Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Watches As Beijing Forges Ahead With S China Sea Oilfield Plans
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil drilling platform sets out from Guangzhou, headed for the disputed Paracels, June 14, 2012. (Photo/CFP)

China's recently published Resource Development Strategic Action Plan (2014-2020) says the country plans to establish a large oilfield in the disputed South China Sea in the next six years capable of producing around ten million tonnes of oil a year, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.

From the end of 2013 China has accelerated land reclamation projects in the area, with Fiery Cross Reef, which is also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, being expanded to 0.9 square kilometers as of Oct. 16, making it now the largest island in the disputed Spratlys. Estimates based on a satellite image taken on Nov. 17 suggest that the reef has now grown in area to 1.3 square km and that the reclaimed land is structured like a landing strip. Under previous administrations China had pushed for the shelving of disputes and the joint exploration of resources in the region by claimant nations out of diplomatic considerations, Duowei stated. Due to the land reclamation projects and moves to build airports as well as calls for bids to exploit oil resources by other claimants, however, the shelving of disputes is no longer on China's agenda. Under Xi Jinping's leadership, there has been an increased military presence in the region and moves that suggest China is moving forward with its plans to exploit resources.

In 2009, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia all protested to a map China submitted to the UN featuring the 9-dash-line that Beijing uses to assert its claims over the entire South China Sea. In August this year the US called for a freeze on actions in the region, and on Nov. 21 Washington called for China to stop land reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which China calls Yongshu Reef. Beijing sees this as signaling US support for the claims of Vietnam and the Philippines in the region in an attempt to "contain" China. However, there seems little chance of the US resorting to military action over the issue, as China has pushed forward with establishing Sansha prefecture comprising disputed island groups such as the Spratlys, the Paracels and Macclesfield Bank and deployed a garrison to the region, as well as taking administrative control over the disputed Scarborough Shoal, without US military interference.

The People's Liberation Army now patrols the area regularly and a new airport under construction will likely lend air support. China deployed an oil drilling platform to a region Vietnam claims as its exclusive economic zone in May of this year, prompting anti-China riots in many parts of Vietnam.

The South China Sea is important for China both in terms of military strategy and in terms of resources and fishing, and China's actions in the region over the last year have been a long time in the planning. Back in 2006, China National Offshore Oil Corporation had already begun research and development on an ocean oil platform that could dig to a depth of 3,000m. The Haiyang Shiyou 981 deployed in teh Paracels earlier this year is a sixth generation deep-water semi-submersible oil drilling platform and the first to be developed with indigenous Chinese technology, according to Duowei. China got into a standoff with the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and then after the establishment of Sansha, Beijing encouraged fishermen to fish in the area and increased the number of military facilities on the islands.

After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward China's aims to be a major maritime power, the Politburo engaged in collective study on maritime strategy. On an official visit to Greece in June this year, Premier Li Keqiang outlined China's maritime outlook for the first time while attending a China-Greece forum on ocean affairs. On a visit to the US during the standoff between Vietnam and China over the Haiyang Shiyou 981 platform, chief of the headquarters of the General Staff of the PLA Fang Fenghui said, "the drilling near the Xisha [Paracel] islands must forge ahead" as "China can't afford to lose an inch of land that the ancestors passed down to us." The spokesperson for China's defense ministry Geng Yansheng said that "there is no room for negotiation" on China's territorial claims in the region.

An editorial in UK-based Jane's Defence Weekly stated that China is the only claimant, with the exception of Brunei, that has not got an airstrip in the Spratlys, as the Philippines has one on Thitu, Malaysia has one on Swallow Reef, Vietnam has one on Southwest Cay and Taiwan has one on Taiping, the largest natural island in the chain. China is engaged in several land reclamation projects in the Spratlys, but the one on Fiery Cross Reef is the largest. China is extending the reef using a cement platform which will be used as a runway, according to Duowei. The PLA is also digging on the eastern side of Fiery Cross Reef to build a new port capable of docking large oil tankers and naval warships.

Xi Jinping has distinguished himself from his predecessor Hu Jintao with an adjustment in military policy in the region and more emphasis on concrete action. Near misses between Chinese and US naval vessels and fighters in the region suggest that China is enforcing its territorial claims more assertively than before.

China has stated that foreign interference is one of the main reasons that territorial disputes in the South China Sea have not been resolved. According to Duowei, the US proposal that all parties in the region halt attempts to reclaim territory that was under the administration of other countries in 2002 when the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was signed and its call for China to halt land reclamation, the exploitation of oil and construction on islands, is to protect the interests of the Philippines and Vietnam, which cannot currently compete with China in the region. As the US has not signed any military agreement with the Philippines or Vietnam however, it's unlikely that the US will back this up with a military intervention in the event of a military conflict between China and other claimants.

Although China has often stated that it is committed to peaceful development since the reform and opening up policy was launched, it sees territorial disputes as attempts to undermine Chinese sovereignty and is therefore unlikely to shy away from using force to assert itself, as it did during the Johnson South Reef Skirmish with Vietnam over the Spratlys in 1988. Duowei used the words of Mao Zedong when describing China's current policy in the South China Sea, "fighting for peace ensures that peace flourishes, whereas trying to seek peace through compromise is the death of peace."

U.S. Government Working to Renew Oil Deal With Israel
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

WASHINGTON - The United States is in the midst of renewing its 35-year-old commitment to supply Israel with oil in emergency situations after the pact expired on Tuesday, a US State Department official said.

The United States "is in close contact with the government of Israel on extending the longstanding memorandum of understanding" between the two countries on emergency oil supplies, a State Department official said on the condition of anonymity.

Talks Between Obama and King Abdullah Scheduled for Dec. 5
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

United States President Barack Obama will hold talks next week with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House. 

Jordan is a key US ally in the Middle East, particularly as one of five Arab nations participating in US led airstrikes against the Islamic State. The military campaign to counter ISIS in Iraq and Syria will be at the top of the agenda on December 5. 

Obama and Abdullah are also expected to address the ongoing civil war in Syria, leading to a refugee crisis in Jordan, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its latest tensions.

Study: Nearly Half of Americans Believe Natural Disasters are Rising Due to End Times - not Climate
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsANUGRAH KUMAR
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Zuma Accuses Israel of 'Defying the World'
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

South African President Jacob Zuma continued his anti-Israel rhetoric Wednesday accusing Israel of "defying the world." 

Zuma's statements were made during a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, in Pretoria. 

"The reality is that the vast majority of the world agrees with the solution of two states living together peacefully, but we have a problem with a country that defies all others," Zuma said. "This is a problem. I do not think that the system should not allow one country to defy the world. This is unacceptable."

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Indonesia, Japan and Offshore California: Earthquakes 20-26 November 2014
The week of the 20-26 November 2014 saw the United States Geological Survey’s real time earthquake map record over 1,600 earthquakes.  

10 Signs That Russia Is Preparing To Fight (And Win) A Nuclear War With The United States
To the Russians, the United States is enemy number one these days and the Russians are feverishly preparing for a potential military showdown.  

Evil spirit taking over Middle Eastern studies
The source of hostility toward Israel can be found in the American academia. If this is the education young students get, what will the lecturers of the next decade teach?  

Law to Ban Islamist Gangs from Temple Mount
Aharonovich advances bill to blacklist Hamas-linked Islamist groups who harass Jews, attack police on Judaism's holiest site.  

Abbas says he is ready to set up Palestinian State on '22 percent of land'
"the time has come to find the political will in order to work seriously for achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the independence of the Palestinian state on the bases of 1967."  

Pope: Don't shut door to dialogue with Islamic State
Pope Francis said on Tuesday that while it was "almost impossible" to have a dialogue with Islamic State insurgents, the door should not be shut.  

Atlanta’s Fire Chief Suspended For Publicly Professing Christian Beliefs
Even in Atlanta you will be made to care. Atlanta’s Fire Chief, Kelvin Cochran, has been suspended for one month for writing a book in which he maintains orthodox Christian beliefs on sex and marriage.  

5.8 magnitude quake hits China
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake today jolted China’s southwest Sichuan Province, three days after the mountainous region was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude quake.  

E.P.A. to Introduce Sweeping New Controls on Smog-Causing Ozone Emissions
The Obama administration is expected to release on Wednesday a ...regulation to curb emissions of ozone, a smog-causing pollutant linked to asthma, heart disease and premature death. The sweeping regulation, which would aim at smog from power plants and factories across the country...would be the latest in a series of Environmental Protection Agency controls on air pollution that wafts from smokestacks and tailpipes.  

Ebola outbreak: Sierra Leone workers dump bodies in Kenema
Burial workers in the Sierra Leonean city of Kenema have dumped bodies in public in protest at non-payment of allowances for handling Ebola victims. The workers, who went on strike over the issue, left 15 bodies abandoned at the city's main hospital. One of the bodies was reportedly left by the hospital manager's office and two others by the hospital entrance.  

Nigeria's Maiduguri city hit by deadly blasts
Suicide attacks by two female bombers at a crowded market in northern Nigeria's Maiduguri city have killed 78 people, medical officials say. One teenage girl blew herself up first and as people gathered to help victims, the second girl detonated herself, witnesses say. No group has said it carried out the attacks, but the militant Islamist group Boko Haram is suspected.  

This Monty Python Song Is Played at More British Funerals Than Any Religious Tune
Oh, those Brits and their irreverent sense of humor. According to The Telegraph, the most popular song to be played at British funerals is not a somber, traditional tune, but a comedy tune from national treasures Monty Python. “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life,” the lighthearted take on death that closes out 1979’s The Life of Brian, took the number one spot, beating out traditional choices “The Lord is My Shepherd” and “Abide with Me.”

Russia Is Ready for Shooting War, Will Likely Win Looming Nuclear Showdown with U.S. – Report
Preparedness for a nuclear conflict could prove as the foremost tactical advantage of Russia over the United States, likely positioning Moscow to score a win in case a shooting World War III with Washington as nemesis erupts.  

Russia Mistral: France halts delivery indefinitely
France has suspended "until further notice" the controversial delivery of a helicopter carrier to the Russian navy. President Francois Hollande blamed continuing unrest in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is accused of backing separatists in their fight against the government in Kiev.  

UK, US behind Regin malware, attacked European Union networks
Blame the British and American spy agencies for the latest state-sponsored malware attack, say reporters at The Intercept. The publication, which in the wake of Glenn Greenwald's departure from The Guardian continued to publish documents leaked by Edward Snowden, said on Monday the recently discovered malware, known as Regin, was used against targets in the European Union.  

Obamacare offers firms $3,000 incentive to hire illegals over native-born workers
Under the president’s new amnesty, businesses will have a $3,000-per-employee incentive to hire illegal immigrants over native-born workers because of a quirk of Obamacare.  

Merkel hits diplomatic dead-end with Putin
After nine months of non-stop German diplomacy to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided in mid-November that a change of tack was needed.  

Activists: Syrian strikes kill 60 in IS-held city
Syrian government warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes Tuesday on the de-facto capital of the extremist Islamic State group, killing at least 60 people, shattering shop fronts and setting dozens of cars ablaze, activists said.  

The Islamic State Seeks the Battle of the Apocalypse
The gruesome video released by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) emphasizes that the beheading of Peter Kassig took place in the town of Dabiq, Syria. The town was chosen because of its significance in Islamic end-of-time prophecies about the time when the Mahdi and (the Islamic version of) Jesus will bring victory over those who oppose sharia.  

How Israel's Restoration Signals the End
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy News Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21, KJV).

The return of Christ is contingent upon "the times of restitution of all things." The word times is in the plural form, meaning "a series of events" linked to restitution. The word restitution is similar to the word restoration. The Greek word for restitution (apokatastasis) was used to describe the Jews' return to Israel from Egypt with Moses and their return to Israel after the Babylonian captivity. 

In both cases the Hebrew nation was released from bondage, returned to their land and brought restoration to the land through agriculture and farming (Jer. 27:22; Joel 2:25). Christ will return after an order of restoration occurs.

The biblical prophets also predicted a series of restorations that will unfold prior to the return of the Messiah. When these predictions begin to come to pass, it is a major witness that the closing out of the end of the age is at hand and the kingdom of the Messiah is over the horizon.

The first major event would be the reestablishing of Israel as a nation. Over 100 years before Israel was reborn on May 14-15, 1948, Bible scholars who accepted the literal interpretation of the restoration prophecies began writing and teaching that the Jews must return to a restored nation called Israel prior to the Lord's return.

One such man was Professor S.W. Watson, who in 1888 taught that three things must occur before Christ could return. First, Israel would again be a nation. Second, Jerusalem must be in the hands and control of the Jews, and, finally, the Jews would be returning from all nations back to the Promised Land. 

In 1912, A.B. Simpson wrote a book titled The Coming One, in which he stated: "Then there is the promise of their [Israel's] restoration. This is to be in two stages: first, national and then spiritual. The two stages are represented by Ezekiel in the vision of the valley of dry bones."

In 1940 Harry Rimmer wrote a prophetic book titled The Coming War and the Rise of Russia. In it he mentions 14 things that must occur prior to the coming of Christ. He stated that the Jews would be back in Palestine and will have Jerusalem back. He predicted that there would be a great war that would drive the Jews back to Palestine. He also spoke of Hitler dividing Germany and how Germany would later be united again.

In the 1930s and 1940s, a great Bible scholar, Finis Dake, author of the Dake's Annotated Bible, spent thousands of hours researching the Scriptures and writing personal notes and commentaries on each verse. In Isaiah 35, the prophet Isaiah predicted a time when the barren deserts of Israel would blossom as a rose and fill the world with fruit (Is. 35:1; see also Is. 27:6). At the time of Mr. Dake's research, most of Palestine was either a swamp or a desolate, dry wilderness with little or no vegetation. In this setting, Dake commented on the 2,500-year-old prediction by Isaiah that Israel's deserts would blossom and fill the world with fruit: "A complete restoration or reestablishment. It refers to the Millennium when Christ will reign 1,000 years. No prophecy about the coming of the Lord can be fulfilled until the Jews are back in their land."

In the 1930s and early 1940s, Dake understood two facts: that no prophecy about the coming of the Lord could be fulfilled until the Jews were back in their land (Israel), and that the blossoming of the desert was to be taken literally and not as some spiritual allegory. In other words, the dry land would one day become fruitful. He only missed one part of his interpretation. He placed the timing of this fulfillment during the thousand-year reign of Christ (Rev. 20:4), not during the time of the end. When his Bible notes were written, the Jews were still scattered among the nations and were being persecuted by the Nazis. The nation of Israel was nonexistent, and the land was called Palestine and was under British mandate.

When examining prophetic Scripture, these men and others like them took the prophecies about Israel's restoration literally and not spiritually or allegorically. They predicted a day when the Jews would return and rebuild the places of old.

Frank Garlock's Warning Against Vocal Sliding
Nov 26th, 2014
Commentaryfbns@wayoflife.org. - David Cloud
Categories: Contemporary Issues;Warning

A battle is raging for the heart and soul of Bible-believing churches, and music is playing a central role. Of the preachers who have been willing to stand on the front lines of this battle (and their numbers are small), few if any have had a greater influence than Dr. Frank Garlock. 

Dr. Garlock knows music. He has a doctorate from BJU and has taken every graduate course in music offered by the celebrated Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He sat under the famous Howard Hanson, who headed up Eastman for 40 years.

Dr. Garlock began teaching on the dangers of worldly music in about 1970. His first book was The Big Beat in 1971 in which he warned about the sensual, seductive power of the rock rhythm. Since then he has published The Symphony of Life seminar, Music in the Balance, The Language of Music, and Pop Goes the Music, among others.

In 2001, Dr. Garlock issued the following warning:

"If a church starts using CCM it will eventually lose all other standards" (Bob Jones University, chapel, March 12, 2001).

Since then, BJU has begun adapting CCM, as we have documented in The Independent Baptist Music Wars, so if Dr. Garlock is correct, the handwriting is on the wall.

One of the marks of CCM that Dr. Garlock has identified through the years is the vocal sliding singing technique which is a prominent part of the world's music. It has been called "scooping and sliding."

In this technique, instead of hitting the note cleanly and directly, there is a slide from above or below its true pitch. It adds a great element of sensuality to the music. 

The 1940s book How to Sing for Money said, "Scooping is a common practice ... as a swing effect" (Charles Henderson, p. 36).

Thus, the scooping technique was created as part of the commercial dance music scene, and it works with the jerky syncopated rhythm to create the sensual atmosphere that modern dancers desire. 

Musicologist Walter Everett identifies the sensuality of this technique. He says, "Many rock vocalists reach out to their audience largely through the PHYSICALITY of their singing" (The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," 2008).

Scooping has even been described as "sexual utterances" (Charles Brown, The Art of Rock & Roll, 1983, p. 68). 

One would think that Christian vocalists would want to get as far from "sexual utterances" as possible!

Elvis Presley and countless other pop sex gods, male and female, have used this technique to great effect, but never a godly effect. 

Everett observes further, "Classical singers traditionally strive for constant beauty of tone, but this is rarely of interest to rock vocalists, who reject the dogma of there being one 'right' way to do anything" (The Foundations of Rock).

This is a telling statement by a secular musicologist. Note that rock vocalists don't care about beauty of tone, but God's people should strive for beauty in singing style because we are serving the God of beauty and order, and we are singing about His lovely character and truth. 

Rock singers contort their voices and slip and slide around the notes because they have rejected absolute truth. Their singing style reflects their philosophy of moral relativism which permeates modern pop music.

Scooping and sliding is a technique that well fits the night club, the bar, the rock concert, and it has been foolishly adapted by contemporary Christian musicians and Southern Gospel performers.

This style is not only sensual, but it also draws attention to the singer, which is another major element of both secular pop, Southern Gospel, and contemporary Christian music.

Consider the comments posted at a rendition of "In Christ Alone" performed by a young woman on YouTube: 

"Beautiful voice." "What a great voice you have." "You got a great voice!" "You are wonderfully gifted!!!" "Love your voice!!"

By this technique, attention is immediately drawn to the singer, which is what the world is seeking, but it is not a godly practice in the worship of a thrice-holy God who has proclaimed that He will not give His glory to others. 

"For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? AND I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY UNTO ANOTHER" (Isaiah 48:11).

Christian musicians who in any sense share in God's glory are committing a great sin. 

Yet by aping the world, the very presentation style, technique, and environment of contemporary worship lends itself to exactly that. The worship singers and musicians are prominently displayed before the congregation; the auditorium is often darkened to draw more attention to the worship team; typically the lead singers are attractive people; their dress fashions are sensual; their voices are "shown off"; they move to the music's rhythm; their images are projected on large screens; there are close-ups of faces, tight shots of instruments, sweeping pans of the worship team.

This is precisely the same technique used in secular forums to glorify rock gods. 

The modern technology produces the most intense glorification of musicians in human history.

Regarding scooping and sliding, Dr. Frank Garlock warns: 

"The identical methods employed by the world to make the sound sensual are now being used by many popular contemporary Christian music vocalists. Yet many Christians either do not realize or deliberately ignore the fact that this is no longer ministry, but pure, sensual, flesh-gratifying entertainment. ... Scooping is one of the most popular methods of producing a dance hall effect. ... A second characteristic of a worldly sound is flipping below and above the actual written melody line. Listen again to Henderson as he comments on this technique: 'The classically trained singer has an ingrained respect for any written melody, and hesitates to tamper with it. The born swinger, on the other hand, looks on written melody as simply a convenient starting point for his variations' (Charles Henderson, How to Sing for Money, 1940, p. 85). Is sacred music meant to swing?" (Frank Garlock and Kurt Woetzel, Music in the Balance, 1992 pp. 83, 94).

Dr. Garlock identified the scooping and flipping techniques as sensual swing effects that have no role in sacred Christian music. The word "sacred" means "spiritual," which is the opposite of worldly!

Closely associated with scooping and sliding and flipping is improvisation. The vocalist uses his or her voice to improvise on the melody to enhance the rhythm. Again, it is a "swing effect" with its roots in the blues, jazz, and other forms of licentious music that birthed 1950s rock & roll.

Again we quote Dr. Garlock:

"The word in contemporary music is improvisation. When an instrumentalist or vocalist improvises, he composes and performs simultaneously on the spur of the moment without any specific preparation. New Age music is also constructed on this idea. Charles Henderson writes: 'Now, apart from the primitive, driving rhythm that lifts the fur on your spine and starts your feet tapping in spite of yourself, what is the outstanding feature of any hot band? The answer--IMPROVISATION--spur of the moment 'faking' on the written melody and rhythm' (Henderson, How to Sing for Money, p. 159).

"In other words, 'do you own thing,' blend in, but not in any regimented, prescribed, or planned manner. Again, this same philosophy, which is teaching relativism and promoting music which exemplifies it, is the basis for the New Age Movement. This is the opposite of unity, the opposite of 'one sound.' ... It is a sound which is characterized by polarization and discord rather than oneness and unity. The sound of sacred music needs to be the opposite of the sound which was just described" (Garlock, Music in the Balance, pp. 155, 156).

Domestic Pressures in U.S., Iran Threaten Slow - Moving Nuke Talks
Nov 26th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

VIENNA/WASHINGTON - A seven-month extension in talks between world powers and Iran on a deal to curb its nuclear program emboldened critics in Washington and Tehran, threatening to undermine further talks.

After failing to clinch an agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear program in return for lifting stifling US-led economic sanctions, the sides agreed on Monday to push back, yet again, a deadline for reaching a deal, until next July.

Iran is negotiating with so-called P5+1 group of the United Nations Security Council permanent members, plus Germany, but that could be called the P5+1+2, given the role played by hard-liners in Congress and in Iran's ruling establishment.