrael chai’ (The people of Israel live)

Hungary says EU’s “irresponsible” migrant policy poses threat to Jews

Liberman adds Lebanese army to list of threats on northern border

Hezbollah deputy says Israel won’t be allowed to set the ‘rules of the conflict’

Military source: Israel conducted April 9 strike on Syrian airbase

Senior IDF Official: ‘Airstrike was our first direct attack on Iran’

Iran: Israel Will Pay for Strike on Drone Base in Syria

IDF preparing for Iranian retaliation in the air, abroad or through a cyber attack

Enhanced military deployment in the Golan Heights amid concerns about Iranian attack

Israel ‘more powerful’ than ever, says PM, responding to Iran threats

Israeli Defense Minister Lieberman Reiterates: We Will Not Permit Iranian Entrenchment in Syria

Liberman: Israel won’t accept Russian curbs on its activity in Syria

Syria says missiles shot down over Homs airbase – unclear who was behind the attack

Pentagon denies US attacked Syrian air base outside Homs

False alarm in Syria: Military sources says no attack overnight

Macron: I never said US and France would stay in Syria for long term

UK’s May: Syria strikes were in Britain’s interest, not because Trump told us to

Minimal Strike on Assad Shows Putin’s Influence Over the US and the Region

Trump considering new sanctions against Putin as Syria claims Russia gave notice ahead of attack

German minister wants EU united front for de-escalation with Russia

Russia says UN delaying Syria mission into alleged gas attack

U.S. Accuses Russia Of Blocking Inspectors From Site Of Suspected Syria Chemical Attack

U.S. suggests Russia, Syria may tamper with Douma evidence, Moscow denies it

Syria: Russia says inspectors will be allowed into Douma – US says Russians have already been there with possible intent to thwart fact-finding mission

EU calls on Russia, Iran to prevent Syria from chemical weapons use

A Day After U.S. Airstrikes in Syria, Assad Launches New Onslaught Against Rebels

Political adviser to Syria’s Assad: Major victory over western missiles

Turkey says not siding with anyone on Syria, policy different from Iran, Russia, US

Why the Russia-Turkey-Iran Alliance Could Be More Disturbing Than You Think

Erdogan’s shadow army: The influence of SADAT, Turkey’s private defense group

Turkey’s opposition protests state of emergency with sit-ins

North Korea warns UK against ‘act of war’ after Royal Navy deployed to enforce sanctions

ISIS threatens to bomb New York’s subway in chilling poster showing a militant with sticks of dynamite at High Street Brooklyn Bridge Station

Saudi Crown Prince approves College of Cyber Security, AI to be named after him

Russian hackers targeting millions of devices around the world, US and UK warn

These Ex-Spies Are Harvesting Facebook Photos For A Massive Facial Recognition Database

Facebook Photo-Scanning Suit Is a Multibillion-Dollar Threat

WhatsApp drug dealer convicted using fingerprints taken from photo

More retailers are going bankrupt than ever

Asteroid the size of a football field makes ‘surprise’ flyby close to Earth

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits near Amahai, Indonesia

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Amahai, Indonesia

Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 26,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 14,000ft

Sakurajima volcano on Japan erupts to 12,000ft

Earthquake, hail, fierce rain rattle Bay Area – but, nope, there’s no link

Record rainfall in Kauai leaves roads and homes covered in floodwaters

Unprecedented rainfall, landslides force water rescues and strand entire towns in Kauai

Snow records toppled in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin

The increasingly realistic prospect of ‘extinct animal’ zoos

Australia flesh-eating ulcer ‘epidemic’ a mystery, doctors say

Rare win for China’s LGBT community after censorship U-turn by Sina Weibo

Judge Stops Trump Ban on Transgender Troops, Cites ‘Oppression’

Times, New Yorker win Pulitzer for Weinstein scandal


ApostasyWatch Daily News

Tuesday 4-17-18

Anthony Wade – Don’t You Name Those Wolves!

Gary DeMar – Is What’s Happening in Syria A Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy?

Fred Price Jr. Will Return to Helm of Crenshaw Christian Center After ‘Serious Personal Misjudgments

Pastor Wears Dress, Portrays ‘Stranger Things’ Girl, to Promote Sermon Series

Mennonite Minister Imprisoned for Two Years for Helping Mother Avoid Placing Daughter With Lesbian Now Free

Monday 4-16-18

Gary DeMar – Will the Rapture Happen on April 23rd? Here’s How I deal With Prophetic Date Setters

The Famous Faith Healer Who Was Not At All Interested In My Health

Lyin’ about Baptism Statistics?: Steven Furtick Admits Knowing about Deception on Baptism Statistics?

This Brazilian pastor said he was saving souls. Police say he ran a slave-labor ring

 Brian Houston: “Jesus became you, so that you could become Him…” 

TBN Cuts Funding for Local Stations – Killeen Christian TV station prepares for changes after funding cut

Gunmen in Pakistan kill two Christians in drive-by shooting

Deadly Oklahoma wildfire has now consumed over 246,000 acres

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 07:07 AM PDT

Deadly Oklahoma wildfire has now consumed over 246,000 acresThe Rhea Fire that started on April 12, 2018 in Western Oklahoma grew quickly with Red Flag fire weather conditions and has now consumed over 100,000 hectares (246,000 acres). The fire is blamed for the death of 1 person so far.  This fire is located in Dewey County, northeast of Leedey Oklahoma and is only 3% contained as of April 17, 2018. More than 500 firefighters are assigned along with three large air tankers, two type 1 helicopters, four single-engine air tankers, two CL-415 scooping air tankers, an air

attack plane, and two National Guard helicopters. The fire has been spurred on by the local weather which has been dry with high winds. Even the storms that swept through the area during the weekend did not diminish the fires and served to spread them due to high winds. Spread is likely to be to the south and east due to sustained strong winds in the area predicted to be 24 – 32 km/h (15-20 mph) with gusts up to 48 km/h (30 mph). READ MORE

Dozens of earthquakes strike village in New Brunswick, Canada leaving residents baffled

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:57 AM PDT

Dozens of earthquakes strike village in New Brunswick, Canada leaving residents baffledA village in New Brunswick has been shaken by at least 14 earthquakes over the past 17 days — and nobody knows what’s causing them. This is not the first time the community has trembled like this. Towards the beginning of 2016, McAdam experienced more than 100 small earthquakes, which shook homes and broke windows. Like the most recent swarm of tremors, no scientific explanation was ever found.   “Sometimes, I just think it’s a truck going by. It doesn’t bother me too much, but the wife gets

kind of upset, paranoid. She’d crawl under the bed if she could!” According to data from Natural Resources Canada, there have been 23 earthquakes in the province over the past 30 days. That includes 14 in the vicinity of McAdam between March 27 and April 3 that have ranged in magnitude from 0.2 to 2.6. More than half of the earthquakes, he added, have occurred in the middle of the night at the relatively shallow depth of 600 metres.  READ MORE

SIGNS IN THE SUN …Strange objects with unusual shapes orbiting around the sun

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:43 AM PDT

SIGNS IN THE SUN …Strange objects with unusual shapes orbiting around the sunSomething strange is happening out there or it’s just a coincidence? Unusual objects have appeared the last years in imagery from ESA/NASA’s solar spacecraft, orbiting the Sun.

Space agencies have tried to give explanations for many of these strange images but many of them still remain unsolved. Sometimes solar spacecrafts go crazy.  READ MORE

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans?

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:37 AM PDT

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans?Schmidt is the director of nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (a.k.a. GISS) a world-class climate-science facility. One day last year, I came to GISS with a far-out proposal. In my work as an astrophysicist, I’d begun researching global warming from an “astrobiological perspective.” That meant asking whether any industrial civilization that rises on any planet will, through their own activity, trigger their own version of a climate shift. I was visiting GISS that day hoping to gain some climate science

insights and, perhaps, collaborators. That’s how I ended up in Gavin’s office.  Just as I was revving up my pitch, Gavin stopped me in my tracks.  “Wait a second,” he said. “How do you know we’re the only time there’s been a civilization on our own planet?” It took me a few seconds to pick my jaw off the floor. I had certainly come into Gavin’s office prepared for eye rolls at the mention of “exo-civilizations.” But the civilizations he was asking about would have existed many millions of years ago. Sitting there, seeing Earth’s vast evolutionary past telescope before my mind’s eye, I felt a kind of temporal vertigo. “Yeah,” I stammered, “Could we tell if there’d been an industrial civilization that deep in time?”  READ MORE

We Need to Deal With These Sick Practices in God’s House

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:29 AM PDT

We Need to Deal With These Sick Practices in God’s House(By Michael Brown) One night, I flipped on a Christian TV show, only to see a well-known fund-raiser preaching a powerful message on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I had seen him once or twice before, using the biblical feasts to raise large offerings. I said to myself, “There’s no way he’s going to take something as sacred as the agony of our Lord in Gethsemane and turn it into a fund-raising trick. He couldn’t do that.” Sure enough, he did. I was sick to my stomach. What kind of person uses the Savior’s suffering to bilk God’s

people of their money? One of my friends knows this brother personally and told me he’s very sincere, he’s a great pastor, and he genuinely believes in what he’s doing. That makes it even more pathetic to me. It’s one thing if you’re a total charlatan living a double life, preaching for money one day and partying with the world the next. But in this case the manipulative fund-raiser was said to be a committed pastor. What else could he justify in the name of the Lord?  READ MORE

ISIS threatens to bomb New York’s subway

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:17 AM PDT

ISIS threatens to bomb New York’s subwayISIS propaganda chiefs have issued a chilling threat to bring death and destruction to New York’s subway.  The terror group has vowed to attack Paris and the World Cup finals in Russia in recent weeks as part of a global campaign of lone wolf strikes as it continues to lose territory in the Middle East. In its latest warning, uploaded to militant Islamist messaging platforms, a man is pictured standing on the

platform at New York’s High Street – Brooklyn Bridge Station with explosives and a timer behind him. The poster includes the threat: ‘You will not expect where we will attack.’  The group’s propaganda wing – the Wafa Media Foundation – is continuing to churn out threats despite the so-called ISIS caliphate suffering huge losses in Syria and Iraq. ISIS fanatics are increasingly turning to lone-wolf supporters to take up their violent cause around the world.  READ MORE

California rejects proposed border duties for troops

Posted: 17 Apr 2018 06:03 AM PDT

California rejects proposed border duties for troopsThe Trump administration said Monday that California Gov. Jerry Brown rejected terms of the National Guard’s initial deployment to the Mexican border, but a state official said nothing was decided. “The governor determined that what we asked for is unsupportable, but we will have other iterations,” Ronald Vitiello, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s acting deputy commissioner, told reporters in Washington. Brown elicited rare and effusive praise from President Donald Trump last week for pledging

400 troops to the Guard’s third large-scale border mission since 2006.  But the Democratic governor conditioned his commitment on his state’s troops having nothing to do with immigration enforcement, even in a supporting role. Brown’s announcement last week did not address what specific jobs the California Guard would and would not do, nor answer the thorny question of how state officials would distinguish work related to immigration from other duties. READ MORE

China Issues Decree that Demands All Christians Register With the Government in the Henan Province

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 07:58 PM PDT

China Issues Decree that Demands All Christians Register With the Government in the Henan ProvinceThe Chinese government issued a notice declaring that all who are religiously affiliated in the Henan Province must register with the government in Anyang, the northernmost city in the region. The order declares that Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, and Muslims must register; however, according to a source that spoke to ChinaAid, the communist government is only going after those who identify as Christians.  “In the past two months, the government banned all Catholic churches and (Protestant) house churches,

and that didn’t happen to any other religions.” Over the past several months China has ramped up the amount of censorship, imprisonment, and abuse of Christians which the Christian Journal has documented. An officer in China, from the Pingyuan Neighborhood Committee, speaking to ChinaAid stated that all who are religiously affiliated are required to register, but she did not believe that the order was a cause for alarm. READ MORE

Earth Has Near Miss With Asteroid Spotted Just Hours Earlier

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 07:51 PM PDT

Earth Has Near Miss With Asteroid Spotted Just Hours EarlierAn asteroid came alarmingly close to striking the Earth on April 15, just hours after the large space rock was spotted flying through the solar system.  According to EarthSky.org, the 150-foot asteroid wasn’t located until April 14 by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona. The object, labeled 2018 GE3, passed within 119,500 miles of the Earth around 2:41 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday morning. While it doesn’t sound like a short distance, 2018 GE3 was twice as close to the Earth as the moon is, which has an average orbit

of 238,900 miles away.  The “medium-sized” space object is reportedly over three times the size of a meteor that entered the atmosphere over Russia in 2013 and injured more than 1,000 people. That incident also reportedly damaged thousands of buildings in the area which had their windows blown out by the meteor’s shock wave. NASA, which funds the Catalina Sky Survey, noted that 2018 GE3 passed even closer to the moon about four hours after its close call with Earth. READ MORE

DEVELOPING: Missile strikes reported near Homs in Syria

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 04:02 PM PDT

DEVELOPING: Missile strikes reported near Homs in SyriaDEVELOPING: Hezbollah and Syrian army sources report that Syria’s air defense system has responded to a missile attack on the Shayrat airbase in the city of Homs early Tuesday morning according to Lebanon’s Daily Star. The missiles were intercepted and shot down, the report claims.  Further unconfirmed Syrian military sources report that military aircraft violated Syrian airspace. The Syrian

the military has tentatively identified the aircraft as Israeli planes, according to the source cited by Al-Masdar news.  The Shayrat airbase was targeted by an American strike last year. “There is no US military activity in that area at this time,” Pentagon officials said responding to the reports of the attack on the Homs airbase.  READ MORE

DAYS OF NOAH: Japan to lift ban on growing human organs in animals…

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 01:08 PM PDT

DAYS OF NOAH: Japan to lift ban on growing human organs in animals…A Japanese government-commissioned expert panel has greenlighted controversial scientific experiments to grow human organs inside the bodies of animals as early as this fall. Under the auspices of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the panel produced a report on research involving the development of human organs in the bodies of pigs and other animals. In the report, the panel concluded it would allow researchers to implant an animal embryo (a fertilized egg)

containing human cells into an animal’s womb and have the animal give birth. One method being considered for growing human organs inside animal bodies involves injecting human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into an animal embryo and then returning the embryo to an animal’s womb to be birthed. The embryos are genetically modified to prevent specific organs from being created. Japan’s current guidelines prohibit transplanting such an embryo into an animal’s womb. The ministry plans to revise them.  READ MORE

It’s Checkmate in the Mideast

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 01:00 PM PDT

It’s Checkmate in the Mideast(By Ricky Scaparo) In this message, we discuss the latest developments in the Mideast regarding Israel, Iran, Russia, and Syria.

The Role of Syria in the End Times

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 11:07 AM PDT

The Role of Syria in the End TimesWith all the events taking place in Syria right now, many people are asking, “What does the Bible have to say about Syria and the end times?  Is this the beginning of World War III and Armageddon?” Those are legitimate questions, but let me assure you, this is not the end. How can I be so sure?   Because the Bible says Armageddon takes place at the end of the seven-year Tribulation (Revelation 16:16), and the Tribulation has yet to begin.

That said, I believe recent events in Syria have great significance when it comes to the study of Bible prophecy. This doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to see the immediate fulfillment of any specific bible prophecy. However, it does mean you should pay close attention. Why? Because, at the very least, these events are setting the table for the fulfillment of multiple bible prophecies.  READ MORE

Newly Minted Trump-Cyrus-Third Temple Coin Prophetic Confirmation During Israel’s 70th Anniversary

Posted: 16 Apr 2018 10:59 AM PDT

Newly Minted Trump-Cyrus-Third Temple Coin Prophetic Confirmation During Israel’s 70th AnniversaryA coin minted to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday has Donald Trump’s profile superimposed over King Cyrus on one side and the third temple on the other. It’s called the temple coin.  “The fact that Orthodox Jews wanted to honor Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and they minted this coin—a one-half silver shekel—is as if they are confirming this word given by Christians as valid,” says Warren Marcus, the executive producer of It’s Supernatural! With Sid Roth. “The great significance is

that on one side the coin has the image of Cyrus and Trump. On the other side it has the image of the third temple yet to be built. The one half-silver shekel during the time of the temple was required to be paid as an offering by each male of a Jewish household during Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) that was earmarked for the upkeep of the holy temple! It is the hope of the Orthodox Jews who minted this coin that this coin will be actually used to pay that offering again for the upkeep of the third temple,” Marcus says. READ MORE


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Iran: Israel Will Pay for Strike on Drone Base in Syria

Tehran’s Foreign Ministry warns ‘Zionist regime’ will receive ‘an appropriate response’ to attack

Jack Khoury Apr 16, 2018 10:25 PM

Iran

 will punish Israel for a strike on a drone base in

Syria

, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday, following a report quoting an Israeli senior military official as

admitting that the country was behind the attack

.

“Tel Aviv will be punished for its aggressive action,” Bahram Ghassemi, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters. “The occupying Zionist regime will, sooner or later, receive an appropriate response to its actions.”

Ghassemi called the airstrike “unacceptable” and said “the Syrian military can defend its territory and will do so.”

The attack last week

killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force members

, including Colonel Mehdi Dehghan, who led the drone unit operating out of the base east of Homs. Israel declined to comment on whether it was behind the strike. However, the New York Times quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Israel conducted the attack and that the incident “was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets — both facilities and people.”

Hezbollah’s second in command echoed the Iranian warning on Monday. Naim Qassesm, deputy secretary-general of the Lebanon-based Shi’ite Muslim organization, said Iran will respond to the strike at a time and place of its choosing.

The attack on the drone base in Syria came about two months after an Israeli F-16 aircraft

was shot down

 after it struck targets in Syria in response to an Iranian drone that infiltrated Israeli airforce.

The downed Iranian drone was armed with explosives and on its way to carry out an attack, the Israeli military later announced.

Source: Iran: Israel Will Pay for Strike on Drone Base in Syria

A Crash Course in Christian Doctrine

by Lindsey Medenwaldt

Before we start diving into world religions, it’s important that we have a firm grasp of what Christianity teaches. It is fairly common knowledge that when federal agents train to spot counterfeit money, they study the real thing first. The theory is that if the agents become very familiar with genuine money, they will be able to spot a counterfeit a mile away. This is true of Christianity. If we study God’s word and are completely in touch with the truths found in Scripture, we will be able to spot heresies and errors in our own churches, as well as other belief systems. It’s exciting to think about world religions, but let’s make sure we understand basic Christian beliefs before we dive into other beliefs.

How easy is it for you to tell others what you believe about God, creation, or Jesus? Can you adequately explain the Trinity? What about the afterlife? How is it that we are saved? Some of you may already know all of the Christian answers, and that is awesome! For those of you who struggled a bit to come up with a response, this article is for you! Here’s a crash course in the fundamental beliefs of Christianity, complete with some Scripture references to help you out.

Founding. As you likely know, Christianity was founded around AD 30, after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Middle East. Jesus was the founder, but Christianity was carried forth by his disciples and other followers, like Peter and Paul. Yes, Jesus was Jewish, and most of the early church consisted of converted Jews, but his followers were (and are still) called Christians.

God. If someone were to ask you to describe God, what would you say? No seriously! Before you read the rest of this, turn away from the computer and see if you can describe God.

What’s the first thing that came to mind? Some people can’t get past visualizing a big bearded man in the sky. To understand God, it is important that we understand the orthodox attributes ascribed to God. While knowing these attributes cannot replace a personal relationship with God, a personal relationship should always start with knowing the one with whom you are having this relationship. Here are the main attributes described in the Bible…

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A Crash Course in Christian Doctrine | Mama Bear Apologetics

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Marxist Brain Trust Gathers at Wheaton to Discuss Moving Evangelicals Left

Tim Keller, who openly subscribes to the Marxist Frankfort School and founder of the Gospel Coalition, met with approximately 50 other globalist or leftist leaders today, discussing how they can turn American evangelicalism to the political left.

It’s no secret that the Communist Party intentionally infiltrated the so-called “black church” (an abominable term indeed, in a Biblical worldview that refuses to view people through a racial construct, which is forbidden in places like Galatians 3:28, Romans 3:29, Colossians 3:11) during the Civil Rights Movement. This historic reality has been written about in no shortage of academic journals, dissertations, and books from both that time period and beyond, with the Communist Party USA boldly and publicly proclaiming their influence in the “black church” to have been pivotal to their success. With the Marxist invention of Liberation Theology, combined with the tenets of Rauschenbuschism social gospel, foreign globalist forces were able to successfully change the trajectory of many once-solid, vibrant and thriving churches comprised primarily of people of color. The consequences of adding Liberation Theology and the social gospel to those churches is on full display before us, and the results are nothing less than tragic. What is less known is that globalist and Marxist billionaire financiers are continuing to influence American religion in the desire of changing American politics, although this time – with the “black church” in left in a historical heap behind them, they have chosen a new stream of evangelical thought through which to push their purely political agenda.

Seeing the rising Reformed Resurgence and its massive influence in evangelicalism – of which people like myself are debtors (I am a 5-point Calvinist and my church confession is the 1689 London Baptist Confession) – globalist strategical thinkers saw a unique opportunity to capitalize (pun intended) on co-opting and commandeering a movement that, if they could turn it political, might turn the tide of America toward their progressive plans. It is no secret that evangelical America is the last remaining demographic standing between the preservation of American culture and globalist progressivism. If that demographic could be changed or swayed, then the victory of the American left – and by vicarious accomplishment, international globalism – would be all be assured. The margins between the left and right are so tight, any subtle shift in traditionally conservative American thought would result in the largest paradigm shift of political power in American history.

It is no mistake, as Pulpit & Pen has thoroughly covered, evangelical “thought leaders” among the pseudo-Reformed camp known as “New Calvinism” have been the financial recipients of millions of dollars from globalist and Marxist financiers, George Soros and James Riady. With Soros funding Russell Moore and Matt Chandler’s Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) – an organization actually belonging to Soros himself – and with James Riady funding Westminster Philadelphia, Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) and Ligon Duncan, and other religious institutions like Biola University and Ouachita Baptist University, it should be apparent that some kind of quid pro quo exists. Riady’s influence in particular is far and wide in American religious institutions, and particular among New Calvinists, and the gobs of cash he’s giving them is reportedly surpassing unheard of levels. And in spite of Riady being known primarily as the head of corruption during the Clinton Campaign Finance Scandal, in spite of him being kicked out of the country for trying to affect American politics with piles of international cash, and in spite of Riady still funding the Clinton Global Initiative and the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, leaders like Ligon Duncan still readily receive his cash, the Gospel Coalition promotes his Indonesian school on the cyber-pages of their blog, and his wife and children still speak at New Calvinist institutions in the place of their father, who cannot return to the country.

Make no mistake about it, the Evangelical Intelligentsia – which we have defined here – are well-funded by foreign political interests. In the name of “repentance,” these evangelical leaders are promoting purely Marxist ideological inventions like Critical Race Theory, White Guilt, Intersectionality, and Cultural Marxism during 2018’s White Guilt and Gospel-Redefinition Apology Tour that took place last week at Together for the Gospel and the week before that, the MLK50 event hosted by The Gospel Coalition and the ERLC. It’s not conspiracy theory; it’s conspiracy facts. Consult the hyper-links provided and see the primary sources with your own eyes. The fact is that these evangelical leaders who all suddenly, mysteriously, and with suspiciously coordinated timing who came to “repentance” on the issue of race (proposing the social gospel, which they have renamed “social justice”) have taken money from Soros and Riady. It is up to your gullible, incredibly naive judgment if you choose to determine that Soros and Riady are simultaneously funding a globalist-Marxist strategy worldwide while funding a certain stream of American religious thought out of the contriteness of their heart.

In the meantime, these same evangelical “thought leaders” – aka the Evangelical Intelligentsia (EI) – have gathered at Wheaton College to discuss how to shift evangelicals away from supporting conservative politics in the name of “saving evangelicalism.” Yesterday and today – April 16 and April 17, 2018 – these leaders are in a closed-door meeting that according to the Washington Post was organized by avowed Marxist and Gospel Coalition co-founder, Tim Keller. Approximately 50 such leaders from the EI are discussing the best ways to shift evangelicals away from supporting conservatism, and they include Keller, Ed Stetzer, A.R. Bernard (the pastor who very publicly resigned from Trump’s faith advisory panel over Trump’s lack of political correctness following the Charlottesville race riot), Doug Birdsall (an honorary chair of the rabidly globalist and pro-Roman Catholic Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, which you can read about in E.S. William’s book, here), Jenny Yang of World Relief (which signed a public statement condemning President Trump over his enforcement of U.S. immigration law regarding the “Dreamers”) Bishop Claude Alexander (who signed a letter from evangelicals condemning Trump, using the ideology of Critical Race Theory to do so), Mark Labberton of Fuller Seminary (who wrote a book, Still Evangelical?, which is a collection of essays encouraging evangelicals to abandon their title for the sake of not alienating the political left), Jo Anne Lyon of the Wesleyan Church (who is a part of Evangelicals for Social Action, along with other progressives like Rachel Held Evans), and Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Association (who, as you would expect, has written articles in places like the New York Times encouraging evangelicals to go politically left if they desire to coalesce with Hispanic believers).

Absent from this meeting of 50 progressive evangelical believers – and notably so – are evangelical conservatives. As OneNewsNow reported, conservatives are “personae non gratae” at the event. When asked by the Christian Post why leaders like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress were not invited, an event organizer said, “I don’t think they are globally perceived as evangelical thought leaders by virtue of what they have written or by virtue of the values that are reflected in their public statements.”

In other words, conservatives need not imply. To be a “thought leader” to the Evangelical Intelligentsia, you must be a globalist and a political progressive. Any less is perceived as being sub-intellectual.

While Tim Keller and the elites at Wheaton are advertising their event as a way to “save evangelicalism” from politics, they are betraying the public by the omission of the fact that they are all – all of them, as the list we’ve cited above demonstrates – fully devoted to a hostile takeover of American politics. This is not an evangelical event at Wheaton; this is a political event. Their goal is not to save evangelicalism, but to form a brain trust by which they steer evangelicalism to the left. The lie is a sinister one, and it’s that they’re politically disinterested. Keller and company are not politically disinterested and they are not politically disinvested. And while Graham and Jeffress are certainly “political,” they are no less political than the globalist and Marxist political activists who have gathered to discuss how to affect political change in evangelicalism.

The post Marxist Brain Trust Gathers at Wheaton to Discuss Moving Evangelicals Leftappeared first on Pulpit & Pen.

A Few Observations on the #Exvangelical Movement — Zwinglius Redivivus

Having had fairly extensive discussions with members of this movement over a period of months, both on twitter, facebook, and privately via email I have observed the following: The movement is right to distrust ‘Evangelicalism’. Evangelicalism, as a term, has been emptied of all meaning and by rights everyone who adheres to an understanding of […]

via A Few Observations on the #Exvangelical Movement — Zwinglius Redivivus

April 17, 2018 RenewAmerica Newsletter

April 17, 2018
ALAN KEYES — Alan Keyes says Congress needs to do more than ‘just listen to these jokers’… (more)


April 16, 2018
‘A Higher Royalty’; ‘James Comedy’
KYLE SMITH — For months, the media and President Trump’s loudest opponents convinced themselves that James Comey’s much-anticipated book was the ticking bomb that would blow up the Trump administration. Instead: No boom…. (more)

April 16, 2018
WASHINGTON EXAMINER — Former FBI Director James Comey’s highly anticipated weekend TV interview fell flat for key members of the press. The one-hour interview, which aired Sunday on ABC ahead of the publication of Comey’s book “A Higher Loyalty,” received extensive coverage in the national press for Comey’s sharp rebukes of President Trump, but there were almost no revelations in his answers, and some critics said Comey came across as self-serving…. (more)


April 16, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — Acrimony between the FBI and Department of Justice was so bad in the waning days of the Obama Administration some agents quit the bureau, a former G-man said. Feuds over the direction of investigations – – and particularly some of the high-profile politically-involved probes – – began to build up as the 2016 election approached, and as the FBI felt pressure from its political masters at the department…. (more)

April 15, 2018
ROBERT KNIGHT — Federal judges sit on the bench for life and can either uphold the law or rule like tyrants. This puts judicial appointments right near the top of the most important things a president can do. The newest Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, has already shown what a difference a constitutionalist can make. But we need many more to counter the hundreds of Clinton, Obama and Jimmy Carter-appointed judges who issue zany rulings that override common sense and thwart democratically enacted popular will…. (more)

April 15, 2018
Says missile attacks were ‘in the vital national security and foreign policy interests’ of U.S.
WASHINGTON TIMES — President Trump formally notified Congress Sunday that he had constitutional authority as commander-in-chief to order the military strikes against Syria Friday night. In a letter, Mr. Trump said missile strikes against Syrian chemical-weapons facilities were “in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States to promote the stability of the region, to deter the use and proliferation of chemical weapons, and to avert a worsening of the region’s current humanitarian catastrophe.”… (more)


April 15, 2018
JOHN TIERNEY — Imagine if the head of a federal agency announced a new policy for its scientific research: From now on, the agency would no longer allow its studies to be reviewed and challenged by independent scientists, and its researchers would not share the data on which their conclusions were based. The response from scientists and journalists would be outrage. By refusing peer review from outsiders, the agency would be rejecting a fundamental scientific tradition. By not sharing data with other researchers, it would be violating a standard transparency requirement at leading scientific journals. If a Republican official did such a thing, you’d expect to hear denunciations of this latest offensive in the “Republican war on science.”… (more)


April 15, 2018
JOSEPH FARAH — Former Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, will be sentenced Tuesday following conviction on 23 felony counts related to using charitable donations for personal and campaign expenses. Wait a minute! Didn’t Hillary Clinton do that? Oh, yes, in spades, but I digress. I’ve known Steve for many years. There’s not a corrupt bone in his body. Don’t believe anything else you read about this case anywhere – – including Fox News, which hung him out to dry. Steve went to Washington to do one thing – – defeat the Deep State…. (more)


April 15, 2018
WASHINGTON EXAMINER — The film “Chappaquiddick,” which premiered last Friday, concerns the efforts of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., to save his career and reputation after the accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne, a young, pretty aide to his dead brother Bobby…. (more)

April 15, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — “A Quiet Place” is an oddity for a No. 1 box office attraction – – a family-focused horror movie that has no profanity, nudity, sex, gore or R rating and offers a subtle pro-life message. Directed, co-written and co-produced by John Krasinski (Jim from the NBC sitcom “The Office”), the $17 million, PG-13 production rocked Hollywood last weekend with its $50 million box office haul – – and could crack the $100 million mark this weekend, Forbes.com predicts…. (more)

April 15, 2018
BBC NEWS — John Corcoran grew up in New Mexico in the US during the 1940s and 50s. One of six siblings, he graduated from high school, went on to university, and became a teacher in the 1960s – a job he held for 17 years. But, as he explains here, he hid an extraordinary secret…. (more)

April 14, 2018
REUTERS — Western powers said on Saturday their missile attacks struck at the heart of Syria’s chemical weapons program, but the restrained assault appeared unlikely to halt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s progress in the 7-year-old civil war…. (more)

April 14, 2018
NEWSMAX — Targeted airstrikes early Saturday morning against three Syrian chemical weapons facilities took out “fundamental components of the regime’s chemical weapons warfare infrastructure” and set Syria’s programs back “for years,” Pentagon officials said during a briefing Saturday morning…. (more)

April 14, 2018
FOX NEWS — Andrew McCabe, onetime acting FBI director, leaked a self-serving story to the press and later lied about it to his boss and federal investigators, prompting a stunning fall from grace that ended in his firing last month, says a bombshell report released Friday by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog…. (more)


April 14, 2018
NEWSMAX — The title of James Comey’s new Trump-bashing book should be changed from “A Higher Loyalty” to “Liar’s Remorse,” former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told Newsmax TV on Friday. DeLay said he is disgusted by Comey’s new memoir and his interviews promoting it, which include talk about the infamous dossier that alleges Trump watched Russian hookers engage in perverse acts in a Moscow hotel room and how Trump allegedly was worried about his wife Melania’s reaction to it…. (more)

April 14, 2018
Media frenzy hits as snippets from new book leaked
BOB UNRUH — ABC’s promotion of its scheduled Sunday interview with FBI Director James Comey – – who leaked his notes of his private conversations with President Trump to the media apparently to prompt an investigation of the commander-in-chief – – has sparked a media frenzy…. (more)

April 14, 2018
NEWSMAX — The American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] has “sunk to a new low,” becoming a “cheerleader” for the violation of civil liberties of political opponents, evidenced in the FBI raid earlier this week to obtain documents from President Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen, said Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz…. (more)

April 14, 2018
THE HILL — Former CIA Director John Brennan on Friday went after President Trump over his attacks on former FBI Director James Comey, tweeting that Trump’s “kakistocracy is collapsing after its lamentable journey.” “As the greatest Nation history has known, we have the opportunity to emerge from this nightmare stronger & more committed to ensuring a better life for all Americans, including those you have so tragically deceived,” Brennan tweeted at Trump…. (more)


April 14, 2018
Michael Brown: What are ‘the values of our nation’ when it comes to homosexual acts?
WORLDNETDAILY — Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.: Pursuant to your questioning of secretary of state candidate Mike Pompeo, I’d like to ask you some forthright questions. I understand you might never read this article. Or, if you do read it, you might choose not to respond. At the least, though, we can put these questions on public record…. (more)

April 13, 2018
CHERYL K. CHUMLEY — Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, ripped into the FBI for its raid on President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, comparing the federal action to the Nazi regime. And insofar as the rather ridiculous raids on Cohen’s files go – – he’s got a bit of a point. These are moves that ring more of Gestapo, less of constitutional America – – more of police state, less of republic, land of the law…. (more)

April 12, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday that he will retire from the House at the end of this year, closing out a two-decade career in Congress and igniting soul-searching in a party bracing for a rough election season. Mr. Ryan rejected claims that he was fleeing a sinking ship. He predicted that Republicans will keep their House majority despite headwinds in November’s elections…. (more)


April 12, 2018
BOB UNRUH — A lawsuit has been filed against the departments of Justice and State to discover what influence Russia had on Hillary Clinton when she was U.S. secretary of state under Barack Obama and Russian interests gave her foundation $140 million…. (more)

April 12, 2018
‘Enough is enough! We will no longer tolerate legal abortion in our nation’
WORLDNETDAILY — High-school and college students at an estimated 350 schools across the U.S. are walking out of their classes to support life and protest Planned Parenthood on Wednesday. The walkout was coordinated by the Students for Life of America. The teenagers are leaving class for 17 minutes, which the organization says is the same amount of time it takes Planned Parenthood to perform as many as 10 abortions…. (more)


April 12, 2018
NEWSMAX — The New York Times grudgingly acknowledged Thursday what the book world has known for weeks: conservative author Jerome Corsi’s widely acclaimed “Killing the Deep State: The Fight to Save President Trump” is a bona fide bestseller…. (more)

April 11, 2018
NEWSMAX — Author Jerome Corsi told Newsmax TV on Tuesday that longtime Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen “would have gladly cooperated” with Russia special counsel Robert Mueller – – and that would have staved off an FBI raid of his home and office…. (more)

 

April 17, 2018 Tuesday Berean Blast!

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry – Normalizing Mysticism

Apr 16, 2018 09:50 am | Marsha West

 

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry is nothing of the sort. It’s a sham. Just a way Bethel Church leaders have devised to get their hooks into people, especially undiscerning young people. If you’re unfamiliar with Bethel Church in Redding CA, the senior pastor is the notorious  “Apostle” Bill Johnson.  For reasons that will become clear, Bethel’s considered […]

The post Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry – Normalizing Mysticism appeared first on Berean Research.


You Can’t Love Jesus with a Heart Full of Hate: 7 Reasons to Love and Forgive Your Enemies

Apr 14, 2018 09:15 am | Marsha West

 

Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley offers 7 reasons God gives us in His Word to love and forgive our enemies. Here’s one example: You Can’t Love Jesus With A Heart Full Of Unforgiveness. The reason she gives is that “Your enemy – that person you hate and refuse to forgive because he hurt you […]

The post You Can’t Love Jesus with a Heart Full of Hate: 7 Reasons to Love and Forgive Your Enemies appeared first on Berean Research.


I’m old enough to remember when “evangelical” was a bad word

Apr 13, 2018 10:05 am | Marsha West

 

According to Jesse Johnson “evangelical suffers from an ambiguity largely owning to its diversity. The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is different than the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, yet members of both would sign the Manhattan Declaration. If you believe the gospel and the fundamentals (inerrancy, virgin birth, bodily resurrection, personal conversion, etc.), does that make you evangelical? There is […]

The post I’m old enough to remember when “evangelical” was a bad word appeared first on Berean Research.


How To Do Online Discernment Ministry, part 1

Apr 12, 2018 09:20 am | Marsha West

 

No matter if you are in your pew listening to a sermon, choosing a book at the Christian bookstore, or reading some essays online, you need discernment to determine if what you are absorbing aligns with God’s word or is a lie designed to incrementally steer you away from the narrow path. In this 2 […]

The post How To Do Online Discernment Ministry, part 1 appeared first on Berean Research.


Hybels steps down from Willow Creek following allegations of misconduct

Apr 10, 2018 10:26 pm | Berean Admin

 

From the Chicago Tribune: Forty-two years after founding one of the nation’s most influential evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Bill Hybels told his congregation Tuesday night that he would step down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church six months ahead of schedule. His departure comes less than a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation […]

The post Hybels steps down from Willow Creek following allegations of misconduct appeared first on Berean Research.


Francis Chan: “God Might Kill You If You Criticize Church Leaders”

Apr 10, 2018 04:02 pm | Marsha West

 

During a recent speaking engagement,* popular preacher and author Francis Chan told the group that God will destroy anyone who questions or criticizes the teachings of Christian leaders. Steven Kozar of Messed Up Church has the story which includes a must watch video of Bethel’s guest speaker so that we can see for ourselves that […]

The post Francis Chan: “God Might Kill You If You Criticize Church Leaders” appeared first on Berean Research.


 

April 17 Tuesday: Betrayed

By James Boice on Apr 17, 2018 12:00 am

Yesterday we were describing the setting of Psalm 54. David had gone to the town of Keilah to rescue the city from the Philistines. But when David discovered that Saul was coming in pursuit, and that the city was going to deliver David over to Saul, David escaped and fled into the desert of Ziph.

Read more…

04/17/18 You Have Not Abandoned Me

By Chuck Lawless on Apr 17, 2018 01:30 am

READING: Psalms 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 21

“Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations.”

Psalm 9:11

I have so much reason to trust God with my life. I could, for example, speak of the ways He has always taken care of me. He loved me and protected me through a broken engagement that I thought would cost me my ministry. He held my hand when I had no idea what direction to go.  He has given me fulfilling jobs (more than one at a time, in fact . . .), and I’ve never been hungry. He has provided when Pam and I wondered how we would pay our bills. He has simply never let us down.

Then I think of others I know who trusted God through difficult times. D, a senior adult who was the only believer in her family. Mrs. M, who cared for our dementia-ridden husband for years. A, who joyously served God despite multiple job losses. L, who stood beside his wife as she lost her battle with cancer. K, a mom who patiently loved and prayed for two wayward children to return to God. J, who faithfully served God in a war-torn country. I could keep writing . . . .

Then, the Bible characters who saw God’s hand are almost too numerous to mention. Noah. Abraham. The rest of the patriarchs. Moses. Joshua. Deborah. Prophets. Disciples. Paul. John. Some paid the ultimate price for following God, but none regretted that commitment. They lived and died trusting Him, as Hebrews 11 shows.

I recall these stories today, and I can echo the words of the psalmist: “Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh” (Psalm 9:10).  Seeing all that God has done for His people in the past ought to give me great confidence today.

ACTION STEPS: 

  • Review two of the Bible stories noted above, and see God’s hand on His people.
  • Briefly (5 minutes max) draw your life story on a small piece of paper, rejoicing every time God’s hand is apparent.

PRAYER: “God, I praise You for not abandoning Your people. You’re a good, good God.”

TOMORROW’S READING:  1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 43-44

Source: 04/17/18 You Have Not Abandoned Me

April 17 Dealing with the Discharges of Life

When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean. On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance to the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. Lev 15:13-14

The unavoidable diseases, afflictions, and discharges mentioned in this chapter are of a much less serious nature than the leprosy with which we have been dealing in previous chapters. You remember that when the leper was cleansed he had to go through a much more rigorous ceremony which included several offerings. But here the very simplest of the offerings is prescribed — two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one for a sin offering, one for a burnt offering — the cheapest, the most available of the offerings. Yet God never once sets aside the requirement for the blood of an innocent substitute to be shed in the place of one who is defiled for any reason whatsoever. By this means he underscores the great fact that human nature needs to be dealt with by blood. It is a deep and complicated problem. It cannot be solved by a mere rearrangement of surface symptoms. God is constantly underscoring that for us in these offerings.

So God has provided a way, a remedy. First, a person who is defiled shall bathe. Washing is always a picture of the action of the Word of God. The person’s defiling thought, his statement, his tone of voice, his attitude of heart, he shall take to the Word and see what the Word has to say about it. The washing of the Word is the beginning of cleansing.

And then he shall be unclean until the evening. Uncleanness is what we call being out of fellowship. It means to revert somehow for the moment from rest and dependence upon the Spirit of God to a momentary manifestation of the flesh, the old life, the old nature. There is a break in communion with the Spirit of God so that the flow of the life of Christ in the believer is temporarily arrested. Although Christ doesn’t forsake him for one moment, nevertheless, there is, for the moment, no enjoyment of his life. That is to be unclean, and it is to go on until evening.

The third element in the cleansing is the offering of blood. All through this book you find that God’s cleansing agents are always water and blood. The blood, of course, speaks of the death of Jesus on our behalf, which frees God to love us without any restraint whatsoever. But the water, again, represents the Word. It cleanses our conscience. You can say, Yes, God has forgiven me. But what many people do is to go on and not forgive themselves. They don’t allow their conscience to be cleansed. But when we read in the Word of God that he has washed away our sins and has forgiven us all unrighteousness — if we believe that Word then our own conscience is clear, and we are cleansed by the Word. Therefore there is no reason for me to be beating myself on the back about this sin any longer. God has cleansed me. I am not dirty nor defiled any longer. I am clean. That is the effect of the water.

Father, I do need the cleansing of your Word, the purifying of your blood. Thank you that it is available to me. I pray that I will be honest about these matters and will not let them go unattended. Help me to keep short accounts with you and to let your Holy Spirit cleanse away all the defilement of my life.

Life Application
What three stages are indicated for cleansing of the defilement of sin? What are the two essential prerequisites for exposing and addressing these issues?
Related Message
For more on this portion of Scripture read the message:
The Trouble with Nature

 

April 17, 2018 Afternoon Verse Of The Day

The Next Dwelling Is with the Lord

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (5:6–8)

In verses 6–8 Paul reached the pinnacle of heavenly anticipation. He looked forward to his new, glorified body, the perfection of heaven, and the eternal fulfillment of God’s plan. But beyond all of that was the wonderful reality that death would usher him into the presence of the Lord. Therefore points back to the foundational truths Paul expressed in verses 1–5. On the basis of those truths, Paul was always of good courage in the face of death. His courage was not a temporary feeling or a passing emotion; it was a constant state of mind. He faced death cheerfully, with complete confidence. It was not that he did not love the people in his life, but he loved the Lord more. Life for Paul was a race to finish, a battle to win, a stewardship to discharge. Once the race was over, the battle won, and the stewardship discharged, Paul saw no reason to cling to this life. The only reason for him to remain on earth was to serve God, and he stated his readiness to leave when that service was complete:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:6–8)

The reality of life in this world for believers, however, is that while we are at home in the body (living in the flesh) we are absent from the Lord. Believers communicate with the Lord through prayer and study of the Word and have communion with Him through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet there is still a sense in which they are separated from God and long for that separation to end. Psalm 42:1–2 expresses that desire: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” “Whom have I in heaven but You?” the psalmist asked rhetorically. “And besides You, I desire nothing on earth” (Ps. 73:25). Paul longed for the day when he would “always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). That sense of separation caused Abraham to look for “the city … whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10) and the Old Testament saints to acknowledge “that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). It is only in heaven that believers will have intimate, unbroken fellowship with God (cf. Rev. 21:3–4, 22–23; 22:3–4).

The parenthetical statement in verse 7 that we walk by faith, not by sight explains how believers can have fellowship with and serve the invisible God in this life. Such faith is not a wishful fantasy or a vague superstition but a strong confidence grounded in the truth of Scripture. It is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

Then Paul concludes the passage with the triumphant declaration, we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. He repeats the truth from verse 6 that he was always positive toward the future despite the constantly looming reality of death. To prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord is to understand the brief, temporary time on earth only as an alien’s and stranger’s experience and heaven as our true and permanent home.

The reality of death faces every believer who dies before the Lord raptures the church. Those who look forward to receiving their glorified bodies, to the perfections of life in heaven, to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for them, and to living forever in His presence will be able to say triumphantly with Paul, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55).[1]


6–8 With the assured hope of his acquisition of a glorified body (v. 1) and having a pledge of his transformation in the presence and activity of the Spirit within him (v. 5), Paul was always confident, even in the face of death. “But,” he continues, “because we realize that we are absent from the Lord’s presence as long as this body forms our residence, it is our preference to leave our home in this body and take up residence in the presence of the Lord” (a paraphrase of vv. 6, 8).

Just as the repeated verb “we groan” shows vv. 2 and 4 to be related, so “we are confident” relates vv. 6 and 8, vv. 3 and 7 being parenthetical in each case. But v. 8 does not simply repeat v. 6; it stands in antithetical parallelism to it. The corollary of “residence in the body = absence from the Lord” (v. 6) is “absence from the body = residence with the Lord” (v. 8). That is, what is implied in v. 6 is stated positively in v. 8: as soon as departure from mortal corporeality occurs (v. 8a), residence in the Lord’s presence begins (v. 8b). This then means that the same moment of death that marks the destruction of the transitory “earthly tent” dwelling (v. 1) also marks the taking up of permanent residence “with the Lord” (v. 8).

What did Paul understand to be involved in being “at home with the Lord”? To be sure, the Greek preposition pros (here meaning “with”) in itself simply denotes location. Yet when it describes the interrelation of two persons, it necessarily implies a fellowship both active and reciprocal (cf. pros in Mk 6:3: “Aren’t his sisters here with us?”). In any case, since the phrase “at home with the Lord” depicts the Christian’s eternal destiny (cf. Php 1:23; 1 Th 4:17), what is thus signified must supersede earthly experience where the believer “knows” the Lord (Php 3:10). So being “at home with the Lord” is a higher form of the intimate fellowship with Christ that the believer experiences on earth.

In v. 7 Paul corrects a possible misinterpretation of v. 6. If the clause “we are away from the Lord” (v. 6) is interpreted in an absolute sense, present fellowship with Christ would appear illusory and mortal embodiment would seem a hindrance to spirituality. Since both deductions would be totally false, Paul qualifies his statement by observing that we do, in fact, still walk in the realm of “faith,” not of “sight.” To the believer the Lord is present, not to sight but to faith. Any “spatial” separation is temporary, not final.[2]


5:7 / Paul proceeds to give a reason (gar, untranslated niv) for his confidence in the future resurrection of his body. The prepositional phrase by faith is positioned forward in the sentence for emphasis. As in Hebrews 11:1, where faith is defined as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” with many examples of such faith being given in the subsequent context, Paul founds his confidence in his life of faith, which does not need already to see the outcome in order to believe that it will happen. He simply trusts in God. The meaning of sight here is similar to that in Numbers 12:8: “I [sc. God] will speak to him mouth to mouth, by sight, and not in riddles; and he has seen the glory of the Lord.” In both cases it denotes a visible form of the phenomenon (cf. 2 Cor. 2:17; 3:18; 4:6). Elsewhere, Paul equates speaking this “mouth to mouth” with seeing “face to face” in the eschatological consummation, a time when believers will no longer see in a mirror dimly (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). Thus, 2 Corinthians 5:7 differentiates Paul’s present life in faith from his future existence in the consummated kingdom of God, when the Lord’s visible form will be manifest, and the apostle will no longer live in anguished exile from the Lord’s presence. Paul has already stated that he fixes his eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (4:18), that is, on the eternal glory which far outweighs his current plight.[3]


5:7. Paul explained further by characterizing the Christian life as living by faith, not by sight. As the writer of Hebrews put it, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). When the ultimate salvation of God’s people becomes reality in the new creation, faith will no longer be required; all will be sight. But until then, faith that God will bring about all he has promised is required from everyone who serves Christ.

When the Corinthians examined Paul’s life, they were not impressed. He did not have much to show for all his effort. He had no money, power, or possessions—but suffering and the appearance of failure. This was another reason he explained that his ministry had to be evaluated in terms of faith and not by sight.[4]


5:7 The fact that we walk by faith, not by sight is abundant proof that we are absent from the Lord. We have never gazed upon the Lord with our physical eyes. Only through faith have we ever seen Him. As long as we are at home in the body, we have a life that is less close and intimate than the life of actual sight.[5]†


5:7 — For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Paul writes this verse in the context of the resurrection of the body; we remain confident that we will live again in a new and glorified body, not because we see it, but because we trust the One who gave the promise.[6]


[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2003). 2 Corinthians (pp. 169–170). Chicago: Moody Publishers.

[2] Harris, M. J. (2008). 2 Corinthians. In T. Longman III &. Garland, David E. (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans–Galatians (Revised Edition) (Vol. 11, pp. 475–476). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] Scott, J. M. (2011). 2 Corinthians (pp. 115–116). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

[4] Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7, p. 354). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[5] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1838). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[6] Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (2 Co 5:7). Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles.

Boomerang: Since Left’s Boycott Began, Ingraham Viewership Up 20% — Christian Research Network

(NewsBusters) A funny thing has happened since the Left began its campaign to drive Fox News host Laura Ingraham off the air: Her ratings are up, a lot — by more than 20 percent compared to her last week on the air before the current controversy began. The leftist-organized advertiser boycott began on March 29, after…

via Boomerang: Since Left’s Boycott Began, Ingraham Viewership Up 20% — Christian Research Network

Western media cover tracks of Trump, May and Macron’s war crime in Syria

With astounding double-think, the US and Britain accuse Russia of “tampering” with the alleged chemical-weapon attack site in Syria’s Douma – just days after the US, UK and France barraged the county with over 100 missiles.

If anyone is guilty of tampering with the alleged crime scene, it is the NATO trio who rushed to bomb Syria just as inspectors belonging to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in Syria – invited there by the Syrian and Russian governments.

The frenzied Western media campaign to find Syria and Russia guilty of a war crime involving alleged chemical weapons is further highlighted by the reporting this week by award-winning British journalist Robert Fisk.

Fisk, who has been covering Middle East war zones for nearly 40 years, went to Douma city to file his report for The Independent. Credit goes to The Independent for publishing Fisk’s investigative work.

Read more
‘Oxygen starvation, not gas’: Veteran UK reporter Fisk doubts MSM narrative on Douma ‘chem attack’
In the aftermath of the weekend’s airstrikes, what he found from interviewing local people and medics is arresting, if not shocking. From Fisk’s witness-gathering report, there was no gas attack carried out on April 7 – in stark contradiction to what the US, British and French governments have been declaring in hysterical tones for the past two weeks.

Those declarations culminated in the US-led bombing of Syria at the weekend. What’s more, the US, British and French leaders are reserving the right to carry out further strikes on Syria – if “the regime repeats its chemical-weapons attacks on civilians.”

What Robert Fisk reports from inside Douma corroborates what the Syrian government and its Russian ally have been saying consistently since the alleged incident on April 7. The incident, they say, was staged by the so-called “first responder” group known as the White Helmets, who work hand-in-glove with notorious terrorist outfits like Jaysh al-Islam and Al-Nusra Front. The White Helmets are also on the pay roll of the American CIA, as well as British and French intelligence agencies.

Similar to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s earlier claim, Fisk reports that on April 7, a panic scene was engendered in Douma’s hospital by White Helmets activists who shouted that “chemical weapons” were being deployed. These activists began dousing people with water hoses and conveniently had video cameras on hand to capture the chaotic scenes acted out by unwitting civilians. A doctor in the hospital confirmed this to Fisk.

As for the supposed dozens of dead that Western governments and media blamed on “animal Assad” and Russian complicity, there is no evidence of the alleged victims. Video footage of dead people in a war zone is hardly proof.

This means that US President Trump and his British and French counterparts, Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron, just launched a criminal aggression on Syria in grave violation of international law and the country’s sovereignty. This is exactly what many independent observers were decrying at the time of the missile barrage, warning that the presumed evidence for a chemical attack was far from substantiated.

Read more
False flags are real – US has a long history of lying to start wars
Indeed, the suspicion is that Trump, May and Macron knew that their evidential ground for attacking Syria was impossibly thin, and that is why they rushed to bomb the country. It was a decision hastened by the arrival of the OPCW inspectors heading to Douma. The inspectors are due to start their investigative work on Wednesday – delayed apparently by security concerns.

In all probability, the Douma incident was a propaganda stunt orchestrated by Western-backed anti-government militants and their White Helmets media agents, precisely in order to provoke an external military attack on Syria by the US, Britain and France.

Several things stand out about Robert Fisk’s latest reporting. This is exactly the kind of critical journalism that other Western media outlets should have been engaged in following the alleged chemical weapon attack on April 7. Credit goes to Fisk and The Independent. But it is a shameful case of “too little, too late.”

Also, it is notable how Fisk’s reportage is being roundly ignored – at least so far – by other mainstream Western media outlets. That’s an impressive feat of self-censorship at a crucial time when the US, British and French governments should be open to accusations of committing a war crime on Syria over their latest blitzkrieg.

This is especially so, given their warnings of more to come, over “further” chemical-weapons use. The urgent concern is that these governments are giving themselves a license to act on more false flags. They should be held rigorously to account for their claims.

This disregard for international law is made possible because of the appalling willingness of Western mainstream media to regurgitate self-serving claims made by terrorist-affiliated groups in Syria and their propaganda outlets.

American, British and French mainstream media have given saturated coverage to the White Helmets and the Syrian American Medical Society, and the dodgy one-man-band operation in Coventry known as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. CNN, the BBC and France 24 cite these groups as if they are “authoritative” and impartial, when in fact they are all part of the regime-change campaign in Syria sponsored by the US and its British and French allies.

It is telling, too, how Robert Fisk is being assailed as a “Syrian, Russian stooge” on social media. The one Western mainstream journalist who has had the integrity to delve into Syria’s Douma to uncover a very different critical perspective – one that disproves the claims peddled by the US, British and French leaders and other mainstream media – is being vilified for principled journalism.

Western corporate media are a grotesque mockery of public information and critical, independent accounting of government power.

Read more
The Russians are coming for you through your phone, computer and internet… or so the MSM says
Apart from Robert Fisk, the few other Western journalists to have ventured into Syria to report on what is really happening are independent, “alternative” sources like Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley and Patrick Henningsen. They have exposed the “Oscar-winning” White Helmets group, which is actually complicit in staging atrocities against civilians living under a reign of terror imposed by their terrorist affiliates. It is understood the White Helmets activists behind the Douma provocation on April 7 have since fled the city along with the terrorist gangs under the cover of an evacuation deal with the liberating Syrian and Russian forces, who are now in control of most of the Eastern Ghouta suburbs near Damascus.

Western media journalists, if they were really committed to principles of accuracy and critical investigation, should be poring over the rubble in Douma, interviewing local people and finding out what really happened. But they are not.

That is why, one suspects, they are not there. That is why the US and Britain are now accusing Russia of “tampering” with the site in Douma – because there is no evidence of a chemical-weapons attack, as Robert Fisk reports.

That means the US, British and French governments just committed a brazen war crime.

This would also explain why Western mainstream media have now quickly moved their focus to allegations of “Russian cyberattacks” on American and British infrastructure. This is a classic case of “keeping ahead of the story.” Western governments and their dutiful media do not have a “story” – at least not the one they claim – in Syria, so the imperative is to change to another subject as quickly as possible.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

http://www.rt.com/op-ed/424407-fisk-syria-media-strike-war/

Global Christian Persecution Summit: Why Don’t Christians Care about Christians? — Juicy Ecumenism

Institute on Religion and Democracy Media Advisory April 17, 2018 Contact: Chelsen Vicari, cell: 540-239-2170, e-mail: cvicari@TheIRD.org Who: Institute on Religion and Democracy What: A summit examining why American Christians have failed persecuted Christians overseas and aiming to inject concern for the Persecuted Church into the very DNA of American churches. Where: Dirksen Senate Office…

via Global Christian Persecution Summit: Why Don’t Christians Care about Christians? — Juicy Ecumenism