Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Checkmate - By Kit R. Olsen -
http://www.raptureready.com/2017/09/19/checkmate/ Yes, it is coming-God's unstoppable victory. All those who oppose and deny Him will get the shock of their lives when they face the King of the universe on their day of eternal judgment. And long before that, they will experience God's hard-hitting judgments and wrath as this world continues to move at breakneck speed toward the final days of world history. This spiritual war is manifesting itself in many ways; one obvious way is the growing culture war between traditional conservative values and the socialist/communist "progressive" ideology. The battle for our Republic is astounding. All the enemies of the risen Christ are working relentlessly day and night to undermine those who stand in the way of implementing their oppressive government of a new world order, as they methodically bully their way to take our nation down to third world status-where only those at the very top would thrive (for a while). Our patriotic president and all freedom loving patriotic Americans stand in their way. The globalist hierarchy want weak people in positions of power that they can control like puppets. The outlandish shameful insults against President Trump, his family and all those who disagree with the radical left's freedom-choking ideology-has risen to a level never before seen. It is all out war for these misfits who are determined to steal our nation. The weak-kneed establishment Republicans are as bad as the Democrats. The majority of the Republicans are trying to sabotage President Trump. They do not want his populist, economic nationalist agenda to be implemented. If our president is greatly marginalized by the enemies that surround him, the sovereignty of our country may be in grave danger. The leftist activist judges who have no regard for the rule of law are also a huge problem-they are determined to usurp our president's constitutional authority on very serious matters including those that affect the safety of all Americans. On September 19, 2017 President Trump, the leader of the free world, delivered a very powerful courageous speech to the UN general assembly, stressing the importance of national sovereignty. He also stated that the U.S. will of course work with our allies but America's interests must come first, and that we will not be taken advantage of-reminding other nations that they must do their part. This type of message is long overdue, something the UN is not accustomed to hearing from previous American presidents; there was no apologizing or kowtowing. President Trump pointed out the failure of socialism throughout the world, strongly denounced the atrocious Iranian deal, rebuked the extremely dangerous actions of North Korea and addressed many other important issues. After the speech the liberal media and the Democrats immediately started going crazy with their ridiculous customary left-wing spin, trying to undermine our president with their bitter negativity, lies and accusations-misrepresenting and ripping apart the excellent points he made. It is unclear where the United States falls prophetically in the very last days, but Scripture tells us that three kings will not go along with the Antichrist, that "he shall put down three" during the second half of the Tribulation (Revelation 17:12-14). Three of the ten kings who hinder the Antichrist during the first half of the Tribulation will succeed in putting him to death, but his "death" is not permanent. The entire world will be shocked when through Satan's power, the Antichrist is resuscitated back to life. This will give him incredible confidence. It is then that he will go into the temple of God in Jerusalem and in no uncertain terms declare himself to be God (as prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:4-5). According to Daniel 7, the civil governments of the three kings will be destroyed by the Antichrist after he is resuscitated by Satan's power. "And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings." (Daniel 7:24) We don't know if the U.S. will be one of the three kings but if President Trump is able to fend off his enemies and prevail, our country could be delayed from being totally overtaken by the evil globalists until the second half of the Tribulation. But we simply cannot know for sure. Rev. 17:12-14 - "And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour. These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast." The ten horns are the ten rulers (kings) of the Tribulation. The one hour is an illustration which denotes the short time these rulers will have to exert their power during the Tribulation. They exist and rule somewhat independently during the first half of the Tribulation, but throughout the second half, they will totally submit to the authority of the beast (Antichrist), and give him all the resources of their nations, including their armies. Whenever the media or others on the left start attacking a situation or a particular person, we can be sure that those who support the diabolical open borders anti-American "progressive" socialist/communist manifesto-are attempting to silence the rational views of their freedom loving opponents. They deliberately make false statements even when the truth has been brought to light-revealing their arrogant, willfully ignorant desperation. The leftist media try to intimidate people into silence by ruthlessly vilifying them. Overthrowing our free-market system and the total destabilization of our Republic is their end goal. Melania's shoes (very nice by the way) topped the headline news worthiness over the thousands of people suffering in Texas when Hurricane Harvey brutalized the Houston area. Every day the liberal media expose themselves for the petty fools that they are with their pathetically juvenile behavior. The liberal media's technique of trying to shame people into submission by scolding them is one of the oldest tricks of leftist radical revolutionaries. Think back to the many times Barack Hussein Obama scolded and mocked Christians, Jews, Israel, conservatives, the police, etc., while he defended irrational violent individuals and groups. He continues to do this today from his "Resist Trump" bunker in his $8.1 million walled mansion located close to the White House. What a classless sorry example of a former "president." His communist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, had an enormous impact on the development of Obama's Anti-American world views along with the Anti-American radicals, Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers. Yet it is the radical left that shouts, "Can't we all just get along?" as they work ruthlessly to dismantle our nation. These disturbers are hypocrites with outrageously hard to take double standards. They do not hesitate to seize every opportunity to denigrate President Trump and his family, insult those with conservative views and mock those who have traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs. The know-it-all elitists are surely demonically enabled patsies, satanically empowered, blindly walking into the devil's trap of eternal imprisonment. Fools! They might think they are in charge and on top of the world but they are in for a very rude awakening. All those who are part of the onslaught of the incessant visceral hatred against God and country are destined for the shock and awe reality of Antichrist's iron-fisted despotism. Without repentance their eternal demise is a reality-as clearly etched within the pages of the Bible. The people who are doing the devil's bidding, and remain on earth after the Rapture will have to deal with ruthless totalitarianism-the most horrific time this world has ever known. They may cheer, gloat and rejoice after the Lord rescues true believers from this demonically infested world, but their celebrating won't last long. They will soon find themselves living under the most evil dictatorial regime mankind has ever faced. Even those who have positions at the top of Antichrist's dynasty will be woefully subservient to him, and some will regret the day they turned their backs on God and individual liberty. But some won't, because God will send a strong delusion to those who refuse to accept His truths. (It appears He is already sending that "strong delusion.") "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12). Humanity as a whole is being methodically brainwashed by the most despicable deceitful vicious evil entities. The games these enemies of God are playing with other people's lives will backfire so severely, they won't know what hit them. The self-righteous individuals who blatantly mock God and Christians will be so aghast that they will have to create more "safe spaces." But they will quickly learn there is no such thing as a safe space for them in the post-Rapture world. They will have nowhere to run but into the deadly tentacles of Antichrist's one-world system of tyranny. Some of these people are genuinely ignorant and some are willfully ignorant, stubbornly refusing to listen to the truth of God's Word, and recognize the real and present danger of the push for the loss of individual liberty and national sovereignty. They fall for the lies of the deranged liberal left who are constantly twisting the truth, reaching anyone they can influence with their deliberate distortions; a truly psychotic bunch. Those who are protesting and violently rioting the loudest will be the first to be silenced when the Antichrist comes to power. Their usefulness will no longer be needed. I am not referencing only the paid lackeys causing chaos in the streets, I am referring to the politicians and the media who are experts at using sleight of mouth-misleading the public day after day. Only a very disturbed highly immoral degenerate person can face their constituents time after time with a straight face and repeat the same lies again and again. A very small number of members of Congress are truly for the people of this country. The rest are all sell-outs who have perfected the art of deception. These turncoats have little or no intention of working to improve the lives of hard working Americans. It is evident from listening to their doubletalk that they favor illegal aliens over patriotic Americans. They are part and parcel of the globalist agenda to gain more control over the lives of Americans and bring our nation down, so a one-world government can take hold. They are all power hungry double-crossing liars. They are deliberately trying to derail the implementation of our president's campaign promises to the American people. Their mission is to protect the D.C. Swamp and cater to special interest groups while undermining our president. The indoctrination of communistic dictatorial principles has successfully infiltrated all areas of society. The liberal media, school teachers, university professors and politicians use the same method to brainwash the public-they repeat one lie after another to the point where the lies become so ingrained in the minds of low-information individuals that the falsehoods are processed as truth. Consequently, the recipients of the propaganda live in a delusional alternate reality without having a clue as to what is really going on, and have no idea how their freedoms are being chiseled away by the very people whom they foolishly defend. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20) The blatant deception, the lying, the fear mongering, the berating of anything good, the bazaar hysteria and insane behavior on display today is unparalleled-all leading up to the time when these maligners will reap what they have sown. The arrogance and stupidity streaming from the liberal media, government, social media, liberal colleges, and many other walks of life-is unprecedented. An all-out attempt to repress individual thoughts and our constitutional rights is very evident. It is obvious that many of these haters are programmed to behave like mindless robotic underlings (aka "snowflakes" and staged "protestors") for the globalist hierarchy-in order to fan the flames of conflict and division. It is as if all the demons in hell have attached themselves to those who are perpetually behaving like maniacal fools without an iota of common sense. It is more evident than ever that the "mystery of lawlessness" is already at work preparing the world for the Antichrist's reign of terror. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). The NFL players who refuse to stand for our National Anthem are a prime example of the demoralization of our society as a whole. They are a disgrace and are setting a very bad example for our youth. These spoiled brat privileged athletes live lavish lifestyles of self-indulgence in our country where brave men have given their lives so they can have opportunities which they could never have anywhere else. Yet these extremely wealthy whiners show zero gratitude for the immense blessings given to them in the greatest nation on earth. Shame on them for being such unappreciative prima donnas. They are part of the "It's All About Me" syndrome that has reached epidemic proportions throughout the world. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away" (2 Timothy 3:1-5). It is also very disconcerting to see some professing Christians defend the lies of the liberal left and fall for their indoctrination. They seem to have a real disconnect with the truths of the Bible. Instead of steadfastly getting to know God's inerrant Word, they rely upon the crooked media and other biblically illiterate friends and associates to form their opinions. Anyone can claim to be a Christian, attend church and talk about God's blessings, but when their core beliefs clearly go against the truths of God's Word, and they side with the enemies of God-they are kidding themselves. They, too, will have to answer for their willful ignorance. A changed life fully devoted to the Lord, one of obedience and not rebellion, is a mark of a true believer. Sadly, many have made professions of faith and believe they are saved, although they continue to live self-serving carnal lives. It seems that God is used as somewhat of an ornament-window dressing-for these questionable Christians. They seem to worship a god of their own design, much like the New Agers. "Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). Many who claim to be Christians are not true Christians at all; they do not have an authentic born-again relationship with Christ. They have not surrendered their lives to Him. Instead they live for their own self-indulgent pleasures. They think they are just fine the way they are-only to one day hear, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:23b NIV). These "Christians" are part of the dumbed-down masses who are too stubborn, self-righteous and spiritually blind to even think that they might be wrong. It is very risky for those who attempt to make God over in their own image. Some have fallen for the "social justice" victimization rhetoric of the radical left and are confused, but not confused enough to want to snap out of their ignorance. Those demanding "social justice" should visit some third world countries and get a taste of real life social injustice. Perhaps then they would start to appreciate the blessings of this great nation and stop complaining. Maybe they would stop playing the blame-game and stop incessantly using the race card as an excuse to demand special privileges when more often than not, the lack of personal responsibility is at the crux of a problem. The liberal media have a pattern of making excuses for the destructive and dangerous behavior of those who would not hesitate to assault them. Their naïveté is mind-bending. Not one sane and decent person could possibly condone Black Lives Matter-these racist antagonists who call for the death of police officers as they march and chant, "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon." Yet the liberal media play down the seriousness of the evil violent racist rhetoric of this group and others, which shows that they are reprobates to the max. These enemies of liberty want to create racial tension and divide our country; the liberal media have no qualms about creating fake news stories out of nothing to cause tension among the population. Of course our president is their primary punching bag. They are always trying to discredit him. We must continue to pray for him, especially for his safety. The righteous indignation-the drama of all those on the left is so ridiculously grandiose that their lack of intellectual prowess is blaringly evident. The liberal media "news" outlets manipulate their reports to essentially protect criminals, illegal aliens, liars and terror wielding individuals (which include, the violent fascist Antifa thugs, the violent Black Lives Matter thugs, Islamic terrorists, dangerous criminal gangs, etc.). They glamorize "Sanctuary Cities" where illegal alien criminals are free to roam around in "select" communities endangering men, women and children. Everything is politicized by the liberal media and the left, to suit their Anti-American agenda. It will be an arduous road for those who reject the living God. Those who continue their God-rejecting delusional rants and exhibit their irrational hostility toward those who hold to conservative biblical views, and pledge allegiance to our country will pay a very costly eternal price in the lake of fire with no chance of pardon or escape. The apostle Paul described Satan as the "prince and power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). It is evident that Satan has authentic power in this world. The overwhelming onslaught of wickedness has saturated all cultures and is escalating; the lies and deception are swiftly intensifying-causing so many to perilously yield to the dark side. This all points to the nearness of the Rapture and the prophesied seven-year Tribulation. "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Liberal media (saps) are the most diabolical effective purveyors of the devil's wicked agenda. Their propaganda reaches all over the world through the air waves via the Internet, television, social media and radio. But the day is coming when the lies and efforts of all the forces of evil will come to an abrupt halt. King Jesus will position Himself where not one evil God-rejecting individual, not one king of this world will be able to make a move. The game will be over for all the players. It will be the ultimate checkmate when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns, annihilates the evil in this broken world and ushers in the glorious new millennial kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Netanyahu: Iran risks 'mortal peril' by threatening Israel, fix or nix nuclear deal - Herb Keinon - http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-LIVE-Netanyahu-addresses-the-UN-General-Assembly-505520 In Farsi, tells Iranians: You are Israel's friends. "Fix it or nix it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, telling the world body that Israel's policy on the Iranian nuclear deal is simple: "Change it or cancel it." Netanyahu's speech began with enumerating Israel's diplomatic breakthroughs, and how the country has significantly improved its relations with many countries because of what it has to offer in terms of technology and anti-terrorism expertise, and ended with a warning that it would not tolerate Iran's efforts to establish permanent bases on Israel's borders or open new terrorist fronts against Israel in Syria. "Those that threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril," he said. "Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions." Netanyahu recalled his ardent opposition to the 2015 nuclear deal and those who said it would "somehow moderate Iran. "I strongly disagree," he said. "I warned that when the sanctions will be removed, Iran would behave like a hungry tiger unleashed. Not join the community of nations, but devouring the nations one after the other. That is precisely what Iran is doing today." He said that unless the "sunset clause" was excised from the agreement, Iran would be on its way to become the next North Korea, another rogue state with nuclear capabilities. In a rhetorical parallel to the Iron Curtain, Netanyahu said "an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East. It spreads this curtain over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere and pledges to extinguish the light of Israel." But, Netanyahu continued, "I have a simple message for Khamenei: The light of Israel will never be extinguished." During his address, Netanyahu turned directly to the Iranian people, greeted them in Farsi, and said Israel was not their enemy, and that once the regime is changed, the peoples can resume what was a historic friendship. The prime minister made a point of praising US President Donald Trump a number of times during the address, both for the speech he gave earlier in the day and for his strong support of Israel at the United Nations. Netanyahu said that in his 30 years of experience with the UN, he has not heard a bolder or more courageous speech than the one Trump delivered on Tuesday. While Netanyahu did not pull out any props or gimmicks during his speech, he did make a joke about penguins, saying that while he has visited six continents this year, he has not yet visited Antarctica. "I want to go there, too, because I have heard penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel, they have no difficulty recognizing something rare black and white, right and wrong." When it comes to Israel, he quipped, this power of recognition is too often absent. Netanyahu: Fix Or Nix Iran Deal or World Faces Islamist Empire With Hundreds of Nukes - by Deborah Danan - http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/09/19/netanyahu-fix-nix-iran-deal-world-faces-islamist-empire-hundreds-nukes/ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that the "bad" Iranian nuclear deal's "sunset clause" must be removed or else the world will face a "radical Islamist empire" armed with hundreds of nuclear bombs. "The Iranian nuclear deal not only doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb, but actually paves it, because the restrictions placed on Iran's nuclear program have what's called a sunset clause," Netanyahu explained, adding that "in a few years, those restrictions will be automatically removed not by a change in Iran's behavior ... but by a mere change in the calendar." "I warned that when that sunset comes, a dark shadow will be cast over the entire Middle East and the world. Because Iran will then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons," the prime minister said. "The greatest danger is that Iran will not be able to build a single bomb by breaking the deal. But they will able to build many nuclear bombs by keeping the deal!" he warned. "Imagine the danger of hundreds of nuclear weapons in the hands of a vast Islamist empire with the missiles to deliver them anywhere in the world." Netanyahu continued by reiterating his call to either fix or nix the deal, signed in 2015 under the Obama administration. Scrapping it, he said, would mean "restoring massive pressure on Iran, including crippling sanctions until Iran fully dismantles its nuclear weapons program." Amending it would mean inspecting all of the Islamic Republic's military and research facilities and penalizing Tehran over every minute violation of the deal. "But above all, it means getting rid of the sunset clause," he added. Earlier in the address, Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump for "speaking the truth about Iran" and said that he agreed unequivocally with the U.S. president's assertion that the nuclear deal was an "embarrassment." Netanyahu said that in all the years spent at the United Nations hearing speeches by heads of state "none were bolder, none were more courageous and forthright than the one delivered by President Trump today." Israel and the American Jewish crisis - Caroline B. Glick - http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Column-One-Israel-and-the-American-Jewish-crisis-505561 The key to strengthening and supporting the community is to bypass its failed leadership and speak and interact directly with American Jews. As the New Year 5778 begins, 88% of Israeli Jews say that they are happy and satisfied with their lives. This makes sense. Israel's relative security, its prosperity, freedom and spiritual blossoming make Israeli Jews the most successful Jewish community in 3,500 years of Jewish history. The same cannot be said for the Jews of the Diaspora. In Western Europe, Jewish communities that just a generation ago were considered safe and prosperous are now besieged. Synagogues and Jewish schools look like army barracks. And the severe security cordons Jews need to pass through to pray and study are entirely justified. For where they are absent, as they were at the Hyper Cacher Jewish supermarket in Paris in 2015, assailants strike. Western European Jewry's crisis is exogenous to the Jewish communities. It isn't the Jews who caused the crisis, which may in time cause the wholesale exodus of the Jews from Europe. The crisis is a function of growing levels of popular antisemitism spurred by mass immigration from the Islamic world and the resurgence of indigenous European Jew-hatred, particularly on the far Left. The same cannot be said of the American Jewish community, which at the dawn of 5778 also finds itself steeped in an ever deepening crisis. And while antisemitism is a growing problem in America, particularly on university campuses, unlike their European counterparts, American Jews could mount and win a battle against the growing anti-Jewish forces. But in large part, they have chosen not to. And they have chosen not to fight the antisemites because they are in the midst of a self-induced identity crisis. First, there is the problem of demographic collapse. According to the Pew Research Center's 2013 study of American Jewry, nearly 60% of American Jews intermarry. Based on the Pew data, the Jewish People Policy Institute published a report in June that noted that not only are 60% of American Jews who get married marrying non-Jews, only half of American Jews are getting married at all. And among those who are getting married, less than a third are raising their children as Jewish in some way. Earlier this month, a study of American Jews was published by the Public Religion Research Institute. It found that not only hasn't the situation improved since the Pew survey was published, the trend toward assimilation and loss of Jewish identity among American Jews has accelerated. In 2013, 32% of American Jews under 30 said that they were not Jews by religion. Today the proportion of Jews under 30 who say they have no relation to the Jewish faith has ballooned to 47%. Not surprisingly, the wholesale abandonment of Jewish faith by nearly half of young American Jews has taken a toll on the two liberal streams of American Judaism. According to the study, the percentage of American Jews who identify as Reform or Conservative Jews is in free fall. Whereas in 2013, 35% of American Jews identified as Reform, today, a mere four years later, only 28% identify as Reform. The situation among Conservatives is even worse. In 2013, 18% of American Jews identified as Conservatives. Today, only 14% do. Among Jews under 30 the situation is even starker. Only 20% of American Jews under 30 identify as Reform. Only 8% identify as Conservative. To be sure, the trend toward secularism and assimilation among US Jewry is not new. And over the years, Reform and Conservative leaders have adopted varying strategies to deal with it. In 1999 the Reform movement tried to deal with the problem by strengthening the movement's religious practices. Although the effort failed, the impulse that drove the strategy was rational. American Jews who seek spiritual and religious meaning likely want more than a sermon about tikkun olam. The problem is that they also want more than a rabbi donning a kippa and a synagogue choosing to keep kosher. This is why, as the number of Reform and Conservative Jews is contracting, the number of American Jews who associate with the Orthodox movement is growing. Between 2013 and 2017, the proportion of young American Jews who identify as Orthodox grew from 10% to 15%. Moreover, more and more American Jews are finding their spiritual home with Chabad. Today there are more Chabad houses in the US than Reform synagogues. Unable to compete for Jews seeking religious fulfillment, the Reform and Conservative movements have struck out for new means of rallying their bases and attracting members. Over the past year, two new strategies are dominating the public actions of both movements. First, there is a selective fight against antisemitism. While antisemitism is experiencing a growth spurt in the US progressive movement, and antisemitism is becoming increasingly overt in US Muslim communities, neither the Reform nor Conservative movements has taken significant institutional steps to fight them. Instead, both movements, and a large swath of the Jewish institutional world, led in large part by Reform and Conservative Jews, have either turned a blind eye to this antisemitism or supported it. Take for instance the case of Davis, California, imam Amman Shahin. On July 21 Shahin gave a sermon calling for the Jewish people to be annihilated. His Jewish neighbors in the progressive Jewish communities of Davis and Sacramento didn't call the police and demand that he be investigated for terrorist ties. They didn't demand that his mosque fire him. Instead, led by the Oakland Jewish Federation, local rabbi Seth Castleman and the JCRC, they embraced Shahin. They appeared with him at a public "apology" ceremony, where he failed to apologize for calling for his Jewish colleagues, and every other Jew, to be murdered. All Shahin did was express regret that his call for genocide caused offense. On the other hand, the same leaders stand as one against allegations of antisemitic violence stemming from the political Right. In the face of an utter lack of evidence, when Jewish institutions were subjected to a rash of bomb threats last winter, Reform and Conservative leaders led the charge insisting that far-right antisemites were behind them and insinuated that the perpetrators supported President Donald Trump. When it worked out that all of the threats were carried out by a mentally ill Israeli Jew, they never issued an apology. So, too, the Reform and Conservative movements, like the rest of the American Jewish community, treated the Charlottesville riot last month like a new Reichstag fire. They entirely ignored the violence of the far-left, antisemitic Antifa protesters and behaved as though tomorrow neo-Nazis would take control of the federal government. They jumped on the bandwagon insisting that Trump's initial condemnation of both groups was proof that he has a soft spot for neo-Nazis. The problem with the strategy of selective outrage over antisemitism is that it isn't at all clear who the target audience is. Survey data shows that the more active Jews are in the synagogue, the less politically radical they are and the more devoted to Jewish causes they are. So it is hard to see how turning a blind eye to leftist and Muslim antisemitism will rally their current membership more than they already have been rallied. Moreover, the more radicalized Jews become politically, the more outlets they have for their political activism both as Jews and as leftists. No matter how anti-Trump Conservative and Reform leaders become, they can never rival the progressive forces in the Democratic Party. Prospects for success of the second strategy are arguably even lower. The second strategy involves cultivating animosity toward Israel over the issue of egalitarian prayer at the Kotel. Last June, the government overturned an earlier decision to build a passageway connecting the Western Wall Plaza with Robinson's Arch, along the Southern Wall, where egalitarian prayer services are held. The government also rescinded a previous decision to have representatives of the Conservative and Reform movements receive membership in the committee that manages the Western Wall Plaza. The government's first decision was non-political. The Antiquities Authority nixed the construction of the passage due to the adverse impact construction would have on the antiquities below the surface. As to the second decision, it is far from a matter of life and death. The committee has no power to influence egalitarian prayers for better or for worse. And yet, rather than acknowledge that the decision was a setback but it didn't harm the status of egalitarian prayer at the Wall, the Reform and Conservative movements declared war against the government and dragged much of the organized Jewish establishment behind them. The Reform leadership canceled a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Jewish Agency Board followed suit. Six hundred Conservative rabbis signed a letter to Netanyahu accusing him of betraying Diaspora Jewry and announcing they would be forced to reconsider their support for Israel. Ambassador David Friedman, who had just taken residence in Israel a month before the explosion, used his first public remarks as ambassador to call his fellow American Jews to order. Friedman said, "Yesterday, I heard something that I thought I'd never hear before. And I understand the source of the frustration and the source of the anger. But I heard a major Jewish organization say that they needed to rethink their support for the State of Israel. "That's something unthinkable in my lifetime, up until yesterday. We have to do better. We must do better," he said. But in the intervening months, the Conservative and Reform movements have not relented in their attacks. They have ratcheted them up. The thinking appears to be that if they can make this problem look like a life or death struggle between Israel and progressive Jewry, they can both keep their dwindling bases engaged and attract members of the increasingly anti-Israel Jewish far Left. The problem with this is that just as they cannot outdo the Democratic Party in their hostility toward Trump, so the Conservative and Reform movements cannot be more anti-Israel than Jewish Voices for Peace and other anti-Israel Jewish groups. The question for Israelis is what this failure of the mainstream American Jewish leadership means for the future of Israel's relationship with American Jewry. Jewish survival and continuity through the ages has been predicated and dependent on our ability as Jews to uphold the commandment of the sages that all Jews are responsible for one another. As the most successful Jewish community in history, Israel has a special responsibility for our brethren in the Diaspora. The first step toward fulfilling our duty is to recognize the basic fact that while it is true that the American Jewish community is in crisis, the leaders of that community are in an even deeper crisis. And the key to strengthening and supporting the community is to bypass its failed leadership and speak and interact directly with American Jews. Nearing Midnight: The Yellowstone Area Continues to Rumble - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The greatest natural disaster threat to America is the Yellowstone caldera. We could be hit be 1000 category 5 hurricanes and still be nowhere near the danger of this super volcano in Northwest Wyoming. It only explodes once in a distant blue moon but when it does, the volume of ash is stunning. During its last eruption 100 cubic miles of ash were deposited over half of the continental U.S. A Yellowstone eruption would simply mean the end of the United States as we know it. The population of several states would drop to zero. The breadbasket of the Midwest would be decimated. The eruption event could go on for over many decades. The federal government has been eternally optimistic about the Yellowstone earthquakes. When they began in June of this year the U.S. Geological Survey said they would only last a few days. Yellowstone is now the site of the longest earthquake swarm ever recorded with 2,357 quakes registered since June. There was a swarm in 1985 that recorded 3,000 earthquakes, but it ended after three months. Yellowstone shows no sign of going back to sleep. The ticking time bomb of Yellowstone became all the more concerning when another swarm of earthquakes began just down the road in Southeast Idaho. The earthquakes began shortly before 6 p.m. on September 2nd. On that day, Soda Springs registered a magnitude 5.3 earthquake. This is the largest event since 1983, when Idaho's biggest earthquake, a 6.9 temblor rocked for about a minute at the Lost River Fault beneath Borah Peak (Idaho's tallest mountain). Since the September 2nd, 10 quakes in the 4 magnitude have occurred. Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said he's been a law enforcement officer in Southeast Idaho for over 40 years, and during that time there's never previously been so many earthquakes occurring in such a short time frame. The U.S. Geological Survey says that the Idaho quake is not directly related to the Yellowstone caldera. Since Soda Springs sits in an active volcanic region, it has some connection to the plumbing of the underground magma chamber. The people who think the government is hiding information from us have all the more reason to wonder when NASA offered a solution to the problem of a Yellowstone eruption; the space agency has hatched a plan to prevent it from happening by drilling into the volcano and pumping in cooling water. The Department of Energy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology already assessed what it would take to tap the caldera. An MIT model assumed that we could withdraw 20 gigawatts of power. That's approximately the power generation of 10 coal-fired Power Plants. The model calls for 160 injection wells that would need to drill down to around 4 miles underground. Individually, the wells would be spaced about every 0.9 miles along Yellowstone's boundary and use directional drilling techniques to bore into the magma chamber. Water would be pumped through the boreholes into the hot rock and then return to the surface at a temperature of more than 600 degrees Fahrenheit. This would then be used to drive turbines and generate electric power. Nations like Iceland have made use of volcanic steam that comes to the surface of the earth. There is no country that has drilled into a lava chamber to tap its energy. The key reason is that the technology does not exist. The extreme heat would make this type of deep drilling impossible. Even if we had the right technology, it would take hundreds of years to cool down the Caldera. The magma chamber under Yellowstone is enormous in size, measuring 30 miles by 45 miles and hundreds of miles deep. The volume of water needed to cool such a large magma body would be enormous. We would need to pump the volume of a great lake into the magma system to even make a dent. I suppose it is unlikely that Yellowstone will blow up and kill us all. If it doesn't go back to sleep, it seems questionable that the government would ever raise the danger level. The world is in the grip of such a profound state of spiritual blindness that the most reasonable attempt to curtail risk is beyond reach. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Church's Alarm Clock Is Shrieking-It's Time to Wake Up! - Keith Nix - https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/67295-the-church-s-alarm-clock-is-shrieking-mdash-it-s-time-to-wake-up Is the alarm clock your enemy or your friend? If I am honest, for most of my life, it seemed more like an enemy than a friend. What about you? Maybe you're a morning person? I'm not! At least, not a natural born one. I often need to set my alarms [yes, plural] an hour in advance of when I need to get up. And for some crazy reason, sleep seems sweeter after you are supposed to be up. Crazy! Whoever invented the snooze button is my friend for life! Once I am finally up physically, it still takes me a good bit of time to wake up. My voice doesn't sound pleasant for at least 30 minutes, and the closest I want to get to a conversation is, "Spark, please." However, I discover that when I am looking forward to the day, it is so much easier to wake up. The alarm clock, my enemy from the day before, is my friend today because of what awaits me. Motivation is of vital importance to my perspective. Our generation is in trouble. A brief review of the news on any given day speaks of the myriad of challenges facing us. The world is spiraling downward further and further into the chaos of wars and rumors of wars. Peace and true love appear out of reach. The truth is no longer considered a constant but a moving target that varies with the mood of the moment. There is an all-out attempt to redefine borders and reassign morality. There is an answer. It is the church! Jesus said, "... On this rock, I shall build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). The church is the body of Christ in the earth: His hands, His feet, and possessing His heart and Spirit. And yet, if you look at what is happening around the world, the church appears to be falling way short of the intended goal. What's the issue? It isn't an issue of authority or power. The church today is not powerless, just asleep. The problem isn't that we don't know the Bible. The church is not biblically illiterate, but asleep. It isn't that the church is not loving; but, sleepy people care more about their comfort than the needs of others. The issue is that too many in the church are asleep. It is time for the church to wake up. It is past time. The alarms are sounding, and we have hit the snooze button for far too long. Look at the way Kenneth Wuest translated Paul's admonition in Romans 13:11, "And this, knowing the strategic season, that it is an hour now for you to awake out of sleep, for now, our salvation is nearer to us than when we believed." What we live in is one of the most strategic seasons of history. We cannot afford to sleep through another day. If we snooze, we will lose a generation. The prophetic promise of Isaiah 60:1-3 is upon us, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. The nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising." The church must rise in the light of His glory. Now is the time to stop hitting the snooze button and let the glory enable us to rise and shine. Mark writes in his Gospel the account of the synagogue leader Jairus' daughter's illness (Mark 5). In numerous ways, this generation of young men and women resemble Jairus' daughter. Many voices are declaring that they are dead and saying all we can do is mourn their demise. But I believe that Jesus' words concerning the little girl are relevant and prophetic of today, "The girl is not dead, but sleeping" (Mark 5:39b). The same power He used to raise her from her sleep is available now. This generation is not dead to the truth. They are not dead to the power of His name or the beauty of His presence. They are only asleep. The church of today is equipped by God to awaken the sleeping. The same anointing is working right now to awaken this generation from the slumber of death to experience His greatest glory. But the church must stop hitting the snooze button. We must make the decision. We will pay the price of discomfort; pull the covers back, throw our legs over the edge and get up. A generation is waiting. Daily Jot: What you won't hear on Trump's UN speech - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com The news media is spending its time blasting President Donald Trump over his speech to the United Nations. The media is once again trying to influence the masses with a very narrow and biased narrative against Trump. It seems these days that it doesn't matter what he does, there are those who will twist and fit his words into their own agendas. The talking heads on CNN, MSNBC and other mouthpieces for the loyal, if not misguided, opposition, said Trump's speech lacked "coherence" and was "foolish." These are the talking points of the leftists. But what did Trump really say? Can anyone know from watching the mainstream news? Of course, the answer is no. So if you want to know, here are some excerpts. On America's sovereignty: "As President of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always, and should always, put your countries first. All responsible leaders have an obligation to serve their own citizens, and the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition. But making a better life for our people also requires us to work together in close harmony and unity to create a more safe and peaceful future for all people. The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return. As long as I hold this office, I will defend America's interests above all else." On Islamic terrorism: "In Saudi Arabia early last year, I was greatly honored to address the leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations. We agreed that all responsible nations must work together to confront terrorists and the Islamist extremism that inspires them. We will stop radical Islamic terrorism because we cannot allow it to tear up our nation, and indeed to tear up the entire world. We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding, and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. We must drive them out of our nations. It is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban and others that slaughter innocent people." On communism: "The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems. America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their wellbeing, including their prosperity." On America being a force for good: "The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world, and the greatest defenders of sovereignty, security, and prosperity for all. Now we are calling for a great reawakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people, and their patriotism." There are many who wish to tear down and remake our nation and each individual living in it, into a vessel for totalitarianism. This comes in many forms-socialism, communism, anarchy, Islam, fascism. Let us remember, even in Trump's last words calling on God to bless America, Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Totalitarian entities are the absence of Christ. Without Christ, there is no freedom. Daily Devotion: Don't Exaggerate Your Past - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done." -Philippians 3:7 Some Christians change their personal testimony with the passing of time, making it a little more dramatic with each telling. I think they want to do this to make it sound more appealing. When you share your testimony, don't glorify or exaggerate your past. Accuracy is important. So is truthfulness. You need to be totally honest and tell the truth. Be careful that you don't make your past sound more appealing than your present. I have heard believers do this. They share their testimony of all the things they once did, and as they are talking about the old days, they actually sound better than the new days. It's depressing to listen to them. They make their past sound better than the present. And that makes me wonder whether they really understand what it means to be a Christian. Do they really understand what their past was? I love the way Paul put it: "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8). To make his point, Paul chose an intentional word: garbage. What is more offensive than that? Garbage is something you want to get rid of. You don't save it, and you certainly don't talk about it with other people. You see it for what it is: refuse. That is what your past was before Christ. You were headed for a certain judgment. But God, in His grace, invaded your world and brought you to faith. Glorify the Lord and speak of what He has done for you. 
FROM THE HEART
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