Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

The Warning of the Coming Day of the Lord
Jun 16th, 2013
Weekly CommentaryArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Warning;Prophecy

Jeremiah faced the nation of Israel on the brink of disaster. For nearly 400 years God had been sending His prophets warning Israel to repent. About ninety years before Jeremiah the Lord sent Isaiah who said, “Judgment is coming.”

Jeremiah said, “It’s here.” Jeremiah said, “The Babylonians are going to come and slaughter you.” Those who survive will be carried away in chains to Babylon.”

Jeremiah stood on the brink of a holocaust. He was the prophet at the end of the glory days of Israel.    Isaiah prophesied at 11.00 am. Jeremiah prophesied at midnight. It is now midnight for our world.

The Babylonians did come; the people and the land were decimated! Jeremiah knew what was coming. He knew judgment was coming.

My friends, with the Bible in one hand and the daily news in the other we know what is coming. We know the judgment of God is near, even at the doors. Our society stands on the brink of a holocaust. Our society stands on the brink of the great Day of the Lord. Within a few short years two thirds of earth’s population will be dead, according John’s apocalypse.

For forty- two years Jeremiah warned of the coming judgment. For forty-two years Judah steadfastly refused to repent. Finally the Lord said to Jeremiah, Judah has crossed the line, their fate is sealed. Judgment is sealed. Judgment is now inevitable. “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone” (Jeremiah 5:23). They have passed the point of no return.

Somewhere along the line, during Jeremiah’s ministry, Judah crossed the line of God’s patience and mercy. The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee” (Jeremiah 7:16). It’s now too late, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).

I believe our society stands on the brink of a holocaust, though it is never too late for individuals to be saved. I believe our society stands in the shadow of the coming Day of the Lord. The world is facing the greatest crisis in human history.

I believe America and Canada stand on the threshold of the judgment of God. Whether that event will precede the tribulation period or not we cannot know.

Amazingly for Judah the midnight hour of judgment had come and yet Judah was still insensitive to their sin. They said in effect, “What have we done to deserve judgment, we haven’t sinned we are the people of God. Like the church of Laodicea of the present hour, sin blinds their eyes. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Today we have a generation that is blind to their sin and spiritual bankruptcy.

Where do we as Christians fit into all of this? What did Jeremiah do? We learn from Jeremiah the responsibility of the godly in an ungodly day. We learn how to live on the edge of a holocaust, how to live in a doomed society.

Are we to buy into the world’s fair? Are we to laugh at its jokes? Are we to smile at its entertainment?

Three things to recognize

1 – Jeremiah had a Divine Mandate

Get the picture, Jeremiah stands as God’s anointed messenger to confront a nation headed for certain disaster. In the midst of that God gives him a divine mandate. “Then the Word of the Lord came unto me….” First God gives Jeremiah a mandate. Jeremiah must understand that he is called of God before he speaks.

Why does Jeremiah need this realization that he is called of God? Because his ministry will be 42 years long and it will be basically fruitless, no one will respond. So to enable him to be faithful he has the assurance of God’s call upon him.

We need to understand that we have a divine mandate. 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” Paul is saying, God has called me to do this. That extends to all of God’s people, you have a divine mission. You have a ministry to this doomed generation.

Believer you have been chosen by God to serve Him. Do you have a sense of mission and are you motivated by a divine mandate?

2 – Jeremiah had a Divine Message

What do we say to this generation? What do we give them? We are to give them the Word of God. We are not to give them a little bit of self-esteem, not a little bit of psychology. We are not to please them; we are not to tell them they are okay.

What was Jeremiah’s message? What was the burden of his heart?

“O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee” (Jeremiah 14:7). Jeremiah faced dying culture with its sin. Our society need to be indicted for its sin.

For fifty years new evangelicalism decided not to do that. The attitude has been if we can get them to like us, maybe they will like our saviour? No! We are not in the business of getting people to like us. We are to confront sin. Then people can repent and be saved and enjoy the blessing of God upon them. We do not want to fool our society, we have to preach sin and judgment.

3 – Jeremiah had a Deep Mourning

“But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive” (Jeremiah 13:17).

If you don’t preach judgment with tears, you have missed it. Jeremiah didn’t get satisfaction from preaching doom and judgment. Jeremiah preached with fire in his belly, but all the while his eyes ran down with tears. “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1). He preached with a broken heart. Jeremiah was like God, he cared about people. Do we care that people that are perishing? If we do we warn them with a broken heart.

Our tears will not be understood. Our message may not be accepted. We may weep alone. But if we care, we will weep!

But weeping is not enough! We must have a message and we must speak it. There is hope; there will always be some who will come to Christ. The hour is late for this tired old world and its people.

No Need to Force 666 - Consumers Ready for Biometric Payments Now
Jun 16th, 2013
Daily Newsretailtimes.co.uk
Categories: Today's Headlines;Prophecy

Paying for goods and services through fingerprint, palm and iris scanners is the most popular future technology choice for security-conscious shoppers, according to new research* from WorldPay, a global leader in payments processing.

One in two people surveyed (49%) stated they would like to have biometric payments, such as fingerprint, palm or iris scanners, far outweighing the popularity of emerging mobile technology options. 

Thirty per cent would like to use PIN based smartphone payments, 25% online wallets, and 23% are keen to use SMS payments. Paying through social media was the least popular choice, with only 12% expressing they would like to use it.

The research, culminating in a report into the payment marketplace, examined the public’s attitudes and usage of emerging payment technologies, with a particular focus on smartphones.

Smartphone usage

One in five people (20%) have already made a payment of some type through their smartphone, but a higher percentage are using them for research and reporting in-store. 45% are using it for ‘show-rooming’ (choosing to browse in-store, and shop online later), 45% to check prices, 31% to comment on their shopping experience via social media and 28% to download vouchers and coupons.

Ron Kalifa, deputy chairman at WorldPay, said: “Retailers can help drive mass adoption of new payment technologies by challenging existing shopping behaviours and most importantly, making a compelling case for new payment methods that consumers will understand and buy into. 

“It’s interesting to see the public considering options such as biometric payments, a science that they may have seen in sci-fi films or on TV, which suggests familiarity and visibility of new payment technologies is crucial in moving usage from tech savvy enthusiasts to the wider public. Our research showed that three in four of us shop on auto pilot using cash, card and by paying online, so the industry needs to take greater steps to challenge these behaviours.”

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 16th, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Janet Napolitano Denies Existence of ‘Orwellian State’
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano weighed in on the NSA intelligence leaks on Friday, telling NY1 that fears over government surveillance were overblown. “I think people have gotten the idea that there’s an Orwellian state out there that somehow we’re operating in. That’s far from the case,” she told Errol Louis during an appearance on Road to City Hall.  

G8 summit to make 'real difference' on tax avoidance
Action will be taken at the G8 summit to make "a real difference" to the amount of tax paid by corporations, David Cameron says. The PM told Sky News steps to improve sharing of information by countries and to reveal the true owners of companies "will lead to a fairer tax system". Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said existing UK transparency rules were not being enforced.  

Obama Helps The Antichrist
Obama is now conspicuously giving weapons, and this time to a more lethal degree. These weapons will be used to orchestrate a holocaust in Syria, and it will all be supported by your hard earned money.  

Abdullah: Jordan ready to fight threats from Syria
Jordan's King Abdullah said on Sunday the kingdom was ready to fight to protect itself against any threat to its security from the escalating civil war in neighboring Syria. He was speaking as Jordanian and US forces proceeded with joint military exercises with the participation of 17 other countries. Diplomats say the exercises, which entered their second week, aim to send a strong message to Syrian President Bashar Assad.  

Syria: Egypt's Morsi has joined US, Israeli conspiracy
Syria on Sunday harshly criticized Cairo's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Damascus, accusing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of joining a US and Israel-led conspiracy against Syria. Morsi said he had cut all diplomatic ties with Damascus on Saturday and called for a no-fly zone over Syria, pitching the most populous Arab state firmly against President Bashar Assad.  

Syrian warplanes hit Damascus suburbs
Syrian artillery and warplanes have hit rebel-held areas of Damascus, as Russia has warned against any attempt to establish a no-fly zone over the country. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group, said jets and artillery had attacked Jobar, a battered district where rebels operate on the edge of central Damascus, on Saturday.  

Earthquake strikes in Mexico City
The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 and struck at 12.19am local time about 76 miles south of the Mexican capital.  

World Welcomes New 'Moderate' Iranian President
World powers have offered a cautious welcome to Hassan Rowhani, considered to be a “moderate”, after he was declared Iran's new president on Saturday, AFP reports. The 64-year-old's election ends eight years of conservative grip on the top office in conservative Iran, and he used his first statement after the win was confirmed to announce a "new opportunity" for the West to treat the Islamic Republic with respect and to recognize its rights.  

"You Now Have To Assume Everything Is Beling Collected"
Americans who disapprove of the government reading their emails have more to worry about from a different and larger NSA effort. As the AP reports, the program, that snatches data as it passes through the fiber optic cables that make up the Internet's backbone, which has apparently been known for years, copies Internet traffic as it enters and leaves the United States, then routes it to the NSA for analysis. As the name suggests, Prism is merely the intelligent filter, finding discrete, manageable strands of information within this much more massive data stream that is being collected and stored.  

‘Iran to send 4,000 troops to help Syria’s Assad’
Iran will reportedly send a contingent of some 4,000 Revolutionary Guard troops to Syria to aid the regime of Bashar Assad, which is already bolstered by Lebanese fighters from the Hezbollah terror group.  

US to start arming Syrian rebels, but will it make much difference?
Now that the White House says it has determined with “high certainty” that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons against its people, the United States is planning to send small arms and ammunition to rebel groups there.  

Strong Earthquake Reported Off Nicaragua Coast
A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake was registered off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua around midday Saturday, the U.S. Geological Service said.  

Turkish forces clear Istanbul park
A massive cleanup effort was underway early Sunday at an Istanbul park where hours earlier Turkish riot police cleared protesters camped out in what has become ground zero in anti-government demonstrations targeting the policies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  

North Korea proposes high-level talks with U.S.
North Korea proposed high-level talks with the United States to "ease tensions in the Korean Peninsula," its state news agency reported early Sunday.  

Egypt Brotherhood backs Syria jihad, denounces Shi'ites
Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood blamed Shi'ites for creating religious strife throughout Islam's history, as the movement joined a call by Sunni clerics for jihad against the Syrian government and its Shi'ite allies.  

Netanyahu urges continued world pressure on Iran after election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for no let-up in international pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions after the election of a new president widely seen as a moderate.

Egypt talks war over Nile dam
SINCE becoming Egypt's President a year ago, Mohammed Morsi has been so awash with problems - economic, political, constitutional - that he has paid scant attention to the biggest problem of all coming down the river - the level of the River Nile. Two weeks ago, Ethiopia announced that it had begun to divert the Blue Nile, the major source of Egypt's water, in the process of building a giant dam.

Jordan’s King: We Can Protect Ourselves
Jun 16th, 2013
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

King Abdullah said Sunday that if the world does not help Jordan against danger, “we are able to … protect the country and the interests of our people.” He spoke to military cadets Sunday as US forces proceeded with joint military exercises in their second week. Saturday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a Jordanian request to leave behind the US F-16 fighters and Patriot missile interceptors at the end of the maneuvers.

Israeli Minister: Iran Building 'Arsenal' of Nukes
Jun 16th, 2013
Daily NewsNewsmax
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A high-ranking Israeli official asserts that the world is still underestimating Iran's potential nuclear threat and warns that Tehran goal's is not simply to build a weapon, but to produce dozens of nukes annually.

"We must speak of an Iranian nuclear arsenal, not just a bomb," Israeli International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a speech at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

"If they get the bomb, they will get many nuclear bombs."

Steinitz said Iran poses a much greater threat than North Korea: "North Korea has local ambitions, but Iranian ambitions are global. Iranian leaders are speaking about a changing balance of power between Islam and the Western world, of a new era of global Islamic hegemony."

Steinitz said Iran's nuclear industry is already bigger than that of North Korea and Pakistan, "and if indeed the Iranians reached their objective of spinning some 54,000 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility, that alone would allow them to create the fissile material needed for 20-30 bombs per year," the Jerusalem Post reported.

Tehran's ultimate goal, Steinitz added, is to build "hundreds of nuclear bombs in a decade or two," a development that would change the course of "global history."

The minister also expressed concern over Russia's deal to sell S-300 air-defense systems to Syria, warning that they could wind up in the hands of Hezbollah and could be transferred to Iran.

Hurricanes
Jun 16th, 2013
CommentaryPhotorama
Categories: Prophecy

(Hurricanes) As the earth spins morally out of control, our Lord predicted that hurricanes would violently stir up the world's oceans.

"..the sea and the waves roaring." (Luke 21:25)