Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

The Political Downfall of Israel's Right - Wing
Sep 20th, 2019
CommentaryALEX TRAIMAN/JNS.ORG
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political career as he continues to get battered by a complicated parliamentary system that he has led for the past 10 years--13 years in total.

Throughout his tenure, a high percentage of Israel's electorate has consistently supported and voted for Netanyahu's Likud Party, with more than 1 million Israelis voting this week for Likud. The high number of votes is significant because they were cast despite of, or perhaps in response to, the ongoing charges against him by Israel's attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit.

In addition to Netanyahu's pending legal woes, it's the right-wing flank--Netanyahu's natural coalition partners--that has been imploding and defecting, now leaving the prime minister short of a parliamentary majority.

In November 2018, a year before the government's term was to end, Avigdor Lieberman resigned his post as defense minister and pulled his six-mandate Yisrael Beiteinu Party out of a stable, right-wing and religious coalition totaling 67 mandates. Lieberman charged that the government (of which he was part) was reacting too weakly to ongoing conflict with Gaza at Netanyahu's instruction.

Lieberman's resignation left the government with a 61-mandate right-wing majority. Rather than continue to lead a narrow government until elections pre-scheduled for November 2019, Netanyahu called early elections in the spring in an effort to strengthen his mandate to continue leading the country while at the same time fighting corruption charges.

Just prior to the April 9 election, Mandelblit announced that he intended to indict Netanyahu on three separate counts of breach of trust, pending hearings that are now tentatively scheduled to commence in the coming weeks.

The looming charges, which Netanyahu has insisted are intended to push him from office, did little to deter Likud's core voters. In April's polls, Netanyahu's Likud received 35 mandates, a five-seat increase over the previous elections in 2015.

Despite the significant electoral increase, Netanyahu surprisingly found himself unable to form a right-wing government. The right-wing and religious parties together received 65 mandates in the April election, with the heads of each party recommending that Netanyahu be charged with forming the government.

Lieberman, whose resignation forced the collapse of the previous government, ultimately refused to join a Netanyahu-led government over a clash with the religious parties on a law that would increase the number of haredi draftees to the army. Without Yisrael Beiteinu's five seats, Netanyahu was left with only 60 mandates--one short of a majority. 

Rather than empower another Knesset member to form a coalition, he convinced the 65 members of the right-wing bloc, including Lieberman, to vote to dissolve the newly elected Knesset and head to second elections.

The defection of Lieberman's party from a right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu was not the only move that prevented a right-wing majority for Netanyahu.

Prior to the April elections, longtime Jewish Home leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked decided to break off of the Jewish Home Party, and create the New Right Party focused on attracting secular right-wing voters. Early polls had shown that together, the Jewish Home and New Right would significantly increase their seats. 

The gambit was a tremendous failure, as New Right failed to cross the 3.25 percent electoral threshold by 2,000 votes. Crossing the threshold would have given New Right four seats. Had the New Right entered the Knesset and supported Netanyahu, Lieberman's defection would still have left Netanyahu with a small majority.

In September, Bennett and Shaked crawled back to the Jewish Home with their New Right faction. However, the far-right faction of Otzma Yehudit, which had joined the Jewish Home in April, was jettisoned and so ran on its own. They, too, fell short of the four seats required to cross the electoral threshold. Had they joined the Jewish Home, the two seats worth of votes they received would have gone to the right-wing bloc, with at least one of the seats likely coming at the expense of left-wing challengers.

The right-wing nationalist parties, of which Jewish Home is a mainstay, have a history of internal divisions that have kept their mandate totals steady and on the far fringe of Israeli politics for decades, despite a constituency with among the highest birthrates in the country.

Further adding to Netanyahu's coalition difficulties was the implosion of the center-right Kulanu Party. In 2015, then-former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon established the moderate right-wing alternative to Likud, winning 10 seats. Kulanu joined Netanyahu's government with Kahlon receiving the finance ministry. 

In April, Kulanu fell to barely four seats, just above the Knesset threshold. Facing extinction in Tuesday's elections, Kahlon merged back into the Likud party. Together, Likud and Kulanu had 39 seats following April's polls. In September, Likud, now including Kulanu, received only 31 mandates.

Without the relative comfort and stability of his natural right-wing partners, Netanyahu currently has a bloc of only 55 Knesset members supporting him to form a government--six seats short of a majority.

Netanyahu's opposition, led by Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz, now holds 33 seats--two more than Likud--placing it in pole position to form a government. Still, their natural partners to the left-wing will give them a bloc of only 44 seats. 

Even if Lieberman's right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu were to cross party lines to join Blue and White, the center-left bloc would only secure 52 seats, still trailing behind Netanyahu's remaining right-wing bloc.

The deadlock now increases the likelihood of a national unity government comprised of both Likud, and Blue and White. But Gantz has said that he refuses to sit in any government led by Netanyahu, and Netanyahu is thus far unwilling to yield the prime minister's chair to his challenger or to another member of the Likud Party.

Unless Netanyahu can find defectors from across the aisle--or convince Lieberman and his now-eight seats to return to the camp--not only is Netanyahu's rule in jeopardy, but so are the years of right-wing governments.

And if party leaders to either the right or left together cannot build a constellation of at least 60 mandates, Israel may yet find itself in another election in the months ahead.

Some Good News on the Front Lines of the Culture Wars
Sep 20th, 2019
CommentaryMICHAEL BROWN/ASKDRBROWN.ORG
Categories: Contemporary Issues

Until Jesus returns and sets up His perfect kingdom, the culture wars will continue to rage, and there will be many setbacks along the way. But that doesn't mean there won't be some real victories as well. Let's focus on some positive, recent news.

1) The Number of Abortions in America Continues to Drop.

To be sure, this news is hardly all positive, since hundreds of thousands of babies are still aborted every year in the USA. How excited would we be about a hypothetical headline during World War II that stated, "The number of Jews being slaughtered is declining"? Or, in 1850 in America, "The number of slaves is less today than 20 years ago"?

At the same time, one less abortion means one less baby killed in the womb, and for that, we rejoice.

According to the latest reports, "The number and rate of abortions across the United States have plunged to their lowest levels since the procedure became legal nationwide in 1973, according to new figures released Wednesday" (meaning, September 18, 2019).

Specifically, "The report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, counted 862,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2017. That's down from 926,000 tallied in the group's previous report for 2014, and from just over 1 million counted for 2011."

Note that last line carefully, and be encouraged: "The abortion rate is now less than half what is was in 1990."

More importantly, "According to the report, the 2017 abortion rate was 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 -- the lowest rate since the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. 

Following that ruling, the number of abortions in the U.S. rose steadily -- peaking at 1.6 million in 1990 before starting a steady, still-continuing decline. The abortion rate is now less than half what is was in 1990."

Note that last line carefully, and be encouraged: "The abortion rate is now less than half what is was in 1990."

To be sure, some the decline is due to lower fertility rates, with women having less children in general. And some of the decline is connected to increased use of contraception.

But much of the decline is also due to a recognition of the wrongness of abortion. And so, despite the gory statistics of 862,000 reported abortions in 2017, the pro-life cause continues to gain ground.

2) New York City has Decided to Drop an Oppressive Ban on So-called Conversion Therapy.

As reported by Tyler O'Neil on PJ Media, "New York City will act swiftly to repeal a ban on psychotherapy to address unwanted same-sex attraction, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced last week. 

Johnson, who is himself gay, insisted that he would rather not repeal the 'conversion therapy' ban, but he insisted that a legal challenge forced his hand."

And here's the even better news: "Obviously I didn't want to repeal this. I don't want to be someone who is giving in to these right-wing groups," Johnson told The New York Times. "But the Supreme Court has become conservative; the Second Circuit, which oversees New York, has become more conservative. We think this is the most responsible, prudent course."

The bill, which became law in 2017, forbade a therapist from charging clients for "services intended to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity."

In other words, if a gay man asked a licensed therapist to help him overcome his same-sex attractions and the therapist agreed to help him, the therapist would be fined. And the fines would be stiff: $1,000 per violation.

Obviously, this law was oppressive, tyrannical, and unconstitutional. But it was easily passed in the liberal climate of New York City.

However, after an Orthodox Jewish therapist sought legal help from the Alliance Defending Freedom, the city quickly retreated. They knew they could not win in the courts, since both the State and Federal courts have become more conservative.

Could this be the first of many repeals?

3) In Response to Parental Protests, Different Cities are Now Canceling "Drag Queen Story Hours" in Local Libraries.

Of course, it's a shame we even need to fight this battle. But the good news is that some communities are standing up to this outrageous and offensive new practice. 

"Drag Queen Story Hours" target the most vulnerable citizens in our country: toddlers. 

Perhaps it's also good news that the opposition is showing its true colors. As reported on September 9, a California church was vandalized for opposing "Drag Queen Story Hour" in a local public library.

Before their building was vandalized, Pastor Amado Huizar of South Bay Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista explained that, "My bishop and I have been vocal in trying to speak with city leaders about why this is not age appropriate, location appropriate, and messenger appropriate. And since then we have received hateful messages on social media. People have attacked our families and our personal lives."

Amazingly (but not surprisingly), openly gay City Councilor Steven Padilla blasted Christian groups speaking out against the drag queen invasion, are "part of a group (i.e., MassResistance) that 'promotes anti-immigrant and white-supremacist beliefs.'"

So, Pastor Huizar, who is Hispanic, and who distributed literature in English and Spanish, is now connected to alleged white-supremacists. Right.

But that was only the beginning. On the morning of "Sept. 8, early parishioners at Pastor Huizar's church were greeted by Satanic messages painted on all four outside walls. They were quickly covered up, but it was clearly meant to terrorize both the pastor and the churchgoers because of their stand against the 'Drag Queen' event."

Yet as ugly as this is, it is also positive.

This is an attack on Christian values and on Christian believers coming from Satan himself.

At least the cat is out of the bag.

Forward in faith and courage! In the end, the light will also triumph over the darkness.

Pop Stars Deceiving Millions of Girls Into Celebrating Abortion
Sep 20th, 2019
CommentaryJONATHON VAN MAREN/BRIDGEHEAD.CA
Categories: Contemporary Issues

As the battle lines over abortion become starker and progressives double down on support for feticide from conception until birth, abortion activists have been rallying all of the cultural forces at their disposal to combat the wave of state-level pro-life laws passing across the United States. 

Unlike the pro-life movement, the abortion industry has a not-so-secret weapon: Pop stars and rock musicians who are worshipped by millions of young girls across the continent and hang onto their every word. For many girls, these stars are their role models--and those role models are making it very clear that killing pre-born children in the womb is something to celebrate.

Selena Gomez, the formerly squeaky-clean Disney star who once wore a purity ring to let her fans know that she was waiting for marriage, has long swapped out that piece of jewelry with something very different: A "1973" necklace to "honor" Roe v. Wade, the abortion decision that resulted in the destruction of more than fifty million pre-born children in the womb and counting. 

Miley Cyrus, her fellow once-straitlaced Disney alumni, posted a photograph of herself to Instagram wielding an enormous cake with the words "Abortion is Healthcare" written across it with pink icing, her jaws gaping wide to take an enormous bite. 

Both pop stars are now singing a distinctly different tune--and millions of young girls are listening.

Many pop stars have begun to openly campaign against protections for pre-born children in the womb, with Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, and Lady Gaga all signing a letter produced by Planned Parenthood (which facilitates hundreds of thousands of abortions every year) titled "Bans Off My Body." 

The letter solemnly stated that: "Freedom is at the foundation of music. Through music we have the power to create, to be who we are as individuals, to speak and live our own truth. Access to sexual reproductive health care [feticide] is about that same freedom." 

In response to Georgia's heartbeat bill, which would protect babies in the womb once a heartbeat can be detected, Grande (also Disney alumni) donated the proceeds of her June 8 Atlanta concert, roughly $250,000, to Planned Parenthood.

The rapper Nicki Minaj, who specializes in filthy lyrics and regularly poses as a stripper in her music videos, also signed the letter. Interestingly enough, she told Rolling Stone several years ago that she had an abortion when she was fifteen years old because she "wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer a child." 

That said, however, she also admitted that the choice she made had "haunted me all my life." Abortion, as it turns out, is not always freedom. Usually, the destruction of the child leaves his or her parents in an entirely different set of chains. 

There's more, too. Rihanna has come out in opposition to recent pro-life laws, posting furiously that Alabama Governor Kay Ivey should be ashamed of herself. Country star Kacey Musgraves also responded to the Alabama law, demanding to know "Sooo what's gonna happen when one of those Alabama senators knocks up one of his mistresses?" 

Katy Perry has donated thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood and taken to social media to brag about it, Madonna said that Jesus would have supported abortion, and Pink claimed that Alabama's pro-life law was the equivalent of Margaret Atwood's dystopia A Handmaid's Tale, where women are kept as sex slaves and raped to produce children for the religious elites.

After several years of taking it on the chin for refusing to influence her fans politically, Taylor Swift has also come out swinging for the Sexual Revolution. 

In August, she launched her new smash hit "Lover," and released a music video mocking Christians and red-state Americans, showing ugly, angry people wielding signs with slogans such as "Homaskeualty Is Sin!" The not-so-subtle implication, of course, is that Christians are not only homophobic and hateful (as evidenced by their contorted faces), but they are also so stupid that they cannot even spell. 

At the VMAs earlier this summer, she used her new songs to advocate for the Equality Act, which would both eliminate pro-life laws across all fifty states as well as dramatically roll back religious liberty.

Interestingly, the decadent musicians of our dying culture are happy to celebrate abortion, but they still can barely bring themselves to sing about it. And when they do, there is no celebration. 

Instead, their songs emerge as primal howls of pain and loss, emanating from the empty void left by their lost children. When they speak, they demand that abortion be available for everyone, and urge their legions of fans to support abortion giants like Planned Parenthood. 

But when they sing, they sing things like Sinead O'Connor's ode to her little girl lost to abortion:

Think about my little girl

Her yellow skin and her dark curl

And how her father's heart was frozen

I spoke to her and I said:

"You won't regret the mother you have chosen"

I lied. Where's she tonight?

I left him now we're apart

And I think about his cruel heart

And how his lies have left mine broken

To think that I spoke to him then I said:

"She won't regret the father she has chosen"

I lied. Where's he tonight?

One New Man Ephesians 2:15
Sep 20th, 2019
Morning MeditationF. B. Meyer
Categories: Meditation;Inspirational;Book Study

When this Epistle was written, the hatred of centuries had reached its climax. The Jew, able to trace his unbroken line of descent from Abraham, proud of the religious prerogatives of his race, magnifying his unique relationship to Jehovah, looked with scorn on the uncircumcised Gentiles around. They were Gentile dogs. He spat on the ground if they crossed his path.

As long as the Mosaic ritual was the prescribed method of approaching Jehovah, there was no way of removing this hostility. The Jew entrenched himself within its barriers, justifying his hatred by religious sanctions. The Gentile chafed and rebelled against its exactions. But our Saviour, in his flesh, and by his cross, broke down the middle wall of partition, and abolished the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. He fulfilled the law so perfectly, not for Himself, but for all, that it had no more to ask. Its claims were met and satisfied; and therefore the Jews could not insist on them, on the one hand, nor the Gentiles chafe beneath them on the other.

Moreover, by his death the Saviour has made an atonement and propitiation for men as men. Not for the Jew in one way, or the Gentile in another; but for all on the same terms. By one death, in one body on the cross, which is common to the whole world of men, and by his intercession, through which both have access to the one Father, He has brought to an end the divisions of ages.

But He has done more. In his resurrection, He is constituted the origin and head of a new race. The race of regenerate men! The race of his resurrection-life and power! The race of the new heavens and the new earth. All who believe in Him are born into that new humanity. It is the one new man, which is composed of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues.

Let the Headlines Speak
Sep 20th, 2019
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

Judge Blocks California Law That Requires Trump to Release Tax Returns to Be on Ballot
A federal judge ruled on Thursday, Sept. 19 that a newly passed election law in California would cause President Donald Trump and other presidential candidates “irreparable harm without temporary relief” and issued a temporary injunction.

US supports Saudi ‘right to defend itself,’ Iran slams new sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States supports Riyadh’s “right to defend itself” after a weekend attack on its oil industry that Washington has blamed on Iran. Commenting after a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince, Pompeo wrote on Twitter on September 19 that the Iranian regime’s “threatening behavior will not be tolerated.”

‘They’re forming like roaches.’ The 6 tropical storms whirling at once have set a record
Sure, it’s the middle of hurricane season. But this is ridiculous. The six named storms whirling at once this week in the Atlantic and Pacific set a record, forecasters reported. “While Humberto and Kiko were spinning in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, four new tropical cyclones formed Tuesday: Imelda and Jerry in the Atlantic Basin, and Mario and Lorena in the Eastern Pacific Basin,” the Weather Channel reported.

Will Chicago Be The Largest US City To Declare Bankruptcy?
The city of Chicago is in dire fiscal and financial straits with an almost billion dollar budget deficit, bonds rated at junk status or below, numerous extremely costly legal judgments, a shrinking tax base, and unfunded public pension liabilities to the tune of an astonishing $42 billion. Other than that, it’s a great place to live. The state of Illinois has its own financial troubles, so the city can expect little or no help there. And good luck getting a federal bailout through the GOP Senate and signed by a president who’s been called a “racist” by the mayor.

Jerry strengthens into 4th hurricane of season
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. update, the hurricane was packing maximum sustained winds of 90 mph on Thursday evening and was moving west-northwest at 17 mph toward the cluster of islands that includes the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts, Saint Martin, Antigua and Guadeloupe.

Franklin Graham scorches Wall Street Journal on ‘reality’ of hell
In response to a Wall Street Journal column claiming that in some “distant, better future, the foreclosure of Hell will be an important step in the maturation of human communities,” Christian evangelist Franklin Graham offered a warning to naysayers Wednesday. “Hell is much more than a concept – it’s a reality.” “If you die today, are you sure of your destination?”

Report: UAV destroyed in Syria
Syrian state TV reported on Thursday that a drone was destroyed over the village of Aqraba, a suburb of Damascus. Earlier, there were reports of explosions in the area.

Strong mag. 6.1 earthquake – Java, Indonesia on Thursday, 19 September 2019
Magnitude: 6.1 Depth: 619.0 km Epicenter latitude / longitude: 6.14°S / 111.86°E (Indonesia) Nearest volcano: Muria (118 km) Primary data source: GFZ

Assad is Trying to Stir Up Trouble Among Israel’s Druze
During the first week of September a large group of Druze sheikhs from the Golan Heights sought to visit Syria, but were stopped by Israel. While the sheikhs claimed the visit was for religious reasons, according to police the delegation planned to meet with representatives of the Assad government, which is illegal under Israeli law. The incident begs the question: What is going on between the Druze in the Israeli Golan Heights, and their brethren in Syria and Lebanon?

CEC announces ‘almost final’ results, Gantz leads by two seats
The Central Election Committee (CEC) announced around 1:30 a.m. Friday the “almost final” results of the elections. The results confirmed the latest results reported, giving Benny Gantz’s Blue and White 33 seats and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud 31 seats. The committee explained that the results cannot be considered official, since official results will only be presented to President Reuven Rivlin and published on September 25.

Austria blocks EU-Mercosur trade deal with South America
MPs in Austria have dealt a blow to the EU’s landmark trade deal with South America’s economic bloc, by demanding a government veto on the deal. The draft free trade agreement took 20 years to complete and the EU has described it as its biggest so far. France and Ireland have already warned they will reject the deal if Brazil does not do more to curb fires in the Amazon rainforest.

US expels two Cuban diplomats to the UN in New York
The US has expelled two Cuban diplomats to the UN in New York, accusing them of conducting “activities harmful to US national security”, a State Department spokeswoman said. All of Cuba’s UN mission are now restricted to Manhattan where the UN is headquartered, Morgan Ortagus added. The US has yet to provide details about the alleged actions.

Flooding from Imelda turns deadly in Texas as rainfall totals approach 4 feet
Imelda…widespread flooding across southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana with over 40 inches of rain falling in several communities. The catastrophic flooding is bringing back unwanted memories of Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the region back in 2017. Hundreds of water rescues have been performed across the region with the worst of the flooding taking place near Beaumont, Texas, located east of Houston.

Exclusive: Zarif threatens ‘all-out war’ in case of military strike on Iran
Iran’s foreign minister has warned of “all-out war” in the event of US or Saudi military strikes against his country, and questioned whether Saudi Arabia was prepared to fight “to the last American soldier.” Javad Zarif told CNN that Iran hoped to avoid conflict, adding that the country was willing to talk to its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. building coalition after Saudi oil attack, Iran warns against war
The United States said on Thursday it was building a coalition to deter Iranian threats following a weekend attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. Iran has warned U.S. President Donald Trump against being dragged into a war in the Middle East and said it would meet any offensive action with a crushing response.

U.S., Chinese trade deputies face off in Washington amid deep differences
U.S. and Chinese deputy trade negotiators resumed…talks…on Thursday, as the world’s two largest economies try to bridge deep policy differences and find a way out of their protracted trade war. The negotiations…are aimed at laying the groundwork…that will determine whether the two countries are working toward a solution or headed for new and higher tariffs on each other’s goods.

Lebanon: IDF drones that crashed in Beirut were on attack mission
A Lebanese government investigation has concluded that two Israeli drones that crashed in the Lebanese capital last month were on an attack mission, one of them armed with 4.5 kilograms of explosives. Lebanese Defense Minister…said…investigations show the drones took off from gunboats in the Mediterranean Sea on August 25 before one drone crashed on the roof of the media office of the…Hezbollah organization…

Saudi-led coalition intercepts explosive-filled boat ‘by Houthis’
The Saudi-led coalition has intercepted and destroyed an explosives-laden boat launched from Yemen by Houthi rebels, a military spokesman for the coalition said. Colonel Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, said Thursday’s foiled attack represented a further threat to regional and international security and the safety of maritime routes and international trade in the Gulf.

Globalist Pope Francis calls for new ‘supranational’ authorities that would to rule countries and enforce UN goals
Pope Francis made a strong new push for globalism on Thursday, calling for a supranational, legally constituted body to enforce United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and implement “climate change” policies.

Newly passed California resolution blames ‘religious groups’ for LGBT suicides
The California legislature has voted in a resolution that blames “religious groups” who hold to biblical understandings of sex and gender as responsible for “disproportionately high rates” of suicide among homosexuals and transgenders.

NBC News Asks Americans To Confess Their Climate Change Sins
NBC News is asking Americans to confess their climate change sins, though at least some people have taken the opportunity to troll the news company.

Six Named Storms at Once in Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Basins Ties Modern Record
Six named storms are currently active in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins, which appears to have tied a record number of combined storms at once in those two areas.

Doctor’s Updated Warning: Leprosy Spreading In Los Angeles Homeless Camps
Deadly and ancient diseases have made a rebound in the USA as we have growing homelessness and floods of illegal immigrants. Recent reports indicate that leprosy, a particularly debilitating disease, is rearing its head in the homeless population in Los Angeles, California. Leprosy is caused by a bacteria that is contagious and is relatively easily spread by coughing and sneezing. To call it a nasty disease is an understatement.

Just In Time For Feast Of Trumpets, Kanye West Prepares To Drop New Album Called ‘Jesus Is King’, But Will It Lead Millions Of His Followers Away From The Real Jesus?
Whatever you may think of Kanye West, one thing is certainly true. His ability for marketing and branding is second to none, allowing him to have an amazingly lucrative career in music despite not being very musically talented. Now the rapper is making a foray into a new genre, Christian rap, with an album release timed to coincide with the biblical Feast of Trumpets and titled ‘Jesus Is King’. But which Jesus will West be giving us?

Christian Church Is Left Vandalized With Satanic Graffiti After Standing Against A Drag Queen Story Hour Event At Their Local Public Library
So, at least the drag queen story tellers are being honest about who they answer to!  A pentagram and Satan’s signature – yeah, we get it. I am so glad that this church leadership had the courage to speak out against the satanic Drag Queen Story Hour. It’s sick and foul, and many of these drag queens have pedophilia listed on their very long rap sheets. “…but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53

Students At Union Theological Seminary ‘Confess Climate Sins To Plants’ In Shocking End Times Display Of The Prophesied Lukewarm Laodicean Church Of The End Times
After nearly 10 years of creating content for Now The End Begins, sometimes I feel kind of jaded, like I have seen it all. And then this happens. In an absolute stunning illustration of the last days Church of Laodicea that Jesus says He will “spue from His mouth”, students at Union Theological Seminary bow down before plants, worship them, and then confess their ‘climate sins’ to them. If I was an end times novelist, and I brought this story to my editor as a plot idea, he would throw me out of his office for suggesting something so stupid. And yet, this is real, and welcome to the end times.

Imelda continues dumping heavy rain on parts of the Southeast Texas, already the 5th wettest tropical cyclone for the contiguous US
Tropical Depression “Imelda” formed on September 17 and strengthened into a tropical storm just before making landfall near Freeport, Texas. The storm continues to unleash life-threatening floods in the southeast part of the state, particularly in the Houston suburbs and Beaumont area on September 19. A tornado also wreaked havoc in Bayton on the same date.

BREAKING: 11-Count Indictment Handed Down in Russian Bribery Case Involving Uranium One. Clinton, Obama, Mueller, Comey, McCabe, Rosenstein, Holder, Lynch Facing Criminal Prosecution
The Justice Department released the first in what promises to be a series of nightmare statements for Hillary Clinton and members of the Obama administration on Friday. Yesterday’s statement comes under the banner:

China Just Got Handed The Oil Deal Of A Lifetime
China and Russia are sewing up whatever oil and gas fields and accompanying infrastructure that they can in Iran and Iraq, as Iraq tries to markedly up the pace of development on the fields it shares with Iran. Iraq only wants the U.S. for the Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) because ExxonMobil is the only firm that can do it properly and within a reasonable timeframe. ExxonMobil’s participation, though, is far from guaranteed.

NJ man charged with scouting landmarks for Hezbollah, trying to kill Israeli spy
A New Jersey man who allegedly photographed or recorded video of landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, the White House and Boston’s Fenway Park as potential terrorism targets in the early to mid-2000s has been charged with terror offenses by authorities who say he was working on behalf of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization.

Could Benny Gantz Make the Left Love Israel Again?
Sep 20th, 2019
CommentaryONATHAN TOBIN/JNS.ORG
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

The results from Israel's second attempt at electing a government in 2019 are like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces don't fit. There's no getting around the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the big loser. But it's also true that Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz didn't exactly win either. 

Though the Blue and White Party is now the largest and leads Likud by two Knesset seats, the parties that will recommend Gantz for prime minister still fall short of a majority, even if the Arab ones are included in the total.

In order for Israel to get a unity government and avoid a third election within a year--an unthinkable disaster that would probably produce an even more dismal result for Netanyahu if he tries to go that route--Blue and White is going to have to go back on its promise not to join a coalition with Netanyahu.

Alternately, the Likud members of Knesset would have to abandon their pledge not to dump the prime minister. Other scenarios involving the haredi parties joining forces with their secular foes or choosing to govern with anti-Zionist Arab parties remain equally implausible.

But let's assume for the sake of argument that by some feat of political magic--or further misjudgments and hubris on the part of Netanyahu that brought the Jewish state all these months of chaos--Gantz does find a way to get the 61 votes that will enable him to govern.

If so, we can be sure that such a turn of events will be greeted with hosannas by the international media and Israel's American critics, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Few figures on the world stage have been as thoroughly demonized as Netanyahu. 

Virtually any successor to him will be acclaimed as an upgrade by those who have unfairly tried to blame the prime minister for the lack of peace in the Middle East, as well as for declining support for Israel among Democrats and young American Jews.

While Gantz may not become the next prime minister, it's worth asking whether or not he can do much to improve Israel's image among those who think that Netanyahu is the problem.

Any successor will start out with a huge advantage. The international press and American liberals have put so much effort into depicting Netanyahu as a hardliner opposed to peace that the next prime minister will have something of a honeymoon abroad. But Gantz is certain to eventually disappoint the Bibi-haters.

Gantz will get credit for appearing to be more moderate, yet on the issues that actually animate Israel's liberal and leftist critics, the former general isn't likely to lead much differently than Netanyahu.

The reason is fairly obvious to anyone who actually paid attention to the two election campaigns that were just fought. Rather than trying to present an alternative to Netanyahu's policies, Gantz spent much of his time trying to sound as if he is more of a hardliner than the prime minister himself.

Instead of denouncing Netanyahu's announcement about holding onto the Jordan Valley and never surrendering Jewish settlements--a move that infuriated American liberals and set off the usual round of jeremiads about the end of the peace process--Gantz's reaction was to claim that the Likud head was mimicking his stands on the issue.

The same goes for the prospect of another war with Hamas in Gaza. Rather than joining in criticisms of Netanyahu for being too tough, Gantz was the one issuing threats of destruction and calling his rival soft on terror.

The threat of war may actually be higher under Gantz since he may not be as cautious about the use of force and, like Netanyahu's predecessor Ehud Olmert, who blundered into a costly conflict with Hezbollah, may think he has something to prove to Israel's enemies.

Why would the "anti-Netanyahu" that so many hope will breathe life into the peace process take such stands?

The answer is that Gantz knew that challenging Netanyahu on security from the left was a recipe for defeat. The sole rationale for his party's existence is to oust Netanyahu, not to make nice with the Palestinians.

The same is true about relations with President Donald Trump. Netanyahu's contentious relationship with President Barack Obama and his warm embrace of Trump is a particular bone of contention for Democrats. But expect Gantz to be every bit as grateful to Trump, who is immensely popular in Israel, as Netanyahu has been.

Nor will a future Democratic president--should Trump be defeated next year--find Gantz to be any more willing to abandon the West Bank or divide Jerusalem than Netanyahu has been. The political success of the former Israel Defense Forces' chief of staff rests on his being part of a broad consensus that believes there is no Palestinian peace partner. Democrats will have to accept that even an Israel led by Gantz will refuse to trade land for terror.

As for American Jewish resentment about the lack of religious pluralism in Israel, that will depend on the composition of the next coalition. Should the religious parties wind up outside the government, plans for expanding the egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall will be reinstated, no matter if Netanyahu or Gantz stands at the helm. But should the new coalition include those religious parties, you can bet that the scheme will remain on hold.

Just as important, Gantz will be no more acceptable to the growing ranks of anti-Zionists in the left wing of the Democratic Party than Netanyahu. For BDS supporters, Gantz is just another criminal Zionist. If left-wingers like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) represent the future of the Democratic Party, it won't make any difference who is prime minister of Israel.

The gap between Israelis and Americans on these issues has always been bigger than one leader. Israel's critics may pretend that Netanyahu is the primary obstacle to peace as opposed to the Palestinians, but it won't take long for them to be hurling the same sort of accusations at Gantz if he gets the top job.