April 25: Bound for the Promised Land

Joshua 14:1–15:63; 2 Corinthians 11:16–23; Psalm 54:1–7

Faith is not just about being faithful; it’s also about trusting in God’s faithfulness.

For years God dealt with the confused and waning nature of His people while they were in the wilderness. They wondered, “Will God actually do what Moses has told us?” They had seen God repeatedly act on their behalf, but they continued to grow frightened and faithless. In return, the first generation that left Egypt never saw the promises of God. Instead, a later generation witnessed His faithfulness.

In Joshua 14:1–15:63, we see God fulfilling His words. Caleb and Joshua get a chance to witness this faithfulness, but the Hebrews who doubted that God would act on their behalf did not (Josh 14:6–15; also see Num 13:25–14:45). This is an incredible moment: these two men had watched the failures of their elders and led their peers and people younger than them so that they could witness the faithfulness of God together. You can almost hear them singing, “It is well with my soul.”

Faith is a two-way street. We are to be faithful, but we must also have faith in God’s faithfulness. God will do what He has told us He will do. He will act upon His word like He did with Joshua and Caleb.

We will be able to look back upon the events in our lives and say, as the psalmist does, “I will freely sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Yahweh, because it is good. Because he has delivered me from all trouble” (Psa 54:6–7).

Since we know that day will come, why should we not freely sacrifice to Him now? He will overcome our opposition. Why should we not boldly proclaim, as the old hymn says, “I am bound for the promised land,” and use it as leverage to say, “God will be faithful, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be”?

God has bound us to His faithfulness; Christ’s death and resurrection shows that He blesses us beyond measure. So let’s be bound to God with the knowledge that we are bound for the heavens that He has promised.

In what ways has God been faithful to you? How can these moments be a reminder to you now to be faithful?

John D. Barry^[1]

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

Southern Baptists and their (Tainted) Reports on Freemasonry, 1993-2000 — Pulpit & Pen

Pulpit & Pen will be writing much on Freemasonry in coming days, weeks and months. If all goes well, we plan on hosting a conference on the topic in the Atlanta area. I’ll let P&P contributor, Seth Dunn, talk more about his church excommunicating him for little more than teaching and warning about Freemasonry. Let…

via Southern Baptists and their (Tainted) Reports on Freemasonry, 1993-2000 — Pulpit & Pen

Amazon Now Delivers Packages Directly To Your Bedroom While You Sleep — The Babylon Bee

SEATTLE, WA—Touting it as their latest attempt to offer customers the ultimate in convenience and customer service, Amazon announced Wednesday that they will now deliver packages directly to your bedroom in the middle of the night while you sleep. “In-Bed Delivery is a really wonderful new service,” an Amazon press release stated. “We will gain…

via Amazon Now Delivers Packages Directly To Your Bedroom While You Sleep — The Babylon Bee

April 25 Messengers of Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).

✧✧✧

You are a messenger of peace!

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” He was referring to a special group of people whom God called to restore the peace that was forfeited because of sin. They may not be politicians, statesmen, diplomats, kings, presidents, or Nobel prize winners, but they hold the key to true and lasting peace.

As a Christian, you are among that select group of peacemakers. As such you have two primary responsibilities. The first is to help others make peace with God. There is no greater privilege. The best way to do that is to preach the gospel of peace with clarity, so people understand their alienation from God and seek reconciliation. Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” The early church preached peace through Christ, and that is your privilege as well.

Your second responsibility is to help reconcile believers to one another. That’s a very important issue to God. He won’t accept worship from those who are at odds with each other. They must first deal with the conflict (Matt. 5:23–24). That is especially true within a family. Peter warned husbands to treat their wives properly so their prayers wouldn’t be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

Peacemakers don’t avoid spiritual conflicts. Rather, they speak the truth in love and allow the Spirit to minister through them to bring reconciliation. If you see someone who is alienated from God, you are to present him or her with the gospel of peace. If you see two Christians fighting, you are to do everything you can to help them resolve their differences in a righteous manner.

Of course, to be an effective peacemaker you must maintain your own peace with God. Sin in your life will disrupt peace and will prevent you from dispensing God’s peace to others. Therefore continually guard your heart and confess your sin so God can use you as His peacemaker.

✧✧✧

Suggestions for Prayer:  Pray for those close to you who don’t know Christ. Take every opportunity to tell them of God’s peace.

For Further Study: Read 2 Corinthians 5:17–21. ✧ How did Paul describe the ministry of reconciliation? ✧ What was Christ’s role in reconciling man to God?^[1]

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^[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 128). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean.

Does God talk to you? Has God punished you? Here’s how denomination, gender, and political party relate to how we see the divine. “We believe in God,” Amy Grant famously sang in the ’90s. Today, 4 out of 5 Americans still say the same.

Source: 80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean.

APRIL 25 “AS I WAS, SO I WILL BE”

As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

Joshua 1:5

For all things, God is the great Antecedent!

Because He is, we are and everything else is.

We cannot think rightly of God until we begin to think of Him as always being there—and being there first!

Joshua had this to learn. He had been so long the servant of God’s servant Moses, and had with such assurance received God’s word at his mouth, that Moses and the God of Moses had become blended in his thinking, so blended that he could hardly separate the two thoughts. By association they always appeared together in his mind.

Now Moses is dead and lest the young Joshua be struck down with despair, God spoke to assure him: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee!”

Moses was dead, but the God of Moses still lived! Nothing had changed and nothing had been lost, for nothing of God dies when a man of God dies.

“As I was—so I will be.” Only the Eternal God could say this!

Almighty God, I pray today for Christian leaders and pastors in foreign lands who need to be reminded that You are the Eternal God who faithfully stands with them in all their challenges.^[1]

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

April 25, 2018 Truth2Freedom Briefing Report (US•World•Christian)

BLOOMBERG

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday as the company looks to head off a brewing trade war between the U.S. and China.

Are Berlin’s close energy ties with Moscow paying off? Data from Russia’s Federal Customs Service shows they might be after Germany paid less for natural gas from the world’s largest exporter than most other buyers. Only the U.K., which produces most of its own gas, had lower import costs among the biggest offtakers.

Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he would relinquish more power to states if elected president next year.

Lockheed Martin Corp. will provide latest combat jet technologies including a target tracking device aboard the F-16 aircraft that it plans to offer to India in its bid for the world’s largest order from the Indian Air Force.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will depart for China to negotiate over U.S. trade disputes within days, President Donald Trump said.

Suspected herders killed two priests and 14 parishioners in an attack on a Catholic church in a Nigerian region that’s seen a surge in violence between farmers and cattle owners.

Grocery chains have long awaited the right conditions to charge more for their products, and a broad view of the U.S. would suggest this is their moment: Unemployment is near historic lows, consumer confidence is high and inflation is inching upward. But companies are finding they’re losing the power to hike prices. That’s because Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. are engaged in a battle to the death on consumer spending, while low-cost chains Aldi and Lidl pressure brick-and-mortar companies. At the same time, shoppers are becoming less loyal to legacy brand names than ever before — meaning they’ll go generic instead of paying up for labels.

The U.S. housing market’s storyline for the last several years has been one of steady demand and limited supply, pushing prices ever higher. Now, a new chapter has opened up for the industry and its customers: soaring costs for building materials.

AP Top Stories

A third federal judge ruled on Tuesday against the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Texas plans to execute on Wednesday a man convicted of opening fire at a children’s birthday party in 2008, believing a rival gang member was present and fatally shooting a woman and her five-year-old granddaughter in a spray of bullets.

The Amazon Key In-Car service drops off packages into people’s cars without the need for owners to be present, and hopes to cater to more than 100 million Amazon Prime members in 37 cities. [Ed. Note: What could possibly go wrong?]

A grainy video of female officers from Iran’s morality police assaulting a young woman whose headscarf only loosely covered her hair has sparked a new public debate on the decades-long requirement for women in the Islamic Republic.

Suicide bombers struck a police vehicle and a security checkpoint in separate attacks Tuesday in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing six police and wounding eight paramilitary troops.

Edward Kovari’s 18-day ordeal began Sept. 12, 2016, when some guys in a van showed up to take him from a jail in Virginia to Texas, where he was wanted on charges that he had stolen a car. But the trip from Winchester, Virginia, to Houston took more than two weeks in a crowded van where inmates had to urinate in bottles and take turns sleeping on the van’s floor, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by Kovari. The private company that contracted with the jail to transport Kovari, 39, kept him shackled in the back of that van for 18 days as it wound through the country picking up inmates in an effort at cost efficiency.

Foreign ministers from the G7 have united to condemn Russia for behavior they said undermined international law.

Taiwan will simulate repelling an invading force, emergency repairs of a major air base and using civilian-operated drones as part of military exercises starting next week.

Once the space matures, NASDAQ is open to becoming a platform for trading cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, according to the company’s CEO.

The Philippines will allow 10 blockchain and virtual currency companies to operate in an economic zone to take advantage of tax perks while generating employment, a government official said on Wednesday.

BBC

Millions of electronic door locks fitted to hotel rooms worldwide have been found to be vulnerable to a hack. Researchers say flaws they found in the equipment’s software meant they could create “master keys” that opened the rooms without leaving an activity log.

In the wake of one of the deadliest US high school shootings, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has raised its biggest haul in donations in 15 years. The powerful gun lobby’s political fund raised $2.4 million in March.

Nicaraguan police have released dozens of students and lecturers arrested in protests triggered by planned changes to the social security system. Some students said they had been beaten and tortured by police while in custody. The claims could not be independently verified.

WND

Roughly 61% of Americans have less than $100,000 in total savings, and around 42% of those people have saved $10,000 or less, according to a recent GoBankingRates survey. The No. 1 reason people gave for not having much stashed away? That they don’t earn enough money to be able to save anything.

The Calexit campaign has won approval to collect signatures again for a ballot initiative aimed at separating California from the union, marking the third such attempt for state secessionists.

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The Briefing — Wednesday, April 25, 2018

1) A monkey’s day in court: What happens when a secular society loses the ability to ground human dignity in anything objective

Washington Post (Meagan Flynn) –
Monkey loses selfie copyright case. Maybe monkey should sue PETA, appeals court suggests.

2) Wonder turns into confusion: The inevitable outcome of taking an evolutionary understanding of humanity

New York Times (Jeff Sebo) –
Should Chimpanzees Be Considered ‘Persons’?

3) Why the biblical worldview makes a radical distinction between that which is beautiful and that which is merely pretty

New York Times (Amanda Hess) –
‘I Feel Pretty’ and the Rise of Beauty-Standard Denialism

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News – 4/25/2018

The Bilderberg Group can’t save evangelicalism
Who knew evangelicalism had its own Bilderberg Group? attendees included Tim Keller, co-founder of The Gospel Coalition; Fuller Seminary president Mark Labberton; Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition; and Trillia Newbell of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, among others. We also know who wasn’t invited: prominent evangelical Trump supporters like Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse; Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas; and Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University.

Jewish Mystics Hope Trump’s Israel Visit Might ‘Raise The Temple’
Donald Trump’s transformation from real estate mogul and reality TV star to president reads like a strange American fairytale. Dogged by controversy, with no political experience, Trump is now the most powerful person in the world. To some, his triumph was so unlikely that there was only one way to explain in — God played a part.

Germany’s Merkel: No to Jerusalem Embassy, No to ‘Settlements,’ Yes to Iran Nuclear Deal
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 10 television on Sunday, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel said that her country will not follow in the footsteps of the United States by moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. She explained this position as part of a commitment on Germany’s part towards the creation of a Palestinian State within Israel’s Biblical heartland.

Belgium: First Islamic State In Europe?
The French acronym of Belgium’s ISLAM Party stands for “Integrity, Solidarity, Liberty, Authenticity, Morality”. The leaders of the ISLAM Party apparently want to turn Belgium into an Islamic State. They call it “Islamist democracy” and have set a target date: 2030.

Labor Leaders Furious After World Bank Recommends Ditching Minimum Wage
The World Bank is proposing lower minimum wages and greater hiring and firing powers for employers as part of a wide-ranging deregulation of labour markets deemed necessary to prepare countries for the changing nature of work.

“Very Pissed Off” Obama DOJ Made “Dramatic” Call To McCabe To Quash Clinton Probe
a senior official with the Obama justice department, identified as Matthew Axelrod, called former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe – who thought the DOJ was pressuring him to shut down the investigation, according to the recently released inspector general’s (OIG) report. The official was “very pissed off” at the FBI, the report says, and demanded to know why the FBI was still pursuing the Clinton Foundation when the Justice Department considered the case dormant.

U.S. intel: Arms shipments from Iran into Syria may be used against Israel
US intelligence is monitoring shipments of weapons systems from Iran into Syria that may potentially be used by Bashar Assad or Iranian forces, CNN reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the US and Israel fear the cargo could contain arms that may eventually be directed against Israel. The flights were tracked in the days following the United States’ April 14 strike on Syrian regime targets.

Trump’s Mideast envoy Greenblatt signals hope of lasting peace
Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations, told female leaders…that the White House “is deeply committed to achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.” Speaking before the American Jewish Committee Women’s Leadership Board Spring Luncheon…Greenblatt said the US has a special obligations to try to facilitate an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, no matter the challenges.

Iran nuclear deal: Rouhani says West has no right to make changes
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has questioned the legitimacy of efforts by the US and its European allies to change a nuclear deal with his country. The US and French leaders announced on Tuesday that they were working on a “new deal” that would expand and extend the terms of the 2015 accord. But Mr Rouhani said they had no “right” to renegotiate a seven-party agreement.

Community Leaders In Brooklyn Warn Of Increased Bias Attacks Against Jews
Some leaders in Brooklyn’s Jewish community say bias attacks are happening more frequently. Read: New York Considering Ban On Plastic Bottles At Parks & Beaches. The most recent incident left a man badly bruised. It was captured on camera and now police are searching for the attacker. Police are keeping watch at the scene of the latest attack on Rutland Road near Schenectady Avenue.

The Central American Caravan That Angered Trump Has Reached The US Border
A migrant caravan that began its journey through Mexico a month ago has reached the US border, where its arrival will set up a confrontation between the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies and US laws that require the United States to grant asylum to people with valid persecution claims…While media attention to the caravan has dropped in recent weeks, the Trump administration has been keeping a watchful eye on the caravan’s progress.

Federal judge orders complete restart of DACA
A federal judge delivered another blow to President Trump’s attempt to roll back the Obama-era DACA program, ruling Tuesday that last year’s revocation was illegal and the entire program could have to be restarted. That goes beyond other judges, who had also ruled the phaseout illegal but had only ordered Homeland Security to accept renewal applications from people who’d already been awarded DACA before.

Russian SC chief meets Israeli, Iranian counterparts
Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev met separately on Tuesday with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts—Eytan Ben-David and Ali Shamkhani. According to an official Security Council statement, the meetings were held in the Russian resort town of Sochi, and Patrushev discussed “Middle East developments” with the two officials.

Exclusive: Russian civilians helping Assad use military base back home – witnesses
The Kremlin says it has nothing to do with Russian civilians fighting in Syria but on three recent occasions groups of men flying in from Damascus headed straight to a defense ministry base in Molkino, Reuters reporters witnessed. Molkino in southwestern Russia is where the Russian 10th Special Forces Brigade is based, according to information on the Kremlin website.

Germany: Getting into trade conflict with U.S. would be careless
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Wednesday it would be negligent to end up in a trade conflict with the United States, which has imposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from some countries…Altmaier said: “I remain convinced that it would be careless to stumble into a trade conflict so I think a consensual solution should take precedence over a confrontational one.”

Israel Prepared to Strike S-300 System in Syria: Defense Minister
Liberman made his remarks shortly after Russian officials reportedly warned Israel of “catastrophic” consequences should it decide to target any S-300 system in Syria. Although Moscow had abided by a decision not to send Damascus the missile defense system, the Kremlin is apparently rethinking its stance in that regard in light of the most recent tripartite strike against Syria by the United States, United Kingdom and France.

US Embassy in Jerusalem to Open With Mezuzah-Hanging Ceremony
According to a Channel 20 report, organizers decided on the unusual move of holding a religious ceremony to install the mezuzah as a gesture to Israel and following the recommendation of U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Trump Warns Iran of ‘Bigger Problems Than Ever Before’
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at the Iranian nuclear deal on Tuesday during a press conference at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron, calling the agreement “insane” and a “terrible deal,” while warning Iran against restarting its nuclear program if the U.S. pulls out. “If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they have ever had before,” Trump said, without elaborating further.

Thousands Expected on Temple Mount For Jerusalem Liberation Day
The Temple organizations expect that the upcoming Jerusalem Liberation Day, May 13, will see a record rise in the number of Jewish visits to the holy site, the largest since the destruction of the Temple 1,947 years ago.

U.S. intel: Arms shipments from Iran into Syria may be used against Israel
US intelligence is monitoring shipments of weapons systems from Iran into Syria that may potentially be used by Bashar Assad or Iranian forces, CNN reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the US and Israel fear the cargo could contain arms that may eventually be directed against Israel.

Taliban announce spring offensive, dismiss peace overtures
The Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive on Wednesday, dismissing an offer for peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani but pledging to focus on US forces in Afghanistan. The announcement of the Al Khandaq campaign, named after the so-called Battle of the Trench, fought by … Mohammad to defend the city of Medina in the early days of Islam, marks the symbolic start of the fighting season.

Snopes ‘sneaky liar’ about California’s anti-Christian plan
WND reported recently when Liberty Counsel, a highly respected legal team that has addressed some of the most contentious religious issues in the country, warned that a legislative proposal in California effectively would ban the sale of Bibles. It’s because the proposed law forbids counseling that a man is a man, not a woman. The law calls such counseling consumer fraud and bans it. The bill, which advocates for transgenderism, specifically declares “advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual” is fraudulent business practice. This bill would also make it unlawful for any person to sell books, including the Bible,

Hatred of journalists on the rise worldwide, watchdog says
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says hostility toward journalists is growing worldwide, often encouraged by political leaders — even in democratic countries.

GOD’S WRATH: While They Plan to Attack Israel, Iran Gets Hit By A Massive Sandstorm
Behold the plague of darkness that turned Egypt’s daylight into darkness…

GOD’S WRATH: Massive earthquake rocks Israel-hating Turkey, as tensions in the Middle East boil over
Earthquake struck southeastern Turkey at 12.30am GMT Tuesday
Magnitude 5.2 quake destroyed houses and injured at least 13 people
Schools in the districts have been forced to close in wake of aftershocks

Syrian army targets south Damascus insurgent enclave
The Syrian army bombarded a jihadist enclave in south Damascus on Monday, state television and a war monitor said, as President Bashar al-Assad seeks to regain all ground near the capital.

Colombia’s Migrant Crisis Worsens With Venezuela Nearing ‘Implosion’
“Venezuela is on the verge of imploding,” Santos told Bloomberg TV Monday. “What we hope is that this implosion will be peaceful and not violent, because otherwise we will have a tremendous avalanche of more Venezuelans coming to Colombia.”

Colorado Will Soon be the New Capital
A map of Panem’s 12 Districts. Note that the Hunger Games Capital City is located in Colorado, precisely where the Federal government is moving much of its operations, to Colorado. This parallels the United Nations approach to the creation of 10 districts in the U.S. in 1972.

Chicago School Cancels Sex Ed Program After Parents File Suit Against ‘Hook-Up Sex, Porn’ Promotion
Parents of students at a high school in Chicago are claiming victory after a controversial sex education program they warned would have promoted “casual hook-up sex” and pornography to students was postponed.

FEC Records Suggest Clinton Campaign Laundered $84 Million
A federal lawsuit filed by a pro-Trump PAC against the DNC and Clinton campaign has provided evidence confirming that the Clinton campaign knowingly violated federal campaign limits.

BREAKING : Maxine Waters’ Tax Protest Was Funded by Communist George Soros
The anti-Trump “Tax” protest where Maxine Waters led the crowd in a pathetic “Impeach 45″ chant, was an event sponsored by communist George Soros.

Justice Department’s attempts to influence investigations exposed in McCabe probe
Tucked inside the inspector general’s report on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was the story of an August 2016 phone call from a high-ranking Justice Department official who Mr McCabe thought was trying to shut down the FBI’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was running for president.

EU to Cut Funds to Patriotic Nations, Allocate Cash on ‘Values’ Basis, Including Accepting Mass Migration
Brussels is set to divert tens of billions of euros in EU cash away from patriotic eastern and central states under budget reform plans that would link funding to the bloc’s ‘values’ which include mass migration.

Telford Grooming Scandal: Former Social Services Boss, Local Lawmakers Exposed as Paedophiles
Three former Telford lawmakers, including one who oversaw the social services department during the town’s Muslim rape gang epidemic, have been exposed as paedophiles.

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Mid-Day Snapshot Apr. 25, 2018

Judge: It’s Illegal for Trump to End (Illegal) DACA According to the judge, it’s illegal for an executive to rescind an illegal executive order.

CA Wants to Ban Christian Guidance. No, Seriously. A new bill would go to extreme lengths to protect homosexuals from any healing advice. Alfie Evans: Another Tragic Tale of State-Ordered Death A child is held hostage in a hospital that is preventing rather than providing treatment.

Facebook Publishes Removal Policies, but Bias Remains It helps to have those guidelines public, but we’ll still see data collection and suppression of speech. Hillary’s $84M Campaign Money Laundering The Clinton campaign and DNC are sued for massive breaches of campaign-finance laws.

History Says Afghanistan Is as Good as It’s Going to Get This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Communist Revolution in Afghanistan. Wednesday Short Cuts The lady doth protest too much: “Assault weapons should not be walking the streets of a civilized country.” —Sen. Kamala Harris

Wednesday Opinion Read Marc A. Thiessen, Ben Shapiro, Walter Williams, Terence Jeffrey, Jonah Goldberg and more. Wednesday Top Headlines GOP wins AZ seat, VA nominee in trouble, White House state dinner, settled science and more.

Today’s Meme Today’s Cartoon

The Foundation

“We lay it down as a fundamental, that laws, to be just, must give a reciprocation of right; that, without this, they are mere arbitrary rules of conduct, founded in force, and not in conscience.” —Thomas Jefferson (1782)

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ZeroHedge Frontrunning: April 25

• Stocks slide toward longest losing streak of the year (Read More)
• Global Stocks Extend Slide After Treasurys Hit 3% (Read More)
• Boeing Shakes Off Trade-War Jitters (Read More)
• Why High-Flying U.S. Home Prices Are About to Get Another Jolt (Read More)
• North Korea Nuclear Test Site Largely Unusable, Chinese Scientists Say (Read More)
• Facebook Investors on Alert for Any Evidence of User Defections (Read More)
• Comcast Pursues Sky, Sizes Up Bigger Move for Fox Assets (Read More)
• The ‘Amazon Effect’ Stings Consumer-Staples Stocks (Read More)
• Venezuelan schools emptying as Chavez legacy under threat (Read More)
• Apple’s Tim Cook to Meet With Trump (Read More)
• Arizona Republican declares victory in tight race for House seat (Read More)
• Call Him Mr. Impeachment: Tom Steyer’s War Against Donald Trump (Read More)
• Credit Suisse Reaps Wealth Management Rewards (Read More)
• Takeda Nears Shire Deal as Japan Inc. Chases Growth Overseas (Read More)
• French Police Question Tycoon Bollore for Second Day (Read More)
• Winklevoss Twins Hire Nasdaq to Keep Cheaters Off Crypto Market (Read More)
• Macron’s Pitch to Trump on a ‘New’ Iran Deal Surprises EU Allies (Read More)

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Headlines – 4/25/2018

Trump Middle East Envoy: We Remain ‘Deeply Committed’ to Achieving Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal

Trump’s Mideast envoy: Peace not possible when Palestinians celebrate violence

Jason Greenblatt says Hamas uses Gaza protests ‘as cover to attack Israeli troops’

After U.S. Cuts UN Aid to Gaza, $200 Million Needed in Emergency Food

Algeria sentences to death, imprisonment alleged spies for Isreal

Rabbis push back against warning not to wear kippas in Germany, urge action

‘People Are Very, Very Nervous’: Community Leaders In Brooklyn Warn Of Increased Bias Attacks Against Jews

ZOA says Parkland survivor’s use of Never Again in book title ‘trivializes the Holocaust’

House passes bill to help Holocaust survivors obtain restitution, seized assets

20 civilians killed in ‘Palestinian refugee camp’ in Syria

Putin’s nuclear ‘doomsday machine’ could trigger 300-foot tsunamis — but the worst effects might come from the fallout

Russia says expects to sign deal with India on S-400 missiles sale

Analysis: Everyone’s Talking About Russia’s S-300. Why Now, and Why Should Israel Be Worried?

We May Hit Russian Systems in Syria, Israel Says After Threats of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’

Lieberman: If Syria uses Russian air defense missiles against us, we’ll retaliate

US intel: Arms shipments from Iran into Syria may be used against Israel

Top Iranian official: We’ll ‘choose time and place’ to strike back at Israel

Iranian official: Punishing ‘Zionists’ is inevitable

Israeli minister Lieberman heads to US to discuss Iran ‘expansion’

Iran’s navy commander threatens to sink US ships

Iran pushes app with ‘Death to America’ emoji

Trump: Iran can’t be allowed to develop nuclear weapons

Macron: France, US wish to work on ‘new nuclear deal’ with Iran

Trump: Agreement with France on Iran nuclear deal could come ‘fairly quickly’

Trump threatens ‘big problems’ for Iran

Trump warns Iran against restarting nuclear program, calls deal ‘insane’

Iran warns Trump to remain in nuclear deal or ‘face severe consequences’

Zarif: If US exits nuclear deal, Iran likely will too

Russia and China seek international support for Iran nuclear deal

Oil hits $75 as Iran sanction fears mount

Trump: US seeks to leave ‘strong and lasting footprint’ in Syria

Russia’s Lavrov Says U.S. Has No Intention to Leave Syria Despite What Trump Says

UN, EU call for return to Syria peace talks

Saudi FM Jubeir: Qatar has to pay for US presence in Syria

Syrian troops target ISIS tunnels, trenches in Damascus

Human Rights Watch: Egypt fight against ISIS threatens humanitarian crisis

China fears Kim is moving out of its orbit as South Korea, US talks loom

Trump praises North Korea’s Kim as ‘very open,’ ‘honorable’

Markets fall sharply as tech, industrial stocks pull Dow down as much as 600 points

Colombia’s Migrant Crisis Worsens With Venezuela Nearing ‘Implosion’

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits near Nemuro, Japan

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits South of the Fiji Islands

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Pyu, Burma

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Hihifo, Tonga

Quake in southeast Turkey injures 39

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 14,000ft

Sakurajima volcano on Japan erupts to 10,000ft

Scientists Are Looking Into Gene Editing As A Way Of Saving The World’s Corals

Who is Alfie Evans? Terminally Ill Toddler’s Parents Lose Life Support Battle

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ApostasyWatch Daily News

Mike Ratliff – Godly Discernment vs Hypocritical Judging

Babylon Bee Founder Discusses New Book, ‘How to Be a Perfect Christian,’ Importance of Satire

Dr. Michael Brown in Full Damage Control Mode After NAR Debate

Ryan LeStrange’s New Doctrine Competes with the Sneaky Squid Spirit-Who Will Be the Victor?

Is the SBC Slowly Becoming Catholic?

Megachurch Pastor Les Hughey Scandal: 3 More Women Make Sexual Abuse Accusations

Hindu Radicals Force Indian Pastor to Flee Village After Series of Attacks

Christian Woman in Pakistan Dies After Being Set on Fire for Refusing to Convert to Islam. Posted: 25 Apr 2018 10:20 AM PDT A Christian woman in Pakistan died on Sunday night (April 22) after a Muslim in the Sialkot area set her on fire for refusing to convert to Islam and marry him, relatives said.  Muhammad Rizwan Gujjar poured kerosene on 25-year-old Asma Yaqoob and set her on fire on Wednesday (April 17), resulting in burns on 80 percent of her body, sources said. She and her father, Yaqoob Masih, and her brother Maqsood were at the house where she worked as a domestic worker for Saeeduz Zaman in the Mohalla Pakpura area when the attack took place, according to a police report. Masih, a resident of Mohalla Bogara near Hajipura, stated in the police First Information Report (FIR 171/18) that he and his son had gone to Zaman’s house at 11 p.m. to meet Asma and inquire after the health of Zaman’s ailing mother. READ MORE

RUMORS OF WAR: Arms shipments from Iran into Syria may be used against Israel Posted: 25 Apr 2018 10:12 AM PDT US intelligence is monitoring shipments of weapons systems from Iran into Syria that might be used by Bashar Assad or Iranian forces, CNN reported on Wednesday.  According to the report, the United States and Israel fear the cargo could contain arms that may eventually be directed against Israel. The flights were tracked in the days following the US’s April 14 strike on Syrian regime targets. According to the CNN report, at least two flights by Syrian Air Force IL-76 cargo jets, as well as one Iranian cargo jet, “caught US attention.” Weapons shipments from Iran to Syria are not uncommon. The US Treasury Department has already blacklisted Iran Air, Mayan Air and Yas Air for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  READ MORE

What happened when Jesus died on the Cross? Posted: 25 Apr 2018 06:38 AM PDT In this third message of our series on Hell and the Underworld, We will discuss what took place when Jesus gave up his Spirit on the cross and how it prepared a place for us that where he is, we may be also! For the entire message watch the video below:

Mysterious object projects light beams in Antarctica Posted: 24 Apr 2018 09:44 AM PDT A strange and seemingly artificial light has been spotted in Antarctica which has some people believing there is a secret base or potential UFO there.  The object was spotted using Google Maps and is in the deep ice fields of Antarctica. A black object appears to be emitting a beam of light which has conspiracy theorists scratching their heads. The strange feature was spotted by YouTube user Graham Maple, who operates the popular conspiracy channel Conspiracy Depot. Mr Maple personally believes the light is pointing towards or indicating something.  In a video on his YouTube channel, Mr Maple said: “It appears to be in a remote location, I cannot see anything in the surrounding area of interest . “This is a dark object which appears to be acting as a spotlight or reflecting sunlight onto the mountainside. “One thing I did notice is that there appears to be something on the mountain – it looks like a miniature model of a city. “There’s definitely something of interest for whoever put this here. READ MORE

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This post was originally posted on: https://truth4freedom.wordpress.com

(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist).

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*Please note that the preceding blog post content is formed by my personal conviction, values, worldview and opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.

Parents rally against public school sex-ed over pro-choice, gay rights ideas — Christian Research Network

(Bradford Richardson – Washington Times) “We have had enough, and we’re not going to take it anymore. Canada is a nation that has a Charter of Rights, which include freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. Our rights have been trampled by the sex-ed curriculum in our schools.” “Mom, you won’t believe what my teacher’s…

via Parents rally against public school sex-ed over pro-choice, gay rights ideas — Christian Research Network

As Media Obsesses Over Royal Baby, US-Backed Coalition Bombs Wedding…

04-25-2018 • By Rachel Blevins

While mainstream media outlets obsess over the birth of yet another “Royal Baby,” the news that the United States has supported one of its closest allies in the bombing of a wedding that killed at least 20 people—including the bride—has received significantly less coverage.

The bombing took place at a wedding near Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a, and a report from the Associated Press claimed that the majority of people who were killed were “women and children who were gathered in one of the tents set up for the wedding party in the district of Bani Qayis.”

The bride was killed and the groom was one of more than 50 people who was wounded. Ali Nasser al-Azib, deputy head of the hospital, told the AP that at least 30 children were among the injured—several are suffering from shrapnel wounds and severed limbs, and are in critical condition.

Read Full Story

Keeping the Evangel in Evangelism: Why Evangelicalism Can’t Abandon the Old, Old Story — Banner of Truth USA

The Great Commission stands at the center of Christianity as the command of the risen Lord Jesus Christ for his church to proclaim the name of God in the world for the sake of all nations and God’s glory among them. The church fulfils the commission by making disciples of Christ, teaching them to observe…

via Keeping the Evangel in Evangelism: Why Evangelicalism Can’t Abandon the Old, Old Story — Banner of Truth USA

Russell Moore Joins George Soros’ Mouthpiece to Promote Globalist Immigration Policy — Pulpit & Pen

Russell Moore and George Soros (photoshopped, obviously) Russell Moore recently joined Ali Noorani on his podcast, Only in America, who afterward gave the progressive Southern Baptist leader glowing accolades. Noorani has been called “the mouthpiece” of George Soros, is the national director Soros’ National Immigration Forum, and is a member of the Council on Foreign…

via Russell Moore Joins George Soros’ Mouthpiece to Promote Globalist Immigration Policy — Pulpit & Pen

Educational Fraud Continues — The Patriot Post

Earlier this month, the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress, a.k.a. The Nation’s Report Card, was released. It’s not a pretty story. Only 37 percent of 12th-graders tested proficient or better in reading, and only 25 percent did so in math. Among black students, only 17 percent tested proficient or better in reading, and just 7 percent reached at least a proficient level in math.

The atrocious NAEP performance is only a fraction of the bad news. Nationally, our high school graduation rate is over 80 percent. That means high school diplomas, which attest that these students can read and compute at a 12th-grade level, are conferred when 63 percent are not proficient in reading and 75 percent are not proficient in math. For blacks, the news is worse. Roughly 75 percent of black students received high school diplomas attesting that they could read and compute at the 12th-grade level. However, 83 percent could not read at that level, and 93 percent could not do math at that level. It’s grossly dishonest for the education establishment and politicians to boast about unprecedented graduation rates when the high school diplomas, for the most part, do not represent academic achievement. At best, they certify attendance..

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Why Kim Jong-un Really Froze His Nuclear Testing

Absolute Truth from the Word of God

I’m certain that I was not the only one surprised at Kim Jong-un’s statement that N. Korea would cease their nuclear testing.   Now the real story has surfaced that the combination of the testing and earthquakes in that area proved too forceful for the mountain which caved in and collapsed the nuclear site.

From scmp.com

North Korea’s nuclear test site has collapsed … and that may be why Kim Jong-un suspended tests

The mountain’s collapse after a fifth blast last fall has led to the creation of a massive ‘chimney’ that could leak radioactive fallout into the air, researchers have found.

North Korea’s mountain nuclear test site has collapsed, putting China and other nearby nations at unprecedented risk of radioactive exposure, two separate groups of Chinese scientists studying the issue have confirmed.

The collapse after five nuclear blasts may be why North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared on Friday…

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Is the U.S. Government Evil? – LewRockwell

“The greatest evil is not now done … in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Is the U.S. government evil?

You tell me.

This is a government that treats its citizens like faceless statistics and economic units to be bought, sold, bartered, traded, tracked, tortured, and eventually eliminated once they’ve outgrown their usefulness.

This is a government that treats human beings like lab rats to be caged, branded, experimented upon, and then discarded and left to suffer from the after-effects.

This is a government that repeatedly lies, cheats, steals, spies, kills, maims, enslaves, breaks the laws, overreaches its authority, and abuses its power at almost every turn.

This is a government that wages wars for profit, jails its own people for profit, and then turns a blind eye and a deaf ear while its henchmen rape and kill and pillage.

No, this is not a government that can be trusted to do what is right or moral or humane or honorable but instead seems to gravitate towards corruption, malevolence, misconduct, greed, cruelty, brutality and injustice.

This is not a government you should trust with your life, your loved ones, your livelihood or your freedoms.

This is the face of evil, disguised as a democracy, sold to the people as an institution that has their best interests at heart.

Don’t fall for the lie.

The government has never had our best interests at heart.

— Read on www.lewrockwell.com/2018/04/john-w-whitehead/is-the-u-s-government-evil-you-tell-me/

April 25 Wednesday: Betrayed by a Close Friend

By James Boice on Apr 25, 2018 12:00 am

Having unburdened himself of his troubled inner feelings, the psalmist now turns to the wicked who are wreaking havoc in the city. His description of this evil is in words people who live in cities in our day can readily understand (vv. 9-11).

Read more…

April 25 The True Sabbath

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord. Lev 23:3

The weekly sabbath had begun at Creation. God worked six days and then he rested on the seventh day. God did no work on the sabbath. This was reinstated and renewed in the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai when God reminded his people that the sabbath was at the heart of all his work.

I often hear Sunday referred to as the sabbath. And perhaps you think that is just an old-fashioned word for Sunday. But that is completely wrong. Sunday is never the sabbath, and never was the sabbath! A transference is made of these ideas which is totally unbiblical. The seventh day was Saturday. The first day was Sunday. And Saturday was to be observed as the sabbath, as it still is in Israel today.

Some Christians feel that Christians still ought to observe the seventh day as God’s day of appointed rest. They tell us that we should be worshipping on Saturday, not on Sunday. In their contention that God has never diminished the importance of the sabbath they are absolutely right. For the point of it was that it was a day of rest, and there was to be no labor done on that day. But this was but a shadow, a symbol, and the symbol is never all-important. This observance of a day of rest is a picture of something else that God wants, which is of great significance to him.

In the book of Colossians Paul specifically tells us that the observance of a day is one of those shadows which, for the believer, ended at the coming of Christ (Col 2:16-17). But then what is it that God is after? It does no good to do away with an observance if you don’t find what it is pointing toward and begin to fulfill that. For the reality of the sabbath has always continued. It is given to us, among many other places in Scripture, in Hebrews 4, where the apostle reminds us that sabbath means rest, and that this is a reference to the secret of life. Humans were made to operate out of rest, not out of tension, not out of anxiety, out of pressure. We are to operate in activity which proceeds out of rest.

What is that rest? Again Hebrews 4 tells us. In Verse 10 it says, For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his… (Heb 4:10). That is, on the seventh day of creation, God ceased from all work. He who enters into rest has stopped his own work and is resting on the work of another. So if you learn the principle of operating out of dependence upon God at work in you, and if you don’t try to do it all yourself — but instead learn to rest on what God is ready to do in you and through you and around you, and expect him to do it — then you are observing the sabbath as God intended it to be observed.

Father, thank you for this picture of the Sabbath as a symbol of rest, not just for one day a week, but for every day. Teach me to rest in the finished work of Christ and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

Life Application

High energy performance is standard in our everyday world where rest is considered a luxury. How does this compute in God’s economy? Are we learning the true Sabbath principle, of work out of rest?

Related Message

For more on this portion of Scripture read the message:

God’s Calendar

April 25, 2018 Afternoon Verse Of The Day

112:8Confidence under Attack. Even his enemies do not upset his poise or calm. He is confident that though they might seem to have the upper hand at the moment, yet their downfall is certain, and he is on the winning side.^[1]

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112:8he will not be afraid The psalmist indicates that righteous people—who fear Yahweh (v. 1)—will never need to fear because they will always have Yahweh’s help when faced with enemies.^[2]

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112:8 Trust in the Lord prevents fear (vv. 1, 7). The assured … heart conveys the idea of support (111:8).^[3]

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^[1] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 727). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 112:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[3] Warstler, K. R. (2017). Psalms. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 919). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

APRIL 25 THE PREACHER: SERVANT OF THE LORD AND THE PEOPLE

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God….

1 CORINTHIANS 3:18, 19

Men who are called to be servants of God in the ministry must constantly guard against thinking of themselves as belonging to a “privileged” class.

Our so-called Christian society tends to increase this danger by granting the clergy discounts and other courtesies, and the church itself helps a bad job along by bestowing upon men of God various sonorous honorifics which are either comical or awe-inspiring, depending upon how you look at it.

Seeing whose name he bears, the unconscious acceptance of belonging to a privileged class is particularly incongruous for the minister. Christ came to give, to serve, to sacrifice and to die, and said to His disciples, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” The preacher is a servant of the Lord and of the people. He is in great moral peril when he forgets this. Remember, the clergyman meets religious people almost exclusively. People are on their guard when they are with him. They tend to talk over their own heads and to be for the time the kind of persons they think he wants them to be rather than the kind of persons they are in fact!

This creates a world of unreality where no one is quite himself, but the preacher has lived in it so long that he accepts it as real—and never knows the difference!^[1]

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^[1] Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with tozer: daily devotional readings. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

The Protest That Changed the World: An Interview with John MacArthur

The Protest That Changed the World: An Interview with John MacArthur — Phil Johnson talks with John MacArthur about the historic protest of the Reformation.

Fox News host urges communicators to live out faith

Fox News host Shannon Bream spoke to fellow Christians working in media about the importance of living a daily testimony of faith. Bream spoke during the Baptist Communicators Association workshop on April 20 in Washington, D.C.

— Read on www.bpnews.net/50770