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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Ruin Value - By Pete Garcia - https://rev310.com/2019/07/ruin-value
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." Luke 4:5-7 Albert Speer (1905-1981), the Grand Architect and later, Minister of Armaments for the German Third Reich, credits himself with developing the Theory of Ruin Value (German: Ruinenwert). This theory proposed to be that type of construction, which presented both a better designed and more imposing structure in use, as well as maintaining its aesthetics long after the collapse. In other words, it was that architectural creation, which still looked impressive a thousand years after said building, and presumably civilization, collapsed. Hearkening back to the majestic architecture of both the ancient Greeks and Romans, Speer championed this idea to his Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler. He would reveal in his memoirs Hitler's thoughts about Nazi state architecture in relation to the ancient Roman imperial architecture: Hitler liked to say that the purpose of his building was to transmit his time and its spirit to posterity. Ultimately, all that remained to remind men of the great epochs of history was their monumental architecture, he remarked. What then remained of the emperors of the Roman Empire? What would still give evidence of them today, if not their buildings [...] So, today the buildings of the Roman Empire could enable Mussolini to refer to the heroic spirit of Rome when he wanted to inspire his people with the idea of a modern imperium. Our buildings must also speak to the conscience of future generations of Germans. With this argument, Hitler also underscored the value of a durable kind of construction. In Ruin Value Theory, the Nazis believed they were creating the beginnings of what would become a thousand-year Reich; in reality, it lasted only twelve years. However, Albert Speer was not alone in this line of thinking. Men have long desired to create things which outlast themselves, hoping to be remembered throughout history as belonging to some grand and illustrious age. The first evidence we see of this occurring was at the fated Tower of Babel, located on the plains of Shinar some four-thousand (+) years ago. (See Genesis 11) Although its physical remains did not survive, the ideological motivation for the tower of Babel, seem to be gaining renewed momentum in this past few centuries. So what was that motivation? Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:1-4 Back to Babel A LOT of speculation and theory making have gone into trying to figure out the motivations of the generation who built on Babel. Clearly, God is not intimidated by large buildings, nor is He afraid of man working together. So why did God react the way Scripture records Him as doing? Why is Babel even worth mentioning in the pages of Holy Writ? Perhaps, the best answer lies with the simplest explanation, which means the one with the fewest assumptions (e.g., Occam's razor). Since the whole Babel experiment happened not more than a century or two after the world's greatest calamity of that time (or since), it is logical to assume the two events are connected both by proximity and causality. It is also reasonable to hypothesize that the Noahic Flood, and the environmental effects thereof, were still very fresh in the minds of that post-flood generation. Granted, only eight people alive after the flood, knew what life was like before the flood. But knowing human nature, it is also reasonable to conclude that the survivors of the flood (Noah and family) would have seen the differences in the world after the flood and told their offspring all about it. "Before the flood, we lived for hundreds of years..." "Before the flood, we had vast, advanced civilizations..." "Before the flood, the world had perfect weather..." "Before the flood, there were giants and monsters..." Since humans are prone to glossing over and romanticizing the past (the good old days), the oral traditions passed on from Shem, Ham, and Japeth (and spouses) to their offspring were likely embellished over time. It is also likely that by the time of Nimrod (Noah's great-grandson), there was already a great sense of resentfulness building up at having to start over, in a world that was considerably harsher than had been before the flood. In other words, I believe the tower of Babel was a product of that resentfulness. They built the tower so as to be remembered (pride) and as tribute (rebellion) to the grandeur of the world before the flood. It was a memorial to the world that was; the world God just wiped off the face of the earth. This remembrance then would have, in part, defeated the purpose for the flood. Let that sink in for a moment. The Flood was a divine act of judgment. It was God purging grotesque and excessive wickedness from the planet. And that post-flood generation just built a tribute to it. Thus, in my estimation, it would have been equivalent to that generation (presumably led by Nimrod), giving God the middle finger. And God judged them accordingly. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:8-9 Lost and Found The flood was global in nature (not localized) and was beyond catastrophic for the antediluvian world. Not only did it destroy all living life (except what and who were in the Ark and sea creatures of course), but it effectively erased the memory of them to the extent that we have to call it pre-history or antediluvian (pre-deluge) as a descriptor for the entire 1,656 years because so little remained. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around the length of time and how little we know of that age. For example, the equivalent would be like starting with our present day, and going back all the way to the year 363AD, and define that as a single age or epoch (2019-1656= 363). Of course, that would mean no: medieval period, Dark Ages, Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, Industrial, modern, post-modern eras, etc. Just the one. All of those eras were marked by human achievement and defining events which shaped the course of world history. We can, however, through historical documentation and archeology, effectively understand human history all the way back to the time of around the first Egyptian dynasty. But beyond that, things get fuzzy. The only real knowledge we have of the antediluvian world is from what the Bible details for us. In it, Genesis states that the world had become exceedingly wicked and violent. A portion (the book of 1 Enoch states the number as being 200) of the wicked angels who had rebelled with Lucifer (Satan), began intermingling and sexually reproducing with human women (Gen. 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4-6; Jude 1:6, 14-15). [For the record- 1 Enoch is non-canonical and should be read with discernment- For a more in depth discussion on this topic, I recommend-https://youtu.be/Er507MsGp0M ] However, where 1 Enoch corresponds with Scripture, it provides an interesting perspective regarding what happened in the days before the Flood. Enoch Chapter Six begins with the Genesis narrative: "And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.'" Enoch then names the leading angels in the conspiracy. "And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaq1el, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens." Enoch's narrative continues; "And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men." (Jack Kinsella's The Watchers) Their offspring, the Nephilim, were not fully human, nor fully angel, but a hybrid creation consisting of giants and other monstrosities. It is likely, these antediluvian hybrids would become the pagan world's mythological "demigods," which existed in every ancient culture since. It is believed that Satan convinced these fallen angels to commit the ultimate act of rebellion by intermingling with humans, in an attempt to corrupt mankind genetically, so that a Messiah could not come through the race of man (Gen. 3:15, 6:9). As a result, the Noahic flood:
All that remains from that long, lost age, is rumors (Atlantis) and a handful of megalithic structures-sites: Great Pyramid at Giza, the trilithons at Baalbek, Lebanon, Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman "fortress" in Peru, the Balkan Dolmens, Giant Graves of Sardinia, the Rudston Monolith, Stonehenge, and Callanish Stones in the UK, etc. Two thoughts to consider is that first, we know with absolute certainty that the flood in Noah's day occurred. Lastly, given the enormity of these remaining cyclopean projects, what must have existed before the Flood certainly boggles the mind to what was lost in the flood. However, what has remained, sparked in mankind, a newfound desire to rediscover that lost, knowledge of the ancient, pre-history, world. The Hunt for Hidden Knowledge Ultimately, this theory (ruin value) hearkens back to even deeper desire men have, which is to regain immortality. Since the Genesis account has been in human history since the time of its human author Moses (circa 1400BC), the knowledge of the plausibility that man could live for centuries has driven many to seek out exactly how. This was sought out through millennia of ritual-magic, mixed with mind-altering drugs, alchemy, and appeals to the supernatural. In a more practical sense, the thought went, that if man could not live forever, perhaps his work can. Thus, human history is littered with the remains of the aforementioned grand works from the Egyptian pyramids, to the Taj Mahal, cultures thrive on trying to maintain their immortality. Which also brings in the human factor to all this; the attempt by man to gain forbidden and secret knowledge to combine both man's works with his attempts to gain mortality. Therefore, it is no conspiracy to state that throughout the past thousand years, secret societies have risen up in attempts to gain esoteric knowledge that was presumably lost in the Antediluvian age. Although these groups often invoke Christian sounding terminology, their true nature, is antichrist to the core. 1200s- The Knights Templars In the early 12th century, nine knights vowed to protect pilgrims traveling in the Holy Land. Over time more knights joined the cause and the organization grew. They gathered significant wealth, fame and power and grew very influential. Popular culture cast them as founders of many other secret societies, as well as guardians of many sacred Christian treasures. The members of the order were eventually tortured and executed, and the order disbanded. The rapid disappearance of so many influential people gave rise to speculations and legends about their fate and continued activities. 1400s- The Rosicrucians According to legend, Christian Rosenkreuz was a doctor who discovered and learned esoteric wisdom on a pilgrimage to the Middle East among Turkish, Arab and Persian sages, possibly Sufi or Zoroastrian masters, supposedly in the early 15th century (see § Symbolism of the numbers in the Manifestos); returned and founded the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" with himself (Frater C.R.C.) as Head of the Order. Under his direction a Temple called Sanctus Spiritus, or "The House of the Holy Spirit", was built. It is described that his body, as discovered by a Brother of the Order, was in a perfect state of preservation 120 years after his death (which occurred in absolute secrecy) - as Rosenkreuz had predicted - in a heptagonal chamber erected by himself as a storehouse of knowledge. It is described that on the Sarcophagus in the centre of the Crypt of Christian Rosenkreutz were written, among other inscriptions the words, "Jesus mihi omnia, nequaquam vacuum, libertas evangelii, dei intacta gloria, legis jugum" ("Jesus is everything to me, by no means empty, the freedom of the gospel, the untouched glory of God, the yoke of the law"), testifying to the builder's Christian character. Rosenkreuz's crypt, according to the description presented in the legend, is located in the interior of the Earth, recalling the alchemical motto V.I.T.R.I.O.L.: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem ("Visit the interior of the Earth; by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone"). 1390-1717- The Freemasons Freemasons were established by the 15th century, formed as a union of older secret societies, including stonemason groups that regulated qualifications and interactions with authorities and clients. They are probably the longest-lasting secret society in history, at least that we know about. They are infamous for using secret handshakes, bizarre rituals, using ceremonial regalia and having an elaborate hierarchy. Their hierarchy is based on the three grades of the medieval craft guilds including Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master, and much of their symbolism is also based on traditional tools. The Freemasons describe themselves as a "beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbol." Famous members include Ben Franklin, George Washington, Clarke Gable, and John Wayne. 1776- The Illuminati The Illuminati, whose name means enlightened ones, branched off the from the Freemasons in the late 18th century by Adam Weishaupt. Their goal was to oppose superstition, government secrets and religious influence over public life. Many subsequent groups have claimed the mantle of the Illuminati, and primarily focus on conspiracy theories. Contrary to their original mission statement, they are often depicted as the secret power behind world events, lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings. 1875- Theosophy Theosophy is an esoteric religious movement established in the United States during the late nineteenth century. It was founded largely by the Russian émigrée Helena Blavatsky and draws its beliefs predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist current of Western esotericism, it draws upon both older European philosophies like Neoplatonism and Asian religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. As taught by Blavatsky, Theosophy teaches that there is an ancient and secretive brotherhood of spiritual adepts known as Mahatmas, who-although found across the world-are centered in Tibet. These Masters are believed to have cultivated great wisdom and supernatural powers, and Theosophists believe that it was they who initiated the modern Theosophical movement through disseminating their teachings via Blavatsky. They believe that these Masters are attempting to revive the knowledge of an ancient religion once found across the world and which will again come to eclipse the existing world religions. 1887- The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn created by Dr. Willian Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, three members that were both Freemasons and Rosicrucians. Their belief system is largely taken from Christian Mysticism, Qabalah, Hermeticism, Alchemy, magic and Renaissance writings. William Yeats and Aleister Crowley are two of their most famous members. Crowley, in particular, brought the order into disrepute by sharing many of its secrets and openly practicing sexual and drug-based magic. However, the order is still active today. 1895-1906- Ordi Templi Orientis This mystic order, often simply called the OTO, is an international brotherhood founded at the start of the 20th century by Karl Kellner and Theodor Reuss. It was modeled after the Freemasons as they sought to establish their own order in the German-speaking world. Their philosophy was using new-age esoteric principles and practices to realize one's true identity. The occult focused cult spread to France, Denmark, Switzerland, and the United States in the early 20th century. The group took off in the English speaking world when Aleister Crowley joined in 1910, using it as a vessel to advance the cause of his new esoteric religion Thelema. Crowley developed Thelema while exploring ceremonial magic in Egypt where he claimed that a non-corporeal being revealed the secrets of Thelema to him. Scientology- 1950 Scientology is a set of religious beliefs created by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard wrote a self-help book that explored the relationship between body and mind called Dianetics in 1950. In 1952, he expanded upon the success of Dianetics by creating Scientology. Hubbard then incorporated the Church of Scientology in 1953. Hubbard maintained a leadership role in the Church of Scientology until his death in 1986 - even during periods where he went into hiding because of controversy and legal actions against the church. Scientologists believe that people are immortal alien beings (called thetans) who have forgotten their true nature and are trapped on earth in a human body. Scientologists believe that each thetan has lived numerous past lives, both on earth in our physical bodies, and on other planets. Scientologists also believe that by undergoing a series of classes and teachings (called auditing by the church), people can free themselves of their human form and reclaim their true selves. These are mentioned not to give them any undue attention or credibility, but to expose them and show the fruitlessness of their efforts. Whether it is Adam Weishaupt, Aleister Crowley, Helena Blavatsky, Adolph Hitler, Albert Speer, Jack Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard, Albert Pike, or anyone else who denies Christ, they will be eternally separated from God forever. Immortality can ONLY be achieved through becoming born-again, by placing your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:1-5; Romans 10:9-10, Eph. 2:8-9) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 Conclusion While on earth for His first Advent, Christ stated that the days leading up to His return would be similar to the days of Noah, and the days of Lot. Man would become exceedingly wicked and violent again, and this would be the new normal. What is not as clear, is whether or not the Nephilim (or whatever genetic monstrosity's science comes up with nowadays) will also be the case. Either way, the supernatural veil will be torn in two as demonic forces are unleashed upon the earth. (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Rev. 9) Going back to the Fifth-century BC, the Jewish prophet Daniel was serving as a high-ranking Babylonian (and later Medo-Persian) statesmen. It was to him, that God (through the angel Gabriel) gave some of the most detailed and amazing prophecies too. As a young man, he had successfully relayed and interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream back to him about a majestic and imposing multi-metallic statue. The statue represented the kingdoms (including Babylon) which would come in direct succession from each other as represented by the different metals moving from head to foot. Later, as an older man, this same vision was shown to Daniel, except, instead of it being a statue, he was shown a series of animal hybrids (Dan. 7-8). They still represented the same kingdoms, but they were shown as beasts to depict their true nature from God's perspective. These beasts form the backdrop to the final kingdom, which is set to rule as the final, gentile kingdom on the earth. Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:1-4 This final kingdom will be formed into ten nations/regions that will ultimately fall under the control of just one ruler, the Antichrist (aka. the Lawless One, the Man of Sin, the son of perdition, the rider on the White Horse, and the Beast). He will be aided by a False Prophet, who will ultimately direct all the people of the earth to worship him or be killed. He will also be able to perform signs and wonders supernaturally because he will have the full backing of Satan. It will seem that this will be the greatest empire to ever rule the earth. They will (Antichrist/False Prophet) will be able to unlock all the mysteries that had eluded mankind for millennia. They will promise to create a new world order that will be free of God and will last forever, however, it will only last seven years. At the end of the seven-years (Daniel's 70th Week), Jesus Christ will peel back the sky and ride forth with the armies of heaven in tow. Here in the valley of Megiddo, Jesus confronts the Antichrist and his armies where they had staged to lay siege and destroy what remains of Israel. Speaking forth destruction, Jesus (the Word) will speak the forces of darkness will be melted on their feet, and the Antichrist and his false prophet will be thrown live into the Lake of Fire. (Zechariah 14:1-15, Matthew 24:30, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:11-21) The Final Kingdom will be the Jesus Christ establishes after His Second Coming. He is the rock that was cut without human hands, and which smashes the multi-metallic statue to dust (Dan. 2:44-45) and then fills the earth. At the front end, Jesus (and His Bride) will rule the earth for 1,000 years (Rev. 20), at which point, culminates with one final satanic rebellion, whom Christ immediately crushes. Reality as they (the unbelievers) know it, will melt away. They will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgement. Everyone from Cain and Nimrod to Satan himself will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, which will burn forever and ever. God will then destroy the heavens and the earth, and creates a new heaven, and a new earth, with which, we (born again believers) live with God into eternity future. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Revelation 21:1-8 Even so, Maranatha! Growing Spiritual Darkness - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/28/growing-spiritual-darkness-daymond-duck/ The Tribulation Period is called a day of darkness (Zeph. 1:15). The Church won't be in darkness because the Church won't be here, but multitudes will be in darkness because they are not watching and are unprepared (I Thess. 5:1-5). Here are some examples of the growing spiritual darkness: First, in 1980, Robert Schuller built an expensive church building called the Crystal Cathedral. Mr. Schuller died in 2015, and the Roman Catholic Church bought the property and building for 57 million dollars. They spent 77 million dollars on renovations for a total of 134 million dollars. California has a lot of homeless people living on the streets, and the Roman Catholic Church spent 134 million dollars on a property and building. Jesus said the Laodicean Church thought it was rich, and increased with goods, and in need of nothing, but it was wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked (Rev. 3:17). Among other things, I believe the seven letters to the seven churches are prophecy (Rev. 1:3; 22:7); and the letter to the Laodicean Church shows that the Church will wind up in spiritual darkness, thinking it is rich when it is poor. Second, the U.S. House of Representatives has a chaplain, a Roman Catholic priest named Patrick Conroy. It is Rev. Conroy's job to start each day off with a prayer in the House, and he has been doing that since 2011. On July 18, 2019, Rev. Conroy stood before the U.S. House of Representatives, raised both of his hands and started casting out demons (all spirits of darkness, spirits not from God, discouragement, petty divisiveness, and sadness). I like what Rev. Conroy did and pray for a greater awareness that the underlying cause of many of America's problems is spiritual darkness and demonic activity that needs to be acknowledged publicly and with prayer. Demonic activity and Satan worship are signs of the Tribulation Period (Rev. 9:21; 13:4). Third, there is misunderstanding on the issue, but many Christians believe prayer was taken out of the schools in 1962, and they wonder why the Church sat still and let it happen. Now, a dangerous bill called the Equality Act has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives that will strip Christians of their freedom of speech, their freedom of religion, their freedom to teach their children Bible truth, etc. If this demonic act of spiritual darkness gets passed, persecution will come to America unlike anything this nation has ever experienced. The Church should not sit still and let it happen. Fourth, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse may soon be released, but the Four Horsewomen (the squad) of the Apocalypse have already arrived. Pres. Trump is calling them out for their lack of patriotism and constant criticism of the U.S., but they are trying to deflect this with the false accusation of Racism. False accusations are a sign of the last days (II Tim. 3:1-3). Fifth, on July 15, 2015, U.S. Att. Gen. William Barr said "identity politics" (calling those that criticize someone Racists, Homophobes, Islamophobes, Anti-Semites, etc.) is spreading hatred, dividing the U.S., and hindering our success, and it must be rejected. Sixth, Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is talking about creating a company to put computer chips in the human brain. He believes chips can be implanted in humans to connect them to computers and improve their memory. Concerning the implantation of computer chips in the human brain, remember that the Mark of the Beast will be in a person's forehead or in their right hand. Know that if the Rapture happened today, there may still be a few years before the Mark of the Beast is enforced. Seventh, on July 14, 2019, two new U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets landed in Israel, bringing the total number now delivered to Israel up to 16 (Israel has ordered 50). Turkey wants to buy 100 of these "game-changers," but Pres. Trump said he won't let Turkey buy them because they bought some S-400 missile systems from Russia. The way I see it, God (not Pres. Trump) blocked the sale of these powerful jets to Turkey because He knew they would be used against Israel. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] Peace doesn't exist; neither do the Palestinians - Daniel Greenfield - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/24206 Three assumptions are at the root of the senselessly Sisyphean peace process. Salah Abu Miala, a Hevron businessman, traveled to Bahrain to attend the Bahrain peace conference. When he returned home, he was arrested by the Palestinian Authority. A security official for the Islamic terror group admitted that there was no actual charge. "It was a warning," he said. "He must understand the implications of this sort of collaboration." Collaboration with the United States. The country that set up the PA and lavished billions in aid on it. Another businessman managed to evade the crackdown on peace conference attendees. The Palestinian Authority had not only boycotted the peace conference, but it arrested participants in the peace conference, and warned that participating in the peace conference was collaboration. Collaboration, under Palestinian Authority law, can be punishable by death. The message is that the Palestinian Authority really doesn't want peace. It has sabotaged peace conferences under Clinton, Bush, Obama, and now Trump. Every approach running the same narrow gamut from pressuring Israel to bribing the Palestinian Authority has been tried. They all end the same. Just ask Salah who was locked up for attending a peace conference. The pattern here is so obvious that it would take a diplomat or a politician to miss it. That's why we've been mired in it for so long. And the billions of dollars wasted and thousands of lives lost could have been saved if only our leaders had questioned their premises by asking three simple questions. 1. What if the Palestinians don't want peace? 2. What if there are no Palestinians? 3. What if there's no such thing as peace? The three assumptions, that the Palestinians exist, that they want peace, and that enduring peace is an attainable condition in the region, are at the root of the senselessly Sisyphean peace process. The peace process was launched under the assumption that the PLO really wanted peace. Or at least a deal. Surely, our best and brightest agreed, they couldn't possibly want an endless war. And so, the truth was dismissed out of hand. It was too horrible to believe. Decades of failed negotiations, rafts of Israel concessions, personal involvement by five presidential administrations, billions of dollars, with nothing to show for it, and the truth is still dismissed. Instead, the official story is that Israel doesn't want peace. The media echo chamber resounds with a narrative in which Israel has moved sharply to the right and is run by ultra-orthodox religious fanatics. And Netanyahu, who is hardly anyone's idea of an ultra-religious fanatic. Also, the most right-wing party in the last Israeli election ran on a platform of marijuana legalization. But it's easier to claim that Israel doesn't want peace than that the Palestinian Authority doesn't. If Israel doesn't want peace, that just goes to show that it's a bad actor and must forced for its own good. If the Palestinian Authority doesn't want peace, then the whole political premise of the process dies. Israeli misbehavior can always be met with economic and political pressure. If the PA doesn't want peace on any terms, that means it was never really a government, just a front for a terror group. And that terror group became vastly more powerful and dangerous because of the peace process. Before the peace process, the idea that the PLO might not want peace seemed implausible. In the post-peace process, the idea is an explosive scandal whose culpability extends through the political establishments of dozens of countries, including America and Israel. And so, it can't be talked about. Why did so many experts come to believe, against all evidence, that the PLO wanted peace? The error came about because the establishment had accepted the PLO's propaganda that it was leading a national struggle to set up a state on behalf of a population of displaced and oppressed people. The truth was that Palestine, as an Arab cultural minority as opposed to a defunct Roman colony, was as much of a mythical invention as the Islamic State with its Caliph. Like ISIS, Hezbollah and countless Islamic terror groups around the region, the terror group tapped into grievances among a local minority, invented an identity for them, and, backed by foreign donors, launched a campaign to "liberate" them. There are dozens of similar enterprises going on in the region at any given time. They don't enjoy the same level of support and recognition as the PLO does. None of them can actually run a state. Or want to. But neither does anyone else in the region. That's why it's always on the verge of exploding. That brings us to the third assumption. Peace as the natural state of the world is an exciting European delusion from just after one war and then another war that devastated the continent. There is as little evidence for this idea in human history as there is for the existence of a Palestinian kingdom, empire or anthill. And even less evidence for either the existence of peace or the Palestinians in its own region which has never experienced either one. Even in Europe, the inevitability of peace keeps being interrupted by wars every generation. There are soldiers in the streets of Paris, where the first League of Nations meeting was held, fighting the war that France failed to fight in Algeria. After reviling the Pied-Noirs, the French are two generations away from becoming a nation of Pied-Noirs themselves, fleeing to Montreal to escape the Battle of Paris. Peace is not the natural condition of mankind. It is a lovely thing that sometimes happens. Generations of western diplomats keep stumbling into disasters because they believe that peace is inevitable. Therefore, the other side is bound to want it, because it wants the same things they do. They never ask the terrible question, what if the other side wants something else? Our foreign policy keeps falling apart because we never ask that question. We take the other side's claims at face value and view them through the flawed lens of our own wants and needs. We want peace; therefore, they must want it too. We want the killing to stop, how could they not? No matter how many times peace fails, the fundamental assumptions are never questioned. What if instead of negotiating with a national minority that wants land for its own state, we've been funding an Islamic terror group that was set up by the USSR to destabilize the region? Which of these two possibilities better explains the history of failures in the peace process? If the Palestinian Authority were a terror group set up by the USSR to destabilize the region, undermine Israel's existence, and drag America into a messy conflict, what would it be doing differently? Nothing. There's no solution here. There never was. The region is never at peace for longer than a week. When peace can't even hold between Sunnis and Shiites, how was it supposed to hold between either Muslim group and the Jews? The Arab Spring reminded us that every state in the region is just one crackup away from splitting apart into a civil war. What made anyone think that a terror group could create a state? Or that it even wanted to. We can solve the problem that five administrations have struggled with if we reevaluate our flawed assumptions about the world, the Palestinian Authority and the fictional people it represents. All we have to do is ask the right three questions. Barreling Toward a Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Arms Race in the Middle East - By Dr. James M. Dorsey - https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/middle-east-arms-race/ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Middle East is barreling toward a nuclear and ballistic missile arms race. That race is being aided and abetted by a US policy that views the region through the dual prism of the need to stop an aggressive, expansionary, and destabilizing Islamic Republic that seeks to dominate it, and the view of the region as a lucrative market for the US defense and nuclear industry. US policy is not the only factor feeding the burgeoning nuclear and ballistic missile arms race in the Middle East. It is also being enabled by the inability or unwillingness of the other major powers - Europe, Russia, and China - to counter crippling US sanctions against Iran in ways that would ensure that Tehran maintains an interest in adhering to the 2015 international agreement that curbed its nuclear program despite last year's US withdrawal from the deal. With the Middle East teetering on the brink of a military confrontation, Iran has vowed to start breaching the agreement next month if the international community, and particularly Europe, fails to shield it from US sanctions. Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deputy director general Olli Heinonen, a hardliner when it comes to Iran, asserted recently during a visit to Israel that Iran would need six to eight months to enrich uranium in the quantity and quality required to produce a nuclear bomb. US and Chinese willingness to lower safeguards in their nuclear dealings with Saudi Arabia further fuels Iranian doubts about the value of the nuclear agreement and potentially opens the door to a nuclear arms race. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE before joining President Trump for visits to India and South Korea and talks with world leaders at a G20 summit in Japan. "We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe...to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror," Pompeo said as he departed Washington. Trump detailed the prism through which he approaches the Middle East in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News. He deflected calls for an FBI investigation into last October's murder by Saudi government agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. "Iran's killed many, many people a day. Other countries in the Middle East - this is a hostile place. This is a vicious, hostile place. If you're going to look at Saudi Arabia, look at Iran, look at other countries," Trump said, suggesting that crimes by one country provide license to others. Asked whether Saudi arms buying was reason to let Saudi Arabia off the hook, Trump responded: "No, no. But I'm not like a fool that says, 'We don't want to do business with them.' And by the way, if they don't do business with us, you know what they do? They'll do business with the Russians or with the Chinese." Trump and other senior US officials reiterated in recent days that they would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Europe has so far unsuccessfully sought to put in place an effective mechanism that would allow European and potentially non-European companies that do business with Iran to circumvent US sanctions unscathed. As the US prepared to announce new sanctions, Russia said it would help Iran with oil exports and its banking sector if the European mechanism fails to get off the ground. (It offered no details.) While countering the sanctions is Iran's immediate priority, Saudi moves to put in place the building blocks for a nuclear industry that could develop a military component and a ballistic missiles capability - moves that are occurring with the help of the Trump administration as well as China - are likely to increase Iranian skepticism about the nuclear accord's value. Trump's argument that Russia and China would fill America's shoes if the US refused to sell arms and technology to Saudi Arabia is not without merit, even if it fails to justify a lack of safeguards in the provision of nuclear technology to the kingdom. In 2017, with the US refusing to share its most advanced drone technology, China opened its first overseas defense production facility in Saudi Arabia. State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is manufacturing its CH-4 Caihong, or Rainbow drone, as well as associated equipment in Saudi Arabia. The CH-4 is comparable to the US armed MQ-9 Reaper drone. Satellite images released by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and confirmed by US intelligence show that Saudi Arabia has significantly escalated its ballistic missile program with the help of China. The missile program runs counter to US policy, which sought for decades to ensure that Saudi Arabia had air supremacy in the region so it wouldn't seek to bypass the US to upgrade its missile capabilities. The program, which started in the late 1980s with Saudi Arabia's first clandestine missile purchases from China, suggests that the kingdom, uncertain about the reliability of the US, is hedging its bets. Saudi development of a ballistic missile capability significantly dims any prospect of Iran's agreeing to limit its missile program - a key demand put forward by the Trump administration. In 2017, Saudi Arabia signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement with China that included a feasibility study for the construction of high-temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) nuclear power plants in the kingdom as well as cooperation in intellectual property and the development of a domestic industrial supply chain for HTGRs built in Saudi Arabia. The HTGR agreement built on an accord signed in 2012 that involved maintenance and development of nuclear power plants and research reactors, as well as the provision of Chinese nuclear fuel. The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) warned at the time that the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement had "not eliminated the kingdom's desire for nuclear weapons capabilities and even nuclear weapons." The Trump administration, eager to corner a deal for the acquisition of designs for nuclear power plants, a contract valued at up to $80 billion depending on how many Saudi Arabia ultimately decides to build, has approved several nuclear technology transfers to the kingdom. It has also approved licenses for six US firms to sell atomic power technology to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is nearing completion of its first atomic reactor in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology near Riyadh. A signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Saudi Arabia has ignored calls by the IAEA to implement proportionate safeguards and an inspection regime that would ensure that it does not move toward development of a nuclear military capability. "Saudi Arabia is currently subject to less intrusive monitoring by international inspectors because Riyadh concluded what is known as a small quantities protocol with the agency. The small quantities protocol was designed to simplify safeguards for states with minimal or no nuclear material, but it is no longer adequate for Saudi Arabia's expanding nuclear program," Kelsey Davenport, director of Non-proliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, told Middle East Eye. Ms. Davenport warned that "given these factors, there are legitimate reasons to be concerned that Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop the technical capabilities that would allow Riyadh to quickly pursue nuclear weapons if the political decision were made to do so." Daily Jot: Can you be both Patriot and Christian? - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com There is much debate within the Christian community about whether the Founding Fathers were Christian or if their legacy has been a carefully crafted lie. Some now say that America was not formed up by Christians and did not reflect a nation founded in the name of Christ. In 2011 for example, Filmmaker Chris Pinto appeared on radio and television shows lambasting David Barton of Wallbuilders for misleading Christian Americans about the foundation of Christ as the cornerstone of this nation. While I am not a historian, it is of interest to me. It is a fact that this United States of America had predominantly Christian roots at its founding and its laws are based on the laws of the Bible. The land was claimed in covenant with God to advance the Christian faith over 150 years BEFORE the Declaration of Independence. In1565, the Protestant French Huguenots, who came to what is now Florida to escape persecution, were martyred by Catholic Spanish troops. The 1606 Jamestown Charter from King James stated "...in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those Parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government..." The Mayflower Compact 16 years later proclaimed: "Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia..." The Founding Fathers of the United States of America may not all have been Christians. They knew, however, that the Holy Scriptures contained in the Bible were the basis for all law. They unabashedly based the formation of the nation upon the laws of the God of the Bible. One can find Biblical principles throughout the Declaration and the Constitution. On January 10, 1963, Florida Congressman A.S. Herlong, Jr. read into the Congressional Record the 45 stated goals of communism from "The Naked Communist" by Cleon Skousen. Numbers 27-30 stated: "27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."" Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Those trying to say that because the Founders were not necessarily Christian, our nation is inherently evil are liars and deceivers. Rest assured that God was in control of forming this nation for His good purpose. You can be both a patriot and a Christian-the freedom of one confirms the other. Daily Devotion: Better Than a Multimillionaire - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. - Jude 1:1 I heard about a woman who went to the bank where she had her accounts and said, "I want to open up a joint bank account." "Who would you like to open it up with?" the employee asked. "A multimillionaire," she answered. "Do you know any?" If you're a Christian, you have a joint account with someone better than a multimillionaire. You have a joint account with the Creator of the universe. The psalmist wrote, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills-from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber" (121:1-3 NKJV). The Lord is your keeper. We find this in the New Testament as well. In 1 Peter 1:5 we read that we are "kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (NKJV), and Jude 1:1 says we are "called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ" (NKJV). "Preserved in Christ" is an interesting phrase that means "continually kept." In the original language it refers to a continuing result of a past action. Let's say you've made the final mortgage payment on your house. You don't have to keep paying the bank. It's your house. Just enjoy it. In the same way, your salvation is bought and paid for. You are not going to lose it, so enjoy it. You are kept by God. If there is something you value, you tend to keep your eye on it. And if there is someone you value, you keep your eye on them. God will keep you. He will keep you to the end. 
FROM THE HEART
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