Debate with My Brother

Many of you have heard me talk about how my brother and I are divided. This is a source of sadness for me, but really doesn't surprise me. Jesus clearly said that families will be divided because of Him.

What's interesting is that I will send my brother articles on politics, global warming, stimulus packages etc...and more often that not, he will throw in some rant against Christians. Usually the rant centers around our hypocrisy. He feels he knows enough about Jesus and the NT to throw out venom at Christ followers who don't have the same worldview as he believes they should...if they are following his understanding of Christ.

His understanding of Jesus has characteristics like, "good husband of the earth" or "helping the poor through Government" or "never going to war"...in essence my brother has created Jesus to be a far left, liberal voting, Prius driving, Nancy Pelosi supporting human being. Sadly, his version isn't too far away from the version that many within The Church have come to understand.

I have come to the conclusion that many who believe this way have only focused on Jesus in his first coming and they have no idea (orbelief) of what Jesus will be at his 2nd coming. That being said, Dr. David Jeremiah in his book, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON? has a nice passage that lays out this dramatic contrast;

In His first coming He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. In His second coming He will be clothed royally in a robe dipped in blood.

In His first coming He was surrounded by cattle and common people. In His second coming He will be accompanied by the massive armies of heaven.

In His first coming the door ofthe inn was closed to Him. In His second coming the door of the heavens will be opened to Him.

In His first coming His voice was the tiny cry of a baby. In His second coming His voice will thunder as the sound of many waters.

In His first coming, He was the Lamb of God who came bringing salvation. In His second coming, He will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah who comes bringing judgement.

Friends, people who don't understand the nature of Jesus second coming, simply do not know Jesus.

Stem Cells

I really don't kow much about stem cell research, certainly not enough to have a debate with anybody. But I do believe that the process comes close to tinkering with the building blocks of human life...which is certainly God's domain.

That being said, it should come as little surprise that Obama is paving the way with federal funding to open the floodgates on this research.

Read it here; http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/03/07/MNNB16AQFH.DTL

As a country, if we keep encouraging and permitting abortion, cloning experiments, hybrid crosses, designer baby research, etc...God will soon have something to say to us, and I fear it may be the same words he said through Jonah to the Ninevites....REPENT OR YOU WILL BE OVERTHROWN!

Darfur and Israel

As many of you have heard, the world court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan. Just in case you haven't read the news for 3 yrs, I will remind you that thousands of people in Darfur have been raped, tortured and murdered at the hands of Islamic raiders. And now that the arrest warrant has been issued for President al-Bashir, he has responded by kicking out all the charites who were trying to feed people so now millions may starve.

One lesson to the world court from all this....don't issue arrest warrants unless you have a plan for carrying it out.

But here comes the really strange part;

The Government called mobs on to the streets of the capital yesterday in an angry show of support. More than 10,000 people, many screaming furiously, poured in to Martyrs Square to cheer on their President. Some burnt Israeli flags and effigies of Luis Moreno Ocampo, the ICC’s chief prosecutor.

Did you catch that?? They were burning Israeli flags!! What possible connection can there be between the tradgedy in Sudan and Israel?? The ONLY possible answer is that Sudan has been given over to Satan (the evidence is in the detail of the atrocities being committed there) and Satan hates Jews. He always has and he always will.

Read the full article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5854944.ece

Christian Film in Damascus

The linked article is written by Joel Rosenberg, best selling author of Epicenter. It tells of a Christian themed movie about the life of the Apostle Paul that will be played in Damascus. This is both encouraging and strange, given that Islam has deterred Syrian Christians from spreading the Gospel message.

It is especially noteworthy given two Bible prophecies -- one in Isaiah 17 and the other in Jeremiah 49 -- that suggest the city of Damascus will be obliterated in what the Bible calls "the last days." The Scriptures do not say exactly when or how the Syrian capital will be destroyed. But let us pray that the powerful message of Paul's life and Jesus Christ's love and forgiveness for all people is clearly communicated to every Syrian, particularly those in the capital.

Read it here; http://www.worldviewtimes.com/print.php?&ArticleID=4674

Certainly, look for Christ to be gathering all those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life as time remaining for the Age of Grace draws to a close.

Close Call

A big chunk of rock just missed crashing into planet earth a few days ago. If it had hit somewhere it may have exploded with the same energy as 1000 atomic bombs. That may have taken our mind off the financial crisis for a while. (smile)

Read it here; http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.783c3aae6eb418393fc6f8c443ef6765.2f1&show_article=1

This is just more evidence that this entire earth ONLY exists because God allows it to exist. Has anybody found the "fear of the Lord" that the bible talks so much about? It seem's to have gone missing from planet earth...about the same time "common sense" went missing.

Temple Mount Chatter

Here is a great article on the "hottest piece of real estate in the world". This refers to the 40 acre site where Solomon first built The Temple. Now there are two muslim mosques on that 40 acres but the bible is clear...a third Jewish Temple is coming for that spot. It will be amazing to watch how that all plays out as the Jews continue to make their temple garments, cups and sacrificial implements.

Read it here; http://temple-mount-news.newslib.com/story/4220-2934106/

While secular Jews often appear content to limit their "right" to the Western Wall, Israelis who have the fear of the Lord and who know that their nation's First and Second Temples were built on top of the mount will not agree to relinquishing it to the followers of another god.

Notice how this Jewish article calls Muslims, "followers of another god."

Obama Just Like Bush, Says Iran

It appears that Obama may have a tough time talking to the Iranians. For one thing, they don't want to talk about their nuclear ambitions if that means we are going to question their desire for weapons. They don't think that is respectful of us.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran would welcome talks with the U.S. — but only if there was mutual respect. Iranian officials have said that means the U.S. needs to stop accusing Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism, charges Tehran has denied.

Obviously, it's going to be hard for Obama and Hillary to talk about nuclear weapons if the Iranians leave the room when the word "weapon" is said.

In addition to this word problem, Iran believes we are Satanic and we need a lesson in human rights.

"Change means giving up your satanic, coercive and aggressive ways and instead adopting more human morals. ... If you accept this invitation, it will be to the benefit of yourself and your nation," Ahmadinejad told a crowd in northwestern Iran. He did not mention Obama by name but was referring to the new president's administration.

Read full article here; http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goykFnHZsAqRUFl1bXBuWbVNcpkgD96N9TTG1

In summation....they think we are Satan and and we can't use the word "weapon". I hope they serve a good cup of green tea so Hillary get's something good out of their talks.

Financial Crisis Explained

I received this explantion of the financial crisis from a friend. Since many of you have heard me refer to this country's spending habits as a "drunken binge"....the bar reference is appropriate.

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Buffalo. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently of course fired due his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts.Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %.The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

And now, my friends, you understand the "deriviatives" market and also why we are in the pickle we are in.

Iran Clenches Its Fist

The title of this post also corresponds to the title of an article written by ex-UN ambassador, John Bolton. Mr. Bolton is sounding the alarm on Iran and has been for sometime. He is also very adamant about the fact that talking to the Iranians (diplomacy) will not reduce Iran's nuclear program.

Hordes of U.S. officials with vague and overlapping mandates -- special envoys, ambassadors, cabinet officials, and, of course, the vice president -- are racing to be in the first photo-op with Iran. But what should focus our attention is the substantive risk that Tehran will use its opportunity to employ diplomacy to undermine U.S. interests.

Read full article here; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123595269921905155.html

So, Mr. Obama, I sincerely hope that talking to the Iranian regime will help the cause for world peace. The people talking to Hitler in 1938 had the same hopes...but they turned out to be not only false hopes, but dangerous hopes. So with that history as a backdrop, I pray that you and your administration are working on Plan B...just in case talk doesn't work.

Zion Needs Messiah

If you practice the Jewish faith, you have not accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah. So, since you believe the Messiah has yet to come, you are still looking for him. As Christians, we know Jesus was here once to serve as the suffering servant and we know that when he returns, it will be as the smiting stone which smashes all kingdoms on earth, (Daniel and Revelation) casts satan into the abyss and sets up his 1000 year reign on earth.

To further this discussion, we know that the OT and NT talk about the coming anti-christ. He will be a charismatic leader who will capture the attention of the world. The 7 yrs of Tribualtion spoke of throughout the bible (also referred to as "Jacob's Trouble" and "the 70th Week of Daniel") will be ushered in when this man figures out a way to bring peace to Israel and it's enemies in the middle east, and a peace agreement is signed.

With that as a brief background, read this Jewish article; http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/8613

Now understand this....the Jews of Israel will accept the coming anti-christ as messiah. This article is a foreshadowing to all of us Christians (Sons of the Light) of how that will work. For centuries, Christians have asked how it will be possible for the Jews to accept the anti-christ and even allow him into the 3rd Temple (soon to be built)....and now a clue to that mystery has been revealed.

Please pray for the Jews. The bible is clear that 2/3 of them will die in the soon coming holocaust...even worse, they will die not knowing Jesus.

Iran Says No Bomb

In my previous post we talked about Iran having enough material to make a nuke. Today, Iran has said that is not true.

"All these statements regarding the production of a nuclear bomb are very baseless," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said.

Also, our own defense secratary, Robert Gates, has said that Iran isn't close to actually having a bomb which in his view gives the world (us) more time to coerce the Iranians.

Read article here; http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-38287820090302

The $1000 question is; what do you do if you are Israel? How much longer do you let them cook up fissile material and practice their missile launches? This is especially true when you consider their president has been telling his people to imagine a world with no Israel and has been organizing and arming Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are dedicated to the destruction of Israel.

Uh-oh...Now What?

Shoot! We were hoping that the Iranians were not going to be able to spin those centrifuges long enough and fast enough to create fissile material. When George Bush was talking tough to the Iranians a few years ago, the liberals said they were no where close to mastering the technology and it would be years before they could....and now we are here. And the world WILL NOT be a safer place.

I don't need to remind anyone of what Ahmadinejad has said or what his End of Days beliefs are. If you don't know them, call me or use the search engine on this blog to refresh your memory. Suffice it to say that a vaporizing war-head screwed on the tip of a 2000 mile range ballistic missile....is not what the world needs, especially with all the global turmoil transpiring.

Read the Iranian nuke report here; http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-01-voa19.cfm

Now for some sarcastic good news from the article;
The Obama administration has said it will seek to end Iran's nuclear ambitions, preferably through diplomacy.

I think this borders on the scale of being funny. Let's see how this conversation between Obama and the Mullahs of Iran might go.

Obama-"Hey guys, how's it going. About those nuclear ambitions, we don't want you making any nukes...OK?"

Mullahs-"We only want to make electricity."

Obama- "Well OK....just don't make any bombs, OK guys?"

Mullahs- "OK we won't...if you send us $20 billion dollars in gold by next Tuesday...we will only make electricity".

Obama- "That sounds fair. I'll just attach it the my multi-trillion dollar stimulus package. I think extortion from a foreign government should actually create jobs, since we will need to have 150 people stationed in Iran for the next 50 years making sure we got our $20 billion worth of bribe money."

My Muslim President

The article I will post below is written by a muslim woman who is also an American. In the article she points out why most muslims world wide believe that President Obama is part of the muslim worldwide community, known as the umma.

Of the few Muslims I polled who said that Obama is not Muslim, even they conceded that he had ties to Islam. These realists said that, although not an avowed and practicing Muslim, Obama's exposure to Islam at a young age (both through his father and his stint in Indonesia) has given him a Muslim sensibility. In my book, that makes you a Muslim--maybe not a card-carrying one, but part of the flock for sure. One realist Muslim ventured that Obama worships at a Unitarian Church because it represents the middle ground between Christianity and Islam, incorporating the religious beliefs of the two faiths Obama feels connected to. Unitarianism could be Obama's way of still being a Muslim. (And let's not forget that the church Obama worshiped at for so many years had a minister who reminds most Muslims of their own raving, excitable ministers. Even if Obama really is Christian, he picked the most Muslim-esque minister out of the bunch to guide him.)

Read her full article here; http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/24/muslim-barack-obama-opinions-contributors_islamic_president.html?partner=popstories

When you put this article together with the article I posted earlier this week on Obama and Iran, you come up with a very curious set of circumstances the surround the leader of the Western world. Let's remember that Satan has been preparing the deception of the Last Days for a very long time. He is patient and sneaky (like a prowling lion) when it comes to setting the final trap which will ensnare the entire world. Jesus tells us that it would even ensnare us, (the elect) if that were possible. To me those words mean that the deception will be so good and the sprung trap so strong that even believer's souls would be given over to Satan...were it not for the deposit of the Holy Spirit that all believers have been given by the Father.

Thank you Jesus for that deposit which gives us assurance of our place next to you.