Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Feast of Rapture - Pete Garcia -
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8656 On April 25th, 2017, San Francisco's Grace Cathedral sacrilegiously conducted what I believe to be a dangerous new precedent for our post-Christian nation, the Beyoncé Mass. This blending of Christianity with pop entertainment, attempts to connect both the social-justice flavor of the week, with some nominal form spirituality. Granted, Grace Cathedral (Episcopalian) is Christian in name only, so we should not be all that surprised by the events that emanates from there. However, if my assumption is correct, then they (these apostate churches) could fill every Sunday and Wednesday service for the rest of the year with similar events. But why is that? Well, most entertainers crave attention. Most mainline churches are dead and/or dying on the vine. It is a match made in hell. Thus, in a desperate attempt for both groups to find social acceptance and relevance, the fit seems natural. Particularly in a culture that is decidedly becoming more and more antichrist, these churches have gone the way of the Pergamos and become Laodicean (Rev. 2:12-17, 3:14-22). What this means from a historical perspective, is that instead of taking the church out into the world, the world has come into the church. Once that happens, the church becomes lukewarm. And... ...the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 1st John 2:19 Assessment Unfortunately, the mockery, scoffing, apostatizing, and blasphemy will become the norm, not the exception as we draw closer to the end of the age. Beyoncé's mass was not the first (nor the last) example to gratuitously blaspheme our Christian faith. As JuicyEcumenism.com notes, The Beyoncé mass joins a long list of themed Eucharistic celebrations, among them the U2charist, the Dr. Seuss-themed "Seusscharist", and the Clown Eucharist. Some feature artists' popular music interspersed within an otherwise normal prayer book service, while the more outlandish have clergy dressed in costume. Celebrities like Madonna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and many others have long-used Christian themed backdrops in many of their performances. Not to honor Christianity, but to make a mockery of it. However, putting these acts inside an active "church" such as Grace Cathedral did seems to take it to the next level. Mocking Christianity is not something unique just to musicians though, Hollywood too has also used Christianity as its favorite punching bag with movies like: Jesus Christ Superstar, The Last Temptation of Christ, Monty Python's Meaning of Life, Religulous, Dogma, and Rapturepalooza to name a few. Not all this comes as a surprise though does it. I mean, the further we (as a nation) drift away from the Judeo-Christian principles upon which our nation was founded, the more deliberate and audacious these attacks will become. Sadly, this perversion is not one-sided. Celebrities are not forcing churches to make them do this. These liberal/leftist churches are dying on the vine, and in their desperation, will use anything to restore their relevance and popularity. However, they are not the only ones. The merging of theatrics and large production type, seeker-sensitive church-concerts seem to be all the rage these days. For example: Hillsong (NY), Bethel Church (CA), IHOP (MO), the Vineyard (OH), Willowcreek (IL), Saddleback (CA), and the crown jewel of megachurches, Lakewood Church (TX) all have tens of thousands of attendees each week. They don't get crowds that large anymore by simply preaching the Bible. The messages have to be massaged and tweaked so that they do not offend but still remain culturally relative. The worship has to be carefully framed in a theatrical production, with mood lighting and special effects. It is exceedingly difficult to have a ministry that large, and still hold to true biblical Christianity. Why is that you ask? Primarily because the Biblical Gospel is offensive. It offends our humanistic sensibilities. It is offensive to think that we cannot contribute one iota to our own salvation. Furthermore, we have to admit we are sinners, incapable of our own salvation. We have to turn our faith solely over to the only One in human history who can save us...the Man Christ Jesus. [John 3:16-17, 14:6; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-13; 1st Timothy 2:5] Secondly, when you have a church that large, it is no longer just a church. It is an enterprise. A brand name. A business. And when you add money and power into the mix of church leadership, it is only a matter of time before that becomes corrupted. I used to believe that at the Rapture of the Church (John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-56, Rev. 3:10), the world would be instantly thrown into anarchy in the wake of our departure. That this destruction and chaos would render a great outpouring of remorse and repentance in light of what just happened by those left behind. Perhaps I had too much faith in humanity. Perhaps I had it all wrong. What if it is not remorse they feel, but rather, rejoicing? For sure, there will be chaos and destruction in the wake of the Rapture. I mean, you cannot remove millions of people instantaneously from the earth without there being significant impacts to the economic and political order. However, given the fact that those who remain are given over to a strong delusion (2nd Thess. 2:10-12), perhaps they are persuaded that the rapture was a good thing. As if the earth finally purged all those "close-minded bigots" and now humanity can evolve into whatever it is they think they will become. Alternatively, perhaps it is the introduction (or disclosure) of extraterrestrials as being the ones who removed all those "evil Christians" as if doing the world a favor. This would certainly explain the past 60-years plus of sci-fi desensitization we have undergone via Hollywood and the significantly increased UFO activity, we are currently experiencing (2nd Thess. 2:9). Regardless, this recent Beyoncé mass gave me a profound insight into things to come. If the world is capable of conducting this level of blasphemy and mockery towards Christianity with the Church still in it, how much more blasphemous will it be without the true Church? What if the Rapture-event itself is turned into some kind of global religious holiday? The Antichrist will need the world to rally around this crisis in order for him to consolidate his authority. Furthermore, since believers from every tribe and tongue will have gone missing at the Rapture, this is something the False Prophet can use to draw all faiths into a final religious system we know as the Harlot. The Rapture (probably called the global purge) will be something the whole world can celebrate together for the next few years. As to the Harlot, John notes what he sees- So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. Revelation 17:3-6 If there is a gap in time between the Rapture and the start of the 70th Week of Daniel (The Tribulation), then this Rapture-Day (perhaps called the Feast of Rapture) will have even more time to become the most blasphemous religious holiday ever devised in hell. Everything about it will center on mocking Jesus and Christians. I can see the leaders then pompously and ceremoniously taking blasphemy to the greatest levels the world has ever seen. It will make the infamous Roman orgy seem rather tame by comparison. Conclusion The Rapture of the Church is largely a New Testament/Christian construct first put forth by Jesus in John 14:1-3, so when it happens, many Jews who currently live in Israel will be perplexed. Since the Jews (orthodox and otherwise) are neither Christian nor read the New Testament, they will not understand what just took place. However, I believe the Rapture, along with the Gog-Magog War, and the arrival of the Two Witnesses will be what begins to change their understanding for all of this. And many will begin to understand what is beginning to happen. Let me not end on focusing on the negatives of where this world is currently going. One of the greatest arguments for teaching, preaching, and writing about bible prophecy, is that it first points people to Jesus. Revelation 19:10 states...Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Apostle Peter writes in 2nd Peter 1:21...for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Prophecy is something God wants us to know, hence, why 30% of it is prophetic in nature. Not just the percentage mind you, but that this 30% is interspersed amongst all of Scripture. On the road to Emmaus, the resurrected Christ pointed to all of the Scripture (at that time was just the Old Testament) that pointed to Him and His coming. Almost all of prophecy, points either to Christ's first coming, or to His Second. In fact, all of history centers on these two seminal events. If God constructed the universe and all therein, then naturally, Jesus should be the focal point by which all of human history (past, present, and future) centers around. Bible prophecy also adjusts our situational awareness of the times in which we live. Think about the handful of people that were actively anticipating the arrival of Christ at His Incarnation. How blessed were they to understand the times in which they lived (Matt. 2, 16:17, 24:46, Luke 2:25-38). Contrast that with the sadness Christ expressed towards people who did not understand the times in which they lived (Matt. 16:1-4; Luke 19:41-44). A proper understanding of bible prophecy lets us know just how close we are to the end. Bible prophecy also acts as shield against false doctrine. You cannot have a consistent, orthodox biblical worldview, but have an incorrect eschatology. That is impossible because Bible prophecy is so interwoven into every other doctrine (soteriology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, etc.) that an incorrect eschatology (study of last things), inevitably, influences other areas of your belief system negatively. Furthermore, how much easier would the strong delusion be if the church never taught about prophecy? True biblical eschatology came back into serious discussion and study in the early 19th-century. However, that study was largely confined to those who attended churches who taught it. The fact that bible prophecy was brought back into the mainstream as it was, is in large part due to the popularity of Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth. That is a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit's moving and prompting us that we are indeed, close to the end. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2nd Tim. 3:16-17 Aside from the fact that ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God, the Holy Spirit stirs the hearts and minds of believers to what is pertinent for the times in which they live. Noah did not go around preaching about the Law, the Promised Land, the Gospel, or social-justice issues before the flood came. He preached about the coming judgment of the Flood, because that was the pressing concern for his generation. However, there will be some who repent after the Rapture (Rev. 6:9-11, 7:1-17), and these might even be those who even now currently mock us for believing in such things. But only because we have chosen not to be silent about it, they (the current mockers and scoffers) will at least been told beforehand so that when it comes to pass, some might believe. Finally, for those churches out there who refuse to discuss it for fear of getting into the sensational, teaching prophecy is not an either/or scenario. You can share the gospel and still teach how prophecy relates to the times in which we live. You can preach about God's coming wrath and help the helpless. Our ability to love and grow should absolutely not impede our ability to warn as many people as we can about the things to come. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen Jude 1:20-25 Even So, Maranatha! An End-of-Days Guide to the Palestinians and Gaza - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com "And I will wipe out the inhabitants of Ashdod And the sceptered ruler of Ashkelon; And I will turn My hand against Ekron, And the Philistines shall perish to the last man -said Hashem." Amos 1:8 (The Israel Bible™) As Israel's southern border is threatened by rockets, mortars and incendiary kites, End-of-Days experts weigh in on the prospective roles that Palestinians in Gaza play in the Messianic era. Palestinians: Spiritual Roots in Israel's Biblical Enemy Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, a Torah codes expert, believes that the modern day Palestinians have their spiritual roots in the Biblical Philistines. "We can see this in the name they choose for themselves and we can also see this in their attraction for Gaza," Rabbi Glazerson told Breaking Israel News. He emphasized that not only was Gaza a military stronghold but it was also a major center for the Philistines' idolatry and temple. "Their hatred for Israel is so great that it is clearly an ancient conflict and not just one from the last few decades. Their recent kite attacks, burning the fields in Israel, are precisely a desire of revenge for Samson burning the Philistine fields in a similar manner." He lit the torches and turned [the foxes] loose among the standing grain of the Philistines, setting fire to stacked grain, standing grain, vineyards, [and] olive trees. Judges 15:5 In a recent video on the subject, Rabbi Glazerson used a computer program that searches for equidistant letter sequences in the Bible to find the word "Palestinian" in the Torah. He found it in the book of Deuteronomy, which he explained is the section of the Bible that corresponds to the current era. The word "Palestinian" intersected with a verse that described God giving the land of Israel to the Jews. Hashem your God will bless you in the land that Hashem your God is giving you as a hereditary portion Deuteronomy 15:4 "The Zohar (the seminal source for Jewish mysticism) states that this conflict that began in the Bible will continue until the Moshiach (Messiah)" Rabbi Glazerson said. "This is a spiritual battle which will never be solved by politics. It has to be fought on spiritual terms by learning Torah and keeping the Sabbath." Palestinians: A Nation That is no Nation Rabb Levi Sudri, an award-winning Bible expert who is well-versed in esoteric sources, believes the appearance of the Palestinians is a final attempt to fix a nation that was flawed from its Biblical beginnings. "Reincarnations are an attempt to fix things and this era, the time preceding the Messiah, is the final chance to fix problems that have their sources in the Bible. What we are seeing in the Middle East is the entire world focused on the final fixing of the Philistines. We first saw this in the Bible in Ham, the son of Noah, who was cursed for gazing on his father's nakedness. He said, "Cursed be Canaan; The lowest of slaves Shall he be to his brothers." Genesis 9:25 "Abraham and Isaac tried to fix Ham by making a covenant with Abimelech the King of the Philistines, Ham's descendants. But the language of this Biblical agreement is important today", Rabbi Sudri emphasized. And Abimelech said, "Here, my land is before you; settle wherever you please." Genesis 20:15 "This covenant was broken by the Philistines in the days of Joshua, and again in the days of Saul," Rabbi Sudri said. "It is precisely this agreement that is being broken again today." Rabbi Sudri noted that despite Israel's clear military superiority, the Palestinians are succeeding in creating a challenge Israel cannot defeat. "How can it be that Israel, with such a strong military, cannot cope with the Palestinians?," the rabbi asked. "If there is a clear enemy, even a strong enemy, we can fight them. We cannot defeat them because the fight is on a spiritual level, the angel of one nation against the angel of another nation. Every nation has an angel but the Zohar explains that the Philistines do not have an angel." Rabbi Sudri referred to the Philistines as a "nation that is not a nation." "Every nation has a patriarch but the Philistines did not have a patriarch," Rabbo Sudri said. "The word 'Philistine' is derived from the Hebrew word meaning 'wanderers' or 'foreigner.' With a real nation, you can make war or peace. Since they are not a nation, we cannot do either, neither war nor peace, with the Palestinians." According to Rabbi Sudri, this confrontation with the "nation that is not a nation" has a corresponding negative effect on the Jewish Nation. "Israel is the most ancient nation, with the clearest claim to being a nation. But by entering into relations with the Palestinians, by agreeing to that definition of what is a nation, we shed doubt on our identity as a nation which is explicitly outlined in the Bible, a stronger claim to nationhood than any other nation in existence. By calling the Palestinians a nation, we have brought into doubt our claims to nationhood and our claims to our land, a claim that is clearly seen in the Bible, in archaeology and in every history book in existence." The Battle for Prayer Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, believes the spiritual roots of the Palestinians goes back to Ishmael, the brother of Isaac. "As such, his fate is to be in conflict always," Rabbi Berger said, quoting the blessing given to Ishmael by an angel. He shall be a wild ass of a man; His hand against everyone, And everyone's hand against him; He shall dwell alongside of all his kinsmen." Genesis 16:12 "His warring nature will continue until the very last moment before the Messiah," Rabbi Berger said. "It will be the spark that brings the Messiah." "But the name 'Ishmael' means 'God will hear," Rabbi Berger pointed out. "By the merit of Ishmael, God heard Hagar praying in the desert. The real battle is over who God will listen to. That is why the Palestinians are concentrating on the Temple Mount, and specifically on prayer. They want to be the only nation that God listens to, and they think they can do that by preventing the Jews from praying on the Temple Mount." "Prayer has much more power than people realize, especially prayer in our times just before Messiah, and especially on the Temple Mount," Rabbi Berger said. "We see this in the fact that since only Muslims are allowed to pray there, Islam is getting stronger in the world. It isn't Islam that is getting stronger, it is the angel of Ishmael. The Temple Mount is where the final battle between Ishmael and Israel is going to be, and it is going to be a battle of prayer, a battle of the angel of Ishmael against the angel of Israel." 'Run for the Ship' Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific end-of-days author, believes the Palestinians are a prophesied wake-up call to motivate the Nation of Israel to focus on Messiah. To illustrate his point, he related a midrash (homiletic teaching) from the Talmud (Tractate Baba Batra 73b). According to the Talmud, Rabbah Bar Hana was traveling on a ship and went ashore to cook some food. The island turned out to be an enormous fish covered in sand. Feeling the heat of the fire, the fish turned over, sending Rabbah Bar Hana scrambling for his ship, which fortunately was ready to sail. Rabbi Winston cited Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum, the rabbi of Lissa Poland in the 1800's, known as Rabbeinu Yaakov. "Rabbeinu Yaakov taught that this peculiar story in the Talmud is actually an allegory of what will happen in the days before Messiah," Rabbi Winston said. "He explained the Talmud as teaching that the Jews will return to our land but we will end up ruling over another nation. The other nation will appear weak and small but they will actually turn everything upside down." "If the 'boat is ready', if the Jews are ready for Messiah, everything will be fine and we will enter into the Messiah," Rabbi Winston explained. "If the Jews are not ready, we will 'drown from the problems this small nation will cause us." Rabbi Winston sees this allegory as a perfect description of the Palestinian Intifada. "The Intifada started in 1987, precisely 40 years after Israel became a nation," Rabbi Winston explained. "40 represents is a complete period of gestation. A woman is pregnant for 40 sabbaths." "After Israel became a state, we were given a period of 40 years to show what was really conceived when Israel first became a state," Rabbi Winston said. "We weren't ready to 'run for the boat', to bring the Messiah. Since we hadn't prepared for the Messiah, the Intifada was sent to wake us up, to push us to do what we need to bring the Messiah. In this case, the wake-up call came from a small nation that succeeded in overturning the entire nation of Israel, making us 'run for the ship'." Trimmed, Not Replaced - By Daymond Duck - http://www.raptureready.com/2018/06/03/trimmed-not-replaced-daymond-duck/ Replacement Theology is the idea that the Church has replaced Israel. It says Israel rejected Jesus; so all of God's covenants, promises and blessings that were destined for Israel have been transferred to the Church. I was away from my computer and unable to keep up with current events for a few days, so I decided to discuss one of the most important reasons why I believe Replacement Theology is wrong. In Rom. 11:16b-27, Paul used the Olive Tree to represent Jews and the Wild Olive Tree to represent Christians. The root of the Olive Tree represents the beginning of the Olive Tree (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). As the Olive Tree (Israel) grew, it put on branches (some lived; some died). Living branches represent later generations of believing (spiritually alive) Jews (such as King David, Isaiah, Daniel, Mary, Peter, James, John, etc.) that grew out of the root. Dead branches represent later generations of unbelieving (spiritually dead) Jews (such as Ahab, Caiaphas, some members of the Sanhedrin, etc.). Below are my comments on Rom. 11:16b-27. Rom. 11:16b "If the root be holy, so are the branches." Paul wrote about two parts of a tree: the root and the branches. If the root is holy (Paul means set apart by God, not morals), the entire tree is holy (the entire tree is set apart by God). If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were set apart by God, the Jews that came after them were set apart by God. Rom. 11:17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;" Notice that Paul wrote about removing some (or part, not all) of the branches of the Olive Tree (Israel). Notice that he said nothing about destroying or replacing the root and the fatness of the Olive Tree. The unbelieving Jews are removed, but the believing Jews and the root and the fatness of the Olive Tree remain. Paul referred to the Christians in Rome (Gentiles) as a wild Olive Tree. He said if they are grafted in among the branches that are not removed in such a way that they are nourished by the root and the good part of the Olive Tree. Rom. 11:18 "Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee." Christians shouldn't speak against Israel. Christians are not natural branches on the Olive Tree. Christians are not natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The root didn't originate with Christians. The root brought forth Jesus. Jesus brought forth Christians by grace through faith. Rom. 11:19 "Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in." You will argue that the unbelieving Jews were broken off to make room for believing Gentiles. Rom. 11:20 "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:" Right! Some of the Jews were broken off because of their unbelief, and Christians were added because of their faith. So, don't be seized with pride. Show respect for God. He didn't add Christians to the Olive Tree because they are worthy. He added Christians to the Olive Tree because they accepted Jesus as their Saviour. Rom. 11:21 "For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." Paul wanted the Romans to understand that if God didn't spare the unbelieving Jews, they need to get their relationship with Him right or He won't spare them. Rom. 11:22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." Notice two characteristics of God: Goodness and severity. God's judgment of those that continue in unbelief is severe, but His judgment of those that continue in faith is good. Those that don't accept His grace through faith will be cut off. Rom. 11:23 "And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again." Paul returned to the dead branches that were broken off. If the unbelieving Jews will become believers, God is able to graft them back onto the Olive Tree (restore them). Messianic Jews are being grafted back onto the Olive Tree today. Rom. 11:24 "For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?" This means if God can take unnatural branches from the Wild Olive Tree (Gentiles) that are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and graft them onto the good Olive Tree (Jews), it is reasonable to believe that He can easily put the natural branches back onto the good Olive Tree (restore the unbelieving Jews). Rom. 11:25 "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." God doesn't want ignorance in the Church that will cause members to fall into a trap of their own making. The blindness of Israel is temporary. It will end when the times of the Gentiles end (at the Second Coming of Jesus). Rom. 11:26 "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:" This means: Because of what Paul has already said, the Gentiles in Rome should know that Israel as a whole (the Jews that believe in the God of Abraham) will be saved. This will fulfill the prophecy that a Deliverer (Jesus) will come out of Israel (a Jew) and save the Jews that turn from their unbelief (Isa. 59:20). Rom. 11:27 "For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." Paul reminded everyone that God made a covenant to take away Israel's sins, receive the Jews as His people and to be their God (Jer. 31:33). He went on to add that "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). God promised that He would never go back on His covenant with Israel. All of Israel will be saved (not replaced) when their Deliverer takes away their sins. In conclusion, the root or the beginning of the Olive Tree (Israel) was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and the root was never replaced, nor was the fatness of the tree, nor were the good branches. The only thing that was replaced was the bad branches (the spiritually dead, unbelieving Jews). It would make no sense to graft branches from a Wild Olive Tree (Gentiles) onto a dead root and trunk (Israel). Branches will live if they are grafted onto a living root and trunk, but they will die if they are grafted onto a dead root and trunk. The bottom line is that the Olive Tree was trimmed, not replaced, which means Replacement Theology is wrong. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] Here's Why the Media Got the Gaza Violence Wrong - By Sean Durns - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/ Western journalists covering the Arab-Israeli conflict are in need of an intervention. Many of them have spent the last several weeks regurgitating claims by Hamas and confusing terrorists with "protesters." In so doing, they have helped the US-designated terror group in its attempt to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state. And they should have known better. Since late March 2018, Hamas has been sending terrorists -- interspersed with unarmed civilians serving as human shields -- to try to breach the Israel-Gaza border. Hamas has dubbed this long operation -- whose participants have included members of other US-designated terror groups, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) -- the "Great Return March." These terror groups hope to sacrifice their own people and place Israel in a no-win situation. If terror operatives are able to cross the border, violating Israel's sovereignty and endangering its citizens, it's a win. If Israel defends itself and Gazans die in the process it will be condemned by self-styled human rights arbitrators, fueled by a gullible media. As Matti Friedman, a former IDF soldier and AP journalist, recently observed, Hamas knew that, "The press could be trusted to present dead human beings not as victims of the terrorist group that controls their lives, or of a tragic confluence of events, but of an unwarranted Israeli slaughter." And Hamas has pulled out all the stops to put on a grotesque show, paying and busing in demonstrators, and bringing children and the disabled to the border in the hopes that they catch an errant bullet. Indeed, the group has even burned tires and used mirrors to obscure the vision of IDF snipers, who are seeking to specifically target the terror leaders hiding among civilians. During the round of border violence that began on May 14, 2018, as many as 62 Gazans were reportedly killed, prompting front-page headlines by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others -- all repeating claims provided by the Hamas-run Health Ministry -- about "protesters killed" and "indiscriminate" and "excessive" use of force. Some outlets, such as USA Today, uncritically quoted declarations by anti-Israel UN official Michael Link that the "demonstrators" were "largely unarmed." Many pundits also contrasted the bloodshed in Gaza with ceremonies on the same day for the dedication of the newly-moved US embassy in Jerusalem -- even claiming that the embassy move was responsible for the violence. Two days later, Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, told Palestinian news outlet Baladna TV that "50 of the martyrs were from Hamas, and the other 12 were regular people." He added, "I am giving you an official figure." In short, the overwhelming majority of the "protesters" killed were, in fact, terrorists. And the media had every reason to expect that this would be the case. On April 26, 2018, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published a report showing that of the Palestinians killed up to that point in the "Great Return March," 32 -- or 80 percent -- were linked to terrorist groups. Indeed, according to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar admitted to Al-Jazeera on May 13, 2018 that the group was "deceiving the public" when it claimed that the March was one of "peaceful" resistance. This was, he proudly said, "a clear terminological deception." Nonetheless, many journalists, including those at The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, and others, continued to refer to the dead as "protesters" and omitted or minimized evidence that the "march" was a Hamas-run propaganda ploy. In short: they ignored what Hamas is and always has been. Hamas has always targeted Israeli civilians and employed Palestinian human shields -- a double war crime. The group has used schools to hide its weaponry, equipment, and fighters, and as recently as the 2014 conflict with Israel, Hamas used ambulances as "transport vehicles" and hospitals as "command centers." Since its creation as a Muslim Brotherhood spinoff in 1987, Hamas has made its objectives clear. The group's founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the genocide of Jews -- even approvingly quoting Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Since Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Hamas has launched no fewer than three wars against the Jewish state -- in 2008, 2012, and 2014 -- in addition to the frequent rocket attacks that began shortly after the group seized power in 2007. Yet, this history and Hamas' genocidal objectives have largely gone unmentioned by many media outlets covering the latest round of violent demonstrations at the border. Instead, many in the media have uncritically echoed casualty claims made by the "Palestinian Health Ministry" -- a Hamas-controlled entity that shares the terror group's objective of delegitimizing and destroying Israel. It's hard to imagine the press echoing the claims of other Islamist terrorist groups, such as ISIS or Al Qaeda. Yet with near ubiquity they've done so with Hamas while ignoring video and photographic evidence showing Palestinians planting explosives, carrying firearms, knives, and Molotov cocktails, and even launching kite bombs embroidered with swastikas. As one 19-year-old Gazan proudly told an NPR reporter, "We want to burn" the "Jews. ... This is actually what we want them to know." But as usual, when it comes to Israel, there is a double standard. The terrorist perpetrators are treated as privileged victims instead of human beings capable of independent agency. To many in the press, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of dueling narratives, as opposed to cold hard facts -- as unpleasant as they might be. And the facts remain: Hamas is a genocidal terrorist group. Peaceful protests don't involve violence. And no matter how many times headlines blare it, terrorists are not protesters. Daily Jot: White House Ramadan Dinner - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com According to The Religion of Peace website, Muslim jihadists killed 399 people since May 17, the beginning of the Islamic holy month Ramadan. During the last 30 days, the site reports there were 140 Islamic attacks in 28 countries resulting in 633 people being killed and another 753 injured. The Religion of Peace is a non-partisan, fact-based website which examines the ideological threat that Islam poses to human dignity and freedom and admits that it is unable to document all such attacks. The site states: "In the full context of the Quran, 'peace' means submission, and 'tolerance of other religions' means not killing those members who agree to live in a subjugated status to Islamic rule." There are some 109 verses in the Quran that call for war or violence against nonbelievers in Islam. Muslims who do not follow these commands are warned that hell awaits them. Now many people, including some Christians, say that the Bible does the same thing. They are showing their ignorance. The instances in the Bible that call for violence are for a specific group for a specific time. In contrast, the Quran singles out Christians and Jews, in addition to others who do not submit to Islam, without restraint in perpetuity. Contextually speaking, the "peace" of Islam truly translates "submission," meaning people must accept humiliation, convert to Islam or are killed. Islam is the religion of submission not of peace. Ramadan is a holy fast of Islam commemorating the first revelation of the Quran to Mohammad. It is celebrated by fasting during the day and "Iftar" dinners after sunset. Muslims are also supposed to refrain from sinful behavior, although killing infidels is not considered a sin in Islam, but rather honor. An example: Marking the beginning of Ramadan, Muslims in Gaza spurred on by the terrorist group Hamas, embarked on a "peaceful" March of Return to Israel to, in the words of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, "remove this transient border...our people can't give up one inch of the land of Palestine." Generally, Islamic countries are notorious for their human trafficking, drug trade and suppression of religious freedom. Every year, they rank among the most egregious violators in the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Last year, President Trump did not hold an Iftar dinner at the White House as did his past three predecessors, but this year he will. Presidents are put in a tough position because they want to encourage the vast majority of American Muslims who are peaceful. Islam's duality, however, of war against unbelievers and peace (meaning submission) should not be encouraged. Neither should Islam's acts that foment evil against much of mankind. Proverbs 1:15-16 says to stay away from those such sinners, "walk not in the way with them; refrain your foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make hast to shed blood." White House Iftar dinners were a bad idea when Bill Clinton started them, and they are still a bad idea. Daily Devotion: True Conversion - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. -2 Peter 2:20 Sometimes we hear about well-known people who claim to have made a commitment to Jesus Christ. Often, it is around election time. When they address Christians, they speak of their great faith in God. After the elections, we seldom hear about it again. Then there are people who say they are believers, but a month or two later, they go back to their old ways again. They say, "I tried Christianity, but it didn't work for me." But in reality, they never really found Christ. Others will turn to God when they hit hard times. Awhile later, you see them going back to their old ways, and you wonder what happened. I would suggest that many of these people never were converted at all. They went through the motions, but Jesus Christ never became a part of their lives. Often, they end up worse than before. When Jesus Christ truly comes into our lives, He takes up residence. And He doesn't just do a basic housecleaning; He does a thorough one. There is real change. But when a house has only been swept, that is, when someone has made only moral changes, he or she is still vulnerable to the enemy. This is why we must recognize the futility of simply turning over a new leaf or making a few new resolutions. We must realize the problem is deeper than our moral sins. We must get to the heart of the matter and have Jesus Christ take residence in our lives and change us from the inside out. FROM THE HEART
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