Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Why You Can Never Appease Lgbtq Activists
Nov 26th, 2019
CommentaryMICHAEL BROWN/ASKDRBROWN.ORG
Categories: Contemporary Issues

For many years I have said that the unspoken mantra of LGBTQ activists is, "We will intimidate and we will manipulate until you capitulate." Chick-fil-A is now learning this lesson the hard way. Appeasement is not enough. Total capitulation is required.

To catch you up on the salient details, on Monday, there was an outcry from conservative and Christian leaders when it was learned that Chick-fil-A was dropping its support of the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

Instead, they announced, they were now devoting all their charitable giving to "a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger."

But that being the case, since the Salvation Army specializes in these very areas, why stop giving to them? As the Army expressed, '"We're saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations -- areas in which The Salvation Army, as the largest social services provider in the world, is already fully committed."

The answer is simple (as the Army was quite aware): Chick-fil-A had come under unrelenting attack for years for supporting Christian organizations, specifically those which held to biblical views of marriage. Campuses protested Chick-fil-A's presence, cities protested their presence, airports protested their presence, and even the UK protested their presence.

In light of this, Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos explained, "There's no question we know that, as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are. There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message."

To be sure, Tassopoulos also announced that, "No organisation will be excluded from future consideration-faith-based or non-faith-based."

But the message was loud and clear. Chick-fil-A needed to shed all the negative press and establish a new, untarnished reputation based on its charitable contributions "in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger."

That, of course, was not enough for the LGBTQ activists. To the contrary, they now smelled blood. Total capitulation is required.

In the words of GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, better named the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Disagreement), "If Chick-Fil-A is serious about their pledge to stop holding hands with divisive anti-LGBTQ activists, then further transparency is needed regarding their deep ties to organizations like Focus on the Family, which exist purely to harm LGBTQ people and families."

Chick-fil-A, you must separate from evil organizations like Focus on the Family "which exist purely to harm LGBTQ people and families." How dare you have anything to do with them.

Yes, this is some of the cultural madness we have been confronting for years now. A fine, Christian, family-based, loving, Christ-exalting organization like Focus on the Family has one purpose only: harming LGBTQ people and families.

Chick-fil-A must say, "Away from us, you evil ones!"

GLAAD continued, "In addition to refraining from financially supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations, Chick-Fil-A still lacks policies to ensure safe workplaces for LGBTQ employees and should unequivocally speak out against the anti-LGBTQ reputation that their brand represents."

I imagine it would look something like this: "We regret that we affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman. We are ashamed and sorry that we ever held to these outdated, bigoted views. And we are mortified that we ever supported organizations that held to these hateful positions. In the future, we will do everything in our power to support LGBTQ causes."

GLAAD would applaud a statement like this. Grovel and you will get grace.

Years ago, we were told that we only needed to be "tolerant" and "accepting." But then those two values were deemed homophobic, as evidenced by the Riddle Homophobia Scale, introduced by Dr. Dorothy Riddle for use in schools.

According to this scale, "homophobic" attitudes included: 1) Repulsion; 2) Pity; 3) Tolerance; and 4) Acceptance. Listed under the Positive category were: 5) Support; 6) Admiration; 7) Appreciation; and 8) Nurturance.

And for the record, I already referenced this scale in my 2011 book A Queer Thing Happened to America. This is nothing new.

Over at CNN, Richard Morgan penned an op-ed titled, "Chick-fil-A is trying to distract you."

The article begins by asking, "What do bigots become when they bite their tongues?"

You can tell where this is going.

Morgan then states that Chick-fil-A's apparent policy change "would perhaps be more convincing if Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A's CEO, acknowledged as wrong, and directly apologized for the comments that he made in 2012 about the company's belief and support of the 'the biblical definition of the family unit.'"

So, unless they renounce the Bible, Chick-fil-A will wear the bigot label, however false it may be.

That's because, when the left falsely brands you bigoted, the only way to shed the reputation is to join the left. Anything less than that will be branded deceptive.

It doesn't matter that Chick-fil-A has no record of discriminatory treatment of gays and lesbians. It doesn't matter that the company is exemplary in terms of community service. It doesn't matter that the Salvation Army and the FCA do not focus on opposing LGBTQ activis

It simply matters that Chick-fil-A leadership made a biblically-based, pro-marriage statement and that the company donated to biblically-based Christian organizations.

Until it renounces such actions as evil, Chick-fil-A will wear the bigot brand, and that's because the ones attacking them are the bigots.

And so, once more, I appeal to Chick-fil-A: You will never please the left without capitulation. Better to be faithful to your loyal, largely conservative base.

After all, as Winston Church once remarked, "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."

Pro - Israel Groups Denounce Canada's Betrayal of Israel At UN
Nov 26th, 2019
CommentaryKARYS RHEA/ALGEMEINER.COM
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Pro Israel Christian Groups and Top Jewish groups in Canada have expressed disappointment after the country voted in favor of an anti-Israel UN General Assembly resolution earlier this week.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the advocacy arm of the Jewish Federations of Canada, called the move a "betrayal."

"It contradicted explicit commitments made by liberal candidates during the recent election to maintain the principled opposition to the twenty annual resolutions whose sole purpose is to isolate and delegitimize Israel," said CIJA co-chairs Joel Reitman and Jeffrey Rosenthal.

Since 2006, both conservative and liberal Canadian governments had rejected the resolution in question, which comes up for a vote annually.

Sponsored by North Korea, Egypt, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe and the Palestinian Authority, the resolution called for "an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967" and the preservation of "territorial unity, contiguity and integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem." It also criticized Israel's West Bank security barrier.

B'nai Brith Canada slammed Canada's backing of the measure.

"In our view, the core of the conflict remains the refusal by Palestinian leaders and their supporters to recognize the Jewish People's indigenous ties to the Land of Israel," said B'nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn. "This is what the UN -- and Canada -- should be condemning."

"We call on Canada and the rest of the international community to press the Palestinian Authority to return to the negotiating table, and to stop harmful practices such as rewarding terrorists and their families," he added.

Meryle Kates, executive director of the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs Canada, wrote her group was "stunned and disheartened" that Canada has joined "oppressive regimes like North Korea to condemn Israel at the UN."

"The resolution harshly criticizes Israel's security barrier, with no acknowledgement that it was built to stop a brutal wave of suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada," she noted.

"It makes no mention of the 450+ rockets fired at Israel earlier this month by the Islamic Jihad terrorist group. It also effectively labels the Western Wall and Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem 'occupied Palestinian territory,' denying the history and rights of the Jewish people to the holiest site in Judaism."

Liberal MK Michael Levitt expressed his concern about the vote on Facebook, arguing that UN anti-Israel resolutions "unfairly singled out Israel of condemnation, ignoring the crimes being perpetrated by many of the resolutions' sponsors."

"For example," he pointed out, "Assad's Syria was the subject of just one resolution, compared to eight targeting Israel. The situation in Venezuela, where the illegal Maduro regime is starving millions of Venezuelans and causing the largest refugee crisis in our hemisphere's history, was entirely ignored."

The sudden shift by Canada raised questions about whether the vote was a response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's declaration on Monday that Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank did not violate international law.

One Canadian government official confirmed that the move was meant to send a message to the US.

Rumors also circulated that Canada's last-minute switch was meant to curry favor with Arab states as the country vies for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2020.

"This resolution will do nothing to bring Israelis and Palestinians together for peace talks," Kates said. "All it does is harm the Canadian government's moral standing at home and abroad."

Palestinian School System: Graduating With a Full Proficiency in Hate
Nov 26th, 2019
CommentaryALGEMEINER.COM
Categories: Contemporary Issues

High school matriculation exams serve to reinforce "hateful content" taught in Palestinian schools, underscoring "the need for an urgent and determined intervention in the Palestinian curriculum," a Jerusalem-based watchdog has warned.

In a report released this month, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) found that six of the 26 tawjihi exams for 2019, which are taken by twelfth-grade Palestinian students and are necessary for enrollment in Palestinian and some Arab universities, included "problematic material" that reflects themes taught in Palestinian Authority textbooks and on

IMPACT-se pointed to multiple tawjihi questions that conveyed concerning messages, such as a query on the geography exam that asked students what countries share the Jordan River basin. Acceptable answers included Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and Iraq, with Israel tellingly omitted.

In another instance, the Arabic-language exam featured the poem "A Refugee's Will," which described a subject coming with a "weapon in your hand" to a "dear violated homeland.

An official study website aimed to clarify the poem's meaning with the explanation that "liberation of the homeland can be done only through resistance with arms," and "what was taken by force can be recovered only by force," IMPACT-se stated.

The problematic content was not only evident in some tawjihi questions, but also in the textbook materials that students studied and memorized in order to prepare. A question on the Arab Spring in the history exam corresponded with a textbook chapter that presented the anti-government protests as a Western-Zionist plot to undermine Arab unity, IMPACT-se reported.

The Palestinian Authority has faced continued criticism over its educational curriculum, with a 2018 report by IMPACT-se noting that grade 1-12 textbooks routinely describe Israel as the "Zionist Occupation," refer to United Nations-recognized Israeli territory as Palestinian, and in some cases praise acts of Palestinian violence against civilians.

A September review by the watchdog group of new educational materials used in the 2019-20 academic year found "a systematic insertion of violence, martyrdom and jihad across all grades and subjects."

In an unprecedented move in August, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination criticized the Palestinian Authority over "the existence of hate speech in ... school curricula and textbooks, which fuels hatred and may incite violence, particularly hate speech against Israelis, which at times also fuels antisemitism."

Next Generation of Islamists Target Small Political Wins to Build Stature
Nov 26th, 2019
CommentarySHIREEN QUDOSI/CLARION PROJECT
Categories: Warning

Abrar Omeish just won a seat on the school board at Fairfax County in Virginia.  In the latest state elections, the 24-year-old became the youngest woman (and the first Muslim woman) to win a seat in Virginia.

In the counter-Islamist circle, Omeish is a well-known name.

The following tweet says it all:

In 2006, the Investigative Project on Terrorism released a video of Dr. Omeish endorsing violent jihad at a rally six years prior. That release resulted in a resignation from the state immigration board on which he served. 

In 2009, I exposed Dr. Omeish’s bid for Virginia’s House of Delegates. Among other items that exposed his radical theocratic leanings (which are rooted in the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood), I reported how in 2004, Dr. Omeish declared that Islam will either “become the dominant religion of the next century or we may be forcibly rejected from the West because of forces of intolerance, racism, and bigotry.”

At their 2019 annual gala, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) made it very clear that they were working to get Muslims into office. While every American has a right to run for office and civic duty is to be applauded, unfortunately in the case of Islamists, we know they are focused on creating a political environment where only their interpretation of Islam gains grounds. 

At the gala, CAIR’s founder and Executive Director Nihad Awad said,

“A strong CAIR equals a strong community. A strong community will produce a strong and confident and successful Muslim … “So I’m telling you tonight we are going to work in the next years, inshallah (God willing], to elect at least 30 Muslims in the Congress. This number is equivalent to our size and our potential as American Muslims. Including at least two U.S. senator Muslims.”

In the case of Abrar Omeish, the apple may not fall far from the tree.  In 2014, Abrar Omeish led a campaign to silence well known anti-Islamist speaker, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, based on the claim that Ali “doesn’t have the scholarly credentials to speak on Islam.” 

And while it may seem like a school board is a small win compared to a congressional seat Benjamin Baird, the projects coordinator for the Islamism in Politics Project, points out how small political wins help pave the way in building a political career for next generation Islamists.

Baird is right to draw attention to the small wins. Case in point: Ilhan Omar’s bid for her congressional seat came at the heels of her time in the Minnesota State Assembly (which followed her work in grassroots initiatives).

As conservative political operatives have long held, local elections (which are perceived as small gains) are often ignored in favor of focusing on elections for larger offices. However, the smaller elections lay seed for what to expect during the next one or two election cycles.

Abrar Omeish is a case study in deploying a legacy approach to elected office as next generation Islamists look to build on campaign wins and losses by targeting local seats.

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 26th, 2019
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

We Are Now In The Midst Of The Great End Times Falling Away Of The Christian Church, And It Grows Uglier Every Day
Charles Spurgeon once remarked that the “time will come when instead of pastors feeding the sheep, we will have clowns entertaining the goats”. I believe we have gathered enough evidence to prove that to now be the case….the great ‘falling away’ prophesied by both Jesus and the apostle Paul has already begun and indeed is well underway.

Catholics to protest Houston Satanic ‘Black Mass’ with rosary rally, prayers of reparation
Catholics will rally outside a Texas brewery on Saturday to pray and denounce a “Black Mass” to be held there by a Satanic group. According to the announcement, “The Black Mass will be the closing ceremony of TSTH’s animal supply drive, where we will celebrate the beast within while collecting … supplies for the neglected creatures around us.” It goes on to invite the public for “good beer, great company, excellent blasphemy, and to learn about the support we bring to our communities.

Fed’s Kashkari Says It’s Time For The Federal Reserve To Start Redistributing Wealth
Fast forward to 2019, when after a decade of unprecedented inequality spurred by the Federal Reserve’s policies, which made the rich richer, and the poor and middle classes poorer to the point that just 1% of the US population now owns as much wealth as the middle and lower classes combined…… the same “apolitical”, private Federal Reserve, which is owned by a handful of commercial banks and whose members have never been subject to election by the general population…now wishes to formalize its wealth redistribution agenda, and effectively become a political force which determines who gets richer and who gets poorer. Neel Kashkari…outspoken dove at the Minneapolis Fed, said “monetary policy can play the kind of redistributing role once thought to be the preserve of elected officials.” And as Bloomberg notes, “while that likely remains a minority view among U.S. central bankers, Kashkari has helped lay the groundwork for a shift in Fed communication this year.”

Sprite Transgender Ad Proves There Is A War On For Children’s Hearts, Minds, & Bodies
The world of corporate advertising has finally crossed the cultural Rubicon. In a newly released advertisement, yet another major corporation has idolized a lifestyle choice, which, naturally, has absolutely no connection to the traditional nuclear family that has guided Western civilization through thick and thin over two millennia.

Israel’s March Elections Fall on Purim: “The City of Shushan Was Dumbfounded”
Once again, Israel is faced with a political impasse that will send Israelis to the ballot boxes. But this time, the timing of the elections, falling on Purim, points at a divine plan hidden behind political events. Breaking Israel News reported on a 40-year-old prophecy in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri that predicted the Messiah would be revealed after elections failed to produce a government.

According to the Law: Netanyahu Can’t Even be Indicted at this Time
According to Israeli law, Israel’s Attorney General, Avichai Mandleblit has no authority to indict the Prime Minister at this time. Conservative pundit Caroline Glick publicized the law relating to indicting members of Knesset on her Facebook page. The law states that before the attorney general indicts a Member of Knesset such as Netanyahu, they must first submit a recommendation to the Knesset committee. The only problem is that during a transition government (as there is now), there is no Knesset committee which means that no indictment can be handed down.

Jordan’s King Threatens: Israel Won’t be a “Part of Middle East”
Relations between Jordan and Israel are at an “all-time low” King Abdullah told the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy reports Mako. Regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict, Abdullah added that “If we do not solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Israel cannot really be part of the Middle East” calling it a “sensitive and emotional issue.”

Democrats anti-settlement letter just what Pompeo wanted
The 107 Democrats who sent a letter…to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking him to immediately reverse his…announcement that Washington no longer views settlements as illegal have taken the bait the Trump administration left dangling. That…is according to former ambassador to the US Michael Oren, who believes that Pompeo’s…announcement…will have more impact on the US political scene than anywhere else.

Hong Kong elections: Carrie Lam promises ‘open mind’ after election rout
Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said the government will “seriously reflect” after local elections saw massive gains by pro-democracy candidates. Seventeen of the 18 district councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors, according to local media. The election, the first since the wave of anti-Beijing protests began, saw an unprecedented turnout of more than 71%.

Data leak reveals how China ‘brainwashes’ Uighurs in prison camps
Leaked documents detail for the first time China’s systematic brainwashing of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in a network of high-security prison camps. The Chinese government has consistently claimed the camps in the far western Xinjiang region offer voluntary education and training. But official documents, seen by BBC Panorama, show how inmates are locked up, indoctrinated and punished.

Iran planning attacks on Israel: Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused Iran of planning attacks against the Jewish state and said everything possible would be done to prevent them. The premier, who was indicted on corruption charges on Thursday and is seen to be battling for his political life, made his remarks on a visit to an army base near the border with conflict-ravaged Syria.

Paging Dr. Robot: Artificial intelligence moves into care
The next time you get sick, your care may involve a form of the technology people use to navigate road trips or pick the right vacuum cleaner online. Artificial intelligence is spreading into health care, often as software or a computer program capable of learning from large amounts of data and making predictions to guide care or help patients.

No ‘phase two’ U.S.-China deal on the horizon, officials say
An ambitious “phase two” trade deal between the United States and China is looking less likely as the two countries struggle to strike a preliminary “phase one” agreement… In October, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press conference with Chinese vice premier Liu He that he expected to quickly dive into a second phase of talks once “phase one” had been completed.

China mandates 13 banks for U.S. dollar bond issue, seeks to raise over $3 billion
China’s government has mandated 13 investment banks to lead a U.S. dollar sovereign bond deal, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters, its third since its international debt issuance program was revived two years ago. A banker with direct knowledge of the transaction said China would likely seek to raise more than $3 billion, in line with the size of last year’s deal.

Palestinians call for ‘day of rage’ following U.S. decision to back settlements
Palestinians in the West Bank declared Tuesday “a day of rage” in protest over the United States decision to soften its position on Israeli settlements in the area. The demonstrations, backed by the Palestinian Authority, are expected to turn violent in areas where Israeli forces are stationed.

Unintended Comedy: California boosts pot taxes, shocking unsteady industry
California is increasing business tax rates on legal marijuana, a move that stunned struggling companies that have been pleading with the state to do just the opposite. Hefty marijuana taxes that can approach 50 percent in some communities have been blamed for pushing shoppers into California’s tax-free illegal market, which is thriving. Industry analysts estimate that $3 are spent in the illegal market for every $1 in the legal one.

“Decarbonize” means DEPOPULATION, because humans are carbon-based organisms… AOC, Bernie Sanders are actually promoting extermination of humans
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and failed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders have together unveiled a new piece of legislation that they claim will help to “decarbonize” America’s public housing stock – which is just code for depopulation.

Koalas ‘Functionally Extinct’ After Australia Bushfires Destroy 80% Of Their Habitat
As Australia experiences record-breaking drought and bushfires, koala populations have dwindled along with their habitat, leaving them “functionally extinct.”

Doctors use deactivated HIV virus to ‘cure’ rare ‘bubble boy’ disease
It’s not often that a rare genetic immunodeficiency disorder captures the attention of the general public, but with an iconic John Travolta-led feature film centered on “bubble boy” disease, it seems the condition — formally known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) — is an exception.

Atheist Group Issues Shocking Complaint Against Kanye’s Texas Prison Visit
A notorious atheist lobby group has issued a complaint to the Texas Sheriff responsible for allowing Kanye West into the Harris County Jail for an impromptu worship service.

Over 500 000 people affected by floods in Somalia
The Federal Government of Somalia and the humanitarian community have launched a Flood Response Plan on November 23, 2019, calling for a 72.5 million dollar fund to aid flood victims in the country, with the number of affected people reaching 536 000. At least 17 people have died in the floods. Livestock has also been badly impacted, resulting in massive loss.

Red warnings issued, major snowfall with avalanche threat over northwest Italy
As intense snowfall is ongoing over the higher mountains across northwest Italy, models indicate over 1 500 mm (59 inches) of snow this weekend, November 23, 2019, into Sunday morning, November 24– posing risks of avalanches. Heavy rain is also affecting parts of neighboring France, disrupting traffic and causing evacuations. At least two people are missing as of early Sunday morning.

We see you! US Army working on “Google Earth on steroids” 3D map that can simulate the inside of buildings
If you thought Google Earth was rather revealing, then you’re about to feel naked in your own home. The U.S. military wants to take 3-D maps a step further and penetrate walls.

Sprite Transgender Ad Proves There Is A War On For Children’s Hearts, Minds, & Bodies
The world of corporate advertising has finally crossed the cultural Rubicon…

Israel Rebuffs Iran's Attempt to Force New Rules of the Game
Nov 26th, 2019
CommentaryYAAKOV LAPPIN/JNS.ORG
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Israel launched a broad wave of precision airstrikes early on Wednesday morning, hitting dozens of Iranian and Syrian military targets, and sending a very strong message that Israel is rejecting Iran's attempt to force new "rules of the game" against it.

Most of the Iranian military targets that were hit were situated within Syrian military bases, underlying the Iranian tactic of embedding and disguising its threatening presence within the Syrian Arab Army.

According to international media reports, 23 people, including 16 "foreigners"--an apparent reference to Iranian operatives--were killed in the strikes.

The Israeli action came in response to an Iranian-directed rocket attack on Tuesday morning, in which projectiles were launched from the Damascus area in the direction of Israel. An Israeli Iron Dome battery intercepted the four rockets, which set off warning sirens in northern Israeli communities.

That rocket attack could be linked to a reported Israeli strike on a key Iranian military installation in the Damascus area this week, though Israel has not commented on such reports.

Iran is continuing its efforts to build a war machine in Syria and entrench itself militarily by moving weapons, military forces, militias and building missile bases on the territory controlled by the Bashar Assad regime. The goal of Iran is to build a second Hezbollah in Syria and to move its own military capabilities into the area so that it can threaten Israel from multiple fronts.

Israel has been pursuing an active campaign of removing these threats as it detects them, taking the initiative, and relying on high-quality intelligence and precision firepower to deal with the ongoing Iranian challenge from Syria. The goal is to nip the threat in the bud and not wait until it takes on monstrous proportions, as Hezbollah's rocket and missile arsenal has become in Lebanon.

The Quds Force, Iran's overseas special operations unit, is in charge of the Iranian expansion program in Syria. Its commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, has attempted to enforce new rules on Israel, according to which any Israeli preemptive strike will result in Iranian retaliation.

This Iranian equation is essentially designed to deter Israel from taking the initiative and removing threats to its security preemptively. Iran wants to impose a "price tag" on Jerusalem for the active defense campaign that Israel has been pursuing with much success. 

Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes in recent years have prevented the Iranians from achieving most of their goals in Syria, leading to frustration in Tehran, though its confidence has been rising recently.

The successful Iranian cruise missile and drone attack on Saudi state-oiled oil fields on Sept. 14 were a display of highly advanced, long-range firepower. The Iranian attack was a threat directed at Israel as much as it was to Iran's other regional arch-foe: Saudi Arabia. Israel heard the message and sent one of its own on Tuesday, rejecting Iran's attempt to deter it from taking action in the region to defend itself.

It appears as if the Iranians absorbed a painful blow in Syria, just as they did in May 2018 during "Operation House of Cards," when Israel struck a series of Iranian targets in response to an Iranian truck-mounted rocket attack.

Iran now has three options going forward: It can choose not to respond, launch a minor response or order a more significant response.

The fact that the regime is under pressure at home due to domestic unrest, that its economy is bleeding due to biting American sanctions, and that it is facing unrest in other zones of influence--like Lebanon and Iraq--means that Iranian decision-making may become more unpredictable going forward.

'We are prepared for any scenario'

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after the strike, Israel Defense Forces' spokesman Brig. Gen. Hadi Zilberman stressed that the IDF still has the initiative. "We will not allow Iran to entrench itself in Syria," he said.

"We prepared a battle procedure that included deployment of air defense and attack preparations. The wave of strikes was broad in its targets."

According to an IDF statement, dozens of targets were struck in the Damascus area, south and west of Syria's capital, and on the Syrian Golan Heights near the Israeli border.

In addition, the Israeli Air Force destroyed Syrian surface-to-air missile batteries that are considered advanced after they fired at Israeli aircraft. Syrian weapons storage facilities, military headquarters and observation posts were all destroyed by Israeli aircraft.

When it came to the Iranian assets, the IAF demolished Iranian military buildings, a headquarters situated in Damascus International Airport and an observation post on the Golan Heights.

"We acted against the Syrian host and the Iranian guest," said Zilberman.

Outlining Israel's posture, he assured that "we are prepared for defense and offense, and we will act with severity against any attempt to respond. We are prepared for any scenario. We will not accept Iranian entrenchment. This is a red line."

It also appears as if the Assad regime keeps failing to heed Israel's warnings to refrain from joining the Iranian-Israeli showdown, and Syria's decision to fire surface-to-air missiles resulted in a loss of a number of its air-defense batteries.

Referring to Tuesday's rocket attack on the Israeli Golan, the IDF stated, "Yesterday's Iranian attack towards Israel is further clear proof of the purpose of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which threatens Israeli security, regional stability and the Syrian regime.

Furthermore, the IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for actions taken in its territory and warns it from operating or allowing hostilities against Israel. Such actions will be followed by a severe response. The IDF will continue operating firmly and resolutely against the Iranian entrenchment in Syria."

Israel has heard Iran's message and sent its reply. The ball now returns to Iran's court.

Aaron Held His Peace - Leviticus 10:3
Nov 26th, 2019
Morning MeditationF. B. Meyer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational;Book Study

His heart must have been rent with paroxysms of grief, as he beheld the bodies of his beloved sons on the floor of the Tabernacle, stretched out in death. He repressed the cry, choked back the sob, staunched the flowing tear, and continued to perform the holy duties with which he was charged. He was no stoic, and tears are not wrong for our dead; but his relationship to God was so overmastering as to still the expressions of nature.

He saw the wrong from God's standpoint. - It was of great importance that the Divine regulations and enactments should be maintained, and that the ministering priests should always prefer God's work and service above their own ideas. Aaron was able to appreciate that position, and saw the sin of which his children were guilty. They had forgotten the voice which said, Sanctify thou Me. Obedience is the foundation of reverence, honor, and service; and if it were relaxed with the priests, how for the people! How careful they should be who bear the vessels of the Lord I With what fear and trembling must they work, who work with God!

He acquiesced in the Divine dealings. - To take the yoke, and meekly bear it; to put the hand on the mouth, and bow in the dust - this is rest and peace. In this way we drink Christ's cup and become partakers of His sufferings.

He felt that his work as priest must take precedence. - It was a solemn and awful thing to be God's anointed priest, and the office must come first, even to the denial of the dues of nature, if that were necessary: so always with us, there must be the subordination of everything to our service and work for God