Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

With Political Deadlock in Israel, Only One Option May Remain
Sep 25th, 2019
CommentaryDOV LIPMAN/JNS.ORG
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Following his completion of meeting with party representatives, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hosted Israeli Prime Minister and Likud Party head Benjamin Netanyahu, and Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz, in an attempt to discuss the coalition-building process and to break the political deadlock.

The move comes as it became clear from the meetings that neither Netanyahu's Likud Party nor Gantz has enough support to form a 61-seat governing coalition, with Netanyahu's coalition at 55 and Gantz's at 54.

As such, it seems that Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu Party has eight seats, holds the key to crowning either Gantz or Netanyahu as prime minister. 

But his party didn't recommend anyone to form a government, leaving the decision regarding who should try to form a government up to the president, with no one having a clear--or perhaps even viable--path to reaching 61.

Lieberman, who holds right-wing views and has been supportive of Netanyahu for decades, told JNS that "the moment Netanyahu and Likud chose to close a deal with the ultra-Orthodox and messianic parties, we could not recommend Netanyahu for prime minister."

If that's the case, then why won't he and his party support Gantz?

Lieberman explained to JNS that "the moment Benny Gantz chose to seek the support of the Joint Arab List, we could not recommend Gantz for prime minister."

Gantz now has the support of the Joint Arab List, which, for the first time since 1992, recommended someone for prime minister. It shook up Israel's political world when its leaders told Rivlin that they want Gantz to be prime minister, giving Gantz the seats needed to surpass Netanyahu's 55-seat bloc.

The Arab leadership explained it was doing so not because they truly support Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who some in the Joint Arab List blame for his role in the 2014 "Operation Protective Edge" against Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. 

Faction chair Knesset member Ahmed Tibi made it clear that his party has no plans to actually join a Gantz-led government. Rather, he stated, they took this step of simply recommending Gantz to the president to try to prevent Netanyahu from being premier again.

Lieberman explained to JNS that the Arab parties are "enemies of the state," and "wherever they will be, we will be on the other side."

He pointed to the fact that Knesset member Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint Arab List, did not attend the funeral of former President Shimon Peres on Sept. 30, 2016. Yet he did go visit the grave of former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat that week, as proof that Knesset members from the Joint Arab List do not support Israel.

Lieberman was not the only one critical of the Joint Arab List breaking from tradition and recommending someone for prime minister. Israeli Minister of Tourism and Aliyah Yariv Levin, who led the Likud delegation to the meeting with the president and is in charge of coalition negotiations for Netanyahu, told JNS that "Likud is not against the Arab population and would be fine with Arab ministers serving in its government. But we are against those, like the Joint Arab List, who do not accept the basis of an Israeli government--that Israel is a Jewish and democratic state."

Levin said as long as the Arab parties support terrorism and take orders from the Palestinian Authority, Likud cannot consider sitting with them.

According to reports, there are two obstacles preventing Blue and White from partnering with Likud for a national unity government. First, they refuse to sit with Netanyahu because of his impending indictment on corruption charges and insist on someone else leading Likud before they consider a joint government. Secondly, they have demands regarding religion and state issues the ultra-Orthodox parties outright reject.

Levin told JNS that both of these demands prevent the formation of a unity government.

"Netanyahu is our party's leader and candidate for prime minister, and anyone who has a dream of breaking apart the Likud can forget about it," he said.

Regarding the issue Blue and White has with ultra-Orthodox parties, Levin told JNS that "we will not sit in a government that does not include our partners from the ultra-Orthodox parties. It's all 55 of us in our bloc or nothing."

And so, Lieberman is insisting that both sides come together to form a unity government.

He told JNS that "there is only one option, and that is a Zionistic, liberal national unity government led by the Blue and White Party and the Likud Party," with Gantz and Netanyahu rotating as prime minister.

He said his party would happily join that coalition. "Gantz and Netanyahu should get over their silly argument over who should be prime minister first and just flip a coin to decide that," said Lieberman.

Following his meeting with Gantz on Monday, Lieberman reiterated this stance, posting on Facebook that he was pleased both parties "internalized" the need for a unity government, and that the only question remaining is who will lead first.

"The entire argument right now revolves around the question as to who should serve as prime minister first and who second," he said. "I hope that President Rivlin succeeds in bridging both sides, and that a decision will be made on the matter."

Seminary Students Told to Confess Climate Sins to Potted Plants
Sep 25th, 2019
CommentaryMICHAEL SNYDER/ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Categories: Apostasy

The folks at Union Theological Seminary are taking the concept of "talking to your plants" to a frightening new level.  

Each year, students at the seminary pay a ridiculous amount of money to go to the school, and they are there to be trained to be the Christian leaders of tomorrow.  

But instead, they are being taught to confess their "climate sins" to potted plants, and eventually these impressionable young minds will be leading churches and Christian institutions all over America.  

I realize that this story is so bizarre that it sounds like somebody made it up, but it is actually true.  The following was posted by the official Twitter account of Union Theological Seminary last week...

 Today in chapel, we confessed to plants. Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor.

What do you confess to the plants in your life?

Needless to say, this tweet got a tremendous amount of attention, and the following are some of the more interesting responses...

-That "you'd probably taste good simmering in butter."

-Those plants think you're all morons.

-"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator ..." -- Romans 1:25

-How every day, there's a match and lighter fluid within 5 steps of them

-My confession: I am judgmental toward Larry the cucumber for exercising green privilege over Bob the tomato.

Of course a lot of very confused parents probably contacted the school as well, because this was definitely not what most of them had in mind when they heard that their child was going to attend "seminary".

But instead of backing down, Union Theological Seminary posted a ten part response on Twitter in which they defended this new practice.  The following are the first five parts of their response...

We've had many questions about yesterday's chapel, conducted as part of @ccarvalhaes' class, "Extractivism: A Ritual/Liturgical Response." In worship, our community confessed the harm we've done to plants, speaking directly in repentance.

This is a beautiful ritual. 

We are in the throes of a climate emergency, a crisis created by humanity's arrogance, our disregard for Creation.

Far too often, we see the natural world only as resources to be extracted for our use, not divinely created in their own right--worthy of honor, thanks and care. 

We need to unlearn habits of sin and death. And part of that work must be building new bridges to the natural world.

And that means creating new spiritual and intellectual frameworks by which we understand and relate to the plants and animals with whom we share the planet. 

Churches have a huge role to play in this endeavor. Theologies that encourage humans to dominate and master the Earth have played a deplorable role in degrading God's creation.

We must birth new theology, new liturgy to heal and sow, replacing ones that reap and destroy.

When Robin Wall Kimmerer spoke at Union last year, she concluded her lecture by tasking us--and all faith communities--to develop new liturgies by which to mourn, grieve, heal and change in response to our climate emergency.

We couldn't be prouder to participate in this work.

Without a doubt, humanity is destroying the planet.  In fact, I just wrote an entire article in which I discussed the fact that nearly 30 percent of all birds in North America have been wiped out since 1970.  But the theory that if we just pull enough carbon dioxide out of the air that everything is going to be okay again is absolutely ludicrous.

Plants need carbon dioxide, and scientists tell us that there have been times in the history of the planet when the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere were far, far higher than they are today.  During those times, life on our planet greatly thrived.

So instead of "confessing their climate sins", what those students at Union Theological Seminary should really be doing is apologizing to those poor wilting plants for trying to take their carbon dioxide away.

And Union Theological Seminary is not the only one promoting this sort of wackiness.  In fact, NBC News recently put up an entire page where people are being encouraged to confess their climate sins...

Even those who care deeply about the planet's future can slip up now and then. Tell us: Where do you fall short in preventing climate change? Do you blast the A/C? Throw out half your lunch? Grill a steak every week? Share your anonymous confession with NBC News.

So what exactly does a "climate sin" look like?

The following are some of the "anonymous confessions" that NBC has posted so far...

-I've been using plastic golf tees from time to time. I will never use plastic golf tees again.

-As 'green' as I try to be, I print all my documents at work because I'm better able to edit that way vs. on a computer screen.

-I work less than two miles from where I live. I drive to work nearly every single day.

-Normal people can't afford electric cars so until the cost come back to earth I'll keep driving my combustion engine car.

-I can live without many things to help our planet, but I must draw the line at air conditioning. I would wilt!

-I have a mobile boarding pass, still I get to the airport and run to a printing machine... paper makes me feel safe, and I'm sorry

-I use a lot of Q-tips, I can't find a better alternative.

Oh the humanity!

At a time when our nation is facing historic crisis after historic crisis, they want us to be obsessed about how many Q-tips we are using?

Sadly, our world is getting stranger with each passing day.  The people running things appear to be completely losing it, and meanwhile those that offer common sense solutions to our problems are being completely shunned.

I know that a group of theology students "confessing their climate sins" to a bunch of potted plants is not one of the biggest issues that we are facing, but it is emblematic of a larger trend.

At this point our entire education system from top to bottom is swirling down the tubes, and things just get worse with each passing year.

Let the Headlines Speak
Sep 25th, 2019
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

Arab Party Head Hints Muslims will Build Third Temple
This was the first time the Arab parties expressed support for an Israeli candidate since Yitzhak Rabin in 1992. Rabbi Pinchas Winston noted that when a Muslim Arab quoted Jewish Psalms, it was clearly “hashgacha pratit” (divine intervention) and needed to be understood. Even more surprising was when Odeh tweeted a verse from Psalms. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Psalms 118:22.

Eye for an eye the appropriate response?
A national defense analyst believes a full-blown regional conflict in the Middle East could be in the works. While the appropriate response may be an eye for an eye, Maginnis warns that this could escalate into a fairly significant conflict. “I think it could certainly go to something that is tantamount to a regional conflict,”.

It’s official: Rosenstein’s plan to entrap president was real
“It is astonishing and shocking McCabe thought he could have the FBI conduct a ‘counterintelligence’ operation on the president and Rosenstein thought it would be appropriate to wear a wire to secretly record President Trump in the Oval Office. That the DOJ and FBI sat on this smoking gun for a year shows the need for urgent housecleaning at those agencies.” Rosenstein offered to wear a wire to record his conversations with Trump and provide evidence the president should be removed. Rosenstein sought to ensure that the media would have “difficulty” finding anyone in the DOJ to comment. DOJ officials, according to the documents, engaged in a concerted effort to frame the reporting as “inaccurate” and “factually incorrect.”

German village elects neo-Nazi as council head, prompting outcry
Administrators in a German village have unanimously elected a member of a neo-Nazi party as council head as he was the only person interested in the job, prompting an outcry from politicians who demanded the vote be annulled.

Netanyahu: Committed to the right-wing bloc
Netanyahu stressed that the meeting was practical and told the leaders of the bloc that he made it clear during the meeting that he represents the entire national camp, acts on its behalf and negotiates on behalf of the entire bloc. “I am committed to what I promised you,” Netanyahu told the party leaders.

France, Britain and Germany blame Iran for Saudi Arabia attack
France, Britain and Germany said on Monday that it is clear Iran was responsible for an attack on Saudi oil facilities on September 14. In a joint statement, the three governments also called on Tehran to agree to negotiations on its nuclear and missile programs as well as regional security issues. “The time has come for Iran to accept a long term negotiation framework for its nuclear program, as well as regional security issues, which include its missile programs,” said the statement, quoted by Reuters.

Iran Threatens to Turn Israel into ‘dust in half a day’
Alamolhoda, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi province, said during a televised sermon on Friday that the Islamic Republic was no longer defined by its borders, as the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the national front in Syria and Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Gaza “are Iran.” He went on to state that if Iran’s borders were trespassed, Israel would be “turned to dust in half a day,” and confirmed that Iran played a role in the Sept. 14 drone and missile attack on the Abqaiq and Khurais oil fields in Saudi Arabia.

Multitudes, Multitudes in the Valley of Decision
Israel has had their elections and now the real work begins: to accomplish the seemingly impossible and form a coalition government. They have 28 days to do it; President Rivlin has vowed he will use every legal method at his disposal to avoid a Round 3 of elections. A coalition of the various political parties must be formed with a minimum of 61 seats.

King Abdullah warns annexation would have ‘major impact’ on Israel ties
With Israel and Jordan set in a month to mark 25 years to their peace agreement, Jordan’s King Abdullah warned that Israeli annexation of the West Bank would have a “major impact” on ties between the two countries. Abdullah…said that he took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pre-election statement regarding annexation with a “pinch of salt” because of the timing.

‘Significant progress’ in 2 hour Netanyahu-Gantz meeting
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz took “significant strides” toward creating a national unity government, President Reuven Rivlin said following a two-hour meeting between the trio. Negotiating teams for Blue and White and Likud will meet on Tuesday, and Netanyahu and Gantz will meet again with President Rivlin on Wednesday.

West Papua: Day of violence sees at least 27 dead
A new wave of violence has hit the restive Indonesian region of West Papua after hundreds of protesters, mostly high school students, set fire to several buildings in a town on Monday. At least 23 people died in the regional capital Wamena, some of whom were trapped inside burning buildings. The protests were reportedly triggered by a teacher’s racist comments – an allegation the police called a “hoax”.

Haiti senator opens fire outside parliament, wounding two
A Haitian senator opened fire during a protest outside the country’s parliament building, wounding two people including a photographer. Chery Dieu-Nalio, a photographer for the Associated Press, was hit in the face. Leon Leblanc, a security guard, was also wounded in the incident. Senator Jean Marie Ralph Féthière opened fire as he left parliament in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Egypt protests: ‘Hundreds held’ after rare anti-government unrest
Almost 500 people have been detained in Egypt in the past few days after protests against alleged government corruption, human rights activists say. Demonstrations were reported in Cairo, Alexandria and several other cities on Friday night, and in the port city of Suez on Saturday evening. The authorities have not yet released an official number of arrests.

6.0 quake shakes Puerto Rico; no damage immediately reported
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Puerto Rico late Monday, rousing and scaring many from their sleep in the U.S. territory. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 49 miles (79 kilometers) off the island’s northwest coast at a shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). Three aftershocks, of magnitude 4.7 and 4.6, hit within less than an hour in the same region at the same depth.

Two rockets ‘hit’ near US embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone
Several rockets have been fired towards Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, landing near the embassy of the United States in Iraq, according to security sources cited by news agencies. Residents of the Iraqi capital reportedly heard the explosions followed by alert sirens that sounded briefly across the Tigris River overnight on Tuesday.

Mosquito-borne EEE virus reaches record number of infections
Six states have reported a record number of infections of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne virus blamed for seven recent deaths.

President Trump At United Nations Tells Gathered World Leaders That Human Rights ‘Come From God’ And Not From World Governments
President Trump today had the attention of nearly all the leaders of the free world, and he had a message for each and every one of them. In a stunning rebuke, President Trump reminded his listeners, many of them leaders on nations that persecute Christians, that human rights ‘come from God’ and as such cannot be taken away. Trump went on to say protecting religious freedom was one of his highest priorities. What an incredible polar opposite from the previous president’s constant promotion of Islam and Sharia Law.

Tropical Cyclone “Hikaa” to make landfall in Oman on September 24
Tropical Cyclone “Hikaa” formed September 22, 2019, over the Arabian Sea as the 5^th named storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. On the forecast track, Hikaa is expected to make landfall in Oman on September 24.

CA Democrats Introduce LGBTQ Bill that would Protect Pedophiles who Rape Children
As you’ll find in the following article, one aim to normalize it is to begin with “LBGTQ” youth with an attempt to stop the registration of sex offenders if they’re found guilty of “specified” sex crimes and if the “offender is no more than ten years older than of the minor.”

“A Glimpse Of Government’s Ability To Totally Control Our Lives”
Over the years technology has greatly expanded the ability of government to watch the movements and control individuals. During this time I have encountered several people that have run afoul of the law in some way or other the way the legal system deals with people is also changing.

Leftist Progressive Puppet Teen Greta Thunberg Gives Outrageously Bad Acting Performance At UN That Left People Thinking ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Instead Of Climate Change
When I saw the photos of “teen activist” Great Thunberg giving her great speech at the UN, it all looked very formidable and serious. That is, until, I watched one of the many videos of this badly-coached young woman who is obviously nothing more than a female version of David Hogg with a slightly different agenda. As I watched her speech, all I could think of was Gloria Swanson in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ crying out “Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my closeup!“. Fade to black.

NeverTrump Republican Bill Weld Wants Death Penalty for Trump for Speaking to Ukraine About Biden Crime Family
So now they want Trump dead for speaking to Ukraine about the Biden family selling their public office for millions.

This is Germany – once again Jews are no longer safe
Germany is now no longer safe for Jews. After receiving millions of immigrants from the Middle East from countries where Jews are not allowed to exist. German Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to take the most basic steps to ensure the safety of the Jewish community.

Russia and China Will Make Their Stand In Venezuela (Part 1)
it is the contention of the CSS that President Trump is being drawn into the Iranian conflict in order to drain valuable personnel and material resources. Russia and China are clearly going to make their stand in Latin America, specifically on the Colombian / Venzuelan border.

China and Russia Are Practicing Joint War Games Against the United States
China and Russia Are Practicing Joint War Games Against the United States

Unvetted drone footage shows China transferring hundreds of shackled Uighur minorities
Recently released drone footage appears to show Chinese police transferring hundreds of imprisoned religious minorities who are blindfolded and shackled.

Pregnant Mother Hacked to Death at South African Resort
A pregnant mother was reportedly stabbed to death as she slept near her family while on vacation at a resort in South Africa on Tuesday.

I the Lord, Which Sanctify You - Leviticus 21:8,15,23
Sep 25th, 2019
Morning MeditationF. B. Meyer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational;Book Study

This chapter is full of restrictions and cautions against anything that might defile the priests, the sons of Aaron. The holiness of God was set in a clear light by the care that there should be no ceremonial pollution or personal defect in those who ministered before His presence. What Aaron and his sons were in the ancient typical worship, that Jesus and His people are in the spiritual dispensation which has taken its place. "Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession."

How holy we should be "in all manner of living"! What may be innocent and natural for others would be wrong and inconsistent in us. Even the pointing of the beard after the fashion of the nations around, and for appearance' sake, was forbidden them; and contact with death in the home of domestic mourning. These, with many such like cautions, indicate that our spiritual separation for the service of God must enter into the minutest details. The clothes we wear, the books we read, the amusements we engage in, the details of the home-life - will all be affected by the thought, "I have been set apart for God; the anointing of the Spirit is on me; I am called to offer Him the bread of a holy life; I may not do as others, who have not realized the sacredness of life, as I do; and who may permit without compunction what I forego."

This is a high ideal; and it is only practicable to those who realize the thrice-made announcement of our text, that God will sanctify us: setting us apart for Himself - by the precious blood of Christ, by the anointing of the Spirit, and by the separation of our thoughts, and aims, and practices.

Famed Yale Computer Science Professor Quits Believing Darwin?s Theories
Sep 25th, 2019
CommentaryBerean Call
Categories: Creation - Evolution

‘The origin of species is exactly what Darwin cannot explain.’

David Gelernter, a famed Yale University professor, has publicly renounced his belief in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, calling it a “beautiful idea” that has been effectively disproven

Gelernter, who is known for predicting the World Wide Web and has developed many complex computing tools over the years, is today a professor of computer science at Yale, chief scientist at Mirror Worlds Technologies, member of the National Council of the Arts, and a prolific author.

In May, the Claremont Review of Books published a column by Gelernter headlined “Giving Up Darwin.” In it, he explained how his readings and discussions of Darwinian evolution and its competing theories, namely intelligent design, have convinced him Darwin had it wrong.

In particular, he cited Stephen Meyer’s 2013 book Darwin’s Doubt as well as The Deniable Darwin by David Berlinski. The professor expanded on his views in an interview with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution that was published last week.

Gelernter stops short of fully embracing intelligent design, both in his essay and during his interview. He said in his interview he sees intelligence in Earth’s design, and has no quarrel with ID proponents, but notes the world a mess, its suffering far outweighs its goodness.

“My argument is with people who dismiss intelligent design without considering, it seems to me — it’s widely dismissed in my world of academia as some sort of theological put up job — it’s an absolutely serious scientific argument,” Gelernter said during his interview. “In fact it’s the first and most obvious and intuitive one that comes to mind. It’s got to be dealt with intellectually.”

Gelernter conducted his interview alongside Meyer and Berlinski, and the three weighed in on the problems facing Darwinian and neo-Darwinian evolution.

Gelernter said an ideological bent has taken over the field of science. There are good scientists doing good work, “but we have a cautionary tale in what happened to our English departments and our history departments could happen to us, God forbid,” he said.

Gelernter said he likes many of his colleagues at Yale, that they are his friends, but when he looks at “their intellectual behavior, what they have published — and much more importantly what they tell their students — Darwinism has indeed passed beyond a scientific argument as far as they are concerned. You take your life in your hands to challenge it intellectually. They will destroy you if you challenge it.”

“Now, I haven’t been destroyed, I am not a biologist, and I don’t claim to be an authority on this topic,” Gelernter added, “but what I have seen in their behavior intellectually and at colleges across the West is nothing approaching free speech on this topic. It’s a bitter, fundamental, angry, outraged rejection [of intelligent design], which comes nowhere near scientific or intellectual discussion. I’ve seen that happen again and again.”

Gelernter acknowledges “I am attacking their religion and I don’t blame them for being all head up, it is a big issue for them.”