Contend4theFaith

I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS TODAY

Horatius Bonar & John B. Dykes

I heard the voice of Je - sus say, “Come un - to Me and rest; Lay down, thou wea - ry one, lay down Thy head up - on My breast.”

I came to Je - sus as I was, Wea - ry,  and worn, and sad; I found in Him a rest - ing place, And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Je - sus say, “Be - hold, I free -ly give The liv - ing wa - ter; thirst - y one, Stoop down, and drink, and live.”

I came to Je - sus, and I drank Of that life-giv - ing stream; My thirst was quench’d, my soul re-vived , And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Je - sus say, “I am this dark world’s Light; Look un - to Me, thy morn shall rise, And all thy day be bright.”

I looked to Je - sus, and I found In Him my Star, my Son; And in that Light of life I’ll walk, Till trav’l-ing days are done.

AMEN! and AMEN!

I’LL PUT JESUS FIRST IN MY LIFE

James D. Murch

The world all a - bout me has now no al - lure: It’s pleas-ures bring pain, Its wis-dom is vain; I seek a foun-da-tion that’s stead-fast and sure:

• I’ll put Je-sus first in my life. In all that I say, In all that I do,Thru’-out the world of toil and strife, By day and by night,Thru’ trust in His might, I’ll put Je-sus first in my life.

The Lord Je-sus died my sal-va-tion to win: He went in my stead To Cal-v’ry and bled; Re-demp-tion im-pels me to give up all sin:

• I’ll put Je-sus first in my life. In all that I say, In all that I do,Thru’-out the world of toil and strife, By day and by night,Thru’ trust in His might, I’ll put Je-sus first in my life.

I know there’s a home for the ran-somed and blest, When death is no more, When strug-gle is o’er,  For those who love Je-sus and give Him their best:

• I’ll put Je-sus first in my life. In all that I say, In all that I do,Thru’-out the world of toil and strife, By day and by night,Thru’ trust in His might, I’ll put Je-sus first in my life.

Tho’ earth’s trib-u - la-tions con-tin-ue each day, Tho’ pleas-ures may call, Tho’ e - vil en-thrall, His grace will pro-tect me for - ev-er and aye:

• I’ll put Je-sus first in my life. In all that I say, In all that I do,Thru’-out the world of toil and strife, By day and by night,Thru’ trust in His might, I’ll put Je-sus first in my life.

Amen! and Amen!

LEADERS PLAYS THE FIDDLE WHILE THE U.S. IS BURNING?

May the Bride of Christ Pursue their Beloved w/Passion

MIT professor Theodore Postol and David Wright, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said the rocket could fly even further - over 10,000 kilometers - if changed into a missile. “The Unha launcher represents a significant advance over North Korea’s previous launchers and would have the capability to reach the continental United States with a payload of one ton or more if North Korea modified it for use as a ballistic missile,” they said, “It could have a range of 10,000-50,000 kilometers, allowing it to reach Alaska and Hawaii, and roughly half of the lower 48 states,” they said in an article posted this week on the Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences.” (Yonhap News Agency)

… Chances of North Korea firing mid-range missile high amid favorable weather: sources By Son Kim

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) — Chances that North Korea will test fire a high-range missile this weekend around U.S. Independence Day are high as favorable on its east coast, sources said Friday. But it is unlikely that North Korea will launch an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) around July 4 even though the equipment has apparently been moved to a base on the west coast, they said.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/07/03/0401000000AEN20090703007400315.HTML

Are “evangelical” leaders so-called warning U.S. citizens to repent and turn unto the Lord Jesus Christ? This describes the nation:

• Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. Ez 14:6

What of Molech?

The children of Israel were offering their children to the pagan god, just as the U.S. is sacrificing her treasure - by upwards of 50 Million - babies on the pagan idolatrous throne of self, success and money. Hear the simultaneous anger and sadness in our LORD’s heart!

• And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and daughters and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Jer 32:35

We have had legalized abortion (murder) since 1973, and in that time have slaughtered millions of innocents; yet God was slow to anger. The abominable “partial birth” abortion, sounds so sterile, so “not born” but does lie. PB is when one who took a hypocrit oath, “doctor”, stabs a scalpel into the base of a full-term (6-8 month gestation) baby after that baby has left the body of the mother. So there is nothing “partial” about the birth. That little boy, or little girl, is murdered at the point of birth. Yet God was slow to anger.

What of Mammon?

Jesus spoke a great deal about money. Contrary to what most are hearing from the pulpit these days, he said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.” Lk 9:58 What once made our nation great was her foundation which was laid upon God’s wisdom, His Word. Surely the ten commandments surpass them, as does every precious, Spirit-breathed verse, but the Constitution and Bill of Rights are close seconds to the greatest documents ever given men through, as George Washington was fond of stating, “By Divine Providence.”

The United States, whose white capped mountains were peppered with steeples, and valleys coated with universities, all of them established to train young men in the Bible, produced some of the greatest missionaries who fearlessly went unto all the nations.  No longer known for this, we have become a nation stained by the whoredoms of sodomy, idolatry, greed, pornography, and child murder, etc. In recent years we suffered a major terrorist attack, previous to that we had significant hurricanes, Santa Ana fires, tornadoes and increased seismic activity. As Christ said, due to man’s sin, sorrows would escalate Mt 24:7-8.

God initially sends remedial judgment, but if the people will not heed the warnings and turn from their wickedness, He will send harsher judgment to a land that is filled with hard-hearted sinners who refuse to acknowledge Him, His Word and their accountability before Him. This is the reason for financial judgment, which shall (as we have said before) make our grandparent’s Great Depression appear as a time of bounty by comparison. Yet, very few are crying out to God in repentance, preferring instead to follow after a god of their own making.

Money is an exchange that is earned as wage to purchase needs to provide for oneself or family, and that is after some has been given into the storehouses of God Mal 3:10, for the provisions of missionaries, utilities, bulletins and tracts not private jets parked on palatial estates. The church has lost her way and fallen in love with mammon, rather than the Giver of manna Ex 16:15 Jn 6:31

Our forefathers had a manna that perished, whereas we have an one of an eternal nature Jn 6:38, given to us by a Holy God who has for so long looked upon our sin but has remained slow to anger. Believers are promised if we abide in Him and His Words - not the words of the most chased after mega-talker - we can ask anything we want in His name and He shall do for us Jn 15:7. The magnitude of those words, upon each heart that intimately knows Christ, should be staggering!

Why chase after trinkets that rust? Mt 6:28-33 We must answer the upward high calling of God in Christ Jesus and proclaim the Gospel - with boldness - that the lost might know Him. Oh, that we would regain our boldness and stand. As the days get darker it can be challenging to “Take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” Mt 6:34

As daily we see prophetic headlines splashed across international newswires, we must remind ourselves to continually focus upon eternity. A favorite verse:

• While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cr 4:18

While these verses are presented in the reverse, when the night is dark and you awaken in the wee hours to pray or fret, pray. Despite what the devil is doing, God is LORD of Hosts and ever cares for us.

• For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exeeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Cr 4:18

What of Sodom?

June, dubbed “Gay Month,” by those in power, brought much change in the geo-political arena which has been eclipsed by the death of Michael Jackson. Back during the inaugural week, there were sodomite celebrations at hotels around the nation’s capital, and just days ago the People’s House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue hosted a sodomite gala. When are those who profess Christ going to say enough? Our Lord told us to occupy, not close our eyes!

Sodom was burned with fire and brimstone, but today those who die in sin go directly to hell. There will be no more ‘flashy’ judgments of fire in the sky. Those who are lost need us to tell them of the coming judgment and Wrath of God, how will they know if we do not tell them? Unless we openly share our testimonies, no matter how painful, and display before them the Power exercised to change us from our former selves how will repentance found only in Christ be made real to them? Paul frequently spoke of his own faults, as we should ours.

• For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would do, that I do not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Rm 7:14-17

Do sinners of any variety see us as just like them? Are being real? Truly. When witnessing we should tell the lost of our struggles, and make it clear that just because we have been reborn does not mean we suddenly never sin 1 Jn 1:10. Christ went into the brothels and marketplaces where merchants were using uneven scales, just like our day. Why is it that most of the church sits in air conditioned buildings?

• I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Rm 7:21-23
• O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Rm 7:24-25

Confess, Repent, and be Saved!
Hear us: be ye sodomite, adulterer, lust-filled man/woman, alcoholic, drug addict, prostitute, tax cheat, thief … fill in the blank … Jesus Christ was offered once for sinners who will but be honest and agree that their sin is filthy and separates from a Holy God. There is no doubt that you know conviction in your life, for the Lord Himself put it there to testify of your need of Him and Calvary!

As sure as my heart is beating, every person who was ever saved had to listen to one who knew of the Power, Mighty-Wonder working, Miraculous Power of God that reached down into their own personal pit of sin and pulled them out. On that day the gospel came alive:

1. God is Holy and can not abide sin.
2. God is Just, He judges sin and will send souls to hell (most souls).
3. God sent His Son to die, for sinners, that we might live.
4. Christ bridged the gap between heaven and fallen mankind.
5. Christ arose from the dead of His own power and sits waiting to return as Judge.
6. God will break you of sin if you believe, faith (trust), repent, surrender and yield to His Will for all areas of your life.
7. Christ Jesus is coming to claim His Bride, and the dark evil foreboding that all people sense (ie. ’something is wrong’) will break loose as never before.
8. Christs’ death was sufficient, nothing is added by mankind … trust and believe!

Loving This Life Not Unto the Death
Paul would never have remained silence, legislation or no.

• Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Heb 7:25-26

God is upset with pride (sin of Lucifer) that leads a nation to imagine that they are untouchable, and can do anything and demand of His Chosen people to give up His Land granted them. We have been engaged in attempting to divide Abrahamic Covenant Land for decades, and destruction has resulted time and again.

Despite all you have done, dear sinner, there is One who is ready, willing and able to save your soul: the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jan Markell so often says, “The Ark door is again fixing to close.”

Washington Times Op-Ed: Homeschool Threatened All Over Europe

While the freedom to homeschool in America continues to expand, the opposite is true in Europe. Since 1982, 38 U.S. states have adopted homeschool statutes or regulations that have removed  restrictions on homeschoolers. This year, two more states, North Dakota and Idaho, made significant progress in recognizing the value of homeschooling.

North Dakota, which was one of the most regulated states, just amended its homeschool law to make it possible for more parents to homeschool freely. No longer will a homeschooling parent have to hold a baccalaureate degree, be a certified teacher, or be monitored by a certified teacher if they have only a high school diploma in order to homeschool. All homeschooling parents in North Dakota can provide the individualized education that best fits their children.

Idaho, which has been a homeschool-friendly state, got even better. A recently passed law allows parents to use people outside the immediate family to support their homeschool program, and gives more flexibility to homeschoolers regarding their teaching schedule.

While homeschooling has freedom and flexibility continues to improve in the U.S., it appear to be going in the opposite direction in Europe. Germany leads the way as the most oppressive European state, because it routinely fines and threatens to imprison homeschoolers.*

While other European countries have not embraced German methods, there is a move in some countries to crack down on homeschoolers. For example, in Sweden, the government released a suggestion on June 15 that all schools, including homeschools, must provide an education that is acceptable to all pupils regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs, or the beliefs of the parents.* [Contend4thefaith believes this is the UNCRC “in action”.]* The study concludes that there is no need  for the new law to recognize the possibility of homeschooling because of religious or philosophical reasons in the family.* We are confident the authors are aware that this effectively would end homeschooling in Sweden,* as most families are homeschooling for religious or philosophical reasons.

Equally shocking are events in Britain. A June 11 report on home education in England by Graham Badman, former managing director of Children, Families and Education in the County of Kent, makes the case that homeschooling should be excessively regulated. More troubling, the report has been accepted in full by British State for Children, Schools and Families* Ed Balls.

The underlying philosophy behind Mr. Badman’s conclusions is based upon children’s rights contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which came into force in Britain on Jan 15, 1992. Mr. Badman contends that current homeschool law, which is very similar to many homeschool laws in America, does not address children’s education needs or protect the child from harm by the parents. [Again, what happens ‘across the pond’ soon migrates to these United States. We urge you, and your children, to call your Senators and Representatives, both federal and state, demanding they NOT ratify the UNCRC. Also, ask them join many others in Congress that have cosponsored the Parental Rights Amendment.]*

The UN Convention would give children more than 40 “fundamental“* rights, including the right to express their views freely, the right to be heard in any legal or administrative matter that affects them, and the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas. Mr. Badman is urging that England make it possible for children to form their own views and express themselves freely in all matters affecting them,* including how they are being raised and what form of education they are receiving. Who will decide the conflict between the rights of the child and the responsibility of the parents? The government.*

Among his suggestion for homeschool law is the right of designated local authorities to enter homes and speak to each child alone.* This idea of unbridled power to enter a home is abhorrent to Americans because of the Fourth Amendment, which protects our homes from unreasonable searches and seizures and recognizes a fundamental right of privacy and family integrity.*

Mr. Badman also cites the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as the justification for the state choosing the curriculum HOMESCHOOLERS may use.*

HSLDA has opposed the UNCRC since its formation in 1989 because we are deeply concerned about the implications this treaty would have for homeschoolers and parents in general.* The interpretation of the treaty by Britain further supports our position that the UNCRC should not be ratified by our Senate.

For more information on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and international homeschooling, visit our issues page: http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/U/United_Nations.asp

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Fall on your faces, my brothers and sisters, not  just for we who homeschool, but for all families, guardians, foster parents, grandparents - all caregivers of minor children, and ask God for His  mitigating mercy. This Convention was spawned in hell for one purpose - so Satan - can get his hands on all children … even those of the atheist religion in order to tear down familial bounds, respect for authority (after all, the devil is the ultimate rebel), further lower the educational standard, and rip the very fabric of every nation in two - the family. Why is his attack so relentless upon the family? We believe it is because God designed the family as one man, one woman and whatever number of children He Sovereignly chooses to bless a couple with! With God at the center of any family, submission and respect for authority is taught and, therefore, in order to promote more angst and rage this cohesive identity must needs be torn down.

Imagine if the government attempted to tell the greatest generation that they were to hand over their child(ren) to bureaucrats who would instruct them in all things, and that they, the parents, would still be financially responsible for them; however, they would have zero input as to religion, culture, education, and worldview. It would not have been tolerated then, nor should it be tolerated now! Doubtless the Muslims in our nation will not accept the UNCRC either, for they, too, will be forbidden to instruct their own children in the Qu’ran.

*Contend4thefaith commentary/emphasis

Perhaps Assad would benefit from reading the verse below:

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. Isa 17:1

Syria Threatens To Take Back Golan By Force, Haaretz

Syria officials threatened on Saturday to take back the Golan Heights by force if a peace agreement regain control of the territory, adding that Israel has not shown willingness to achieve peace or to return what they called “Syrian land.”

The comments were made at the inauguration ceremony, attended by Syrian President Bashar Assad, for a new communications center in Quneitra.

“The communications center will report on the troubles of Syrian residents residing in the occupied Golan under barbaric and racist Israeli rule,” Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal was quoted as saying at the ceremony, in a reference to Druze  in the Golan who wish to live under Syrian sovereignty.

Last Sunday, Assad rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s  offer to resume peace talks between the two countries from “point zero.”

Assad said negotiations should resume from the point at which they stopped under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, when the two sides had planned to formulate mutual commitments that would enable the talks to move to a direct negotiation stage.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1095962.html

When God says of a particular sin, in this case, lukewarmness toward Jesus Christ, “spue thee out of my mouth” Rev 3:16, mankind should avoid such condition. Or, when motivated by agape, Christ instructs, “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor covetous, nor drunkards, revilers, nor extortioners, 1 Cr 6:9a-10, it would benefit all humankind to repent and avoid such riotous living.

In His strength we are able to resist the lusts of the old man, and it is our prayer that a recent attitude conveyed, during an interview, will not have the intended impact upon our youth:

“I believe that we can achieve equality of the for the millions of the LGBT people in this country, [What country? Not the U.S. over 60% of people polled are against “same-sex” unions.]* and with this team (leaders of the LGBT leadership team) I know that the LGBT community will play a major role in our campaign to bring change to Washington.” - Mr. President

The interview demonstrates bias in favor of the minority:

“… Americans still cling to worn arguments and old attitudes“

No, sir, U.S. citizens believe the Bible. We do not rely on arguments or attitudes; yet, we reject coercion and bloated figures, utilized in an attempt to stereotype the majority of citizens (voters) of our nation. Almighty God says in the OT, just as in the NT:

• If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination Lev 20:13

An argument can be made that there will be no end to these new classification standards for groups seeking to obtain extra recognition under the law. Polygamists have already filed suits demanding laws be overturned. Shall we return to the commune, or tolerate necromancers and those whose fancy is tickled by bestiality?

• And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. Lev 20:15

“There are a lot of good and decent people in this country who don’t yet fully embrace their gay brothers and sisters — not yet,” … “That’s why I’ve spoken about these issues … to an unlikely group, in front of African-American church members.”

Will Mr. President forthrightly convey the reality that Islam has zero tolerance for such “diversity?” In fact, in Muslim nations people are killed regularly for sodomite behavior.

Additionally, no one is good but the Father Mt 19:17 Mk 10:18, and Christians for millennium have lived peaceably among men Eph 6:15 and despite the tendency of this administration to portray born again believers otherwise, it is nothing but a mirage of deception. Deception for purposes of satisfying special interest groups, and remaining the darling of the ABCO media.

A recent poll posed the following: What was Mr. President referring to when he knocked ‘old attitudes’ regarding homosexuality?

• Law & Policies on marriage and family 5.35%
• Traditional Values 24.41%
• Biblical Values - 70.24%

**Total responses: 37,039

“Congress should repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act — and that the administration is working to pass a hate crimes bill and to repeal the don’t ask, don’t tell policy on homosexuals in the military.”

Perhaps the military will respond with the following, given the cramped quarters of naval submarines:

• And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Mt 10:14
• And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Mk 6:11 cf Lk 9:5

Protection should be equal across the board. There should not be “extra” protection under the law for any group. Moreover, there should not be “unique” persecution in the public square toward any group — and that would include blood bought Christians. Should this administration truly be seeking a legacy of so-called tolerance, then it best remember that the majority believe in “by the People, For the People,” and not “by the Government For the Government.”
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=585846

RECLAIM CHRIST’S CROWN

By: Dr Gary L. Class, Christian Anti-Defamation Commission

I didn’t get the memo, but apparently a lot of people did. Here it is: Jesus Christ has abdicated his Throne in heaven because of the last election. At least that must be what the memo said after looking at some ministries around the nation.

Ministries that are otherwise sound in doctrine have in practice determined to surrender all but a small slice of life and culture to radical atheists, so called “secular progressives,” and to the liberal, apostate religious left. This is as dismaying as it is foolish.

Perhaps you noticed the atheists and leftists and liberals did not throw in the towel on the larger culture when their movement was struggling or when their leaders were inept. They kept plugging away and when they had opportunity they were ready and prepared to act. They seem more committed to advancing their godless utopian schemes than Christians are to furthering the kingdom of God.

Because of the last election cycle, many who say that they believe that Jesus Christ is Lord have retreated. They have effectively reduced Christ’s kingly claims to matters of personal piety, family and church life. But our apostolic faith says that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.Ac 10:36

Many Crowns

Perhaps what is most frustrating about the retreat from the cultural mandate on the part of many ministries is that IT IS SO UNWORTHY OF CHRIST.

When Christ is revealed in His glory, He is portrayed as the invincible King of Heaven, and on His head are many crowns Rev 19:12 These crowns are not merely crowns of decorative symbols of His majesty, but reveal the full extent of His Lordship over all His Creation.

These crowns, with all their rights and privileges, were bestowed upon our Christ for His perfect obedience and sufferings. Therefore, God has declared him to be the Son of God with power by raising Him from the dead Rm 1:4 On the cross, Christ conquered all of God’s enemies, both visible and invisible Col 2:15 He will rule and reign until he makes all his enemies, even death itself, His footstool 1 Cor 15:25 Heb 10:13 This is our confidence!

To exclude any sphere of authority from the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a grave misunderstanding both of His divine nature and His meritorious work. As very God of very God, Christ rules over all the affairs of men and upholds the world by His Word Heb 1:3 As God the Son, all the nations of the world are His inheritance Ps 2

As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is not for victory that we preach the gospel and declare the rule of Christ. Rather, it is from His victory that we dare defy the wicked powers and principles of this world, both visible and invisible. With the first martyrs of the church we declare that Jesus Christ is Lord and will not bow to any earthly Ceasar. We are unabashed, unapologetic Christocrats.

Nor will we water down and stop declaring the gospel of the King. In His name we will sue all of Christ’s rebellious enemies for peace. The price for peace with God is unconditional surrender to His Son. Having once ourselves been at enmity with God, we have been humbled by God’s grace and must urge all to find mercy while it can be found.

Because all sinners need to repent, therefore we urge all people everywhere to reach out and touch the golden scepter of Christ’s grace. Nor will we stop confronting injustice and unrighteousness of our day. We will warn the kings of this world that King Jesus rules the nations with His rod of iron and will judge the world in righteousness. Kiss the Son lest He be angry with you!

Last days?

Some actually rejoice in the decline of our culture as if it is a sign of the last days.* Isn’t that a very diabolical strategy? If Satan could convince his spiritual enemies that it is futile to resist him and that it is a good thing when the world gets darker, then he has a very powerful psychological advantage.

Is this what Jesus taught?There are at least a dozen different major views of end time theologies, or eschatology.  Every time there is a major shift in the political realm there are those who claim to know who is the anti-Christ, etc. [Now this has been utilized by Satan to create scoffers and harden hearts. It is not Biblical to be “naming” the anti-Christ. Blood-bought saints need to be searching the skies for Yeshua not the a/c…]* Remember when Henry Kissinger was supposed to be the anti-Christ? There are lots of books sold, but so far they have all been wrong.

So what do we learn from this? Don’t speculate! Certainly don’t let eschatology, the most speculative department of theology, trump what the Bible clearly states are your Christian duties.

No one knows when the end will come, therefore, get busy doing what you know to do - preach the gospel and stand up for God’s kingdom. This doesn’t sell many books because it is not popular to call people to be responsible, but that is exactly what Jesus tells us to do Lk 19:13

But It’s Not Popular

With the death of many of the leading conservative Christians leaders, like my mentor, Dr. James D. Kennedy, some think we must change our tactics. Baby boomer are not supposed to like controversy, so we are told we must accommodate their tastes. Certainly we don’t have to go out of our way to be offensive, but since when did marketing plans trump theological convictions? Are we supposed to get our doctrines from the Bible or from polling people? [AMEN!]*

If you visit some churches or watch some ‘Christian’ broadcasters you will see them studiously avoid Biblical truth that the world finds offensive. This may make you popular. You may even get a crowd of people to support you who think they are Christians, but where is the fear and love of God?

Full Article: http://christianadc.org/news-and-articles/342-reclaim-christs-crown-rights

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*While we do agree it is lunacy to “rejoice” at the moral mudslide this nation is in, especially legislating perversion and threatening imprisonment to we who proclaim truth if it should “offend” a passerby, Jesus foretold amoral behavior would indicate the nearness of His return:

• “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Mt 24:37
• “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” Lk 17:26

What were the “Days of Noah”, and of Lot, like? They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Lk 26:27-29

Noah’s day: Nephilim copulating with human females, the intention of man’s heart was evil, continually. God’s was grieved at heart that He Created humankind! Gen 6 … Lot’s day: Sodomites freely copulated in the streets, and sought holy Angels at the door of Lot’s house to have sex with them Gen 19:5, but the Angels struck them blind Gen 19:11. Every other hedonist, likewise, forsook God. 

There are many who do not yet know the forgiveness, salvation, and love found only in our Lord Jesus Christ. We must not be timid in sharing our faith! We have been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind 2 Ti 1:7; therefore, let us labor in prayer for the lost while asking God to lead us to them for a witnessing opportunity. 

The Great Pause

By: Jack Kelley http://www.gracethrufaith.com

Surely you have heard about the administration (dispensation) of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelations, as I have already written briefly. Eph 3:2-3

One of the most difficult things for someone unfamiliar with dispensational theology to understand is why Israel needs to exists at all in the last days, let alone rebuild the Temple. A recent discussion with a theology professor from a well known West Coast Christian school made this clear.

We were talking about our respective views of the End Times. When I mentioned the coming Temple and Israel’s re-awakening into their Old Covenant relationships, he looked at me like I was from another planet. He graduated from one of the main line denominational seminaries where he had been immersed in liberal theology, so what little he knows about the end times is all allegorical.

“Why on Earth,” he asked, “would God bring Israel back when the Church has replaced Israel in His eyes?” And even if He did, why would He bring them into an Old Covenant rrelationship when He’s told the Church that since the cross the Old Covenant no longer applies?

Good Questions

Most Christians can’t answer these questions, and even among those who take the Bible literally, many can only say, “Because the Bible says so.” They can’t explain why it says so.

It’s only when you understand that the Age of Grace didn’t end the Age of the Law, but only interrupted it seven years short of its allotted time, that it all becomes clear. Here’s what happened.

Near the end of the Babylonian captivity, the Angel Gabriel told Daniel that Israel was being  given 490 years to complete 6 tasks

Seventy ’sevens’ (490 years) are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgressions, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring an everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy (place). Dan 9:24

When the Lord was crucified, 483 of those years had passed. Remember, that’s why the disciples were astonished when He told them the Temple would soon be destroyed Mt 24:2 It’s also why, 40 days after the Resurrection, they asked if He was going to restore the Kingdom of Israel now Act 1:6 They thought they were only 7 years away from the Kingdom Age. Ten days later, on Pentecost, the indeterminate Age of the Church began, with the Age of Law still 7 years short of its prophesied end.

After 20 years had passed the Lord’s half-brother James, who was the head of the Church in Jerusalem at the time, explained that Israel had been set aside while the Lord took from among the Gentiles a people for Himself (the Church). After that he would return again to Israel and pick up where He left off Act 15:13-18 About 18 years after the Temple was destroyed and has never been rebuilt. In 135 AD the nation cease to exist in any form. The Roman Emperor Hadrian destroyed what was left of Jerusalem, built a new city called Aelia Capitolina on its ruins and forbid Jews for entering it. But the Lord’s promise still stands. As soon as He has taken the Church, He’ll turn again to Israel to complete the last 7 years of the Age of Law.

These facts from both the Bible and history completely undermine any arguments for the validity of replacement theology. They explain why Israel has to exist in the End Times and why the Jews will need to build a Temple.

The Great Pause

While Pentecost was the official beginning of the Age of Grace, it didn’t signal the end of the Age of the Law, as so many in the Church wrongly assume. It was only a Great Pause while the Lord pursued His Church, something He intended to do all along, but had only divulged in a general way in the past.

Speaking to His Messiah, the Lord said, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Is 49:6

When you understand the Great Pause, lots of other things fall into place. We’ve already discussed the re-birth of the Nation and the re-built Temple. Israel had to be re-born and will have to become a covenant people again in order to complete their final 7 years. This is what makes their re-birth such a powerful sign of that the Great Pause is about to end. The only reason for Israel to exist again is to complete the 7 years remaining in the Age of the Law. It also explains a return to animal sacrifice during this time. This is the way things were before the Great Pause began, and the way they’ll have to be after it ends. Although people have always saved by faith, during the Age of Law their faith has to be evidenced by obedience to the Law.

Understanding the Great Pause also helps us see why the Rapture of the Church must precede the final 7 years. The purpose of the Great Pause is so the Lord can take from among the Gentiles a people for Himself. The Greek word translated “take” in Acts 15:14 is lambano. A look at primary meanings of lambano reveals the intent of the word to describe one who takes something for the purpose of carrying it away. Once the church is complete the Lord will carry us away before turning again to Israel. This is consistent with Paul’s statement in Rom 11:25 that Israel has experienced a partial blindness until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. The phrase “come in” means to arrive at one’s destination, as when a ship has “come in”. According to Jn 14:12 our destination is Heaven. Once the church has been carried away to its destination in Heaven the blinders will fall from their eyes, the Great Pause will come to an end, and Israel will complete its final seven years.

The Rapture has happens to be before Danie’s 70th Week can begin, because the 70th Week is all about Israel. It’s the final opportunity to be reconciled to God through the Messiah and prepare for the Kingdom He has promised them so long ago.  2500 years before the fact, Zechariah prophesied that this would take place near the end of the 70th Week.

“And I will pour out on the house of David and in the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. Zech 12:10

Paul confirmed this and said it would happen after the rapture.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.Rm 11:25-27

And the Great Pause explains why post rapture salvation will be like it was in Old Testament times. The only difference is that post rapture believers will be looking back to the Cross whereas Old Testament believers looked forward to it. Speaking of the time when taking the mark of the beast will be required of everyone on Earth, the Lord said: “This calls for patience endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commands and remain faithful to Jesus” Rev 14:12 Again, people have always been saved by faith, but during the Age of Law their faith has to be evidenced by obedience to the Law.

It also explains why the 144,000 servants of God have to be sealed before the undertaking their mission Rev 7:3 If the church was still here they would be sealed just the way we are. But during the Age of Law believers were not, nor will they be, sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of as we are Eph 1:13-14 The 144,000 is the only group in the post rapture world that is described as being sealed. By the way, some scholars believes this means only the 144,000 will be supernaturally protected from the demonic locust spoken of in Rev 9.

I Can See Clearly Now

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. No other understanding of the connection between events before Pentecost and those after the Rapture. No other one helps us see the “why”  behind the “what” described in the Bible. None other so vividly demonstrates the absolute unique nature of the church, while maintaining the integrity of God’s promises to Israel. And best of all it does so in a manner consistent with the literal, historical, grammatical interpretations of His Word  6-27-09 

Excellent article as always!

Israel ‘Fed up’ With US Declarations Against Yesha

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

A senior Israeli government official said that Israel is “fed up” with American statements against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the Hebrew-language (BIBLICAL NAMES) Yisrael HaYom (Israel Today) newspaper reported Monday.

As Defense Minister Ehud Barak flies to Washington for meetings with U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, the unnamed senior official stated, “Israel will demand any compromise be part of a wider program of regional peace, and only after agreement on the basic principles outlines by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his recent speech at Bar-Ilan University.“

The Prime Minister declared for the first time that he would accept the creation of a new Arab a state on part of the land of Judea and Samaria on condition that it be de-militarized and that the “palestinian”* Authority recognize Israel as a Jewish state. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has categorically rejected both conditions after having been encouraged by American and European support for the Arab-world demands that Israel surrender all of the land restored to the Jewish state in the Six-Day War in 1967, including the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Government sources told Yisrael HaYom that during Defense Minister Barack’s visit, “The Americans will hear decisive statements regarding possibility of freezing construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria. Israel will be prepared to listen to a freeze only if it is temporary and if the Americans will explicitly state that it will later approve building in communities with a high concentration of Jewish residents.

Israel has stated for public consumption that good relations with the U.S. are important, but any freeze, even temporary, is likely to meet stiff opposition from Shas and Likud party movements. Shas leader Interior Ministry Eli Yishai (Shas) said, “This kind of thinking is incorrect. The discussion needs to be not only about ’settlements’ but also about obligations of the PA.”

The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) is thoroughly opposed to any restrictions on building for Jews but is willing to vacate certain hilltop communities, also called “outposts.”

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• For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the APPLE OF HIS EYE. Zec 2:8

Fall on your face, brethren, and cry out for mitigating mercy because judgment is coming!

*Contend4thefaith commentary/emphasis

Things that make you go “Hmmm“. Does it not seem as though the “insiders” know something the rest of us indentured servants do not? Combine this with Cap & Trade, and it truly is a blessing that we serve the God of the cattle on a thousand hills! Ps 50:10

• “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”  Mt 10:31
• For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart. Ps 95:7-8a (cf. Ps 100:3)
• And it shall be there, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. … And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 1 Ki 17:4 1 Ki 17:6 As with Elijah, should the LORD need to feed His sheep (blood-bought saints) with ravens He will do it again.
• I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Ps 37:25 As with king David … so with us, peace be still brethren

LATEST SCHULTZ BANK SHOCK: a bank holiday

Commentary: A leading newsletter paints a grim picture of the future

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - The top-performing letter that predicted the Crash of 2008 now predicts a confiscatory Franklin D. Roosevelt-style “bank holiday.” But its surprisingly sanguine about stocks - in the very short term.

The Harry Schultz Letter (HSL) was my pick for Letter of Year in 2008 because it really did predict what it rightly called a coming “financial tsunami“. But its performance in 2008 was still terrible, albeit arguably for technical reasons. (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/newsletter-of-the-year-harry-schultz-really)

Now HSL has bounced back big-time (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/schultz-poised-between-inflation-deflation) Over the year to date through May, it’s up a remarkable 81.7% by Hulbert Financial Digest count, compared to 4.1% for the dividend-reinvested Wilshire 5000 Total Stock Market Index.

Of course, simple arithmetic dictates that doesn’t make up for 2008 - over the past 12 months, HSL is still down 48.19% versus negative 32.63% for the total return Wilshire 5000. In fact, the damage inflicted by 2008 was so great that HSL is also under water over the past three years, down an annualized 14.89% against a backdrop of 8.18% annualized for the total return Wilshire 5000.

… In its current issue, HSL reports rumors that “Some US embassies worldwide are being advised to purchase massive amounts of local currencies; enough to last a year. Some embassies are being sent enormous amounts of US CASH to purchase currencies from those governments, quietly. But not pound sterling. Inside the State Dept., there is a sense of sadness and foreboding that ‘something‘ is about to happen … within 180 days, but could be 120-150 days.”

Yes, yes, it’s paranoid. But paranoid have enemies - and the Crash of 2008 really DID happen.

HSL’s suspicion: “Another FDR-style ‘bank holiday‘ of indefinite length, perhaps soon, to let the INSIDERS sort out the bank mess, which (despite their rosy propaganda campaign) is getting more out of control every day. Insiders want to impose new bank rules. Widespread nationalization could result, already underway. It could also lead to a formal US dollar devaluation, as FDR did by revaluing gold (and then CONFISCATING IT).

HSL’s current recommended allocation:

• 35-45% Government notes, bills and bonds (NOT U.S.)
• 8-10% Stocks (non-golds)
• 10-30% Commodities, via future, commodity stocks and/or physical assets
• 35-45% Gold stocks and bullion

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/schultz-paints-bleak-picture-of-future