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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Easter Eggs - By Pete Garcia -
http://rev310.com/2019/04/easter-eggs For many of my more seasoned readers, the term Easter eggs is often associated with the wistful, nonsensical, and commercialized holiday that has been seemingly absconded by non-Christians so they do not feel left out in what orthodox Christians consider the most holy of holidays. This begins with Palm Sunday and run through Resurrection Sunday. However, in the modern vernacular, and in particular, this article, the Easter egg refers to what has become the modern adaptation of it...i.e., the hidden symbols, references, pictures, etc., that are now seemingly commonplace in more and more films/movies in production today. These Easter eggs often either foreshadow movies yet to come, or pay homage to some movie or past events. Over the past 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in large part, due to its heavy usage of Easter eggs in its movies. In 22 separate movies, Marvel has successfully managed to intertwine a larger narrative connecting the films in a way never been done before (in size and scope) due in large part, to the heavy usage of Easter Eggs and post-credit scenes. This has been successful in building up and foreshadowing what would come next in the MCU's future. In fact, there has been a slew of cottage industries built up around trying to decipher all this on YouTube and other video outlets. With Marvel's crown jewel culminating at the end of this month with Avenger's Endgame, you can expect the Easter eggs to be as thick as a North Korean minefield. Nevertheless, as ingenious as people think Marvel are for using this sort of clever marketing, they were not the first to use the Easter egg. In fact, the inventor of the Easter egg was God Himself when He dropped into the Garden of Eden and personally delivered the mother of all Easter eggs in Genesis 3, when He condemns the serpent for his role in man's downfall. This foreshadowing is the Protoevangelium. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel Assessment In understanding the significance of the Protoevangelium, we first note, that the angelic host were eyewitnesses to the creation of the universe itself (Job 38:4-7). They understood how the things worked at probably a more elemental level than we ever could, because they saw God create it. Now, I have to get into a little bit of conjecture here, because both we do not know and Scripture does not go into detail about what I am about to say. It is an assumption on our part to assume Satan was probably not physically present when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden. Nevertheless, it is also reasonable to assume that Satan has some basic understanding of human anatomy after stalking and studying the pair as they interacted in the Garden. He at some point came to realize that men have seed, and women have eggs. So after his successful efforts at corrupting the pair through tempting them to break God's singular commandment, his prophetic "dressing down" by God in Genesis 3:15, was cryptic enough to probably drive Satan crazy for the next 1,656 years (from Adam to Noah). During this time, Satan attempted to genetically corrupt mankind in an attempt to prevent this Savior from ever being born. After the flood, Satan started getting wise to God's plan as He began to narrow His focus down to just one man (and offspring), with that man being Abraham. For the next two-thousand years, we see numerous attempts by Satan to wipe out the Hebrews/Israelites/Jews beginning with Pharaoh and ending with King Herod. Now things start to become very interesting. Due to the narrowing process we see begin with Seth (Adam's third son), to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, etc., Satan understood that this Savior would come from the race of Jewish people. He would have to be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and probably understood that He would either have to come from the tribe of Judah (the Kings) or Levi (the Priests). Therefore, you can bet Satan began closely watching these two tribes. Furthermore, since Moses was the first to record Scripture (circa 1500 BC), Satan did not have any literary (scriptural) references to lean on to determine whether this Messiah had yet come or not. For all he knew, Moses could have been the Messiah. This may answer the question as to why he and Michael fought over the body of Moses after his death (Jude 1:9). However, seeing that he was still around (uncrushed), Satan had to conclude that Moses was not the Messiah after all, and that someone else was still yet to come. Satan then resorted to using his influence over the Gentile powers to either enslave or destroy the Jewish people. He began by corrupting them, and causing them to divide the nation in two, with Israel remaining in the north, and Judah remaining in the south. He then stirred up the Assyrians against the northern kingdom, and later, the Babylonians against the southern kingdom. Satan used (and is still using) the influence of Gentile powers to ultimately destroy Israel. His goal was to keep as much pressure on them as possible, and did so through the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, pagans, Muslims, and in these days, pretty much everyone. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5 It was during the time of the Romans, that a boy named Jesus was born. Although the angels announced His birth, it was only to a select few shepherds who were out in the middle of nowhere. It would not be until Jesus was around the age of two, that His arrival would be publicly heralded with the arrival of foreign, gentile wise men. This strange arrival of foreign dignitaries must have signaled to Satan, something divine was afoot. He immediately stirs King Herod to issue a kill-order and have all the boys under the age of two in and around Bethlehem, put to death. Probably watching Him from a distance, but doing nothing to stand out, Satan probably dismissed Jesus of Nazareth several times simply because He did not fit the "type" of hero Israel was looking for. He was not Moses-like. He was not Elijah-like. He was not even tall and good-looking like Saul had been. For all intents and purposes, Jesus was just your average-Joe. I believe that Satan did not even consider him a "Messiah-candidate" until His baptism at the age of 30. Even then, Jesus immediately departed into the desert to fast and pray for the next forty-days. Probably more curious than convinced, Satan proceeds to test Him as the hunger pains kicked into high gear. And at His weakest point (physically speaking), Jesus rebukes Satan three times not by showing His power, might, and true identity, but by using Scripture. For the next three and a half years, Jesus would perform miracles, raise the dead, and preach the kingdom gospel. Yet, from Satan's perspective, there wasn't anything Jesus did that had not already been done by those prophets of old who had come before Him. Moses healed the sick and performed great signs and wonders (the Ten Plagues, Mt. Sinai, etc.). Elijah raised the dead. Most of the prophets did miracles and wondrous things, or had revealed to them great prophetic truths. Jesus considered John the Baptist the greatest of all who had come before him and yet, Jesus did not prevent even him from being beheaded (Mark 6:14-29). I bet at this point, Satan was thoroughly confused as to who Jesus really was. The Apostle Paul would later confirm this confusion when he wrote in 1st Corinthians 2:8, But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory; which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would have not crucified the Lord of glory. So shrouded in mystery was Christ that He told his disciples (Matt. 16:20) and others who had figured out who He really was, not to tell anyone (Mark 3:12, 5:43, 8:30, Luke 8:56, 9:21). He did that so everything could be carried out to its natural conclusion, which of course we know now, meant Him dying on the Cross of Calvary (Matt. 16:21). In fact, it would not even be until the Palm Sunday of the Passion Week that Christ would allow anyone to publically worship Him as Messiah (Luke 19:28-40). Moreover, when He did, the Pharisees went into hysterics. However, Jesus told them very clearly that if the people did not worship Him, the stones themselves would cry out, because that in this your day (Luke 19:42) they should have recognized Him as the Messiah (Dan. 9:24-26). This prophecy had been given to the Prophet Daniel while the Jew's were still living in captivity in Babylon. Satan must have known that particular message (the 70 Week's Prophecy) was important, which is why he sent the prince of Persia (a fallen angel) to try to prevent Gabriel from being given further understanding regarding these future prophecies to Daniel. (Dan. 10:12-13). At his breaking point, Satan had finally had enough from Jesus of Nazareth. He stirred the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Zealots into enough of a hysteria (think Jesus Derangement Syndrome) that these opposing groups were now collaborating and plotting to kill Him. They would break their own rules, the Law, and every protocol to take Jesus down at any cost. They flipped one of His disciples (an insider) to betray Him for 30 pieces of silver and Judas handed Jesus over to the Jewish authorities on the night before Passover. Word spread quickly throughout the Sanhedrin that they had finally caught this Jesus guy, and they hastily threw together a kangaroo court and quickly arrayed a bunch of "witnesses" against Him. So quickly was this all done, that the witnesses did not even have time to get their false charges straight, so that their testimonies were contradictory. Nevertheless, the court was just a show so that the Pharisees could claim some legitimacy in condemning Jesus to death. They were determined to condemn Jesus as a heretic, and wanted to make an example of Him by putting Him to death in the most horrific, embarrassing, and painful way they could, which was death by Roman crucifixion. Such was their hatred for Jesus, that they probably thought stoning was too good a death for Him. They then dragged Him from the Sanhedrin, to Pontius Pilate, on to King Herod, before going back to the Romans. Pilate found no fault with Him and even washed his hands of the whole event. He gave the people a choice as to who they were to free, and the people loudly cheered for the scoundrel named Barabbas. The Pharisees stirred the crowd up to demand for blood. They were probably were proud of themselves at that moment, finally convicting a man who for three and a half years wrecked their moneymaking ministries surrounding Temple worship. The Romans stripped Jesus naked, whipped Him so badly that His ribs were exposed through His back. They placed a purple robe on Him and a crown of thorns on His head, and then made Him carry His own cross to the place of His execution. They did all this while they pulled His beard out, struck Him, and mocked Him. Once He got to Golgotha (Calvary), they stripped the robe off His back, which reopened the whip-wounds that would have already started to dry. They laid Him on the cross, nailed His hands and ankles to the wood with large iron spikes. They then hoisted Him up vertically so that all of His weight would be placed on His ankles. Consequently, this caused Him to suffocate and forced Him to have to push up on His ankles in order to breathe. Aside from the shame of being made into a public spectacle without a shred of decency or dignity, Jesus was at this point, in a tremendous amount of pain. The Romans stripped Jesus naked, whipped Him so badly that His ribs were exposed through His back. They placed a purple robe on Him and a crown of thorns on His head, and then made Him carry His own cross to the place of His execution. They did all this while they pulled His beard out, struck Him, and mocked Him. Once He got to Golgotha (Calvary), they stripped the robe off His back, which reopened the whip-wounds that would have already started to dry. They laid Him on the cross, nailed His hands and ankles to the wood with large iron spikes. They then hoisted Him up vertically so that all of His weight would be placed on His ankles. Consequently, this caused Him to suffocate and forced Him to have to push up on His ankles in order to breathe. Aside from the shame of being made into a public spectacle without a shred of decency or dignity, Jesus was at this point, in a tremendous amount of pain. So rushed was the day that the Pharisees and onlookers probably lost track of the time and forgot that this was also the exact same time when the sheep were being taking to the temple for slaughter. Satan and his host watched eagerly through the veil, even mocking this Jesus of Nazareth from the demonic realms (Ps. 22:12). After having been on the cross for six hours, Christ cried out My God My God, why have you forsaken me? Shortly after, He gasped and gave up the spirit and died. (See here and here for a clearer picture of the timeline) Who Do You Say That I Am? I know what you are thinking. Wait a minute Mr. Pete, are you telling me that Satan and his minions did not know that Jesus was God come in the flesh? Some of you might even be thinking back to specific instances where when confronted face to face, the demons instinctively knew who Jesus was (Luke 4:31-37, 41, 8:26-32). Christ may have allowed this in certain circumstances, but it was usually in the company of a very few, and in large settings (Lk. 4:31-37, 41) He commands the demons to keep quiet. Bottom line is that these lower level servants of Satan seemed to see more than their master. However, I am willing to be a pretty penny that Satan probably believed Jesus to be only a human Messiah. If he believed Him to be like a Moses, or David, he could tempt them. Besides, Satan had success previously with every human God raised up. The Old Testament is chock-full of instances where the Patriarchs and the Prophets failed in one degree or another. He may have even suspected there was something more to Jesus than meets the eye, but would not have suspected that God Himself would become part of His own Creation. Do you remember Satan's second lie in the Garden? That if they (Adam and Eve) ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would become like God, knowing the difference. Satan would have never suspected that instead of us becoming like God, that God would become like us to redeem us. Even if Satan did suspect some divine play afoot, he could not possibly know what His end game was. Jesus talked so much about the kingdom, and bringing in the kingdom, that a premature death would have effectively squashed that idea. Remember, that when Jesus was in the desert for forty-days, one of the temptations Satan tempted Him with, was all the kingdoms in the world. What he was really saying is, if you want people to worship you and for your message to spread worldwide with zero resistance. All you have to do is worship me and I will hand it all over to You (Luke 4:5-7). Of course, we know how that turned out. Jesus shot him down quick, fast, and with finality. Another couple of things to remember is the role of the Trinity in the Old Testament.
However, the Son was hidden. The only mention of the Son we get is when He appears as the Angel of the Lord in what we now call the Christophanies. How can I be sure God the Father walked with Adam in the Garden? Well, considering the macro picture of the entirety of Scripture, the whole point for the Son to come, was to restore what was lost there, which is to say, man's unfettered fellowship with His Creator. We see in Ezekiel that before Satan fell, there was One who seems to have both "an appearance of a man" whose throne was high above the Cherubim. Perhaps He was hidden in some form or fashion from the Angelic hosts, although they were aware of One above them. This may add credence to Satan's misunderstanding and belief that God would never stoop so low as to become a human. However, we are not told how much the Angels knew about the Son, or the Trinity for that matter. What we do know is that the human form Jesus took at His incarnation, would be completely new and unknown to the fallen angels. I believe that those demons, who instinctively knew who Jesus was, probably sensed that overpowering divine nature in the same animals often could sense an earthquake is going to happen before it does. We also know that the form Jesus took in His incarnation is the form He will likely as appear forever. In Revelation 5, Jesus (although addressed as both a lion and a lamb) still bears the marks of His crucifixion. I am not going to credit Satan with either being an idiot or being smarter than God is; I will simply say that as clever as Satan is, God was effectively able to shield what His plan really was from him. Perhaps the demons were permitted to see through Jesus's flesh to His true nature, but Satan was not. Perhaps this added to Satan's confusion as to what was really going on. Perhaps Satan was temporarily blinded and unable to see what was going on. Of course, these are things we cannot prove one way or another, this side of the veil. Conclusion The origins of Easter Eggs (in the foreshadowing sense of the word), begins and ends with God our Creator. As One who declares the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:9-10), there are no surprises to Him. However, why hide those gems in the Old Testament? Why just not come outright and say that Jesus would do x, y, z and not give any room for doubt for anyone to believe Jesus is the Christ? The veiling of the Old Testament reminds me of a quote by Sun Tzu when he said, All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. - Sun Tzu, the Art of War If a 5th century BC Chinese general can understand good strategy, shouldn't the Creator of the universe understand that all the better? Make no mistake brothers and sisters, there is a war afoot. Satan (our enemy) is cunning, crafty, murderous, and the very incarnation of evil. He is desperate, which makes him exceedingly dangerous, and will not rest day or night until he thinks he has won. Moreover, he has untold legions at his disposal that seeks our destruction daily. The Apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:12 that...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. However, the war is not between God and Satan anymore, that battle was won two-thousand years ago at Mt. Calvary. The Old Testament was purposely cryptic, to keep God's plan on a "need to know" basis. This ultimately culminated at the fullness of time, when all hope seemed lost and Christ hung on a wooden cross between two thieves, naked, beaten half-dead, mocked, and seemingly abandoned. Yet, the writer of Hebrews noted this is what Christ came to do, for this moment in time, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, fulfilled the Protoevangelium by crushing that serpent of old's head by sacrificing everything at the cross. And crush him He did. At the cross, Christ did what no human could ever do, which was, to live a sinless life, and die an undeserving death. In the process, He conquered death and hell taking ownership from Satan over both. This is why He could raise Himself from the dead, because death had no hold over Him. Furthermore, His death provided for us, a way across the unbridgeable chasm between an unapproachable and completely holy and righteous God, and a fallen and flawed human being. We are given Christ's righteousness when we place our faith in His finished work at the cross. This is the true meaning of Easter. We celebrate the original and ultimate Easter egg by Christ's victory at the Cross. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Even So, Maranatha! What Is Behind the Opposition to Peace with Israel? - by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14020/opposition-peace-israel Peace with Israel is purportedly a form of surrender and submission that will harm the dignity of Arabs and Muslims. This is the theme of a massive campaign being waged by Palestinians and other Arabs in preparation for the announcement of the US administration's plan for peace in the Middle East, also known as the "deal of the century." The plan, according to US officials, is expected to be announced sometime after the general elections in Israel, slated for April 9. The latest campaign is designed to thwart the "deal of the century" and terrorize Arabs and Muslims who may wish to accept the US administration's peace plan. As part of an effort to raise awareness to the dangers of the "deal of the century," an increasing number of Palestinians and Arabs are now trying to explain to their people why peace and normalization of ties with Israel is totally unacceptable. The latest effort came in the form of an online campaign called "The International Anti-Normalization Campaign." The organizers of the campaign say they are worried that some Arab states and leaders may cooperate with the "deal of the century." They are concerned because they see that some Arab states and leaders are already engaged in various forms of normalization with Israel. The campaign clearly aims to send a warning not only to ordinary Arabs and Muslims, but also to their leaders, about the "dangerous repercussions" of making peace with Israel. According to the organizers of the anti-peace campaign, "normalization [with Israel] is the miserable outcome of a culture of surrender and submission" -- and concessions and peace are only shameful and degrading. For them, the words peace and compromise (with Israel) seem associated with extremely negative connotations such as retreat, defeat and surrender. Recognizing Israel's right to exist is also seen by many Arabs and Muslims as a humiliation to their values, their culture, their political power and their economic traditions. They have been educated to see Israel as an alien body and a "colonial project" planted in the Middle East by Western powers. They therefore cannot accept the presence of Jews -- in what they regard as their own sovereign state -- on lands they believe belong solely to Muslims. Even Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is often described by Western media outlets and officials as a "moderate" and "pragmatic" Arab leader, shares the view that Israel is nothing but a "colonial project." In a speech before PLO delegates in Ramallah last year, Abbas quoted Egyptian intellectual Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri, saying: "The functional nature of Israel means that it was evoked by colonialism in order to fulfill a specific function, and thus it constitutes a colonialist enterprise that has nothing to do with Judaism." Abbas added: "[Oliver Cromwell] came up with the idea of transferring the Jews from Europe to the Middle East... because they wanted this region to become an advanced post to protect the interests and the convoys coming from Europe to the East... He asked Holland, which owned the largest fleet in the world, to transfer the Jews, but the project was unsuccessful. This was in 1653." In the past year, Abbas has also repeatedly announced his rejection of the unseen "deal of the century." He has referred to the plan as a "conspiracy" and the "slap of the century." How then can he turn to his people and suddenly accept it -- or any deal that might recognize Israel's right to exist? "Normalization [with Israel] is tantamount to defeat," explained Mohammed al-Adloni, secretary-general of an anti-Israel group, "The International Coalition for Supporting Jerusalem and Palestine." He went on to warn that making peace or normalizing ties with Israel would constitute a threat to the "consciousness" of Arabs and Muslims. Making peace with Israel, al-Adloni said, would be like "a complete occupation of the consciousness [of Arabs and Muslims]." Al-Adloni and other anti-Israel activists in the Arab and Islamic countries appear worried that, should they make peace with the "Zionist entity," their people might be exposed to democratic values and freedom of expression. They seem concerned that Arabs and Muslims wake up one morning and start demanding free and democratic elections like the ones held every few years in Israel. The anti-peace camp in the Arab and Islamic world appears not to want its people exposed to advanced Israeli technology, including medical care. This camp seems to want its people to continue living in misery and under dictatorships, so that it is easier to recruit people to jihad against Israel and the West. Also, if people are lifted from poverty and misery, and their living conditions are improved so they begin to enjoy the fruits of modern civilization, there is a chance that Arabs and Muslims will move away from Islam and even start endorsing the inadmissible values of the West. This camp, extremists, seem not to care about lowering the high rate of unemployment among Arabs and Muslims, improving the living conditions of its people or offering young Arabs and Muslims hope for a better future. They seem instead to want their people to continue living in misery so that their anger, again, can be directed more easily towards Israel and the West. The anti-Israel campaign in the Arab and Islamic world sees peace with Israel -- and not failed leadership, bad economic policies and corruption -- as the biggest threat to Arabs and Muslims. The message that the anti-peace activists are sending to their people says: "Peace with Israel is the worst thing that could happen to us Arabs and Muslims because these Jews will invade our minds and our culture." Yasser Qadoura, who represents a Lebanon-based group called "The Popular Committee for Palestinians in the Diaspora," says that his organization is now making a big effort to educate Arabs and Muslims about the "dangers" of peace and normalization with Israel. He said that his followers and he are planning to publish a "list of shame" containing the names of Arabs and Muslims who are caught promoting peace and normalization or trying to make peace with Israel. Anyone whose name appears on the list will immediately be denounced by Arabs and Muslims as a "traitor." Treason, in many of the Arab and Islamic countries, is a charge punishable by death. The "list of shame" would therefore be seen by Arabs and Muslims as a license to kill anyone who dared even to talk about peace with Israel. Last month, a large group of Arab and Islamic activists who met in the Lebanese capital of Beirut ruled that "all forms of normalization with the Zionist entity are an act of treachery." According to the group, an Arab or Muslim who even engages in sports, cultural and artistic activities with the "Zionist entity" would be considered a "traitor." In the eyes of the Arab and Islamic activists, including Islamic religious leaders, anyone who plays soccer or attends a cultural event with a Jew would be condemned as a "traitor." If and when US President Donald J. Trump's administration finally publishes its plan, it will discover that many Arabs and Muslims have already launched a campaign of intimidation to stop their leaders from making peace with Israel. If an Arab or Muslim child is prohibited from playing soccer with a Jew, how can the Trump administration expect the Arabs and Muslims to recognize Israel's right to exist? The Trump administration will soon discover what every child in the Arab and Islamic world already knows: that the Israeli-Arab conflict is not about a settlement or a checkpoint or a security fence, but about Israel's very right to exist in the Middle East. The Trump administration will also learn that peace with Israel is seen by many Arabs and Muslims as nothing but an unacceptable threat that must at all costs be stopped. Every Day - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/04/07/every-day-daymond-duck/ It is not too unusual to hear someone say, "Bible prophecy is shaping up or being fulfilled every day." This is a day-by-day report of events from Mar. 24-30, 2019. Sunday, Mar. 24: Sean Osborne (escatologytoday.blogspot.com) wrote that some are anticipating violence over Pres. Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory. Monday, Mar. 25: Pres. Trump signed the document recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Prime Min. Netanyahu was in Washington, D.C. for the signing; and violence erupted when terrorists fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel that struck a house and injured seven people including two children. Mr. Netanyahu cut his visit short, ordered the deployment of two divisions of troops to positions near Gaza, and called up 1,000 reservists. 60 more rockets were fired into Israel, and Israel struck dozens of targets in Gaza. Tuesday, Mar. 26: Terrorists fired 30 more rockets into Israel; the IDF struck 15 more targets in Gaza; and Prime Min. Netanyahu deployed more troops to positions near Gaza. An anonymous senior terrorist was quoted in a newspaper as saying Monday's terrorist attacks on Israel were ordered by Iran. Officials in Egypt confirmed that the Iranians instigated the violence against Israel. Wednesday, Mar. 27: Terrorists fired more rockets into Israel; the IDF struck more targets in Gaza; the IDF launched a major attack on Iranian targets in Syria; and some reports said there were loud explosions at Iranian sites in Syria for several hours. Thursday, Mar. 28: Prime Min. Netanyahu continued to strengthen Israel's forces near Gaza; he said an invasion of Gaza is a last resort; and he said Israel will continue efforts to prevent Iran from building up its weapons and forces in Syria. Friday, Mar. 29: Palestinians and terrorists tossed hundreds of firebombs and grenades at Israeli troops, and these were answered with tank-fired shells directed at terrorist targets in Gaza. Throughout the week, Egyptian negotiators tried to broker a truce; however, the terrorists kept upping their demands, including issues concerning the Temple Mount and Jerusalem-the cup of trembling, but nothing could be worked out. Terrorists threatened major demonstrations along Gaza's border with Israel, and Prime Min. Netanyahu warned that one mistake could lead to war. Pres. Trump issued an order for U.S. maps to show that the Golan Heights are part of Israel. It was reported that the Arab League has scheduled a Sunday meeting to criticize Pres. Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. According to the writer, the Arabs criticized Pres. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but they didn't do anything about it. It is the writer's opinion that they will do the same thing regarding the Golan Heights: criticize Pres. Trump, but not do anything about it because they need U.S. and Israeli help in dealing with Iran. Saturday, Mar. 30: There were demonstrations on the border; explosive devices and grenades were thrown at Israeli troops; the IDF fired shots and used tear gas; some people were injured (one critically). Sunday, Mar. 31: Egyptian mediators were finally making some progress toward a truce, but few people believe the terrorists and their Iranian instigators will keep it for very long. This is the point: When the disciples wanted to know the signs of Jesus' coming, He said there will be wars and rumors of wars, and He told them to watch the Fig Tree (Israel). Every day could be a day that someone does something that starts a war with Israel or a whole series of wars with Israel that relate to end-of-the-age Bible prophecy. One mistake could be the beginning of a major event that will draw in many nations and signal that the latter days have arrived. All of the signs suggest that people need to be ready, and the only way to be ready is to truly accept Jesus. God didn't reveal these things to scare people. He revealed these things to show people that He is real; He is alive; He is still on the throne; He is in control and His Word is true; and He is demonstrating this every day that goes by. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck duck_daymond@yahoo.com Palestinians and Nazis, End-of-Days Esau-Ishmael Alliance - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com They have said: 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.' For they have consulted together with one consent; against Thee do they make a covenant; The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites." Psalms 83:5-7 (The Israel Bible™) It is undeniable that during World War II, many Muslims allied with Germany and hundreds of thousands of them fought for the Nazis. It could be argued this was due to their common enemies: the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. Although this is clearly true for many Muslim countries who sided with Germany for pragmatic and strategic reasons, regarding the Palestinians a look at the link between the roots of Palestinian nationalism and the rise of the Nazis indicates that a stronger case can be made that this alliance was based on common philosophies and a hatred of their greatest common nemesis: the Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was widely criticized for referencing the Jew-hatred connecting the origins of Palestinian nationalism with Nazism in a speech he made to the World Zionist Congress (WZC) in 2015. In it, he credited the Palestinian leader, Haj Amin al-Husseini, with convincing Hitler to kill all the Jews. "Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," Netanyahu related to the WZC. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they'll all come here (to Palestine).' According to Netanyahu, Hitler then asked: 'What should I do with them?' and the mufti replied: 'Burn them.'" Though Netanyahu was criticized by the left-wing media for these comments, his claim does have a historical basis. Dieter Wisliceny, one of Adolf Eichmann's deputies, made this claim at the Nuremberg trials held after the war. The veracity of Wisliceny's claim is disputed by many historians, although it is known that al-Husseini visited Hitler in Germany during the war and may have visited Auschwitz at the height of its operation. It is also well-documented that all-Husseini requested and received from Hitler a promise not to permit Jews fleeing Europe to arrive in Palestine, a plan that was being initiated by the English and American governments. This undoubtedly led to many Jews being unable to flee and dying in Nazi death camps. Research has shown that the Holocaust almost spread to the Holy Land. In 2006, historians at the University of Stuttgart concluded from their studies of Nazi archives that a unit of SS troops stationed in Athens, was tasked with following invading frontline troops in Palestine and then rounding up and murdering about 500,000 European Jews who had taken refuge there as a Middle Eastern aspect of the Final Solution. "The most important collaborator with the Nazis and an absolute Arab antisemite was Haj Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem," researchers said, noting that al-Husseini and Heimlich Himmler, the Nazi leader attributed the greatest responsibility for the effort to exterminate the Jews, met numerous times toward this end. "The Allied defeat of Rommel at the end of 1942 had prevented the extension of the Holocaust to Palestine," the researchers concluded. So great was al-Husseini's hatred for the Jews that he incited the Palestinians in the British Mandate to conduct pogroms. Even when al-Husseini was exiled to Iraq in 1941, he incited violence against the large Jewish communities there. The admiration al-Husseini had for Hitler was mutual. While he denounced Catholicism as a weak, effeminate religion, Hitler praised Islam as a strong, aggressive, martial religion. Albert Speer, Hitler's Minister of Armaments and War Production, wrote a memoir of his World War II experiences in which he recorded Hitler's musings. "You see, it's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion," Speer reported Hitler as frequently saying. "Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?" This legacy of Jew-hatred was handed down, finding its way into the origins of the Palestinian Authority. Al-Husseini met a young Yasser Arafat, the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the first president of the Palestinian Authority in Egypt in 1946. It was at that point that Arafat became his protege, taking over the cause and eventually the leadership of Palestinian nationalism. This union between the Aryan master-race ideals of Nazism and the very Semitic Palestinians seems unlikely. However, Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific end-of-days author, described its clear roots in the Bible and its function in bringing the Messiah. "The Arabs were trained by the Nazis. The Nazis were defeated but the Arabs were not. The Arabs are their continuation," Rabbi Winston told Breaking Israel News. "You can see this graphically in the Arab anti-Israel propaganda which is identical to the Nazi antisemitic propaganda. Palestinians are a creation of the Arab world simply for the sake of doing through politics and public relations what they failed to do militarily." Winston cited the basis for this connection as being found in Kol Hator, (The Voice of the Turtledove), written by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov. The book presents the teachings concerning the process of Messiah from Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, the preeminent 18th-century scholar known as the Vilna Gaon. "There are three klipot (husks of impurity): Esav, Ishmael, and Erev Rav (mixed multitude)," Rabbi Winston explained. " The Erev Rav works to bring together Esav and Ishmael to destroy the Jewish people." Winston explained that this related to the Jewish concept of a two-stage Messiah beginning with Moshiach (Messiah) from the house of Joseph, a practical process that includes building up the land of Israel and the ingathering of the exiles. Moshiach from the house of David is a miraculous process culminating in the completion of the Third Temple and the resurrection of the dead. "Ishmael, from the side of klipa (impurity), is the impure hamor (donkey) which corresponds to Moshiach ben David on the side of kedusha (holiness)," Rabbi Winston explained. "Moshiach ben Yosef is the holiness that corresponds to the impurity of Esav on the side of the shor (bull). Esav comes to destroy Moshiach ben Yosef just as Ishmael comes to destroy Moshiach ben David. They work in tandem trying to separate Moshiach ben David from Moshiach ben Yosef." The rabbi explained that this culminates in the War of Gog and Magog which is an alliance of Esav and Ishmael. They come together against Israel though they are still at odds with each other. "This relationship between Esav and Ishmael is supported and energized by the erev rav, which today are many of the leftists and the liberals, even the Jews, who, like the erev rav that came out of Egypt, are working to undermine Israel and prevent geula (redemption). The Zohar says that when Moses took the erev rav out of Egypt, he sealed the fate of the Jewish people until Moshiach. Moses will come back in every generation just to fix the erev rav." Rabbi Winston noted how this Esav-Ishmael relationship was an essential element of the connection between the Palestinians and Nazism. "The point is that the connection between the Palestinians and Muslims with the Nazis is not just a relationship of convenience," Winston said. "Esav and Ishmael are intrinsically linked and this connection has kabbalistic roots with Moshiach implications. That is why Esav marries Machala, the daughter of Ishmael; to forge an evil alliance against the descendants of Yaakov. " Though it is generally agreed in rabbinic sources that Ishmael is represented today by Islam and the Arab world, identifying Esav today is a bit more complicated. "Esav has three components: business, religious, and the bully," Winston explained. "Russia is clearly the bully Esav, which is difficult to deal with but it is still possible. Rome is the religious Esav. America is the businessman Esav, which you can bargain with." Rabbi Winston noted that Esav is frequently identified as Christianity since the Church began to flourish after it was centered in Rome, the nation most closely identified with Biblical Esau. But the rabbi emphasized that not all of Christianity is prophesied to fulfill a negative function in the end-of-days. Winston cited a section of the Talmud in which Antoninus, a Roman emperor, was told that he merited the world to come for being kind to the Jews and to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (who compiled the Mishnah). The rabbi assured him that for his deeds he would merit the world to come. Antonius expressed concern that the eventual destruction of Esav was prophesied. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi explained that Esav (i.e. Rome) would eventually be destroyed as prophesied but only the parts of Esav who fulfill the role of Esav as being a destroyer. "This is a source for the concept of a righteous gentile," Rabbi Winston explained. "This is what we are seeing today in the Christians who support Israel." Daily Jot: Biden's sorry not sorry tour - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com It's an amazing double standard being played out in the media and by Democratic Party leadership. But we have all too readily grown accustomed to the accusations of others while the accuser does the same thing or worse. We seem to give it a pass. Think about all the scurrilous deals between the Clintons and Russia, between Hillary Clinton's campaign manager and Russia, the pay to play of Clinton at the State Department, the previous "president" using a secret court to spy on the current president. Or how about the raking through the mud and dung pile of Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh over accusations by women that went unproven? Well, now. When the shoe is on the other foot, it somehow doesn't fit. Several women are accusing democratic Presidential front-runner Joe Biden of inappropriate behavior. The news media and the Democratic Party are giving him a pass, saying "Oh, that's just Joe being Joe. He just doesn't know." Biden's defense to reporters is, "The fact of the matter is I made it clear that if I made anyone feel [uncomfortable], I feel badly about that. It was never my intention. Ever. I'm sorry I didn't understand more. I'm not sorry for any of my intentions. I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I have never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman. So that's not the reputation I've had since I was in high school, for God's sake." So, I guess that's the end of it. This, however, is the reputation he has had since he has been in politics. But he's not sorry and the media and his party are ok with that. One thing he is sorry for is the existence of white males. In his attempt to rewrite history over the sexual allegation claims of Anita Hill 28 years ago against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, Biden recently said, "I wish I could have done something. But I also realized there was a real and perceived problem the committee faced. We were a bunch of white guys hearing this testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee...To this day, I regret I couldn't come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved given the courage she showed by reaching out to us." There is a pattern here. Biden and his party use accusations of inappropriate sexual advances against people they want to defeat, but downplay them and attack the accusers when they are accused themselves. The manure show going on in the news media and in the Democratic Party should be embarrassing to every American citizen. The hypocrisy, lies, skullduggery, lack of ethics, moral depravity and down-right meanness is unprecedented in American history. Not that Republicans don't do the same, but their platform doesn't support communism, infanticide, sexual anarchy, lawlessness against the constitution, and unsecured borders-just to name a few. If you say you are of God, be of God. Don't wink at those who are as described in Titus 1:16, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Don't be a Biden--a sorry person yet not sorry. Daily Devotion: Bad Company - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Peter swore, 'A curse on me if I'm lying-I don't know the man!' And immediately the rooster crowed. - Matthew 26:74 Peter's denial of Jesus did not happen over a period of seconds or minutes, but over a period of hours. An hour had passed from the time the first person said, "You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean," to the time Peter made his second denial. He had ample opportunity to hightail it out of there, but he remained in this situation. It just reminds us of the fact that no person is safe from temptation except the one who flees from it. Peter, having been warned by Jesus Himself, of all people, should have avoided any place where he could be weakened. He definitely should have steered clear of all roosters. I would have said, "Are there any roosters here? Because I'm leaving if there are. The Lord mentioned a rooster." Great men and women of God have been compromised by lowering their standards and allowing themselves to be drawn into sin. People like Solomon. Samson. David. They all found out the hard way. Are we better than they were? Are we more spiritual than they were? I don't think so. If someone like Simon Peter was capable of falling, then surely we are. First Corinthians 15:33 tells us, "Bad company corrupts good character." Peter was around people who were dragging him down spiritually. Are you in a similar situation today? Have you entered into relationships where people are dragging you down? Maybe it's a romance. Maybe it's a close friendship. Are you finding yourself compromising your principles to fit in and not offend anyone? Perhaps you need to reconsider who your friends are. Perhaps you need to make some immediate changes. Is bad company corrupting you? FROM THE HEART
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