Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Trump's Mideast Moves Show Why Israeli Deterrence is Crucial
Oct 19th, 2019
CommentaryEVELYN GORDON/JNS.ORG
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump's latest Mideast decisions cast Israeli airstrikes in Syria and (reportedly) Iraq in a different light. Previously, these airstrikes seemed to be aimed solely at preventing Iran from establishing military infrastructure in both countries that could threaten Israel. 

But it now turns out they were also sending an important deterrent message: If Tehran attacks Israel, Jerusalem will have no qualms about striking back.

The conventional wisdom has been that even if these airstrikes were necessary for Israel's defense, they posed a real risk of escalation. And obviously, that remains a possibility.

But given Trump's latest moves, they may actually be making war less likely by letting Tehran know that Jerusalem--unlike, say, Saudi Arabia--won't sit with folded hands if it suffers a significant Iranian attack like last month's strike on Saudi oil facilities. 

The realization that Israel has both the ability and the will to hit back hard might well deter Iran from launching such a strike, even though it now knows that it wouldn't be risking an American response.

For this reason, much of the rhetoric about how Trump's recent decisions will affect Israel is overblown, even though the decisions themselves are unequivocally horrible. Strategically, the U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria abandons that area to very bad actors (Turkey and/or Iran). 

It's also a moral atrocity, as it abandons the Kurds to Turkey's tender mercies despite their having been America's most loyal and effective partner against the Islamic State. And it signals the world that Washington won't protect its allies, thereby reducing the incentive to be an American ally. Trump's inaction after Iran destroyed half of Saudi Arabia's oil processing capacity sent a similar message.

But even though Israel is always worse off when America looks weak or unreliable in the Mideast, it's in a very different position from either Saudi Arabia or the Kurds because it has always insisted on defending itself by itself rather than expecting American soldiers to fight on its behalf.

Saudi Arabia has long depended on U.S. troops to defend it. Despite having bought billions of dollars of topline American military equipment, its army is neither big enough nor skilled enough to use it effectively. So when Trump makes it clear that he won't commit U.S. forces to defend Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has a problem.

The Kurds, in contrast, have demonstrated an impressive willingness to defend themselves. But their lack of statehood means they lack critical military equipment, such as an air force, which they would need to defend themselves unaided; that leaves them dependent on U.S. forces to do things they can't do for themselves. So when Trump announces that American troops will no longer protect them, they have a problem.

But Israel has a large army equipped with the best military gear American and Israeli ingenuity can devise, combined with willingness to use it and experience in doing so. So when Trump's decisions indicate that Israel can't rely on U.S. troops to defend it, either, that's not a problem; it never relied on U.S. troops to begin with.

Granted, there were Israelis who fantasized that America would deal with Iran and thereby spare Israel the need to do so--including, shockingly, some in the defense establishment (who have now belatedly woken up). But realists like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu always understood that this was ridiculous. That's precisely why he insisted on spending 11 billion shekels ($3.1 billion) to prepare for a strike on Iran if necessary, despite fierce criticism from political opponents.

Iran isn't a superpower like the Soviet Union, which Israel had to rely on America to contain. It's a mere regional power, just like Israel.

Moreover, though it has been decades since Israel last faced an enemy as formidable as Iran, the fact that the countries share no land border deprives Iran of its greatest advantage: its vastly bigger population, which enables it to field many more troops than Israel can. 

If Iran could send tanks across Israel's border, it might be able to overwhelm Israel by sheer numbers. But it can't, because it would have to cross all of Iraq and Jordan to do so. Thus any fighting between Israel and Iran itself (as opposed to Iran's many proxies) would be limited to air and missile battles, in which the superior equipment and skills of Israel's air force provides a counterweight to Iran's advantage in missiles.

Nor is there reason to fear, as one prominent Israeli pundit implied, that Trump's reluctance to deploy American troops in the Mideast means that he would also refuse to replenish critical military materiel should Israel run short during a war. 

Putting soldiers in harm's way is very different from providing an ally with the arms it needs to do its own fighting. Moreover, Israel still enjoys considerable support in Congress, which has proven critical to getting Israel needed arms in the past.

Nevertheless, since an Israel-Iran war could wreak devastation on both countries, it's much better to prevent it from occurring. And that's where all those Israeli airstrikes come in.

Despite Iran's willingness to engage in military provocations, it has shown no desire to risk serious military consequences on Iranian soil. Indeed, it has escalated very carefully, moving up to each new level only after concluding--based on the non-response to previous attacks--that it could do so safely. And so far, it's been right: Even the attack on the Saudi refineries, its worst to date, drew no military response from Riyadh or Washington.

But years of Israeli airstrikes against Iranian and Iranian-affiliated targets have proven that the Jewish state won't let Iranian aggression go unanswered, and any Iranian escalation will be met commensurately. 

For instance, after Iran expanded the battlefield from Syria to Iraq, Israel apparently began striking Iranian targets in Iraq as well. All this sends Tehran the clear message that any major attack on Israel itself would likely result in direct Israeli retaliation against Iran.

That knowledge may well deter Iran from launching such an attack. And that is doubly important now that Trump has taken America out of the Mideast picture.

The War for Our Youth - Why Creation Still Matters
Oct 19th, 2019
CommentaryMIKE RIDDLE/LAMB/LION MINISTRIES
Categories: Warning

This country today is engaged in the greatest war it has ever been in. It's not a war being fought with guns and bombs; it is a war of ideologies. It is a war of worldviews. It is a war for the very heart and soul of this nation. And, if we lose this war, we will lose America. That is what is at stake.

Before the United States Marine Corp sends our troops to the battlefield, we sit down and do a briefing. It's called a Five Paragraph Order. I'm going to give you three of those things today: What is our situation? What is our mission? How are we going to execute this mission for nothing less than victory?

We brief our soldiers to protect their lives. I do so now because there are many spiritual lives being lost in America today. They're called our youth. They are being stolen from us.

What Is Our Situation?

In our briefing, let's start with part one — our situation. We're being told by the public education system, universities, the news media, and unfortunately many church leaders, that parts of the Bible are not relevant anymore and that we need to reinvent God's Word. So, with this situation, in order to understand how to fight this battle, we've got to know what battle it is we are fighting in. What kind of things are we up against?

Let's start with a case study right out of 1 Corinthians 1:23. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block..." Notice preaching the cross and the resurrection to the Jews was a stumbling block. But, look at the second part of that verse, "...unto the Greeks the cross and the resurrection are foolishness." Why the difference? If we don't understand this difference, you're not going to know how to fight this battle. Why the difference?

In Acts 2, Peter is preaching to the Jews, and he preaches the cross and the resurrection, but they only call it a stumbling block. Why? Because the Jews had a common foundation and a common background. They believed in Moses and the prophets. They understood that there was a Creator God, so it was just a stumbling block. But, when Paul preaches the cross and the resurrection to the Greeks, they see it as foolishness. Why? Because they do not understand Moses and the prophets, and they don't believe in a Creator God.

So, what does Paul do? He goes back and lays the foundation that our God is greater. There's a foundation to our Gospel, and we forget about that. Many of the people in our churches and some of our Christian leaders do not believe the foundation anymore. They are even trying to rewrite it! We need to understand that. We are no longer an Acts 2 nation, rather, we're an Acts 17 nation because our youth are not being taught about a greater God anymore.

Where Do Many Churches Stand Today?

They avoid controversial topics such as the Creation, sin, Hell, and marriage. It's called "soft teaching." I don't remember Jesus ever doing that. They let the culture influence the Church rather than the Church influencing the culture with the Gospel. They make church growth their main goal rather than the Great Commission. We no longer have teachers in our churches, and even in many of our Christian schools, who possess the knowledge to equip our youth about how to defend their faith. Christianity is in a lot of trouble!

What happens when the Church stops teaching parts of the Bible? Well, easy, the world will supply the answers. And, that's exactly what is happening to our youth today, because many of our Christian schools do not teach Apologetics. They do not believe in the Creation account. As a result, six independent studies concluded that over 60% of our youth today are leaving the Church. That's a very high casualty rate!

Why Are the Youth Leaving?

I will explain the main reasons why they are leaving. Number one, Christianity is perceived as being shallow and exclusive. I don't mind exclusive because we are exclusive. What does the Bible tell us? There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ, so we must be exclusive. But, shallow? Listen to most of the preaching going on in our churches today. Very sad!

Number two, Christianity appears to be anti-Science. There is no reason for that assumption. Who created all the scientific principles out there? God did! He's not contradicting Himself, because the true Science does and always will support His Word, because He is the Creator of all things. God is not in a battle with Himself.

Number three, our children are heavily indoctrinated into Evolution. Our youth are often not prepared to defend their faith against Evolutionary teachings because of all the soft teaching we are getting in our churches and the lack of believing God's Word in our Christian schools. Our Christian institutions lack the teaching of the specific and scientific evidence for a Creator.

Do you need evidence that there is a Creator? Just look at the human body. It's so incredible! It's an insult to our intelligence to believe that something so amazingly complex just evolved.

Did you know that if you took all of your blood vessels and capillaries and lined them up, how long would that be? A mile? How about 10 miles? How about 60,000? Yes, that's it! Can you imagine putting a machine together with 60,000 miles of wire and having it work? No, but God did that. That's just one of the many amazing things He did. If you read that verse about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made, well, that's so true.

College is a hostile environment towards Christianity, especially to anybody who believes in the Creation. We are setting our youth up for failure because we are not teaching them about the Creation.

Our kids are also inundated by the teachings about moral relativism, and they are not ready to handle that topic as it relates to their faith. They are taught that there are no absolutes, and they don't know how to answer that challenge to their faith.

Are there no absolutes? Are you absolutely sure? The statement about there being no absolutes is itself an absolute statement. See, moral relativism is a self-defeating philosophy. We need to train our students on this one. So many of our youth think they are saved, but they are not saved, and yet they go on mission trips. We have a problem!

Let's take a look at American culture. Since so many of our youth are leaving the Church, then we need to understand why. I'll give you the wrong answer: reinvent the Church to be more like the culture. That's what a lot of churches are doing today.

The correct answer: understand how the culture is challenging God's Word and train our people how to respond to these challenges. It's called education. Real education! Not just writing answers on a test; that doesn't qualify. The Bible says we are to be doers of God's Word. Can they verbalize this truth? That's education.

Don Bierle, who holds a Ph.D. in Life Sciences, in his book Surprised by Faith made this statement: "At that time, 14 years old and during the subsequent few years, I did not see the Church as a source of answers. I was asking why and could not find answers." That is a very typical response I get from our youth. The Church is not supplying answers.

Ken Ham and Avery Foley wrote in Why Young People Leave the Church: "These young people are not getting solid answers from church leaders and parents. Sadly, they are often told they can believe in the Big Bang, millions of years, and Evolution. They are then admonished to reinterpret or ignore Genesis while being told to trust Jesus." That's a contradiction! No wonder they are confused and leave the Church. They lack confidence in God's Word. And, this error is coming right out of the Church!

This is the battleground that is killing our children's faith. We need to understand this if we are going to wage the war for our children's souls. We must defend the biblical account of the Creation as the starting point if we are to win this battle.

Next Generation Weapons & the New World Order
Oct 19th, 2019
CommentaryBRITT GILLETTE/ENDTIMESBIBLEPROPHECY.COM
Categories: World Government

In World War I, generals who studied Napoleon sent waves of troops into a barrage of machine gun fire. The rapid-fire weapons mowed down thousands in minutes. Was this necessary? No. Thousands of young men died all because their commanders focused on fighting the last war. They didn't adjust to new developments and new technologies. 

In World War II, the Polish army defended itself from Nazi and Soviet invaders with horse-mounted troops. They also focused on fighting the last war and were quickly defeated. A few years later, World War II ended when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. 

Ever since, most people have held the belief World War III will start the same way World War II ended. Anyone who believes this makes the same mistake as those who came before them. They prepare to fight the last war.

Complacency is the Enemy

Our tendency to focus on the past creates a sense of familiarity and comfort, and comfort breeds complacency. When it comes to warfare, complacency is the enemy. For over seventy years, Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) prevented all-out nuclear war between the major powers. The world emerged from the Cold War intact. Following decades of uncertainty, nuclear war never came. We didn't destroy ourselves. This lulled many into a false sense of security, and complacency set in. 

The majority of people now think World War III is unwinnable. They think possession of nuclear weapons make a nation invulnerable. Because they do, they think World War III will never happen. They're wrong.

The global stability of the post-war era is coming to an end. With the exception of a few moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, you have to go back to the years just before World War II to find a time when the world was more dangerous than it is right now. Why do I say that? Again, complacency. 

During the Gulf War in 1991, the United States displayed a dominant edge in military technology. Its armed forces were declared superior to any on the planet. But dominance doesn't last forever. The nature of war has changed. 

Nations now use terrorists, proxy armies, and cyber attacks to wage war anonymously. Conventional weapons can't effectively counter these types of attacks. Moreover, Russia and China have gone to great lengths to close the technology gap since the early 1990's. The result? The world power structure is on the verge of a major shift.

The AI/Swarm Era

Today, the world is entering a new era in warfare. September 14, 2019 marked the beginning. On that day, someone (either Iran or their proxies in Yemen) launched a successful drone attack on two oil processing facilities in Saudi Arabia. Approximately five percent of the world's daily oil consumption flowed through those two facilities. The news made headlines for a few days. Then, just as quickly as it hit the news cycle, it disappeared. 

Most people forgot all about it. But for many, it remains a significant event. In fact, for many, it's a terrifying event. Why? Because it exposed conventional defenses as inadequate. Saudi Arabia invested millions to secure its facilities. But in mere minutes, those defenses proved useless.

Because of the success of this strike, expect more drone attacks. Expect smaller drones arriving in larger swarms. Why? They can inflict just as much damage as any conventional weapon, and because they're unmanned, the attacking nation can deny any involvement. 

Drones are inexpensive to produce and easy to deploy. They can mimic flocks of birds and even evade radar. Because they blend into the environment, they can appear out of nowhere, surprising the enemy. They present a new threat, and most conventional armies are unprepared to defend against them.

Still don't see the threat? Imagine this. It's inauguration day. As the new president prepares to speak, an assassin launches a fleet of drones from just a few hundred yards away. The swarm contains several hundred drones, each the size of a small bird. Each one carries an explosive. They converge on the president. How do you protect the president? Conventional defenses won't work. You can't tackle a drone. Firearms might take out a few, but not an entire swarm.

On August 4, 2018, a scenario similar to this took place in Venezuela. As President Nicolas Maduro addressed a crowd at a military parade, two drones exploded nearby, prompting security to surround him with blast shields. The explosions caused no harm to Maduro, and many believe he orchestrated the entire event so he could crack down on political opponents. But whether it was real or staged, the attack shows a new danger people need to protect against.

And it's not just assassins who will look to use drones. With such technology, terrorists could take destruction to new heights. Imagine this. It's Super Bowl Sunday. A hundred thousand fans crowd into a stadium to watch the excitement. But before the first score, a flock of thousands of drones descend on the stadium. They hover above the crowd and release chemical weapons on those below. Everyone dies. And unless every point of entry is secured, even an indoor stadium is vulnerable to such an attack.

Drone attacks are more than just a novel way to assassinate or a new method to unleash terrorism. Swarming drones are the future of warfare, and they're coming sooner than most people think. Drone swarms using artificial intelligence offer a number of benefits and advantages to nation states. They're less expensive to build and maintain than large standing armies. 

They don't require large numbers of highly trained personnel. They can be controlled from a remote, secure location. They can be deployed anywhere in the world, often undetected. This means they magnify the military capabilities of smaller nations. They close the gap between weaker nations and world superpowers.

Imagine conventional forces trying to counter an attacking swarm of drones. Tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry advance on the battlefield. From the sky, a swarm of millions of drones the size of bees descend on the conventional army. They cover every tank, vehicle, and piece of equipment. 

In minutes, they quickly disable the entire army, leaving them defenseless. Firearms, artillery shells, and missiles have little impact on a swarm. Think of a swarm of locusts descending on a field. A farmer can fire his shotgun and swat at them all he wants. But in mere minutes, they'll devour all his crops. Drone warfare will bring the same impact to the battlefield.

Certainly, military forces will develop new weapons and defensive measures to counter such attacks. But these too will be vulnerable to a surprise attack. However, no matter what new techniques are developed, you can be sure of one thing - the next great war will be far different from the last one. The first nation to develop these new weapons will have a decisive advantage. And that's why you can be sure the world's governments are racing to develop them. 

What It Means

The rise of artificial intelligence and drone swarms is a destabilizing event. Together, these new technologies will overturn the post-war stability of MAD. Once this happens, World War III will break out. When the dust settles, one nation will dominate the globe. That nation will be the leader in the development of these new military technologies. 

Does this surprise you? It shouldn't. The Bible says another world war is in our future (Revelation 6:4). It also tells us what the world will look like when World War III ends. One nation will control the earth (Revelation 13:7). Is this just a coincidence? No. It's yet another sign we're on the verge of the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This means you should take advantage of every opportunity you have to spread the Gospel and tell others about the love of Jesus. Time is short. He's coming soon!

Let the Headlines Speak
Oct 19th, 2019
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

White House official: Kushner to visit Israel this monthKushner, who is also Trump’s son in law, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief political rival, Benny Gantz. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

CNN boss: We’ve sold ourselves to the devil
“When I got this job 13 years ago, CNN was nothing like this. … They sold themselves to the devil. It’s, it’s sad.” Brevna said. Another segment shows CNN Field Production Supervisor Gerald Sisnette wishing for Trump’s death.

Muslim Teacher Wants to See Jews Praying on Temple Mount
Nahil Zoabi, a Muslim teacher and headmaster of a school in the Arab town of Tamra. During a recent visit to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Zoabi declared that the Temple Mount should be a place of worship for all religions, and that Jews in particular should be allowed to pray there. “The Temple Mount is a unifying place, and therefore everyone, including the Jews, who has the desire to pray on the Temple Mount, has the fundamental right to do so,”

“Wild Night With 90mph Wind Gusts” – Bomb Cyclone Unleashes Hurricane-Force Winds In Northeast
Hurricane-force winds slammed parts of New England and New York on Thursday, as the bomb cyclone, we first reported on Tuesday, knocks out power to hundreds of thousands of people, destroys critical infrastructure, and delays air travel in parts of the Northeast. The strong overnight storm “is now parked over southern New England with the pressure equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane,”

Are Secret Human Experiments Advancing Brain Chip Tech?
A doctor from Peru claims that recent advancements in brain chip technology could be due to “secret, forced, and illicit human experimentation” by a consortium of transnational tech companies and governments operating outside of the law. South America has served as a test site for unregulated off shore drug trials for the pharmaceutical industry for many years. Peru has been described as a “paradise of human experimentation“, and is riddled with corruption.

Senate Fails to Override Trump Veto Over Funding for Border Wall
The Senate didn’t get enough votes to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a resolution that, if it had gone through, would have ended the emergency declaration that included an order to use national security funds to build the wall at the southern border. The vote on Thursday was 53-36.

US, Turkey Agree on Ceasefire in Syria as Kurd-Assad Alliance Blocks Turkish Offensive
A U.S. delegation led by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo negotiated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to agree to a five-day ceasefire in Syria, Pence said on Oct. 17. Turkey’s week-long military incursion in northern Syria, which it called “Operation Peace Spring,” was met with tough resistance from a new alliance between local Kurdish forces and their previous enemy, the Russian-backed Syrian government.

Final hurdle in sight as Boris Johnson gets his Brexit deal
Boris Johnson flew back from Brussels with a Brexit deal last night and will spend the next 24 hours frantically trying to sell it to MPs before a historic Saturday sitting of the Commons.

Mainstream Media Says Prayer for Netanyahu’s Death
In an interview between channel 12 news reporters Oded Ben Ami and his political correspondent Amnon Abramovitch on the Actualia program, while discussing Netanyahu, the two repeated passages from the mourners kaddish prayer implying that they consider the Israeli Prime Minister to be dead. The interview set off a storm on social media and even led to protests outside the Keshet studio in Neve Ilan. Israel’s mainstream media, especially Abramovitch, have a reputation of being hostile towards the right and Prime Minister Netanyahu in particular.

Netanyahu’s new proposal to Benny Gantz
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu presented a proposal for a framework for a coalition agreement on religious and state issues to Blue and White leader Benny Gantz which has also been accepted by the haredi parties.

‘The American public loves how Trump doesn’t mince words’
Marc Zell, Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, spoke about the letter sent by US President Trump to Erdogan, in which he urged the Turkish leader: “Don’t be a fool!” Zell told Galei Tzahal that “The American public loves how Trump doesn’t mince words. True, he’s not an academic, a doctor or a professor – but he’s a businessman who does what he promised.”

Shelling heard around Syrian town after Turkish-U.S. ceasefire deal
Shelling and gunfire resounded around the northeast Syrian town of Ras al Ain on Friday, a day after Turkey agreed with the United States to pause its offensive in Syria for five days to let Kurdish forces withdraw. Machine-gun fire and shelling could be heard from the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar across the border from Ras al Ain, and smoke rose from one part of the Syrian town.

Mike Pompeo lands in Israel to visit Netanyahu
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel late on Thursday night…He came for a meeting scheduled for Friday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which they intend to “discuss developments in Syria and the continued need to counter the Iranian regime’s destabilizing behavior in the region,” according to the US State Department’s statement on Wednesday.

U.S. peace team to visit Israel by end of month
The US peace team is expected to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia by the end of the month, sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post. Jared Kushner, Brian Hook and Avi Berkowitz will arrive in Jerusalem on October 27 and are expected to meet with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White co-leader Benny Gantz.

China economy: Third quarter growth misses expectations
China’s economy grew at a slower pace than expected in the third quarter as it struggled with a US-led trade war and softer domestic demand. In the three months to September, the economy expanded 6% from a year earlier, official figures showed. The result fell just short of expectations for 6.1% growth for the period.

Catalan protests: Why is Barcelona burning?
A general strike has been called in Catalonia on Friday, marking the end of a week of protests following the ruling of Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday. The court sentenced nine Catalan pro-independence leaders to jail for sedition. At the heart of the mobilisation are the Catalan youth.

Protests in Lebanon after move to tax calls on messaging apps
Hundreds of people took to the streets across Lebanon on Thursday to protest dire economic conditions after a government decision to tax calls made on messaging applications sparked widespread outrage. The far-reaching demonstrations forced the government to walk back on its decision to approve the tax late on Thursday, Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Choucair said.

Unprecedented movement detected on California earthquake fault capable of 8.0 temblor
A major California fault capable of producing a magnitude 8 earthquake has begun moving for the first time on record, a result of this year’s Ridgecrest earthquake sequence destabilizing nearby faults, Caltech scientists say…In the modern historical record, the 160-mile-long Garlock fault on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert has never been observed to produce either a strong earthquake or even to creep…

Netanyahu presents outline for new unity government
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forwarded Thursday an outline for the establishment of a broad unity government to Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. “This government will be based on a broad national consensus to enable it to address the pressing security and economic challenges that are rising around us,” said Netanyahu. “All parties will need to make some concessions to reach a consensus”.

IDF troops bring down drone that entered Israel from Gaza
Israeli troops on Thursday identified and shot down an unmanned drone that entered Israeli territory near the Gaza border. The IDF Spokesman’s Unit confirmed the incident and said that there were no injuries or damage as a result of the event. The drone was taken by the IDF for further examination.

Japan to dispatch its own self-defense troops to Strait of Hormuz: report
Japan has decided to dispatch its own self-defense troops to the Strait of Hormuz area instead of joining the US-coalition to protect merchant vessels passing through key Middle Eastern waterways, the Asahi newspaper reported. The decision is in line with a previous Japanese media report that Japan would not join its most important ally in the security mission due to its close economic ties with Iran, a major oil producer.

Religion Is on the Decline as More Adults Check ‘None’
Religiosity in the U.S. is in sharp decline, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center on Thursday, with the ranks of people who don’t adhere to any faith growing fast while church attendance has fallen steeply.

Vatican unveils ‘smart rosary’ activated by making the sign of the cross
Vatican officials unveiled the eRosary wearable bracelet on Tuesday. The device, which is activated by making the sign of the cross, is connected to the ‘Click to Pray’ app. Click to Pray is the official prayer app of Pope Francis’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Surprise ‘coming out ’ middle school assembly angers parents
No advance parental notice was given for this event held in conjunction with homosexual/transgender National Coming Out Day. As I have mentioned in previous articles, schools are regularly observing special days and weeks as part of a coordinated “LGBT” agenda directed to America’s children.

Tropical Storm Nestor expected to form, warnings issued for Gulf Coast
An area of disturbed weather over the southwest Gulf of Mexico is forecast to strengthen over the warm waters, potentially impacting the northern Gulf Coast of the U.S. as a tropical storm by the weekend, according to forecasters.

CANADA’S SUPREME COURT RULES THAT LGBT RIGHTS COME BEFORE YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Canada’s top court has ruled in favour of denying accreditation to a Christian law school that banned students from having gay sex.

Federal court strikes down Obama administration ‘transgender mandate’ for doctors
A federal court in Texas ruled Tuesday that doctors across the nation are not required to perform gender-transition surgeries if they go against their medical judgment or religious beliefs.

Comey, Biden and Romney Issue Thinly Veiled Assassination Threats Against Trump on the Eve of His Dallas Visit
Today, on October 17th, the President travels to Dallas, the site of the 1963 murder of President John F. Kennedy. Because of recent and thinly veiled threats against the President, many are concerned for his safety. However, the Secret Service is nowhere to be found. Even the most ignorant among us could and should see the following as a direct threat to the President.

Several injured as very destructive, possibly multivortex tornado hits Arles, France
Several people were injured after a destructive tornado hit the city of Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, southern France on October 15, 2019. Damage suggests this was a multiple vortex tornado.

Baby Parts Buyers Were ‘Scalping the Babies,’ Planned Parenthood Trial Reveals
In chilling testimony last week, an abortion whistleblower involved in revealing how Planned Parenthood affiliates had sold aborted baby body parts revealed one of the horrifying research purposes of body parts buyers: they were “scalping the babies.”

Map exposes the extent of China’s ‘human farms’ as tribunal slams $1b forced organ harvesting trade China is forcibly harvesting the organs of tens of thousands of political prisoners to operate a rapidly growing medical black market worth $1 billion a year, an international tribunal has found.

Decline of Christianity in America continuing at rapid pace, poll finds
The portion of Americans with no religious affiliation is rising significantly, in tandem with a sharp drop in the percentage that identifies as Christians, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.

Disney Confirms ‘Gay Couple’ in Kids’ Show Star Wars Resistance
As part of its pro-LGBT agenda, Disney executives confirmed that two characters in the popular animated kids’ show Star Wars Resistance are a “gay couple.” The Disney official added, “we’re proud of that.”

‘Hail Satan?’: How a documentary is turning people into Satanists
There aren’t many documentarians who can claim they’ve made a movie which turns people into Satanists. But Hail Satan? director Penny Lane is one of them.

How Abraham's Separation Was Brought About
Oct 19th, 2019
Morning MeditationF. B. Meyer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational;Book Study

The valleys around Bethel, which had been quite adequate for their needs when first they came to Canaan, were now altogether insufficient. The herdsmen were always wrangling for the first use of the wells, and the first crop of the pastures. The cattle were continually getting mixed. "The land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together."

Quarrels between servants have a habit of travelling upwards, and embroiling their masters. And so Abraham and Lot would be told by their headmen of what was happening; and each would be tempted to feel irritated with the other.

Abraham saw at once that such a state of things must not be allowed to go on: especially as "the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land." For if those warlike neighbors heard of the dissensions in the camp, they would take an early opportunity of falling upon it. United they stood; divided, they must fall. Besides, there was the scandal of the thing, which might work prejudicially on the name and worship of that God to whom Abraham was known to bow the knee. Would that the near presence of the world might have the same wholesome effect of checking dissension and dispute among the children of the same Father!

And so Abraham called Lot to him, and said, "Let there be no strife between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen: for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left" (13:8-9).

The proposal was very WISE. He saw that there was a cause for the disturbance, which would lead to similar troubles continually. If he spoke sharply to Lot, Lot would answer in the same spirit, and a breach would be made at once. So he went to the root of the matter, and proposed their separation.

His line of action was very MAGNANIMOUS. As the elder and the leader of the expedition, he had the undoubted right to the first choice. But he waived his right in the interests of reconciliation.

But, above all, it was BASED ON FAITH. His faith was beginning to realize its true position; and, like a fledgling, to spread its wings for further and still further flights. Had not God pledged Himself to take care of him, and to give him an inheritance? There was no fear, therefore, that Lot could ever rob him of that which was guaranteed to him by the faithfulness of God. And he preferred, a thousand times over, that God should choose for him, than that he should choose for himself.

The man who is sure of God can afford to hold very lightly the things of this world. God Himself is his inalienable heritage; and, in having God, he has all. And, as we shall see, the man who "hedges" for himself does not do so well in the long run as the man who, having the right of choice, hands it back to God, saying: "Let others choose for themselves, if they please; but as for myself, Thou shalt choose mine inheritance for me."

"Not mine -- not mine the choice In things or great or small; Be Thou my Guide, my Guard, my Strength, My Wisdom and my 'All'." - F. B. Meyer