Never before have there been so many biblically significant events unfolding at such an incredible pace -- with the world’s eyes increasingly focused on Israel.

From the DEBKAfile comes this story about US led armada secretly drill bombing Iranian targets and missile defense with Israel
SuperHornets taking off from US carrier
The armada of 10 US warships plus an Israeli and German battle vessel each, which transited the Suez Canal Friday, June 18, has reached the Persian Gulf, DEBKAfile's military sources report.
But first, from June 6 through June 10, the USS Harry S. Truman carrier Strike Group was deployed 50 miles off the shore of southwestern Israel, secretly drilling the interception of incoming Iranian, Syrian and Hizballah missiles and rockets against US and Israeli targets in the Middle East.
This was first revealed by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 449 on June 18.
The fleet let by the Truman then headed for the Persian Gulf through the Suez Canal accompanied by an Israeli missile ship (not identified) and the German missile frigate FGS Hessen F221.
For five days and night, the Truman's sixty F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter bombers took off on simulated bombing missions against targets set up by the Israeli Air Force at its firing range on the Nevatim Base-28, in the Negev desert southeast of Be'er Sheva - one of its three big air bases.
click here for more on this article
I believe there is definitely something beginning to happen.
The man handpicked by President Obama to rescue the flagging American war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, must wage a critical battle on two fronts: Taking on the Taliban while quelling bureaucratic rivalries in Washington that present a serious threat to military morale.
The Pentagon brass joined with members of Congress in universally condemning ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal's sharp criticisms of his civilian superiors, which led to his forced resignation. The choice of Petraeus also received widespread bipartisan approval on Capitol Hill.
But several military experts and commentators say disenchantment with how the administration is fighting the Afghanistan war transcends the loose-lipped McChrystal.
Support for Obama among front-line soldiers and officers has dropped precipitously, according to military journalist, author, and former Special Forces soldier Michael Yon.
Several analysts believe the McChrystal run-in reflects a growing distance between the Obama administration and some in the military. In part the friction appears to stem from infighting among Obama's own advisers.
On the home front, A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack.
Senator Joe Lieberman and other bill sponsors have refuted the charges that the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act gives the president an Internet "kill switch." Instead, the bill puts limits on the powers the president already has to cause "the closing of any facility or stations for wire communication" in a time of war, as described in the Communications Act of 1934, they said in a breakdown of the bill published on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee website.
The committee unanimously approved an amended version of the legislation by voice vote Thursday, a committee spokeswoman said. The bill next moves to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled. For this full article click on the link below:
http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-plan-approved-by-us-senate/?olo=rss
It is a "good day to fly"
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
What About Sun Spots
Matthew 24:6-7 (KJV)
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Every day we see this scripture being fulfilled before our very eyes. I have been reading various articles about the sun spots and how they are going to impact our lives.
According to those who are suppose to know, the Iceland volcano was affected by major Sunspot Cycles that will occur from 2010 to 2015, which will intensify volcanoes, earthquakes, super storms and disrupt satelliteIs.
Eric Hadik, an earth cycle expert, wrote that the Sun shifts polarity during each sunspot cycle hellip; with seven to ten volcanoes expected to erupt in the next five years. Moreover, these numbers could increase with an even higher number of sunspots.
Articles from Wired Magazine: 'The 2012 apocalypse' and the National Academy of Sciences have stated that if the great geomagnetic storm of 1859 occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size predicted for 2013, it could cause $1 to 2 trillion in damages to society's high-tech infrastructure.
We are in the beginning of a major record setting Sunspot Cycle that will increase in intensity periodically up to and into 2015. Eric said the period from 2012 to 2014 may likely be the most intense period of sunspots. These will affect the intensity and frequency of volcanoes, earthquakes, super storms, and disrupt satellites and technologies on earth.
There is actually a very good reason for this 22-year sunspot cycle.
The unique thing about the sun is that it shifts polarity during each sunspot cycle. In effect, what was north becomes south and what was south becomes north (this is evident in the magnetic polarity of the actual sunspots and solar storms).
So, it takes two of these 11-year cycles for the sun to return to a similar polar position.
The more we see and hear, the more we realize that it would be “a good day to fly.”
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Every day we see this scripture being fulfilled before our very eyes. I have been reading various articles about the sun spots and how they are going to impact our lives.
According to those who are suppose to know, the Iceland volcano was affected by major Sunspot Cycles that will occur from 2010 to 2015, which will intensify volcanoes, earthquakes, super storms and disrupt satelliteIs.
Eric Hadik, an earth cycle expert, wrote that the Sun shifts polarity during each sunspot cycle hellip; with seven to ten volcanoes expected to erupt in the next five years. Moreover, these numbers could increase with an even higher number of sunspots.
Articles from Wired Magazine: 'The 2012 apocalypse' and the National Academy of Sciences have stated that if the great geomagnetic storm of 1859 occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size predicted for 2013, it could cause $1 to 2 trillion in damages to society's high-tech infrastructure.
We are in the beginning of a major record setting Sunspot Cycle that will increase in intensity periodically up to and into 2015. Eric said the period from 2012 to 2014 may likely be the most intense period of sunspots. These will affect the intensity and frequency of volcanoes, earthquakes, super storms, and disrupt satellites and technologies on earth.
There is actually a very good reason for this 22-year sunspot cycle.
The unique thing about the sun is that it shifts polarity during each sunspot cycle. In effect, what was north becomes south and what was south becomes north (this is evident in the magnetic polarity of the actual sunspots and solar storms).
So, it takes two of these 11-year cycles for the sun to return to a similar polar position.
The more we see and hear, the more we realize that it would be “a good day to fly.”
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Times, They Are A Changing
US defense secretary Robert Gates reported Thursday, June 17 that the US had overhauled its missile defense plans following intelligence that Iran could fire "scores or hundreds" of short- and medium-range missiles against Europe -in salvoes rather than one or two at a time. The new US program, designed to protect NATO allies, uses sea and land-based interceptors. He did not mention Israel, but these figures mean it has fallen back sharply in the regional balance of strength, even before adding on the thousands of Hizballah rockets.
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. may soon face higher borrowing costs on its swelling debt and called for a “tectonic shift” in fiscal policy to contain borrowing.
“Perceptions of a large U.S. borrowing capacity are misleading,” and current long-term bond yields are masking America’s debt challenge, Greenspan wrote in an opinion piece posted on the Wall Street Journal’s website. “Long-term rate increases can emerge with unexpected suddenness,” such as the 4 percentage point surge over four months in 1979-80, he said.
Turkey will lead a campaign for a worldwide boycott of Israel. Wednesday, Ankara cancelled 16 contracts covering military and intelligence cooperation.
Israel has countered by declaring the IHH a terrorist entity, exposing this bulwark of the Ankara government to Israeli covert operations. In Washington, Democratic and Republican members of Congress announced there would be a price to pay for Ankara's continuing hate campaign against Israel and tight ties with Tehran.
And then there is the on-going saga in the Gulf with the oil spill.
On Wednesday, the Obama administration revealed that Feinberg would take charge of a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate people and businesses harmed by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
It is also interesting to note he is only working "part time!"
"I'm confident he will assure that claims are administered as quickly, as fairly and as transparently as possible," President Obama said in a speech at the White House.
It really is a "good day to fly."
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the U.S. may soon face higher borrowing costs on its swelling debt and called for a “tectonic shift” in fiscal policy to contain borrowing.
“Perceptions of a large U.S. borrowing capacity are misleading,” and current long-term bond yields are masking America’s debt challenge, Greenspan wrote in an opinion piece posted on the Wall Street Journal’s website. “Long-term rate increases can emerge with unexpected suddenness,” such as the 4 percentage point surge over four months in 1979-80, he said.
Turkey will lead a campaign for a worldwide boycott of Israel. Wednesday, Ankara cancelled 16 contracts covering military and intelligence cooperation.
Israel has countered by declaring the IHH a terrorist entity, exposing this bulwark of the Ankara government to Israeli covert operations. In Washington, Democratic and Republican members of Congress announced there would be a price to pay for Ankara's continuing hate campaign against Israel and tight ties with Tehran.
And then there is the on-going saga in the Gulf with the oil spill.
On Wednesday, the Obama administration revealed that Feinberg would take charge of a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate people and businesses harmed by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
It is also interesting to note he is only working "part time!"
"I'm confident he will assure that claims are administered as quickly, as fairly and as transparently as possible," President Obama said in a speech at the White House.
It really is a "good day to fly."
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Be Assured in Tough Times
Hebrews 10:37-39 (KJV)
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 11:1-6 (KJV)
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” It’s interesting how that believing, which is trusting Christ even in the most difficult of times, and suffering are linked together as something that is granted to believers.
Both verbs, believing and suffering, are in the present tense. Suffering is not always a given in a believer’s life and does not always have the same pain in it, but when it occurs it does not defeat a true believer! Instead it activates the faith that Christ alone produces in him to trust God no matter what. You see, faith is the “DNA” of all who believe in who God is and in what God says in His Word.
In Hebrews, we find our text nestled in the context of Jewish believers who, because of intense persecution, were ready to defect back to the sacrifices of animals and endless temple ritual. In fact, many had already defected. Isn’t it interesting that when bad times come, we allow our minds to deceive us into thinking that no one is in control and everyone is on his own? So, we put ourselves into a survival mode and will do even the unthinkable just to escape what we have concluded is the worst thing that can happen to us—death. We tend to forget that God is in control and death has been conquered by Christ on the cross.
In Hebrews 11:1 we see that faith rests on who God is and what He says: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The first thing that we notice is that the definite article is not used here before the word faith. This means that he is speaking of all that true faith is and does! The word “assurance” here is the Greek word hupŏstasis, which refers to that which stands up under and holds something up. Some translators translate it as “substance”. It is the foundation or the ground upon which one builds his hope.
Hupŏstasis was used in a legal sense for the documents that were stored in archives that would prove one’s legal ownership of property and therefore allow him to build upon it. This phrase, then, could be translated “Faith is the title deed of things hoped for.” The Holy Spirit energizes the act of faith by which one receives Christ into their hearts, and that becomes the title deed that God puts into his hand that guarantees the possession of all that God promised him that he hopes for.
Have you fallen into the trap of believing no one is in control since nothing seems to be happening in the midst of your bad circumstances? There can be no greater assurance of our salvation and all the promises that God has given us than the foundation that was laid when you received Him into your life as your Lord and Savior. Our faith rests upon God and all that He has promised in His Word!
So look up, my brother or sister! God is in control, and the foundation that has already been laid in your life is assurance of the things hoped for and the things not seen. All the promises of God are present in Christ!
And that sure makes it “a good day to fly!”
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 11:1-6 (KJV)
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” It’s interesting how that believing, which is trusting Christ even in the most difficult of times, and suffering are linked together as something that is granted to believers.
Both verbs, believing and suffering, are in the present tense. Suffering is not always a given in a believer’s life and does not always have the same pain in it, but when it occurs it does not defeat a true believer! Instead it activates the faith that Christ alone produces in him to trust God no matter what. You see, faith is the “DNA” of all who believe in who God is and in what God says in His Word.
In Hebrews, we find our text nestled in the context of Jewish believers who, because of intense persecution, were ready to defect back to the sacrifices of animals and endless temple ritual. In fact, many had already defected. Isn’t it interesting that when bad times come, we allow our minds to deceive us into thinking that no one is in control and everyone is on his own? So, we put ourselves into a survival mode and will do even the unthinkable just to escape what we have concluded is the worst thing that can happen to us—death. We tend to forget that God is in control and death has been conquered by Christ on the cross.
In Hebrews 11:1 we see that faith rests on who God is and what He says: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The first thing that we notice is that the definite article is not used here before the word faith. This means that he is speaking of all that true faith is and does! The word “assurance” here is the Greek word hupŏstasis, which refers to that which stands up under and holds something up. Some translators translate it as “substance”. It is the foundation or the ground upon which one builds his hope.
Hupŏstasis was used in a legal sense for the documents that were stored in archives that would prove one’s legal ownership of property and therefore allow him to build upon it. This phrase, then, could be translated “Faith is the title deed of things hoped for.” The Holy Spirit energizes the act of faith by which one receives Christ into their hearts, and that becomes the title deed that God puts into his hand that guarantees the possession of all that God promised him that he hopes for.
Have you fallen into the trap of believing no one is in control since nothing seems to be happening in the midst of your bad circumstances? There can be no greater assurance of our salvation and all the promises that God has given us than the foundation that was laid when you received Him into your life as your Lord and Savior. Our faith rests upon God and all that He has promised in His Word!
So look up, my brother or sister! God is in control, and the foundation that has already been laid in your life is assurance of the things hoped for and the things not seen. All the promises of God are present in Christ!
And that sure makes it “a good day to fly!”
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies
You have to watch very carefully as you read the news. Of interest is that Obama is backing the UN in their effort to investigate the flotilla incident, and I think we all know the outcome even before it begins.
And than this week Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) pointed out that if an organization like Hamas was operating out of Canada and threatening US citizens, "America would have a tougher blockade than Israel has."
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama was expected to offer even more money to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas when the latter visited the White House on Wednesday.
An Obama Administration official told Reuters that the money would be aimed at "improving life for the people of Gaza." Isn’t that just wonderful of his humanitarian efforts towards terrorists?
Washington likes to think that by giving the money to Abbas it will stay out of the hands of Hamas. What a joke, because last October, Bassem Khoury, economic minister for the Palestinian Authority, revealed in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that Hamas ends up pocketing much of the money anyway.
And than Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.
In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.
To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.
Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.
The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.
And now, Helen Thomas has new fans in the Middle East. Her journalism career in America may be over, but if 89-year-old Helen Thomas still has the energy, there is an enormous audience willing to hang on her every word in the Middle East.
If by chance you haven’t heard, Thomas was compelled to resign as White House correspondent and columnist for the Hearst newspaper group after she told an interviewer the the Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine." When Rabbi David Nesenoff of Rabbi LIVE asked Thomas where the Jews should go, she callously suggested they return to Germany and Poland, where millions of Jews were massacred during World War II.
Thomas has won mild support from the more left-leaning sectors of the US news media, but among terrorist organizations in the Middle East, she has become an icon.
"Respected American journalist Helen Thomas's answer shows ... a courageous, bold, honest and free opinion which expresses what people across the globe believe: that Israel is a racist state of murderers and thugs," said Hussein Moussawi, a Hizballah terrorist who serves in Lebanon's parliament.
Hamas has also come out in support of Thomas, who is of Lebanese descent.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Nesenoff has been receiving death threats for uncovering the true face of Helen Thomas.
Nesenoff wrote on RabbiLIVE.com that since interviewing Thomas, he has received thousands of pieces of hate mail, some of them calling for the murder of him and his family. Others have said the affair highlights the need for a new Holocaust against the Jews.
It is wonderful to know that the same ones who are seeking the demise of Israel just want to be good “law abiding citizens” of the United States. Maybe I need to point out shirea law.
And why are we building places of worship for Muslims inside our airports?
The Kansas City International Airport has added several foot-washing basins in restrooms to accommodate a growing number of Muslim taxicab drivers who requested the facilities to prepare for daily Islamic prayer, WND has learned.
The move concerns airport police who worry about Middle Eastern men loitering inside the building. After 9/11, the airport beefed up its police force to help prevent terrorist attacks.
"Why are we constructing places of worship for them inside our airports?" said an airport official who requested anonymity. "Why are we catering to their rituals? We don't do it for any other religion."
It sure is looking like “a good day to fly.”
And than this week Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) pointed out that if an organization like Hamas was operating out of Canada and threatening US citizens, "America would have a tougher blockade than Israel has."
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama was expected to offer even more money to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas when the latter visited the White House on Wednesday.
An Obama Administration official told Reuters that the money would be aimed at "improving life for the people of Gaza." Isn’t that just wonderful of his humanitarian efforts towards terrorists?
Washington likes to think that by giving the money to Abbas it will stay out of the hands of Hamas. What a joke, because last October, Bassem Khoury, economic minister for the Palestinian Authority, revealed in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that Hamas ends up pocketing much of the money anyway.
And than Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.
In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.
To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.
Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.
The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.
And now, Helen Thomas has new fans in the Middle East. Her journalism career in America may be over, but if 89-year-old Helen Thomas still has the energy, there is an enormous audience willing to hang on her every word in the Middle East.
If by chance you haven’t heard, Thomas was compelled to resign as White House correspondent and columnist for the Hearst newspaper group after she told an interviewer the the Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine." When Rabbi David Nesenoff of Rabbi LIVE asked Thomas where the Jews should go, she callously suggested they return to Germany and Poland, where millions of Jews were massacred during World War II.
Thomas has won mild support from the more left-leaning sectors of the US news media, but among terrorist organizations in the Middle East, she has become an icon.
"Respected American journalist Helen Thomas's answer shows ... a courageous, bold, honest and free opinion which expresses what people across the globe believe: that Israel is a racist state of murderers and thugs," said Hussein Moussawi, a Hizballah terrorist who serves in Lebanon's parliament.
Hamas has also come out in support of Thomas, who is of Lebanese descent.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Nesenoff has been receiving death threats for uncovering the true face of Helen Thomas.
Nesenoff wrote on RabbiLIVE.com that since interviewing Thomas, he has received thousands of pieces of hate mail, some of them calling for the murder of him and his family. Others have said the affair highlights the need for a new Holocaust against the Jews.
It is wonderful to know that the same ones who are seeking the demise of Israel just want to be good “law abiding citizens” of the United States. Maybe I need to point out shirea law.
And why are we building places of worship for Muslims inside our airports?
The Kansas City International Airport has added several foot-washing basins in restrooms to accommodate a growing number of Muslim taxicab drivers who requested the facilities to prepare for daily Islamic prayer, WND has learned.
The move concerns airport police who worry about Middle Eastern men loitering inside the building. After 9/11, the airport beefed up its police force to help prevent terrorist attacks.
"Why are we constructing places of worship for them inside our airports?" said an airport official who requested anonymity. "Why are we catering to their rituals? We don't do it for any other religion."
It sure is looking like “a good day to fly.”
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
In the past few days things are moving very fast.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he would never deny Jews their right to the land of Israel, according to participants of the two-hour roundtable discussion.
Some 30 Jewish leaders from organizations such as AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations took part in the Washington meeting, which focused mainly on the indirect peace talks and violent "I am sure some people don't agree with him but the fact that everybody showed up was pretty encouraging," one of the participants told Haaretz..
The Palestinian president said during the discussion that he had in the past proposed creating a trilateral commission to monitor and punish incitement, but that Israel did not agree to it.
When asked what he could offer Israelis to show that he was serious about peace initiatives, Abbas reminded the participants that he had addressed the Israeli public in an interview on Channel 10. "Why wouldn't Bibi go to Palestinian TV and do the same?" said the Palestinian president.
"I would never deny [the] Jewish right to the land of Israel," Abbas then declared.
Later on Wednesday, Abbas told Charlie Rose in an interview on PBS that Israel must agree to ceding East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital as a necessary precondition for any peace settlement.
"East Jerusalem is occupied territory. The entire world recognizes that including the United States of America," Abbas told Rose. "We cannot accept any solution that excludes East Jerusalem."
During that interview, Abbas also lauded Barack Obama's administration and its efforts to bring forth a two-state solution.
"This is the first time we hear from a U.S. administration talking about that the solution of a two-state solution is in the vital interest of the United States," said Abbas.
"The two-state solution is no longer only a Palestinian interest or an Israeli interest or a Middle East interest, but it is also an American interest."
This is really making it look as if it would be “a good day to fly.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he would never deny Jews their right to the land of Israel, according to participants of the two-hour roundtable discussion.
Some 30 Jewish leaders from organizations such as AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations took part in the Washington meeting, which focused mainly on the indirect peace talks and violent "I am sure some people don't agree with him but the fact that everybody showed up was pretty encouraging," one of the participants told Haaretz..
The Palestinian president said during the discussion that he had in the past proposed creating a trilateral commission to monitor and punish incitement, but that Israel did not agree to it.
When asked what he could offer Israelis to show that he was serious about peace initiatives, Abbas reminded the participants that he had addressed the Israeli public in an interview on Channel 10. "Why wouldn't Bibi go to Palestinian TV and do the same?" said the Palestinian president.
"I would never deny [the] Jewish right to the land of Israel," Abbas then declared.
Later on Wednesday, Abbas told Charlie Rose in an interview on PBS that Israel must agree to ceding East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital as a necessary precondition for any peace settlement.
"East Jerusalem is occupied territory. The entire world recognizes that including the United States of America," Abbas told Rose. "We cannot accept any solution that excludes East Jerusalem."
During that interview, Abbas also lauded Barack Obama's administration and its efforts to bring forth a two-state solution.
"This is the first time we hear from a U.S. administration talking about that the solution of a two-state solution is in the vital interest of the United States," said Abbas.
"The two-state solution is no longer only a Palestinian interest or an Israeli interest or a Middle East interest, but it is also an American interest."
This is really making it look as if it would be “a good day to fly.”
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Victory In Christ
Have you ever thought about the awesome victory that you and I have in Jesus Christ.
If you follow the news, you can become full of fear and wonder if there is any hope for this world. And when fear enters our live, it causes us to take our eyes off of the Savior, then we begin to loose faith, and when this happens, it becomes sin. And sin separates us from God.
This is what Paul talks about in First Corinthians 10:13-14 (KJV) :
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
So often we quote verse 13, but the 14th verse needs to be acknowledge. Here is a command for us to heed; we are to flee from sin!
Corinth was the sin center of the Roman Empire in Paul's day. It was labeled "Vanity Fair." Its location was about forty miles west of Athens on a narrow isthmus between Peloponnesus and the mainland. It was the great commercial center of the Roman Empire with three harbors, of which two were important: Lechaeum, about one and one half miles to the west, and Cenchrea, about eight and one half miles to the east. Since the time of Paul, a canal has been put through the isthmus, and Corinth is no longer an important city.
Even the ruins of Corinth were lost to history for many years. A fishing village had been built over them. In 1928 an earthquake uncovered them, and now much of the city has been excavated.
The population consisted of Greeks, Jews, Italians, and a mixed multitude. Sailors, merchants, adventurers, and refugees from all corners of the Roman Empire filled its streets. A perpetual "Vanity Fair" was held here. The vices of the East and of the West met and clasped hands in the work of human degradation.
This sounds somewhat like America today.
Religion itself was put to ignoble uses. A magnificent temple was built for the Greek goddess Aphrodite, or Venus as we know her by the Roman name. In it were a thousand priestesses who ministered to a base worship. Those thousand so-called priestesses were actually nothing in the world but prostitutes. Sex was a religion there. I believe that Corinth could teach this generation about sex. However, I think this generation already knows enough about that subject. We are overwhelmed with it ad nauseam today.
Not only was their religion debased, but the Greek philosophy was in its decay also. The city was given over to licentiousness and pleasure. The Isthmian games were conducted here. The people went on in endless discussions. It was into this kind of setting that Paul came, and later he said, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1Cor. 2:2). This was a people given over to pleasure, debauchery, and drunkenness. In fact, they coined a word in the Roman Empire which was to "corinthianize." Believe me, when you would "corinthianize," it meant that you went to the very limit in sin.
It was easy to be “tempted” when you listen to the wrong “voice.” This is why it is important that you take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 cor. 10:5). Why? Where your mind wanders, your feet are sure to follow.
The keynote of this epistle is the supremacy of Christ, the Lordship of Jesus. That is so important for us to note because that is the solution to the problems. You will find here that He is the solution to correct moral, social, and ecclesiastical disorders.
And than we wonder why our country is in the shape it is in!
It sure would be a “good day to fly.”
If you follow the news, you can become full of fear and wonder if there is any hope for this world. And when fear enters our live, it causes us to take our eyes off of the Savior, then we begin to loose faith, and when this happens, it becomes sin. And sin separates us from God.
This is what Paul talks about in First Corinthians 10:13-14 (KJV) :
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
So often we quote verse 13, but the 14th verse needs to be acknowledge. Here is a command for us to heed; we are to flee from sin!
Corinth was the sin center of the Roman Empire in Paul's day. It was labeled "Vanity Fair." Its location was about forty miles west of Athens on a narrow isthmus between Peloponnesus and the mainland. It was the great commercial center of the Roman Empire with three harbors, of which two were important: Lechaeum, about one and one half miles to the west, and Cenchrea, about eight and one half miles to the east. Since the time of Paul, a canal has been put through the isthmus, and Corinth is no longer an important city.
Even the ruins of Corinth were lost to history for many years. A fishing village had been built over them. In 1928 an earthquake uncovered them, and now much of the city has been excavated.
The population consisted of Greeks, Jews, Italians, and a mixed multitude. Sailors, merchants, adventurers, and refugees from all corners of the Roman Empire filled its streets. A perpetual "Vanity Fair" was held here. The vices of the East and of the West met and clasped hands in the work of human degradation.
This sounds somewhat like America today.
Religion itself was put to ignoble uses. A magnificent temple was built for the Greek goddess Aphrodite, or Venus as we know her by the Roman name. In it were a thousand priestesses who ministered to a base worship. Those thousand so-called priestesses were actually nothing in the world but prostitutes. Sex was a religion there. I believe that Corinth could teach this generation about sex. However, I think this generation already knows enough about that subject. We are overwhelmed with it ad nauseam today.
Not only was their religion debased, but the Greek philosophy was in its decay also. The city was given over to licentiousness and pleasure. The Isthmian games were conducted here. The people went on in endless discussions. It was into this kind of setting that Paul came, and later he said, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1Cor. 2:2). This was a people given over to pleasure, debauchery, and drunkenness. In fact, they coined a word in the Roman Empire which was to "corinthianize." Believe me, when you would "corinthianize," it meant that you went to the very limit in sin.
It was easy to be “tempted” when you listen to the wrong “voice.” This is why it is important that you take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 cor. 10:5). Why? Where your mind wanders, your feet are sure to follow.
The keynote of this epistle is the supremacy of Christ, the Lordship of Jesus. That is so important for us to note because that is the solution to the problems. You will find here that He is the solution to correct moral, social, and ecclesiastical disorders.
And than we wonder why our country is in the shape it is in!
It sure would be a “good day to fly.”
Monday, June 7, 2010
THE HIDDEN LIFE
Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV)
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
We are living in a day with very little security. The very thought of "peace" seems so far removed for the moment. So therefore we need to set our sights on things above, and be hid with Christ in God.
The Spirit of God witnesses to the simple almighty security of the life hid with Christ in God and this is continually brought out in the Epistles. We talk as if it were the most precarious thing to live the sanctified life; it is the most secure thing, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most precarious thing is to try and live without God. If we are born again it is the easiest thing to live in right relationship to God and the most difficult thing to go wrong, if only we will heed God's warnings and keep in the light.
When we think of being delivered from sin, of being filled with the Spirit, and of walking in the light, we picture the peak of a great mountain, very high and wonderful, and we say - "Oh, but I could never live up there!" But when we do get there by God's grace, we find it is not a mountain peak, but a plateau where there is ample room to live and to grow. "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me."
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. When He says - "Let not your heart be troubled," if you see Him I defy you to trouble your mind, it is a moral impossibility to doubt when He is there. Every time you get into a personal contact with Jesus, His words are real "My peace I give unto you"; it is a peace all over from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, an irrepressible confidence. "Your life is hid with Christ in God," and the imperturbable peace of Jesus Christ is imparted to you.
That my friend makes it "a good day to fly."
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
We are living in a day with very little security. The very thought of "peace" seems so far removed for the moment. So therefore we need to set our sights on things above, and be hid with Christ in God.
The Spirit of God witnesses to the simple almighty security of the life hid with Christ in God and this is continually brought out in the Epistles. We talk as if it were the most precarious thing to live the sanctified life; it is the most secure thing, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most precarious thing is to try and live without God. If we are born again it is the easiest thing to live in right relationship to God and the most difficult thing to go wrong, if only we will heed God's warnings and keep in the light.
When we think of being delivered from sin, of being filled with the Spirit, and of walking in the light, we picture the peak of a great mountain, very high and wonderful, and we say - "Oh, but I could never live up there!" But when we do get there by God's grace, we find it is not a mountain peak, but a plateau where there is ample room to live and to grow. "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me."
When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. When He says - "Let not your heart be troubled," if you see Him I defy you to trouble your mind, it is a moral impossibility to doubt when He is there. Every time you get into a personal contact with Jesus, His words are real "My peace I give unto you"; it is a peace all over from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, an irrepressible confidence. "Your life is hid with Christ in God," and the imperturbable peace of Jesus Christ is imparted to you.
That my friend makes it "a good day to fly."
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Value Added Tax - A New Hidden Tax?
America’s economy is a mess. United States President Barack Obama’s budget would:
• Permanently expand the size of federal government spending by 3 percent of gross domestic product over 2007 levels;
• Double the national debt to over US$18 trillion;
• Borrow 42 cents for each dollar spent in 2010; and
• Place an additional debt of US$74,000 per household. This money will never be repaid in the current generation. The debt will be passed on the succeeding generations to pay.
Even though the U.S. federal government’s tax revenue has more than tripled since 1965, the budget deficit will top $1.6 trillion in 2010. This spending hike would push spending to $36,000 per household by 2020. Obviously, something has to be done to reverse this trend. President Obama has shown that he is more interested in raising taxes than cutting spending. In his own words, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.” The implication is that an individual is only entitled to so much money; governments (and thus other people) are entitled to the rest.
To finance this continued increase in spending, the federal government is going to have to bring in new sources of revenue. Unfortunately the “revenue well” is almost dry. The total per capita tax burden born by Americans is rising to the high-est level in history. The total taxes paid by an average American household will exceed US$16,000 in 2010. Corporate tax rates are at 35%, compared to 24% for the other OECD countries.
No matter how it would be implemented, the Value Added Tax is a form of servitude. Although some taxation is necessary, all taxation diminishes freedom. Money is a tangible form of time. We trade our time and labor for money. Government, in the form of taxation, takes away some of our freedom because we are forced to give an increasing portion of our time to the government and getting less and less in return.
The Scriptures command us to submit to governing authorities. Jesus Himself said, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. This means Christians must be good citizens, pay taxes, obey laws, and serve (as called) in government. Augustine argued that Christians are to be the best citizens: what others do only because the law demands, we do out of love for God. In these times, more than ever, we need to heed the words of the Holy Spirit as written by Paul to Timothy to pray for our leaders in government, that they govern wisely and with Christian charity.
Truly, today would be "a good day to fly."
• Permanently expand the size of federal government spending by 3 percent of gross domestic product over 2007 levels;
• Double the national debt to over US$18 trillion;
• Borrow 42 cents for each dollar spent in 2010; and
• Place an additional debt of US$74,000 per household. This money will never be repaid in the current generation. The debt will be passed on the succeeding generations to pay.
Even though the U.S. federal government’s tax revenue has more than tripled since 1965, the budget deficit will top $1.6 trillion in 2010. This spending hike would push spending to $36,000 per household by 2020. Obviously, something has to be done to reverse this trend. President Obama has shown that he is more interested in raising taxes than cutting spending. In his own words, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.” The implication is that an individual is only entitled to so much money; governments (and thus other people) are entitled to the rest.
To finance this continued increase in spending, the federal government is going to have to bring in new sources of revenue. Unfortunately the “revenue well” is almost dry. The total per capita tax burden born by Americans is rising to the high-est level in history. The total taxes paid by an average American household will exceed US$16,000 in 2010. Corporate tax rates are at 35%, compared to 24% for the other OECD countries.
No matter how it would be implemented, the Value Added Tax is a form of servitude. Although some taxation is necessary, all taxation diminishes freedom. Money is a tangible form of time. We trade our time and labor for money. Government, in the form of taxation, takes away some of our freedom because we are forced to give an increasing portion of our time to the government and getting less and less in return.
The Scriptures command us to submit to governing authorities. Jesus Himself said, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. This means Christians must be good citizens, pay taxes, obey laws, and serve (as called) in government. Augustine argued that Christians are to be the best citizens: what others do only because the law demands, we do out of love for God. In these times, more than ever, we need to heed the words of the Holy Spirit as written by Paul to Timothy to pray for our leaders in government, that they govern wisely and with Christian charity.
Truly, today would be "a good day to fly."
Friday, June 4, 2010
Rabbis: Flotilla Clash Similar to Gog and Magog Prophecy
The Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria issued a statement Thursday in which it said that the results of the incident in which Israel intercepted a flotilla trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza seem like the Biblical description of "the beginning of the Gog and Magog process where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption."
'Gog and Magog' is a reference is to chapters 38 and 39 in the book of Ezekiel, a part of which is read on the intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot (Tabernacles). These chapters describe a vision of a war where the world is united against Israel that will precede the final redemption of Israel and the world. The prophecy's symbolism involves a prince called Gog of Magog, leader of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, who leads a coalition that includes Persia (Iran), Cush, Phut, Gomer, and Beit Togarmah against Israel. There are various opinions regarding the modern identity of these nations.
The statement explained that while secular Zionism always wants Israel to be beloved by other nations, “the legitimacy of our people is not derived from the nations of the world and their poisonous traditions, rather from the Torah of Israel which teaches us that [Israel] 'is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations'" (Numbers 23:9). They emphasized that there is no reason to be alarmed by the world's condemnation as it is a predicted result of fear of Israel's success.
Verse 9 falls in the passage where Balaam was compelled by God to pronounce a blessing instead of a curse upon Israel (23:7-10). God's people were not to stand upon a level with other nations, but be dignified above them all, as a people near to God, and set apart for him. When God's hand was upon them, they were a people who had all the marks of discipline and order.
This was Israel's praise, though their enemies turned it to their reproach, that they differed from all the neighbouring nations, not only in their religion and sacred rites, but in their diet, and dress, and common usages, as a people called out of the world, and not to be conformed to it. They never lost their reputation till they mingled among the heathen.
America needs to take note. It is the duty and honour of those that are dedicated to God to be separated from the world, and not to walk according to the course and custom of it. Those who make conscience of peculiar duties may take the comfort of peculiar privileges.
I believe what we are seeing today is the beginning of the end of Gentile world domination. God is still in control.
It is a "Good day to fly."
'Gog and Magog' is a reference is to chapters 38 and 39 in the book of Ezekiel, a part of which is read on the intermediate Sabbath of Sukkot (Tabernacles). These chapters describe a vision of a war where the world is united against Israel that will precede the final redemption of Israel and the world. The prophecy's symbolism involves a prince called Gog of Magog, leader of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, who leads a coalition that includes Persia (Iran), Cush, Phut, Gomer, and Beit Togarmah against Israel. There are various opinions regarding the modern identity of these nations.
The statement explained that while secular Zionism always wants Israel to be beloved by other nations, “the legitimacy of our people is not derived from the nations of the world and their poisonous traditions, rather from the Torah of Israel which teaches us that [Israel] 'is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations'" (Numbers 23:9). They emphasized that there is no reason to be alarmed by the world's condemnation as it is a predicted result of fear of Israel's success.
Verse 9 falls in the passage where Balaam was compelled by God to pronounce a blessing instead of a curse upon Israel (23:7-10). God's people were not to stand upon a level with other nations, but be dignified above them all, as a people near to God, and set apart for him. When God's hand was upon them, they were a people who had all the marks of discipline and order.
This was Israel's praise, though their enemies turned it to their reproach, that they differed from all the neighbouring nations, not only in their religion and sacred rites, but in their diet, and dress, and common usages, as a people called out of the world, and not to be conformed to it. They never lost their reputation till they mingled among the heathen.
America needs to take note. It is the duty and honour of those that are dedicated to God to be separated from the world, and not to walk according to the course and custom of it. Those who make conscience of peculiar duties may take the comfort of peculiar privileges.
I believe what we are seeing today is the beginning of the end of Gentile world domination. God is still in control.
It is a "Good day to fly."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Moral Blindness
Do you ever wonder why the people in charge can't do anything right for once?
Do you remember the old adage that the definition of insanity is the continuing repetition of an action that has always resulted in disaster.
Where is good old "common sense?"
What's happened to the courage to do what's right?
Isn't there anyone out there who is willing to stand for principle?
The real question is, "Where is moral courage?"
The ability to perceive His truth is not found by unrighteous men -- men who have not received the gift of salvation and the accompanying ability to inderstand Spiritual things. Without the truth, they apply human "wisdom," with the result that we see every day on the news coming out of our Nation's capitol.
The Apostle Paul put it quiet plainly, in unmistakable language in 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 (KJV)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
It is this "mind of Christ" that we have taken for granted, in a land that was, from its earliest beginnings, guided by Christian men.
Our culture developed beneath a canopy of protrction, as the ubiquitous Spirit of God was spread abroad by a societal majority of Christian faith.
We have always been blessed by the presence of God's Holy Spirit. But sadly, we have begun to take our exceptional qualities for granted.
In the closing decades of the twentieth century, godless men came to power in increasing numbers.
Now in the twenty-first century, we seem posed to give up even the pretense of Christian faith.
We have gone insane!
The only hope is to find salvation by faith in Christ Jesus - ALONE.
It sure is a "Good Day To Fly!"
Do you remember the old adage that the definition of insanity is the continuing repetition of an action that has always resulted in disaster.
Where is good old "common sense?"
What's happened to the courage to do what's right?
Isn't there anyone out there who is willing to stand for principle?
The real question is, "Where is moral courage?"
The ability to perceive His truth is not found by unrighteous men -- men who have not received the gift of salvation and the accompanying ability to inderstand Spiritual things. Without the truth, they apply human "wisdom," with the result that we see every day on the news coming out of our Nation's capitol.
The Apostle Paul put it quiet plainly, in unmistakable language in 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 (KJV)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
It is this "mind of Christ" that we have taken for granted, in a land that was, from its earliest beginnings, guided by Christian men.
Our culture developed beneath a canopy of protrction, as the ubiquitous Spirit of God was spread abroad by a societal majority of Christian faith.
We have always been blessed by the presence of God's Holy Spirit. But sadly, we have begun to take our exceptional qualities for granted.
In the closing decades of the twentieth century, godless men came to power in increasing numbers.
Now in the twenty-first century, we seem posed to give up even the pretense of Christian faith.
We have gone insane!
The only hope is to find salvation by faith in Christ Jesus - ALONE.
It sure is a "Good Day To Fly!"
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