Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Pick a Pack of Proper Preppers - By Steve Schmutzer -
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8613 I leaned back in my chair and watched as my friend carefully lifted out his new stock Remington 700 .308 from its case. He laid the rifle on his lap and fondly caressed its barrel. "I can take out a bad guy from a quarter mile away with this sucker," he said. "If I put a Leupold scope on it, it's a guaranteed kill." I was confused. "How do you know they are a 'bad guy' if they're that far away?" "I'll know," he murmured. I was unconvinced. "Doesn't the right to use a gun for self-defense end at the door?" I asked. I wasn't an expert on these issues, but I'd already checked out my state's laws on that one. He curled his lip and looked at me with feigned disgust. "I'm not talking now. When the SHTF in the tribulation, you won't want to wait till they're on your doorstep firing at you. That's too late." I took a sip of coffee as I thought about my next words. "I don't plan to be around then," I replied matter-of-factly. My friend said nothing. He shook his head and continued his public display of affection with his newest acquisition. He knew better than to argue with me. My friend's a good guy. I've known him a long time and he seems to be a solid Christian. He's active in his church and he's passionate about prayer. He also has a heart for ministry, and he's trying to organize a street outreach team to college students. I can't fault him there since that group needs all the help they can get these days. Somewhere along the line however, my friend jumped on the bandwagon of the Reformed movement. I don't know how or why that happened - but I've watched his journey with mounting concern. A few years ago, he used to devour prophecy-themed books by Arthur W. Pink, J. Dwight Pentecost, and John F. Walvoord. Those were the good old days, and he and I used to have a lot of great discussions. He's since given most of those books to me as he started reading a bunch of authors I was less familiar with. He talks constantly about "the importance of the church," and he's frustrated with any discussion that holds it's different than Israel. He throws out Romans 10:12 and Galatians 3:28 as his primary defenses for seeing "no difference between Jew and Gentile," and he believes this settles the matter. He claims he doesn't subscribe to replacement theology, but his newer notions seem to suggest otherwise. I'm not sure where in his journey my friend became obsessed with The Gospel Coalition, but he's all about it now. He's convinced himself that every passage of Scripture somehow divulges the person and work of Jesus Christ - and I do mean every! He goes to elaborate lengths to explain the "gospel meaning" within verses that are plainly speaking to unrelated matters. All said, my friend is not the same person he used to be. He's made choices to believe things he once didn't. I still remember the day we met for lunch and he told me he'd decided he was a "post-millenialist." I knew what that was, but I wanted him to explain his position to me. In short, he believes we are in the Millennial Kingdom now. He does not believe it's a literal 1,000 years, but "a very long time" instead. He believes the church will grow in its ministry and effectiveness to eventually transform entire cultures around the world, infusing them with prosperity, goodwill, and "kingdom peace." He's sure the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will occur only after this all takes place. He's got one big problem here: the Bible doesn't support any of that. Actually, my friend has several big problems, and they each begin with his decision to doubt that God says what He means and means what He says. His doctrinal gaffes are the offspring of willfully mishandling the Bible. He doesn't believe in a literal Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:2-7; Luke 1:32-33; Micah 4:2-4, et al) because he sees no Biblical significance in national Israel, and he dismisses God's unconditional and unilateral promises to the Jews. He's convinced himself that there's a better meaning within these Scriptures, and he feels self-righteous for discerning their "spiritual application." Because he feels the church will continue to have a greater and more positive impact on the world as time goes on, my friend sidesteps discussions about the rapture. Why remove from the earth the very institution that's - obviously! - making our world a much better place to live? He's lumped the rapture into being one and the same with the physical Second Coming of Christ. He argues that Christ doesn't come back to earth two more times. I agree with him. I've pointed out all the ways Scripture defines these two events differently, but he's quick to spiritualize those details which call his own persuasions into question. It's not hard to see that my friend generally discounts the prophetic Scriptures. Though he once had an appetite to study them, he now claims they are the "nonessential" parts of God's Word. He's condescending to folks like me that would challenge him on that, and he feels "we should be focused on the gospel" instead. I've pondered my friend's belief that the person and work of Jesus Christ is somehow revealed in every verse of the Bible - and the way he disregards the importance and intent of the prophetic Scriptures. Is there a connection? Besides the fact that certain prominent Christian leaders appear to align with my friend's errant views - and it's always easier to tout one's position if "so and so" supports them too - I've come to an unsettling conclusion. There is absolutely a strong connection! If one believes something is there within a particular portion of God's Word when it's really not, then it's no big deal to claim something is not there when it really is! It's the same reckless mishandling of the Bible either way. Neither decision submits one's will to God since both choices engage in an intentional remodeling of His divine truth. And both choices are guilty of dismissing the greater body of God's Word in favor of an "easy-believe-ism" which justifies one's right to rank the importance of Scripture. It all tends to lead to mindless chant-like slogans like "It's all about Jesus" that sound true on the surface but which overlook the proper regard and handling of the entire Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16). Let me make one thing clear about the gospel message. While I believe the greater picture of the Scriptures point to Jesus and His redemptive plan, the granular approach may not tell that same story every time. The gospel message is not always inherent in each verse or even in some passages of Scripture. One is therefore required to take in the complete counsel of God's Word, and that includes all of the prophetic Scriptures. In Rev. 19:10 it says, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The bottom line is: prophecy is designed to reveal the full person and divinity of our Lord Jesus, and as such, we should not discount it. We miss something important if we do. My friend's decision to approach God's Word on his own terms precipitates a conundrum for him: his rationale is not required to follow a consistent logic. He can say in one moment that the church is making everything better in this world, while claiming in the next breath that he can "take out bad guys in the tribulation" with his new, bolt-action boom stick. Are things going to get better, or are they going to get worse? He's saying two different things. It's convenient for him to have it both ways - and in that, he's not alone. Plenty of Christians pick and choose their way through the Scriptures like they're at a buffet. This permits them to hold to whatever beliefs best serve their preferred positions, but it's not right, responsible, or even remotely reverent. And that brings up my earlier conversation with my friend. There are some issues I want to address for those believers like him who are prepping now to go through the tribulation. There are various passages in the Bible that speak to the matter of "saints" during the tribulation. The larger counsel of the Scriptures makes it clear this is a group which comes to saving faith after the rapture and not before it. The reality check that emerges for these people is not a pretty one, and several points are made evident: They are not protected from the impact of God's judgments. In Revelation 7:9-17, John sees a vast multitude in heaven, and the text says they are martyred believers from all parts of the globe. The scene is explained to John, and he learns this crowd came "out of the great tribulation." This underscores a plain fact: people will come to genuine saving faith during this terrible time. The convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-10) will continue then as it does now. But John learns something else about this group - these saints will not suffer "any more." Specifically, they will not face any more extreme hunger or thirst, nor will they need to further endure the scorching sun and heat. Their severe physical, emotional, and mental strain on earth has come to an end. It's clear that the closing years of these martyrs' lives on earth will be desperate times. It will be hard for them to acquire their basic needs of food, water, and shelter. They will live their lives on the run, looking over their shoulders, and doing whatever they can do to survive. The larger Biblical narrative of the tribulation describes God's judgments as far-reaching. Specific texts like Revelation 7:9-17 clarify that it will be a very difficult time for believers too. They are not victorious over the ambitions of the world religion. My friend believes Christians will eventually overcome the corruption of this world and lead it into a glorious spiritual age. He believes the institution of the church is playing this role even now. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The world ahead of us is going to descend into depths of chaos, barbarism, and depravity the likes of which history has never seen (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 11:9-10). There's no sound, Biblical indication that Christians will deter these developments, and that's a much different scenario than my friend anticipates. Organized religion will indeed play a role, but it'll be part of the problem and not part of the solution. Christians will be viciously targeted by a corrupt world religion during the tribulation (Rev. 17:6), and they are not likely to survive this pogrom as the fifth seal judgment of Revelation 6:9-11 makes very clear. The tribulation Scriptures repeatedly emphasize the theme of persecuted Christians during the tribulation. They are murdered "....because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained" (Rev. 6:9). The post-rapture saints are not "victors" by relevant earthly definitions - "victims" is much closer to the truth. They are not insulated against the effect of the global economy. I know a few preppers well - and they're obsessed with being "ready for anything." They are stocking up now so they can sail through the challenges of refusing the mark of the beast. Beans, band aids, bullets, and batteries may be their cliché staples, but are they really ready for what's coming? It's easy to read Revelation 13:16-17 and oversimplify the situation. This passage says those who refuse the mark cannot "buy or sell," but the implications of this are far greater than one's inability to score a Big Mac or sell a bike. The real picture is one of complete economic control. It's an entirely different system one cannot easily avoid and it will own those who are part of it. It will affect everything: taxes, mortgage and car payments, utilities, medical services, school loans, credit cards, and myriad other basic transactional elements we take for granted today. It will be a radical and invasive concept through which a comprehensive new economic structure will flow. Hunkering down with a basement full of goodies might work for a couple weeks, but when bills aren't being paid, mail isn't getting picked up, or other folks get desperate and put "two and two together," it'll be nearly impossible to go unnoticed. And trust me - when the first bullet flies in either direction, the gig is up! And that leads to my last - and most sobering - point about believers in the tribulation. They are not successful against the campaign of the antichrist. Read that again and let it sink in. It's not my conclusion; it's the Bible's. According to the Scriptures, God gives the antichrist "authority" (Rev. 13:5-7). This apocalyptic despot is entitled to his role because God will arrange it. This enables the antichrist to "wear down" the saints and "overcome" them according to Daniel 7:25. Revelation 13:5-7 adds the antichrist is given power to "....wage war with the saints and conquer them." He'll be extremely effective! Satan gets in on the deal too. While God grants authority and power to the antichrist to fulfill His divine sovereign plan, Satan actually gives the antichrist HIS power and "HIS great authority" (Revelation 13:2). Satan's role is a subset of God's intentions. Satan's personally invested - but ironically, he's assisting God's plan! The result is the antichrist is unstoppable. Nothing - and nobody - on earth will be able to stand against him. Everyone will know it and everybody will be talking about it (Rev. 13:4). That's why masses of Christian martyrs in the Great Tribulation are killed for their faith and for their refusal to bow to the antichrist's terms (Rev. 20:4). These believers do not gain the right to reign with Christ because they set up a perimeter and fought off intruders while living on rice and pond water. They will reign because they chose a right relationship with their Lord and Savior over everything else. So let's just cut to the chase here. The antichrist is a tool in God's hands, and Satan - duped by his own pride and ambition - plays right into God's plan. While nothing is out of God's control, the net effect is the tribulation saints will die in innumerable numbers (Revelation 7:9). Their desperate conditions will be the result of facing unparalleled injustices on earth (Rev. 6:10-11). Prepping to go through the tribulation may sound appealing to the mercenary types ("Oh man - I can't wait to waste all the zombies!"), but that's a passion which finds its inspiration more in The Walking Dead than in The Living Word. It's not based in sobriety, and it's certainly not based in a proper interpretation of the Bible. I think it goes without saying that one must choose to have this errant view. If one mocks the prophetic Scriptures (2 Peter 3:3-4), shuns solid teaching in favor of right-sounding pabulum (2 Tim. 4:3), extracts meanings from the Bible that are not there, or refuses to act on the divine truth that is there, then one naturally puts themselves at risk for doctrinal drift. Believers today are reminded that they "....are not destined for wrath" (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10), and the Scriptures teach that the Tribulation timeframe is not about the church. God has different intentions for those seven years, and they do not involve His Bride. Those of us that are part of the church right now are misled if we are prepping to "take out the bad guys from a quarter mile away." Instead, we should be "prepping" our hearts to hear the voice of the archangel and "....to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:15-17). US Slams UN Human Rights Council For 5 More Anti-Israel Resolutions - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2115 US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley slammed the UN Human Rights Council on Friday after it approved a slew of anti-Israel decisions within the framework of its infamous "Agenda Item 7." "Today, the UN Human Rights Council adopted five resolutions condemning Israel," Haley said in a statement. "At the same time, the council adopted only one resolution each against North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Every March, the council sets aside only two sessions to debate human rights violations and abuses in all countries and another entire session just to debate a single country, Israel." "When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, and Syria, it is the council itself that is foolish and unworthy of its name," Haley continued. "It is time for the countries who know better to demand changes." "Many countries agree that the Council's agenda is grossly biased against Israel, but too few are willing to fight it," she noted. "When that happens, as it did today, the council fails to fulfill its duty to uphold human rights around the world." "The United States continues to evaluate our membership in the Human Rights Council," Haley concluded. "Our patience is not unlimited. Today's actions make clear that the organization lacks the credibility needed to be a true advocate for human rights." State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also called out the Human Rights Council on Friday, tweeting, "The anti-Israel bias must stop." Heather Nauert ✔ @statedeptspox Once again, the @unhumanrights Council fails to fulfill its duty to uphold #humanrights around the world. This is unacceptable. The anti-#Israel bias must stop. Other countries must step up. World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer stated on Friday, "The UN Human Rights Council has once again let its biased and obsessive focus on Israel plague its session with its persistence of a standing agenda item dedicated to accusing Israel of wrong-doing and the adoption of a disproportionate number of resolutions containing blatantly one-sided language." "It is inconceivable that the UN Human Rights Council would devote its precious time to drafting and adopting five one-sided resolutions against Israel, while issuing only one each for notorious human rights abusers such as Iran, Myanmar and the DPRK, and just two for Syria," Singer said. "We urge this council to immediately cease its vilification of Israel. This continued relentless focus on the world's only Jewish state will serve only to undermine this council's credibility and its mandate." B'nai B'rith International said it "strongly deplores the five unjust anti-Israel resolutions the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed today. One resolution, which seeks to call into question the legitimacy of sales of military equipment to Israel, provides new evidence that the council is entirely indifferent to the rights and well-being of those on one side of the conflict -- the citizens of the State of Israel defending their right to life, the most basic human right of all." "This resolution passed with 27 votes in favor, four against and 15 countries abstaining," B'nai B'rith International continued. "We condemn Belgium and Slovenia as the only European Union members of the Council choosing to vote in favor of this outrageous resolution. We commend the United States and Australia for taking a principled stand by voting against all five resolutions." "Today's vote again shows that the council has run amok," the B'nai B'rith International statement said. "Only the Security Council can level binding sanctions or an arms embargo, yet when it comes to Israel, the UNHRC has felt empowered over the last few years to create a blacklist of Israeli and multinational companies operating in Palestinian-claimed territory and now threatens states and companies that sell arms that Israel uses to defend itself against hostile regimes and terrorist groups. The council is clearly in urgent need of reform." Nearing Midnight: Growing Globalist Monstrosity - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ An email from a long-time visitor/friend to raptureready.com sparked this commentary. His concerns as he laid out in that email, I'm convinced, fester in the thoughts of many who read this column and others that often deal with Bible prophecy overlaid by the issues and events of these volatile times. My dilemma in presenting his concerns is that I find it difficult to select only portions in order to keep the total number of words as few as possible. So much of what he presents is what I believe is in the minds of so many these days. Admittedly, some of it certainly dwells within the deepest crevasses of my own thoughts. The emailer writes the following, in part: I believed that God put [President] Donald [Trump] in there to be effective for at least four years. But with the Democrat sweep of almost everything in the Virginia state elections (where I live) last November, the Roy Moore disaster in Alabama and now the failure in a Republican district in PA, I am troubled that the Democrats will take back one or both houses in November. There is so much insanity and deception going on in our country ... that I wonder if our Heavenly Father does not want me to be focused on this anymore. The President is hated by most of Washington, including many Republicans, and I see and hear it every day as I work there. The Washington Post is the bible to so many of the people here. I'm really distraught now after all these setbacks since Donald's election. The Lord has not been answering my prayers. I'm sure there are many in the country who are like-minded with me and spend a great deal of their prayer time focusing on these elections. And I'm sure they're as disappointed in these results as I am. And maybe wondering what to do now like I am. I heard J Vernon McGee say we are not to be focused on cleaning up the town or creating good government. I don't really like to hear that as I think that is part of our mission to be salt and light. But maybe I'm putting too much emphasis on it. And God is telling me to let it go or back off on it with all of these dismal results. I'm left to wonder why God put Donald in there if he only gave him two years to accomplish anything. He accomplished a lot for sure including the American embassy move to Jerusalem. I didn't want Donald and the Republican Party to just hold Satan at his line of progression where he was stopped in Nov 2016. I want them to roll back a lot of Satan's progress and restore some of what we've lost before his time ends and the next Obama and that party inevitably take control again. I know this is just a brief respite from the scourge of evil that has overtaken us, and I am ever thankful for that. But I was hoping it would last for at least four years and even eight years, if the Lord tarries and He is willing to let Donald continue into a second term. Now it seems like it will only last two years. I'm starting to wonder why God even bothered if this was all we were going to get! So please give me your thoughts on how much emphasis I should place on this in my prayer life. Why is God allowing evil to take back over again so quickly? How are you approaching this area since Donald was elected? Again, my apologies for using so much quoted material this week, but you can see, I think, the raw emotion in the emailer's words is best left as is in order to get across his concerns. They are representative of many such concerns I've received as of late. I preface this by first addressing one statement this dear brother writes. He says, "God has not been answering my prayers." Let me say that I believe from the perspective of a great number of years of living that God answers the prayers of His children. I hold to the statement that He sometimes answers "yes," He sometimes answers "no," and He sometimes answers "wait." But He always answers the prayers of His children. God answered the prayers of His children who prayed fervently leading up to election day 2016. He gave His people the results they prayed for, most of you reading this will agree. At the same time, the answered prayers of His people were in keeping with His foreknowledge of history as it continues to unfold-i.e., neither His prophetic foreknowledge nor human volition has been violated in any of these strange, often perplexing, developments. God's prophetic plan for the ages continues to roll out unabated, unaffected in any way whatsoever by Satan and His minions-neither demonic nor human. What we are witnessing is Daniel, chapter 2, playing out on a daily basis through hourly headlines. The pace is observably accelerating in prophetic stage-setting-particularly in that involving Nebuchadnezzar's dream-image. The summation in answer to the concerns wrapped up in our emailer's words seems to be God saying "Wait." The Lord is perhaps saying to keep praying and watching the His Mighty Hand at work while end-times prophecy continues to unscroll-not unlike when Moses told the Israelites to watch the Mighty Power of God while Moses held the rod stretched in the direction of the Red Sea. Globalist "Progression" Predicted Our emailer writes, "I didn't want Donald and the Republican Party to just hold Satan at his line of progression where he was stopped in Nov 2016. I want them to roll back a lot of Satan's progress and restore some of what we've lost before his time ends and the next Obama and that party inevitably take control again" Now I want to say respectfully to our friend that neither President Trump nor the Republican Party is going to-or even can-"hold" Satan's "progression." Globalism's progress is a foregone conclusion. It is predicted in a number of places in God's prophetic Word. One such place is in the aforementioned Daniel 2. Daniel the prophet gave Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar the answer to his dream of the gigantic image of a man. The image was composed of four metals and indicated five successive world kingdoms. The feet and toes of the man-image represented the final world humanistic kingdom. That kingdom, Daniel prophesied, would be a revival of the fourth kingdom, which, in history, turned out to be the Roman Empire. The revived form of this fourth empire would, according to Daniel 7 and John 13, be a composite beast-kingdom (a combination of all world kingdoms that preceded it). It would be more evil and world-rending than any that went before or would come after. Jesus even said that this kingdom will produce the worst conditions for Israel and for all of humanity that has ever been in world history (Matthew 24: 1). This is the kingdom we have been watching develop, particularly over the last decade. It was on a very fast track to reach the moment Daniel prophesied, when it will dominate most all people on planet earth. Like I am convinced-and like our emailer-friend believes-the election of this president slowed that progression significantly. But, remember, it was God's intervention, not ours, that did the slowing. The results have been demonic enragement on a global scale, the likes of which have never been experienced. The spiritual warfare described by Paul in Ephesians 6 starkly manifested for all who have spiritually attuned eyes to see and ears to hear. There is a growing anxiety among such Christian observers that it is but a matter of time before the temporary roadblock God put in the way of the globalists' progress will be removed. This is also something prophetically scheduled to happen. The platform for launching the most terrible regime of all history is still being constructed. Antichrist is waiting in the shadows for his time to step into the global spotlight. But, the roadblock the Lord so obviously placed in the path of the globalists building Antichrist's power base will NOT be removed until God says so. The reason it is in place is so the Holy Spirit can speak to the hearts of those who are lost-those who haven't accepted Jesus Christ for the slvation of their souls. So, what are we to do now, as our emailer asks? We are to pray and witness while there is time to do so. This is the primary reason we are here on this planet. We are to lift the name of Christ so the world will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to His saving grace If we concentrate on doing our job-our primary job-our worries about the politics of today and what might happen will fade. After all, we are not appointed to God's wrath (Revelation 3:10), which is the future time ruled by Antichrist. We are to look for Jesus, our "blessed hope (Titus 2:13). When the time of the Gentiles is completed, God's next phase for fulfillment of His prophetic plan will be put into effect. The last person to accept Christ during this dispensation, the Church Age (Age of Grace) will be received into God's family. Jesus will call all living believers into His presence, along with all believers of the Church Age. The cares of this judgment-bound world will be left behind. While we see the globalist monstrosity-the so-called new world order-continuing to rage toward its fulfillment as the power base of the Beast of Revelation 13, let us remember for Whom we are watching (Luke 21:28). Record Setting Crowd at Passover Sacrifice Reenactment - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/104972/record-setting-crowd-at-passover-sacrifice-reenactment/#6Av6FQQ7O4MUWMM6.99 "And when you enter the land that Hashem will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite." Exodus 12:25 The seventh annual reenactment of the Pesach (Passover) sacrifice took place on Monday, bringing the Nation of Israel ever closer to the Third Temple than before. "We can see the Third Temple rising on the horizon," Shimshon Elboim, one of the organizers of the event, told Breaking Israel News. "It used to be just a small group of activists who showed up, but this year, the Passover sacrifice reenactment went mainstream." Approximately 1,500 people, the largest crowd ever, gathered to watch some 20 Kohanim (Jewish men descending from Aaron the Priest) dressed in authentic priestly garments performing the full Passover ceremony as it was in Temple times. The ceremony was accompanied by blasts from silver horns and other musical accompaniment. Two goats were slaughtered and their blood was collected in silver vessels to be spilled out on a model of the altar. The goats were roasted whole in the manner described in the Torah and served to the Jews gathered to witness the reenactment. They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. Exodus 12:8 Mordechai Persoff, head of the Mikdash Educational Center, a non-profit organization for education about the Temple, spoke of the importance in performing the Paschal offering. "This is the only sacrifice that if a Jew does not bring it, he receives the most severe punishment: Karet, being cut off from the people," Persoff explained to Breaking Israel News. "Even though it is a personal sacrifice, it is brought as a nation." Persoff emphasized that this national aspect of the sacrifice was because the very nature of Passover required a consensus of the Jewish people. He referenced the section of Exodus in which Pharaoh offers to let the Children of Israel go to the desert to serve God as long as the kids remain behind. Moses however, refused. Moshe replied, "We will all go, young and old: we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe Hashem's festival." Exodus 10:9 Persoff said that the reenactment reflected the national aspect of redemption. "Every branch of Judaism from Secular to Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox), Ashkenazi and Sephardi, young and old, were all at the event." Persoff said with enthusiasm. "That is how geula (redemption) happens: when all of Israel comes together. The Temple is, after all, where we get together because it is the source of true peace." Monday's reenactment of the Passover sacrifice was held at the Davidson Center, an archaeological park on the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The park stands at the foot of the stairs where individuals walked up to bring their sacrifices to the Temple. Reenacting the 'House of Prayer For All Nations' In previous years, the organizers received permits to hold the ceremony at this particular location only to have the Israeli police cancel the permit over security concerns. Previous reenactments were therefore held much further away from the Temple Mount. "Many Arab language media carried threats from the Waqf (Muslim authority) should the Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice) reenactment take place," Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin, told Breaking Israel News. "But the government decided not to give in to the rule of violence. The permit for the event was signed by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and the police should be praised for their role in helping Jerusalem become a House of Prayer for all Nations." Many prominent rabbis attended, including Rabbi Aryeh Stern, the chief rabbi of Jerusalem as well as Rabbi Yehudah Glick, a Member of Knesset in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and long-time advocate for Jewish rights on the Temple Mount. Citing Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, the preeminent 11th century French Torah scholar who is known by the acronym, "Rashi," Rabbi Weiss explained that the return of the Paschal offering is a significant marker in the Jews' return to Israel "According to Rashi, the Passover sacrifice was only performed once in the desert," Rabbi Weiss explained. "Because of its nationalistic nature, it was not offered again until the Jews entered the land of Israel. "The Jewish return to Israel and the end of exile will not be complete until the Passover sacrifice is reinstated in its proper place and at its proper time." Daily Jot: Activist Journalism and deceit - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com When I was in journalism school in the 1970s there was a new style of journalism that was creeping into the American culture. It started in happy talk news casts and morphed into do-gooder pieces disguised as investigative reporting. You would see newscasters talking about something good that happened in the community because channel whatever's investigative team took the establishment to task for violating someone's rights. This was called advocacy because it used the power of journalism to take a side-something true journalists were not supposed to do. Over the years, this has morphed into activism journalism where journalists take a political position while still posing as journalists. Various pollsters have surveyed the media and have found that well over 90% of them vote Democratic and support Democratic issues, which in today's terms means they are progressive, a polite term for communistic. When you marry the communist with the activist journalist, you get a hybrid that promotes communist propaganda and supports the most communist political position available. This a true danger, among many, to the Constitutional Republic that the communists want to deconstruct and pillage. Today's journalism is an excellent case study in activism. So-called journalists disguise their activism by passing it off as unbiased reporting. It has the look and feel of news, but it's propaganda. Let me pose an example. The progressives want to take down President Donald Trump. There is no greater goal they have. They know that traditional Americans have a distaste for politicians cheating on their wives, so they have filled the airwaves, internet, and print sources with stories about the President sleeping with porn stars and Playboy models. One would think that's all this President has done, although it's reporting on events years ago. Let's rewind. President Bill Clinton is having an affair with an intern in the Oval Office. The media, who wants to protect Clinton because he is a fellow progressive, says that what he does in his private life is his own business. The media castigated Clinton's many victims. No doubt, the media also used a different standard with the immediate ex-"president," who allegedly had many exploits at an all-male Chicago bathhouse, and homosexual affairs with Donald Young, Larry Sinclair and others. The media refused to report on these past encounters because what a person does in his private life is his own business. But when it's someone who opposes their progressive agenda, as does Trump, the private life suddenly becomes public interest. Proverbs 6:16-19 says the Lord hates these six things: "A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren."--Pretty much a description of modern activist journalism and their brand of politics. Daily Devotion: The Lord's Supper - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. -1 Corinthians 11:27-28 Matthew 26 contains one of the most well known events in human history and certainly the most famous meal ever eaten, the Last Supper. As the disciples sat together, Jesus said, "'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood'" (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Jesus, as He often did, was speaking symbolically. To say He was speaking literally here does not fit with the word pictures He often used. After all, Jesus said He was the Bread of Life. And didn't He say that He was the Door? So, do we insist that Christ is an actual loaf of bread or a door? Of course not. Nor should we insist that the bread and the contents of the cup are actually Christ's body and blood. There is no evidence of a supernatural process that transforms the cup's contents into Jesus' blood and the bread into His flesh. Therefore, as we participate in Communion, we don't want to overly mystify what it represents. We don't want to think of the bread as flesh and the cup as containing blood. On the other hand, we don't want to devalue Communion by thinking it means nothing. Clearly, the Scriptures warn us about taking part in Communion without recognizing its significance (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-30). The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy. So it is with great respect and reverence that we come to the Communion table, recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross. FROM THE HEART
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