Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Finality - By Jerry McDermott -
https://www.raptureready.com/2020/10/19/finality-by-jerry-mcdermott/ Have you realized the Final Age is already here, maybe not in its entirety, but clearly it has commenced? I am speaking of the End Times also known as the last days, the last generation or the later days. You have to be aware of worldwide problems: the clashes of ethnic groups, the lack of food, widespread immorality, and incessant anarchy. How about school closures as well as closures of restaurants, salons, barbers, sports? What about bacteriological warfare disguised as a virus or called a pestilence that is causing worldwide quarantines? As 2020 moves forward, most people have no clue what is happening and what will happen. It is the era of great fear because almost no one has a handle on the happenings or the future. This is not news, for thousands of years ago scriptures said that "My people will perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). This lack is widespread and universal in its scope. God once more proved His love for us by scriptural forecasts and prophecies that are happening as I type this. They are contained in the Bible; the answers to these questions were always there. You don't have to dig them out. In the Old Testament, He used prophets to warn us; in the New Testament, Jesus Himself was not only the world's Savior but highlighted the future. These prophetic teachings of Jesus were listed in Chapter 24 of Matthew's gospel writings as well as the Book of Revelation starting with Chapter 4. Jesus called these items birth pangs, mirroring the human experience. It is important to remember that they increase in time and intensity. The culmination of these occurs in the Tribulation period which we will discuss later. These are so bad that scripture tells about millions of people losing their lives in this seven-year period before the second coming. And just before the ending of the Tribulation, the War of Armageddon takes place. If you are not familiar with these seven years, you should investigate, as there is a safety feature available to avoid the intensity of this era. Before this Tribulation era, there is absolute proof of God's love for His people in the Rapture of the Church, God's gift to His followers. This is the incredible gathering of believers to meet Jesus in the clouds and then a quick passage to heaven with Christ. People could shout, "We're outta here!" This will not just include people who go to church, whether weekly or Christmas/Easter church goers. However, when you become a believer, a church becomes your community and is necessary for further Christian development. Continuing, the rapture will not include people who just know about the Bible nor folks who only read it but do not have a relationship with who inspired the content. You may wonder, "Well then, who will be brought to heaven. Earlier, we wrote about people perishing because they did not make the effort to understand God's plans for His people. The gathering of people for the heavenly journey initially consists of former dead Christians now risen, followed by Christians who are alive at the occurrence. They will immediately receive an incorruptible heavenly body. The operative word for the travelers is Born-Again Christian believers. They have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, confessed that they are a sinner and asked forgiveness, and strengthened their lives in Christ. In other words, just being religious won't cut it. This event is called the Rapture of the Church or those being lifted up. It is the next worldwide spiritual happening. The clock started May 14, 1948, when Israel became a nation and was also confirmed when the world's Jews started to return to Israel. Unfortunately, the exact date for the Rapture is unknown, but it will take place before the Tribulation period of seven years. There are numerous beliefs about the timing of the Rapture. However, the most prominent and realistic is that the Rapture takes place before the coming of the anti-Christ and the Tribulation period. However, the Rapture is almost universally misunderstood. Here are two erroneous beliefs: "At the Rapture, if you are missing g a limb, it will be replaced." Actually, at the Rapture, we receive completely new eternal bodies. I had trouble assessing this next one when someone told me, "I don't believe Jesus will be in the clouds." When I explained that scripture states this happening, the reply was, "That is your interpretation; you believe what you want to." When I continued mentioning that Jesus waiting in the clouds is the revealed Word of God, I found it difficult to comprehend or even find a word for their answer, so I'll just say I was flabbergasted at their retaliation which was, "I don't believe the Jesus in the clouds narrative, so I'll wave at you as you fly by." The word Rapture itself poses a problem to some folks. The belief is that the word is not in the Bible, which is not true, as it is just the English translation of the Latin version of the word. If the word is a problem, think "lifted up." Our salvation is not based on words but only the Word of God, Jesus Christ. As Paul told Timothy, "Keep reminding people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about mere words. This does no good and can be the ruin of those who listen" ( 2 Timothy 2:14). The occurrence can also be called Rapture of the Church. This sometimes raises the question, "Which Church?" Even answering "the Christian Churches" doesn't solve anything, as churches aren't raptured - people are. The question now becomes, "Which people?" It would seem that church people are the obvious answer. However, since some church people are not believers, they won't be in the Rapture. The Rapture takeoff is for people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, confessed their sins and reformed their life. This is being Born-Again. Remember the passage in John chapter 3 where Jesus told Nicodemus, "Unless one is Born Again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The next observation is difficult as it involves the loser category for those left behind as adults and children disappear in the Rapture. While the general classification is unbelievers, there are different classes. These include atheists, or people who claim they are Christians because of family history, or folks who are just aware of Christ and the Jews. There is another ill-timed group who have the knowledge but never acted upon it or sought salvation, rejecting God's Word. Jesus was aware of them and commented, "Be on your guard; the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him" (Luke 12:40). Therefore, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ before the Rapture or were going to wait until the last minute, you are in for some chaotic times. Scripture says the timing is in the "Twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). Do you think you can fulfill the requirements for salvation that fast? Incredibly, while God sent His Son as the Prince of Peace, the world today is devoid of peace. Furthermore, it is going to get worse as the anti-Christ takes power with his prophet some time after the Rapture. His time starts with a peace agreement with Israel, which is broken 3-1/2 years later as He proclaims himself as God. This is the seven-year period called the Tribulation and consists of two periods of 3-1/2 years. During these periods, one third of the populace will be killed. In the second period, the wrath of God will be poured forth upon the earth for the people not accepting His Son, who died for all mankind. Based on Jesus' description of a wide gate to perdition and a narrow gate to glory, numerous people will still be on earth after the Rapture. This means they either rejected Jesus' salvation or were indifferent to anything religious. However, the next major worldwide religious event is the Rapture followed by the Tribulation under the demonic patronage of the anti-Christ and his prophet. He will establish a One- World Government and a One-World Religion with himself at the top. One of the insidious problems in the era will be the requirement to worship the Anti-Christ as God or be killed as martyrs. In addition, everyone else will need the number 666 on their right hand or forehead to live a normal life. Under no circumstances, do not be signed 666! The reason is that there is only one true God. Therefore, anyone who worships a false god will be considered as blaspheming the Holy Spirit and will be subject to eternal condemnation (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28-29). You will not be duped into receiving this mark, as you must choose it. You will be considered as declining God's forgiveness as well as rejecting Him in favor of the demon possessed Anti-Christ. In addition, scripture proclaims that the one sin that will not be forgiven is blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29). Paul also reminds us that there will be terrible times in the last days. Now turn to the current attack on Christian churches and the hatred of Jews again. Sin itself is easily disguised as ungodliness, wickedness, legality; anarchy, or just politics. How else can we explain the deadly news of untold mayhem and unresponsive politicians in American cities? It is the revealed specter of madness predicted for the End Times. This unlawful craziness is obvious in the news, but what is not apparent is the hidden aberrations. Anne Graham recently remarked that we are being invisibly attacked. Nikita Khrushchev previously proclaimed, "We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the United States as we will destroy you from within!" Consider the demonically induced destruction already in increasing numbers of America towns and the push for socialism. Now reflect on the recent problems due to socialism in Venezuela. History always repeats itself as Edmond Burke once proclaimed. He also stated, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." The surprise is we haven't learned anything from either North Korea or Venezuela. Unless we stop this madness, only fools will flourish. Jesus was quite aware of this human tendency of memory fade and commented on it. Three of the gospel writers repeating His warning: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to destruction, and every city or town divided against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25; Mark 3:25; Luke 11:17). Clearly, America is divided into two major factions and numerous smaller ones. It is not only a verbal war but also a physical time of brutality. What would cause such a blessed nation to deteriorate in so many aspects? To find the answer, again we turn to the Bible, the collection of God's wisdom and commandments. Today we are imitating Israel where God said, "Oh, that my people would listen to Me! But my people would not heed My voice and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsels." Other translations say, "To follow their own devices" (Psalm 81:12). What does this mean? It reveals the true cause of American's problems which is sin. Mankind was born as sinners. And without salvation and the indwelling of the Lord with His Holy Spirit, we remain sinners. The scriptures stress the time of Noah as people unconcerned with God's laws. The danger they faced is the same for sinners today. While the Lord is about to return to judge and rule after the Tribulation, the exact timing is unknown. Therefore, believers are supposed to be ready at all times. By contrast, sinners could care less. The sins are so apparent as are the various levels of media where curses are leveled at government officials. While the overall commandment is to love God and neighbor, God is even more specific, having the writers of holy scripture give advice to their contemporaries and to ages following: Government: "Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all goodness and reverence" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). "Let every soul be subject to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God" (Romans 13:1). Rulers: "Be wise, Oh kings; be instructed you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling" (Psalm2:10). "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Discussions: "Shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness, and their message will spread like cancer. Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing they generate strife" (2 Timothy 2:16-17, 23). Regardless of topics discussed here, with the advent of the Rapture, people will ask, "Why weren't we told?" For two thousand years, the words of Christ have beckoned every generation to "Be on your guard; the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him" (Luke 12:40). Earlier, I mentioned there IS a way to avoid the deadly machinations during the Tribulation. This is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the only one that will forgive a sinful life and grant a heavenly eternity. sacranet@aol.com Israeli Lawmakers Look to Bring all Visiting Foreign Dignitaries onto Temple Mount - Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.israel365news.com/159898/israeli-lawmakers-look-to-bring-all-visiting-foreign-dignitaries-onto-temple-mount/ "I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My mizbayach; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples." Isaiah 56:7 (The Israel BibleTM) For the first time, a lobbying group met in the Knesset to discuss the subject of the Temple Mount. The meeting came at a pivotal time, when the future of the site expressed by Solomon and predicted by prophecy as a House of Prayer for all Nations stands in the balance, closer than ever to being established. TEMPLE MOUNT LOBBY MEETS IN KNESSET On Tuesday, a lobby for strengthening the status of the Temple Mount, led by MK Ariel Kellner and MK May Golan of the Likud, was launched in the Knesset. The incident involving the UAE delegation was raised at the beginning of the meeting by Dor Harlap, head of Hazon Leumi (national vision), an NGO focused on educating college students and youngsters. "We are in historical days," Harlap said. "Between the plague of the corona that affects the whole world and the Abraham Accords that establish peace between us, the State of Israel and the Arab states." "This week we watched as a delegation of tourists from the Gulf who sought to ascend and pray on the Temple Mount but were met with violence and insults by the Waqf(Muslim authority) who feel like the masters of the Temple Mount. This reality is pushing us to exercise our sovereignty over the Temple Mount even by force." "Unfortunately the State of Israel tried to ignore the Temple Mount as the holiest place for us with sayings like 'What do I need this Vatican' by Moshe Dayan. Unfortunately, weaknesses in the exercise of sovereignty by the government and police lead us to a dynamic where we do not actually own the mountain. I call on all of us to continue to lead Restoring sovereignty to the State of Israel and leading moves to strengthen Jewish identity on the mountain. " A suggestion was raised that visiting dignitaries be offered the opportunity to visit the Temple Mount. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has a set agenda for visiting dignitaries that includes Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. In 2015, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely added the Western Wall. Ariel Kallner, head of the newly formed lobby, led the discussion. "The visits by foreign dignitaries to the Temple Mount is intended to open up the subject of the importance of the site as having civil importance to Israel," Gabi Osherenko, a political adviser to Kallner said. "This will express a political statement to the visiting dignitaries. The Temple Mount has national and historical significance to Israel in addition to the obvious religious significance." "There are currently no concrete plans of action however the lobby was necessary to raise up the issue of the Temple Mount above the theoretical level. "On a religious level, opening up discussion about the Temple Mount is important to all religions. Currently, the situation is run by the Muslim Authority and we have seen that they do not allow religious equality to be expressed. They even prevent religious freedom of their fellow Muslims." Former MK and Temple Mount Activist Rabbi Yehudah Glick said: "We see that we have achieved big and positive changes, including the outlawing of the Morabiton and the Morabitat by Gilad Ardan. But there is still a long way to go." The Morabiton and Morabitot are Muslims paid by the Waqf to harass non-Muslims who visit the Temple Mount. Their activities were ruled illegal by the Israeli High Court. "It is unacceptable that a delegation from the United Arab Emirates is insulted on the Temple Mount," Rabbi Glick said to the gathering. "This situation must pass from the world. We must demand that the relevant parties continue to act on the issue. " The head of the Shin Bet (internal security service) and former chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Avi Dichter, said: "We must act on the Temple Mount not by the right of force but by the right of our rights to the site. We must not accept a situation in which the name of 'Al-Aqsa Mosque' is applied to the entire Temple Mount. The Muslims are turning the entire Temple Mount into al-Aqsa. On the other hand, it is unacceptable that the Jews visiting the Temple Mount should be called 'crazy.' It is unacceptable that the only Jewish symbol on the Temple Mount is a police station, and even that stands without the Israeli flag. It is incumbent upon us to relate to the Temple Mount as a holy place for Jews and to ensure that the Temple Mount remains in our hands." Dichter was, in fact, relating to a deceitful policy initiated by the Palestinians and perpetuated by the mainstream media which refers to the entire Temple Mount as Al-Aqsa which, until recently, referred to the silver-domed mosque at the southern end of the Temple Mount Compound. Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University, explained that using the term 'Al Aqsa' to refer to the entire Temple Mount is a recent phenomenon. "All throughout the Ottoman Empire and the Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem, Al Aqsa always and only referred to the grey domed mosque," Dr. Kedar explained. "Cartography reflects politics. This is recorded on every map of the location ever made which identifies Al Aqsa as the mosque. The Temple Mount is labeled Mount Moriah because, before 1967, Jordan had no problem identifying the site with its Biblical origins." "This changed in 1967 when Rabbi Goren announced his intention to build a small synagogue in the northeast corner of the Temple Mount. The Waqf immediately objected, claiming that this was part of Al Aqsa. This was to incite the entire Arab world against the Jews praying on the Temple Mount." "Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are at the epicenter of the Palestinian story," Dr. Kedar said. "Without Jerusalem and Al Aqsa, the Palestinian issue has almost no meaning. It is like whiskers without a cat. This is why they keep repeating the allegation that the Jews have no connection to the Temple Mount or Jerusalem even though this flies in the face of all recorded history." UAE DELEGATION ABUSED ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT A delegation from the United Arab Emirates headed by Khadim Abdullah Al Dar'i, Vice Chairman and Founding Partner of Al-Dahra Agriculture, visited Israel last week. Al-Dahra Agriculture, a state-linked company that is a major exporter of animal feed and other essential food commodities, arrived in Israel at the invitation of Netafim, a major Israeli irrigation technology firm. Netafim is expected to open a branch office in the UAE in cooperation with Al-Dahra. As part of their semi-official visit, on Thursday night the delegation consisting of nine men and one woman visited the Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. While in the mosque, several Palestinians approached the delegation, insulting them with one Palestinian yelling, "Normalizers, rubbish," at the visiting dignitaries and another yelling for them to leave the site. One of the delegates tried to engage the Palestinians in dialogue who responded, "Emiratis are dogs...Get out!" PA DECRIES UAE DELEGATION'S VISIT Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the visit to Israel by the UAE delegates as a "free reward to the Israeli occupation to encourage it to confiscate more Palestinian land and build more settlements." Shtayyeh stated that the UAE delegates should have cleared the visit with the Palestinian "owners." "One ought to enter the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by way of its owners, rather than through the gates of the occupation," Shtayyeh said in a statement on Monday. "It is sad to see some Arab delegations entering the compound through the Israeli gate, while worshippers are denied access to it to perform their prayers." Entrance to the site by Muslims has been limited as per pandemic restrictions. The Daily Sabah, a Turkish media, reported the event under the headline "Palestinians force UAE delegation to leave Al-Aqsa Mosque" which the news source came in the wake of "Abu Dhabi's normalization deal with Tel Aviv, which is regarded by many as a betrayal of the Palestinians." This most recent incident comes after the Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, issued a fatwa (religious proclamation) last month declaring that Muslim citizens of the UAE will not be permitted to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Though the PA has an embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Palestinian foreign ministry recalled its ambassador in response to the Abraham Accords. UNIVERSAL PRAYER ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT: INTERNATIONAL LAW AND PROPHETIC VISION It should be emphasized that the right of the UAE delegation to pray at Al Aqsa was specifically declared in the US State Department's statement describing the accords signed last month: "As set forth in the Vision for Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem's other holy sites should remain open for peaceful worshipers of all faiths." This multi-faith vision of the Temple Mount was also expressed in Trump's Middle East "Peace to Prosperity" plan which stated: "People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion's prayers and holidays, as well as other religious factors." Freedom of worship is also ensured by the United Nations' International standards on freedom of religion or belief which states in article 18 that "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This right shall include freedom [...] either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching." In fact, when King Solomon dedicated the Temple, he specified that it should be a place of worship for foreigners. Oh, hear in Your heavenly abode and grant all that the foreigner asks You for. Thus all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and revere You, as does Your people Yisrael; and they will recognize that Your name is attached to this House that I have built. I Kings 8:43 This international nature of the site was prophesied to return in the Third Temple. I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My mizbayach; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples." Isaiah 56:7 Prophetic Times When Life Imitates Art - By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/10/20/prophetic-times-when-life-imitates-art-by-terry-james/ My good friend Dr. Tim LaHaye used to quip that his and Jerry Jenkins' best-selling novel series Left Behind gave his critics room to accuse that his pre-Trib view of Bible prophecy was all fiction. I guess that, to my critics who have considered the several novels I've written, it's proof that my take on Bible prophecy is entirely fictional as well. That being the case, the minute-by-minute unfolding of issues and events is illustrating that developing reality is stranger than fiction, as they say. As a matter of fact, the observation that life imitates art is becoming the norm in looking at Bible prophecy rather than a saying that applies to fodder for novelists. A couple of things are growing to blockbuster size. These matters have been all but totally ignored by mainstream news media, but are now growing in such enormity that they have moved beyond being laughed off as merely rumors spread by conspiracy kooks. The way you can tell that there is substance to the formerly laughed-at "conspiracy" matters is that the mainstream anchor-types start harping on them, trying to sway the voting public. Such is the case on the matter of QAnon, or Q, which has until the "Town Hall" broadcast by NBC the other night been ridiculed by the elite media as the insane ravings of conspiracy lunatics. When Savannah Guthrie, the NBC Today Show cohost, laid into President Trump about QAnon, she kept at him in almost a vicious way about whether he would disavow it. It was clear that this means this covert entity called "Q" is becoming major in the eyes of the elitists in media who want to bend the minds of voters in this presidential election. It has become a serious enough matter that they want us to believe the president commands a secret cabal that is dangerously right-wing in the same sense they consider white supremacy. I've written before about this covert entity, formerly laughed at by the media types and scorned as conspiracy nuttiness. Much of what I know about this entity, as I said about the mainstream narrative these days, defies logical discernment. Does he-for it is thought to be an individual within the immediate circles that surround the president, and I presume it is a man, if he indeed exists within that circle-truly have knowledge of the intrigues he reports? "Q" or "QAnon" is the name given a supposed insider within the White House ranks who issues reports about what is in actuality going on with regard to this president and the so-called deep state. The deep state is a term most recognize. It refers to those within government-particularly within the top ranks of clandestine services such as the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc., that are part of the Washington, DC "swamp," as Mr. Trump termed it during his campaign to win the presidency. These, along with many DC.-establishment types, have been doing all within their power to destroy Trump's presidency and even the man himself, family-wise and business-wise. The aforementioned mainstream media joins this cabal in the attempted destruction. At the heart of this drive to oust this president at any cost is the pile upon pile of lies that continues to spew from the "swamp" and are magnified and carried throughout mainstream media. You might have noticed how there has been a steady stream of such lies meant to destroy the president-a different lie almost every week (for almost four years now). QAnon is disseminating through alternative news sources that there is a reckoning coming for the deep state and those complicit in opposing the president and doing great harm to the American Republic. "He" indicates that something big is on the way that will expose and even bring to justice much of the deep state at every level. It will soon be made clear for all to see the corruption at the very top of US government, and where the true collusion festers... So Savannah Guthrie's grilling of the president, obviously aimed at forcing him to admit his association with QAnon or else disavow that entity, makes clear that the man or organization has, as the media used to say, gravitas in the scheme of things. It almost certainly is a matter that troubles them and their desire to rid America of Trump at any cost. The whole thing could constitute wonderful fiction with realistic pathos, intrigue, danger, and all the rest that inhabits the novelists' world. But, it appears forever more to be truth, not fiction, that is bubbling to the surface of these prophetic times. Adding to this life-imitating-art scenario is the matter of an even more profoundly strange tale that seems to be taking on the look of reality bubbling to the surface. The following excerpt frames the matter. On Sunday, October 11th, 2020, documents, and tapes along with audio were delivered to a U.S. Congressman along with several conventional media outlets demonstrating that President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conspired and developed a sophisticated cover-up in the matter of Seal Team 6 and the purported killing of Osama Bin Laden. Furthermore, the $1.2 billon Obama sent to Iran was part of a blackmail effort by Iran to Obama to keep the secret that Osama Bin Laden was killed, when he was not! Furthermore...a sophisticated cover-up ensued to protect Obama, Biden, Clinton including involvement by the John McCain Foundation and the Clinton Foundation. Further participants include, but are not limited to: Leon Panetta, John Brennan, and the architect Hillary Clinton. These documents have supposedly been verified by several intelligence professionals along with a former high ranking U.S. General. The documents have been released to President Trump. (Video: Evidence Suggests Obama, Biden, Hillary Conspired With Iran - Clinton Gave Order to EXECUTE Seal Team 6 ⋆, Conservative Firing Line, RR News, Oct. 17, 2020) Even Reformed theologians in many cases call the book of Revelation fiction, in that they say it shouldn't have been in the canon of Scripture. They say it is just too far out there. It is mostly the figment of the writer's imagination. God's Word, however, is absolute truth. Is it too far-fetched to believe that stories like the above-which don't come anywhere near reaching the bizarre levels of the fantastic future reports from Revelation-could have fundamental elements of truth? Stay tuned, I guess is the right thing to say here. The Rise Of The Corporate Censors: How America Is Drifting Toward The Chinese Model Of Media - by Jonathan Turley - https://www.zerohedge.com/political/rise-corporate-censors-how-america-drifting-toward-chinese-model-media Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the censorship of the Hunter Biden controversy by Facebook and Twitter. The response of the Biden campaign and figures like Rep. Adam Schiff has been to dismiss the story as the likely product of Russian intelligence. Notably however they do not address the underlying emails. As many of us have written, there is ample reason to suspect foreign intelligence and the FBI is reportedly investigating that possibility. However, that does not mean that the emails are not authentic. Hillary Clinton was hacked by Russia but the emails were still real. It is possible to investigate both those responsible for the laptop's disclosure and what has been disclosed on the laptop. The censorship by these companies however has magnified concerns in the controversy, particularly with the disclosure of close connections between some company officials and the Biden campaign. Chinese citizens watched President Xi Jinping deliver an important speech this week not far from Hong Kong. Well, not the whole speech: Xi apparently is ill, and every time he went into coughing spasms, China's state media cut away so that he would be shown only in perfect health. Xi's coughs came to mind as Twitter and Facebook prevented Americans from being able to read the New York Post's explosive allegations of influence-peddling by Hunter Biden through their sites. The articles cited material reportedly recovered from a laptop; it purportedly showed requests for Hunter Biden to use his influence on his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, as well as embarrassing photos of Hunter Biden. Many of us have questioned the sketchy details of how the laptop reportedly was left by Hunter Biden with a nearly blind computer repairman and then revealed just weeks before the presidential election. There are ample reasons to question whether this material was the product of a foreign intelligence operation, which the FBI apparently is investigating. Yet the funny thing about kompromat - a Russian term for compromising information - is that often it is true. Indeed, it is most damaging and most useful when it is true; otherwise, you deny the allegations and expose the lie. Hunter Biden has yet to deny these were his laptop, his emails, his images. If thousands of emails and images were fabricated, then serious crimes were committed. But if the emails and images are genuine, then the Bidens appear to have lied for years as a raw influence-peddling scheme worth millions stretched from China to Ukraine to Russia. Moreover, these countries likely have had the compromising information all along while the Bidens - and the media - were denying reports of illicit activities. Either way, this was major news. The response of Twitter and Facebook, however, was to shut it all down. Major media companies also imposed a virtual blackout on the allegations. It didn't matter that thousands of emails were available for review or that the Bidens did not directly address the material. It was all declared to be fake news. The tech companies' actions are an outrageous example of open censorship and bias. It shows how private companies effectively can become state media working for one party. This, of course, was more serious than deleting coughs, but it was based on the same excuse of "protecting" the public from distractions or distortions. Indeed, it was the realization of political and academic calls that have been building for years. Democratic leaders from Hillary Clinton to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) have long demanded such private censorship from social media companies, despite objections from some of us in the free speech community; Joe Biden himself demanded that those companies remove President Trump's statements about voting fraud as fake news. Academics have lined up to support calls for censorship, too. Recently, Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith and University of Arizona law professor Andrew Keane Woods called for Chinese-style internet censorship and declared that "in the great debate of the past two decades about freedom versus control of the network, China was largely right and the United States was largely wrong." It turns out traditional notions of journalism and a free press are outdated, too, and China again appears to be the model for the future. Recently, Stanford communications Professor Emeritus Ted Glasser publicly denounced the notion of objectivity in journalism as too constraining for reporters seeking "social justice." In an interview with The Stanford Daily, Glasser insisted that journalism needed to "free itself from this notion of objectivity to develop a sense of social justice." He said reporters must embrace the role of "activists" and that it is "hard to do that under the constraints of objectivity." Problem solved. Such views make Twitter and Facebook's censorship of the Post not simply justified but commendable - regardless of whether the alleged Biden material proves to be authentic. As Twitter buckled under criticism of its actions, it shifted its rationale from combating fake news to barring hacked or stolen information. (Putting aside that the information allegedly came from a laptop, not hacking, this rule would block the public from reviewing any story based on, say, whistleblowers revealing nonpublic information, from the Pentagon Papers to Watergate. Moreover, Twitter seemingly had no qualms about publishing thousands of stories based on the same type of information about the Trump family or campaign.) Twitter now says it will allow hacked information if not posted by the hacker. Social media companies have long enjoyed protection, under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, from liability over what users post or share. The reason is that those companies are viewed as neutral platforms, a means for people to sign up to read the views or thoughts of other people. Under Section 230, a company such as Twitter was treated as merely providing the means, not the content. Yet for Twitter to tag tweets with warnings or block tweets altogether is akin to the telephone company cutting into a line to say it doesn't like what two callers are discussing. Facebook and Twitter have now made the case against themselves for stripping social media companies of immunity. That would be a huge loss not only to these companies but to free speech as well. We would lose the greatest single advance in free speech via an unregulated internet. At the same time, we are seeing a rejection of journalistic objectivity in favor of activism. The New York Times apologized for publishing a column by a conservative U.S. senator on using national guardsmen to quell rioting - yet it later published a column by a Chinese official called "Beijing's enforcer" who is crushing protests in Hong Kong. The media spent years publishing every wacky theory of alleged Trump-Russia collusion; thousands of articles detailed allegations from the Steele dossier, which has been not only discredited but also shown to be based on material from a known Russian agent. When the Steele dossier was revealed, many of us agreed on the need to investigate because, even if it was the work of foreign intelligence, the underlying kompromat could be true. Today, in contrast, the media is not only dismissing the need to investigate the Biden emails, but ABC News's George Stephanopoulos didn't ask Biden about the allegations during a two-hour town hall event on Thursday. This leaves us with a Zen-like question: If social media giants prevent the sharing of a scandal and the media refuses to cover it, did a scandal ever occur? After all, an allegation is a scandal only if it is damaging. No coverage, no damage, no scandal. Just deleted coughs lost in the ether of a controlled media and internet. Daily Jot: The Media's Biden-Trump Shell Game - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Independent sources have alleged that as Vice President Joe Biden used his position in an abuse of power influence peddling scheme with his son Hunter to enrich the Biden family and friends. The mainstream news media has essentially passed on the story that includes documentation from Hunter's computer, emails from Hunter's former business partner who is serving time in prison for the dealings, and yet another source-the US Senate committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance. The mainstream news media, led by the New York Times, has, however, countered with stories saying President Trump is doing the same thing. Don't fall for it. The New York Times points out that President Trump's tax records indicate that he has bank accounts in China, Britain and Ireland, which he has failed to list on public financial disclosures where he is required to list personal assets. Now this sounds like the president is doing something wrong, especially when the headlines coming out of the story imply that Trump has secret bank accounts in China. The accounts are not listed because they are held under corporate names. The Times reports that the Chinese account is controlled by Trump International Hotels Management L.L.C., which paid $188,561 in taxes in China while "pursuing licensing deals there from 2013 to 2015." This was before Trump ran for election. DNYUZ.com twists the story as has other leftist media outlets, reporting: "President Trump and his allies have tried to paint the Democratic nominee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., as soft on China, in part by pointing to his son's business dealings there. Senate Republicans produced a report asserting, among other things, that Mr. Biden's son Hunter "opened a bank account" with a Chinese businessman, part of what it said were his numerous connections to "foreign nationals and foreign governments across the globe." But Mr. Trump's own business history is filled with overseas financial deals, and some have involved the Chinese state. He spent a decade unsuccessfully pursuing projects in China, operating an office there during his first run for president and forging a partnership with a major government-controlled company." Trump's companies historically have conducted legitimate business internationally, including in Russia and China, among other countries. They pay taxes. They report according to requirements. The Biden's, however, reportedly have done their business through bribes, making countries pay for access to the White House and other government officials, threatening to withhold foreign aid, and appear to be involved in drug and human trafficking. There is no moral equivalence to the media's comparison of Biden and Trump. Absolutely none. They seek to deceive you into believing there is. As in Romans 16:18, "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting." Don't be deceived by the media's Biden-Trump shell game. Daily Devotion: No One's Life Verse - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. -2 Timothy 3:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/no-ones-life-verse/ - Listen How should we as Christians react when people attack us for what we believe? And what if someone hurts us? Should we forgive them, even if they don't deserve it? Romans 12 gives us the answer: "Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them" (verse 14 NLT). We should bless those who are against us. Of course, we all know people who give us a hard time because of what we believe. Maybe it's a spouse, a coworker, or your boss. Or it might be a professor or a teacher in your classroom. It could be an internet troll who continues to harass you when you post about what you believe. The Bible tells us, "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT). By the way, that's no one's life verse. No one displays that statement in calligraphy on their living room wall. Even so, it's very true. Every follower of Jesus will, in time, experience persecution in some way. And make no mistake about it: persecution is alive and well. The Pew Research Center did an extensive global survey and found that Christians are the most persecuted religion and people in the world. No one comes close to facing the persecution that followers of Jesus Christ face globally, including discrimination, verbal assault, physical attacks, and arrests. Every single day, our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer barbaric treatment in nations where it's very difficult for Christians to live. They're hounded, tortured, and executed for simply believing in Jesus Christ. Some might say that's a good enough reason to walk away. However, I say that it's a good enough reason for us to double down in our commitment and realize the Christian faith is not only worth dying for; it's also worth living for. 
FROM THE HEART
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