Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Economic Power 'is Declining'
Oct 4th, 2009
Daily NewsBBC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;World Government

US economic power is declining as a result of the financial crisis, the head of the World Bank has said.

"One of the legacies of this crisis may be a recognition of changed economic power relations," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.

The US, the world's biggest economy, has been in recession for almost two years, while emerging economies like China and Brazil have grown.

This may help bring about a long-term rebalancing of the world economy.

'Changed relations'

"A multi-polar economy less reliant on the US consumer will be a more stable world economy," Mr Zoellick said.

He was speaking in Istanbul before meetings of the the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), where there is some discussion about how to reorganise the leadership of the bodies so that they better reflect the diversified world.

For example, China recently got a permanent chair on the IMF's 24-seat policy-making committee.

The Holy Spirit's Ministry
Oct 4th, 2009
Weekly Bible StudyHugh Davidson
Categories: Topical Study;Inspirational;Meditation

                                     The Holy Spirit’s ministry

John 15:26-16:11, ^”But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

We assume that the book of John was written sometime around the close of the century and that many of the believers were being persecuted for their faith. So, John was writing to strengthen the faithful by quoting Jesus where He said, I’ve told you these things so you wouldn’t be offended. The Greek word for offended is ‘scandalized’ and it means to be made to stumble. So, the disciples were not to be surprised that people would try to kill them in the name of religion and history verifies that this is exactly what happened. And let’s face it; all kinds of atrocities have taken place in the name of religion because false religion always persecutes those who speak God's truth. He says, they’ll put you out of the synagogues. Now, this meant a big deal to these people because they were not only raised to attend the synagogue every Friday evening but even their education took place there. This is where they learned to read and write. Just to show you what the average Jew thought of the synagogue, one of their rabbi’s said that prayer was not effective unless it was offered in the synagogue. In other words, if you wanted God to listen to your problems you had to go to the synagogue to pray. And besides this, the early church used the synagogue for their initial place of meeting.

Jesus also said there is a time coming when people will actually thinking they’re doing God a favor or doing service for God by killing you. And the word He uses for service is the one that describes what a priest did when he served at the altar of God. Now, that doesn’t make an awful lot of sense to us in our present situation but Jesus went on in verse 3 and says, "These things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." And what He saying is; these people will claim to be serving God but they don't have a clue as to who God is. Listen, a commitment to external religion is no guarantee that anybody is a true believer. And then in verse 4 Jesus says, "These things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you." And what He was saying was that when He had been with the disciples, He was the object of the world's attacks but after He returned to the Father, the disciples would become the focus of the world’s hatred. And then in verse 5 He says, now I’m going back to where I’ve come from and no one even asks Me where I’m going. This shows us that they were more concerned about the fact that they were being left alone than where He was going. And He says because I’ve said these things sorrow has filled your heart but I’m telling you the truth, I have to go away because if I don’t go the Holy Spirit won’t come but if I go I’ll send Him to you. "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth." Jesus continued in verses 7, "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” He knew it was best for them for Him to return to the Father because the Holy Spirit would then come to dwell in them. And then the Holy Spirit would help them deal not only be the witnesses they were sent to be but also He would help them deal with the problem of sin. And then in verses 8-11 it says, “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

Now, the key to understanding verse 8 is the Greek word translated "reprove" because it has two meanings which are to condemn and to convince. In the first sense it speaks of convicting with a view toward judgment or sentencing. It's a courtroom term. The judge used it to declare a person’s guilt and then pronounce his judgment and this tells us that the Holy Spirit reproves men by declaring them guilty and men deserve this condemnation because they have rejected Jesus Christ. Although it is the Holy Spirit who makes the declaration, He is not the One who carries out the condemnation because that responsibility belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And the second term is convinced. So, the Holy Spirit condemns men for sin and then He convinces them that they need Jesus Christ. The condemning work of the Holy Spirit happens first and the convincing or the conviction comes afterward. If we don’t respond to His convincing then we will end up being condemned. And here we are told that the Holy Spirit uses three things to convict men and these are sin, righteousness, and judgment.

In verse 9 He says, "Of sin, because they believe not on me." This tells us that the basic problem of all unbelievers is that they don’t believe they’re really sinners in the sight of God. There was a man named Dennis Lee Curtis who was arrested in 1992 in Rapid City, South Dakota for robbery. Curtis apparently had scruples about being a thief. In his wallet the police found a sheet of paper on which were written his philosophy of life. And this is what it said, “1. I will not kill anyone unless I have to. 2. I will take cash and food stamps but no checks. 3. I will rob only at night. 4. I will not wear a mask. 5. I will not rob mini-marts or 7-Eleven stores. 6. If I get chased by cops on foot, I will get away. If chased by vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line. 7. I will rob only seven months out of the year. 8. I will enjoy robbing from the rich to giving to the poor.” 

Personally, I think he should have gotten some credit for writing all this out but the fact was; when Dennis Lee Curtis stood in front of a judge, his personal code of conduct didn’t really matter. He wasn’t judged by his own standards; he was judged by the higher law of the land. And so when men stand before God, no one will be judged by the code of morality they have written for themselves but by God's perfect law. I like how a poet once wrote, "Some men die in ashes; some men die in flames. Some men die inch by inch playing silly games." And that’s what people are doing when they’re trying to devise a way that God will overlook their sin.

The problem is people have no sense of sin. We notice here in verse 9 that it doesn’t say "sins" but "sin." You see, our business is not to convince the world of its sins but of the basic, fundamental sin of unbelief. All of our sins are the result of our sin of unbelief and in the final judgment a person either goes to heaven or hell depending on whether his sin was forgiven because he believed in Jesus Christ. Someone once asked me if they’d go to hell for smoking and I said, “You won’t go there for smoking, you’ll just smell like you’ve already been there.” You see, it’s not what we do but what we are. We’re either forgiven or we’re not.

The Holy Spirit reveals our sin so we can see and act upon our need of forgiveness and cleansing. So the ministry of convincing is an act of love because without it, man would continue on a sure and steady course to hell. The Holy Spirit convicts, or convinces the world of sin by producing in people a sense of guilt and wrongdoing. He uses this conviction to cause nonbelievers to see their need for Jesus Christ. Some well-meaning but misguided believers turn to pressure tactics to lead someone to the Lord. Yet, we can actually hinder the process of conversion when we interfere with the Holy Spirit's work in this way. The Holy Spirit will also only convict a person of their sin for only so long. When a person no longer feels any guilt or remorse for his or her sin, it is an indication that this person is no longer under the Spirit's conviction. And by refusing to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, this individual is calling the Holy Spirit a liar and he stands condemned.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was said to have played a practical joke on twelve of his friends. He sent them each of them a unsigned telegram that said, "Flee at once…all is discovered." And within twenty-four hours, all twelve of his friends had left the country. This tells us that everyone is conscious of their sinfulness and the fact that one day we’ll all stand in the presence of God.

In World War II, the American and British prisoners in one camp had built a homemade radio. One day, they heard the news that the German High Command had surrendered and the war was over. They roared in celebration; men walked around singing and shouting, waving at the guards, even laughing at the dogs. They knew something the Germans didn’t. Three nights later, the Germans finally heard the news. They fled into the dark, leaving the gates unlocked. The next morning, the Brits and the Americans walked out free. Yet they had truly been set free three days earlier by the news that the war was over. And we’re in the same situation. We have a joy that the world knows nothing about and they can’t understand it because they don’t know the source of our joy.

The Age Old Conflict
Oct 4th, 2009
Weekly CommentaryArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;The Nation Of Israel

The Jewish people have just celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. The city of Jerusalem has been filled with the excitement of this 3500 year old festival. There is an undeniable enthusiasm among the Jewish people in recent days. The dream of a return to the glory days of Israel is stirring in their hearts.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has challenged the UN concerning the rights of the nation of Israel. He has told the world that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. This he has done,  inspite of the fact that Israel’s ally and benefactor, America, has become the enemy of Israel, and now rejects this claim of Israel.

When in the past Israel has taken her eyes off the nations around her and fixed her hope on God, she has always prospered. There are dark days ahead for Israel, as the Lord brings Israel through the fire to learn finally this lesson.  Israel is to have one final episode of putting their trust in a false hope.  Jesus said , “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.,” John 5: 43.  Jesus was referring to a false messiah who will one day come and  deceive Israel into believing that he is their messiah, he will be the Antichrist.

For those who understand Bible prophecy it is not hard to see the stage being set for this final act in the drama of the last days.

While God is at work preparing Israel to go through the fires that will bring about the restoration of Israel, the devil is at work also. Satan is carrying forward his relentless program to annihilate Israel.  A news item on October 3, reveals how Hamas is indoctrinating little children to hate Israel. Hamas aired on a children’s T.V. program a call for the “slaughter” of Jews in Israel.

All Jews must be "erased from our land," said Nassur, a stuffed bear who hosts the weekly program, Tomorrow's Pioneers, on Hamas's Al-Aksa television, explained to a child who called in to a September 22 show. "We want to slaughter them, Saraa, so they will be expelled from our land... we'll have to [do it] by slaughter."

3500 years ago, Satan through Pharoah sought to slaughter the Jews even as God was preparing to deliver them. That conflict has continued over the long centuries, and will continue until the “Times of the Gentiles” comes to an end. That day may not be far off.

Before The Lord proceeds to deliver Israel once and for all, the Church will be taken out of the way.   

Sderot Mayor to Goldstone: You Were Silent for Eight Years
Oct 4th, 2009
Daily NewsIsraelNN - Gil Ronen and Maayana Miskin
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Anti-Israel

David Buskila, the mayor of Sderot, sent a personal letter this weekend to the head of the United Nations committee of inquiry on the war in Gaza, Judge Richard Goldstone. In the missive, Buskila protested against the UN's silence – and Goldstone's – in the years leading up to the Gaza operation.

The world, the UN, and Goldstone had eight years in which to protest the rocket attacks on Sderot and other towns in southern Israel, Buskila said. Instead, they said nothing while Hamas repeatedly attacked.

“The world was silent, and so were you. You were silent at the sight of our children's bodies, you were silent in the face of their fear, you were silent when each of the 8,000 Kassam rockets hit our city,” Buskila accused.

"Your silence was frightening. It was reminiscent of times past,” he continued.

Buskila recalled the youngest victims of the years-long assault on Sderot: three-year-old Afik Ohayon, two-year-old Dorit Enso, and four-year-old Yuval Ababa. “The blood of the children whose lives were cut short calls out from the ground,” he told Goldstone. “There is no atonement and no forgiveness for the blood of a small child whose in his short stay on earth had not yet learned of hatred and war.”

Buskila told Goldstone that his concern extended to children in Gaza as well. “I am pained and sorry for each Palestinian child who was killed. The suffering of Palestinian civilians pains me,” he said.

However, he said, Israel was not to blame for Gaza residents' pain.

"Let us not ignore the facts – the suffering of Sderot and its children, and likewise the suffering of Gaza' residents, are on the shoulders and the conscience of Hamas's leaders and the leaders of fundamentalist Islam,” he continued, “those who make war crimes their life's work, and who are not party to the norms of the Western world.”

Revelation 13: 13-14
Oct 4th, 2009
Exploring RevelationArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Prophecy;Book Study

The Miracles of the False Prophet

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he (the false prophet) maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, which had the wound and did live." (Revelation 13:13-14).

In contrast to the deception of the false prophet God will raise up His two witnesses to the truth. Though Satan is given almost unlimited freedom to carry forth his evil, rebellious agenda God will not be without a witness in the world. The idea that God will be passive during the tribulation period is false. He will be pouring out judgment and He will be working to bring salvation to a great multitude of those who will become tribulation saints.

We read about them in Revelation 7:9, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." These are those who will be saved and martyred and are viewed in heaven during the tribulation period.

Even in that dark, dark hour the people of the world will have access to the truth of God, at least untill they turn away from it and are given over to deception. Many will be challenged by the miracles of the two witnesses of God.

God's two witnesses are taken up from the earth at the mid-tribulation point. Revelation 11: 11-12, "And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."

Satan now counteracts and counterfits God's witnesses by giving power to the False Prophet to duplicate those miracles.

Satan uses deception but he also is allowed by God to exercise great powers. Remember in Job, Satan was allowed to control the wind, fire and lightning. "And he maketh fire to come down from heaven on the earth." We see in our text how Satan uses the false prophet to duplicate God's two witnesses to bring deception to the world.

"And deceiveth them that dwell the on earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do."  Paul tells us of those miracles in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all powers and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the the love of the truth, that might be saved."

Notice what the deception involves, "That they should make an image unto the beast", this is the introduction of a new religion. It takes place at the midpoint of the tribulation after the harlot false church is destroyed. We see the destruction of counterfeit christianity, the destruction of the world church that the unholy trinity has used to gain control over the peoples of the world.

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire" (Rev. 17:15-17).

All down through the ages counterfeit religion has been Satan's tool against the true worship of God. The great harlot is representative of all counterfeit religion, and God is going to use the unholy trinity to judge and destroy it.

Now Satan's true purpose is revealed, to have the worship of the world, and it starts with the worship of Satan's man, the beast. Ultimately, as the world worships the image of the beast they are worshipping Satan. This has been Satan's goal since the day that he proclaimed that he would be "like the most high."

This deception will be so great that those unregenerate men and women will have no chance of resisting the deception. Remember what Paul said, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." Notice again the reason that God sends this strong delusion "Because they received not the love of the truth, that might be saved."  Understand,  when an Individual rejects the truth he is rejecting the light.  He automatically places himself in darkness. God sends delusion to those who have rejected the light. When a man or woman turns away from the gospel, they place themselves beyond the grace of God.

"Which had the wound by a sword and did live", this is the greatest miracle that the false prophet performs. The beast appears to have been killed by a sword and is brought back to life, seemingly, by the false prophet. We know that Satan can not restore life, only God can do that. It seems obvious that this is an act of deception, the beast is not really dead though he appears to be so. Nevertheless, the world is deceived into believing this to be a resurrection of the dead, what a great deception?

This another of Satan's attempts to mimic God. The second person of the Holy Trinity was raised from the dead, so Satan presents the second person of the unholy trinity as being raised from the dead.

Photo Essay: Sukkot in Jerusalem
Oct 4th, 2009
Photo EssayIsraelNN.
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Walking around Jerusalem in the days before the Sukkot holiday is a unique and fun experience, filled with color and sound. The streets turn into an outdoor market of supplies for the many Biblical commandments of the Sukkot holiday, such as constructing well-equiped huts and the taking of the four species. The huts and their vegetation roofs go up, while the prices for a good Etrog comes down - if you know how to bargain!

Please join Israel National News for a beautiful picture essay from the streets of Jerusalem. All photos by Yehuda Boltshauser & Co.

People buy sukkah boards in Meah Shearim as Yerushalayim prepares for Sukkot

Schach (traditional branch-covering of the Sukkah) being delivered in Meah Shearim

Other forms of schach...

Sukkahs in Meah Shearim: a picture from 100 years ago - or today?

More sukkot in Meah Shearim

Top-quality, beautiful Etrogim enhancing the holiday

Israel Upgrades It's Fighting Arsenal With Delivery of Two More German Submarines
Oct 4th, 2009
Daily Newswww.google.com
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Israel has taken delivery of two German submarines ordered four years ago, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We have received two Dolphin-class submarines built in Germany," he said, on condition of anonymity.

The submarines, called U212s, can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, although when it confirmed the sale in 2006 the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons.

The subs were ordered in 2005 and delivery was initially expected in 2010.

Including the two new ones, Israel has five German submarines -- the most expensive weapon platforms in Israel's arsenal.

Germany, which believes it has a historic responsibility to help Israel because of the mass murder of Jews in World War II, donated the first two submarines after the 1991 Gulf War.

It split the cost of the third with the Jewish state.

According to Jane's Defence Weekly, the U212s are designed for a crew of 35, have a range of 4,500 kilometres (2,810 miles) and can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

Israeli media have written that the Dolphin submarine could be key in any attack on arch-foe Iran's controversial nuclear sites.

An Israeli submarine recently used the Suez Canal for the first time in June, escorted by Egyptian navy vessels, in what Israeli media said was intended as a message to Iran.

Widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

Hamas Children's Tv Program Again Calls for the 'slaughter of Jews'
Oct 4th, 2009
Daily NewsJpost - JOSIAH DANIEL RYAN ,
Categories: Today's Headlines;Anti-Israel

A popular Hamas children's program that usually gives advice to youngsters, such as instructing them to listen to their parents, aired a call for the "slaughter" of Jews in Israel late last month, according to Palestinian Media Watch.

All Jews must be "erased from our land," Nassur, a stuffed bear who hosts the weekly program, Tomorrow's Pioneers, on Hamas's Al-Aksa television, explained to a child who called in to a September 22 show. "We want to slaughter them, Saraa, so they will be expelled from our land... we'll have to [do it] by slaughter."