Great News From Iran!

With the headlines proclaiming bad news everyday...this is certainly some amazing, and welcome, good news.

The author of a new book, Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist,” says there are things about Iran that few Americans, including American Christians, know.

“First, the present regime is on the verge of being toppled. The Iranian people are extremely unhappy with their leadership. There is the very real chance that the present mullocracy could fall in a very short time,” said Joel Richardson, who also has written “The Islamic AntiChrist.”

“Recent and credible intelligence reports argue that the looming fall of the Assad regime in Syria will be a devastating blow to the ayatollah’s regime,” he said.

“Second, the nation of Iran is presently experiencing the greatest Christian revival in the world. In my opinion, more American Christians need to be on their faces praying for the Iranian people rather than openly calling for war. Of course, there are no easy answers here, but among those calling for war, I see very few who are beginning in the place of prayer,” Richardson told WND.

Here;  http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/iran-experiencing-greatest-christian-revival-in-the-world/

Wow!  The greatest Christian revival in the world is happening right now in Iran!  Praise the Lord!  If anything could avert the crisis looming with Iran, it is most certainly the Holy Spirit.  Let's take Joel's advice and continue to pray that people would come to Christ in Iran.

Hat tip to Julie E.

Massive Glacier Melts in 4 Days

I certainly don't know what is causing the massive heat, droughts, floods, tornadoes, etc....  Is it because of burning fossil fuels, or farting cows, ocean currents, sun spots or a combination of it all?

Or maybe Jesus is coming and the earth is groaning...just like the Bible says?

But here is something that is interesting...a huge glacier in Greenland literally melted in 4 days!!

If you follow global warming news at all, you’ve probably seen the NASA satellite images (above) many times. The images show the extent of Greenland surface ice melt on July 8 (left) and July 12 (right). In just a few days, the area of the ice sheet with surface melting increased from about 40% to 97%, including Summit Station, Greenland’s highest and coldest spot.

Here;  http://www.globalwarming.org/2012/07/26/the-greenland-ice-melt-should-we-be-alarmed/

Whatever it was that caused all this ice to melt, we can certainly all agree that it is a rare event.

15 yr old Boy Arrested for Raping His Grandma

The disgusting news of perversion in this land continue making their way across the headlines.

I heard this one a few days ago on the radio and had to look it up for myself to see if it is true....and it appears to be.

This out of Colorado....

Edmond - A Colorado teenager has been arrested and is facing felony charges after he allegedly cut off his grandmother's panties and raped her while she slept.

 

News9 reports that the 15-year-old, whose name was not released due to his age, was visiting his 59-year-old grandmother in Edmond, Oklahoma earlier this month. The woman, whose name has also not been released, takes medications that make her sleep.

On the night of July 14, the woman called police to report that her grandson raped her. The grandmother allegedly woke up on the morning of July 12 and noticed her panties were missing. She later found the underwear under her bed. Court documents show that she woke up to find the boy thrusting against her.

The woman told her son, the boy's uncle, what had happened to her. He arrived and took the teen to the police department.

According to the uncle, the boy confessed that he "cut off her panties while she was in bed and had sex with grandma" and that he "had sex with grandma on the couch."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/328977#ixzz21l2Vb5wh

Can you imagine?  Who has ever heard of such a thing?

"But mark this; There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control. brutal, not lovers of the good...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...."  2 Timothy 3:1-5

It would appear that this 15 year old rapist qualifies on this list in multiple categories....

Israel-Iran Conflict May Happen Before Election

We have seen this before and and even blogged on it, but it came up today in Bloomberg News.

The leaders of Israel may very well decide to launch a preventive strike against Iran’s nuclear program before the U.S. election on Nov. 6.

Sanctions are failing to persuade the Iranian regime to stop enriching uranium, and negotiations with members of theUnited Nations Security Council are bearing no fruit.

With these failures in mind, Israeli officials have intensified their rhetoric. The defense minister, Ehud Barak, told an audience this week at Israel’s National Defense College that although he is “well aware of the difficulties involved in thwarting Iran’s attempts to acquire a nuclear weapon,” he believes that “dealing with the threat itself will be far more complicated, far more dangerous and far more costly in resources and human life.”

Barak and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have argued that they don’t want to subcontract the task of attacking Iran’s nuclear program to the U.S. They think the Jewish state shouldn’t rely on others for its defense. Still, there’s a good chance they will postpone action until after the U.S. election, which is what the Obama administration says it wants them to do.

On the matter of Iran, however, Netanyahu would be wrong to root for Romney. Barack Obama is the one who’s more likely to confront Iran militarily, should sanctions and negotiations fail. He has committed himself to stopping Iran by any means necessary, and he has a three-year record as president to back his rhetoric. Romney has only rhetoric, and he would be hamstrung in many ways if he chose military confrontation.

Here;  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2012-07-26/in-israel-iran-conflict-don-t-rely-on-romney.html

So let's frame this again....Netanyahu certainly would rather have Romney as the new POTUS.  However, if they are weighing a strike on Iran, they KNOW Obama would have to support them today as POTUS....if he has any hope of re election....plus Obama has already spoken a hard line against Iran so his word would be on the line if Israel hits Iran before the election.

Oh...those rumors or war...they just keep a comin'....

One Big Fur Ball Set to Fly

A loyal reader and commenter sent this summary of what is currently happening in the Middle East.  Yes, it would seem that the fur is getting ready to fly.

Reading the news today and reflecting on current events. I thought I would write a bullet point summary to put in perspective.

The UN is calling for Assad to step down in Syria. We request, "pretty pretty please with sugar on top" that you stop killing your people.

Syrian rebels backed by AL-Queda and the US are stockpiling of ammunition and medical supplies in preparation for a major battle in Aleppo.

Russia is sending arms / ships / advisers and wants Assad in power for the warm water port they have invested billions on in the Mediterranean.

Iran is has pledged troops to help Assad and in doing so has Russia's support for their nuclear program.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is sending fighters to Syria to defeat Assad to create a Syrian-Iraqi Islamic state to prepare for a war against Iran and Israel, and free Palestine.

Iran Ayatollah Khomeini held a pep rally for his martyrs brigades and IRGC last week and told them to prepare for the battle and the end of the world.

Turkey is closing its borders with Syria and sending troops and armor to the border. Syrian citizens are fleeing to Iraq.

Sunni backed Al-Qaeda in Iraq is taking back the areas that they lost in the American occupation.

Shia backed operatives in Iraq are targeting Al-queda and bolstering their presence via the militias.

Syrian Chemical weapons are being moved to the Lebanese border in case Assad falls and they can be transferred Hezbollah.

Israel has stated they will act decisively to keep these weapons out of the hands of Hezbollah.

Assad has warned he will use Chemical weapons if attacked from outside.

The United States has warned that this is a red line if these are used.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran and the MB, whose core goal is the destruction of Israel has told their soldiers to prepare for battle.

Hezbollah has stated they will attack Israel if Israel attacks Syria.

Iran has published a war strategy to close the Persian gulf by force and in doing so shut of gulf oil to the west.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has said if Israel is an aggressor in Lebanon or Syria that the Sadat Peace Treaty is void.

The boarder crossing between the west bank and Egypt is now open requiring no visa.

Arms from Libya are passing through Egypt into Gaza un-obstructed.

The MB in Tunisia are calling for the final Caliphate.

Now as the MB has taken control of North Africa they are turning their focus on the Gulf Arab countries.

The MB and Iran are forging closer ties. Big Majorities in Jordan, Egypt Want Assad to Step Down and Syria to be liberated.

The United States has reaffirmed our support for The MB and Egypt by the transfer of over a billion dollars.

Christians and other non Muslim minorities are fleeing the newly liberated democracies in the middle east seeking political asylum in any countries that will have them.

The light is fleeing the darkness.

Add on top of all this volcano's, earthquakes, weather extremes, droughts and other wars brewing...

 

Thanks Tom F. for the bullet points.  When you lay it all out like that it certainly becomes increasingly apparent that the world is in desperate need for a Savior to come and figure it all out. 

 

The bad news is that the Antichrist will most likely be that initial savior.  The good news is that all believers of Jesus Christ will have been withdrawn in the rapture BEFORE the Antichrist is revealed.

 

"For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back (Holy Spirit indwelling believers) will continue to do so til he is taken out of the way.  And then the lawless one (Antichrist) will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."  2 Thessalonians 2:7-8

 

How is the Holy Spirit removed from the earth?  By taking all the saints into the clouds and physically removing us from the earth in the rapture.

 

Can you hear the footsteps and understand that we are in the season of His return?

Thou Shalt Not Murder

Just about everyone you ask about the 10 commandments could name one...thou shalt not murder.

So it should come as no surprise that we see murder sweeping across many major cities in America as we shun God and take matters into our own hands.

Of course the most obvious recent murders have been in Denver at the Batman movie premier over the weekend.  The media is getting fairly breathless trying to figure out how they can take law abiding citizen's guns so that such an atrocity can never happen again.

A few weeks ago we had a man in Wisconsin who took his 3 young daughters and slit their throats in hopes that their murders would 'get even' with his ex wife.

Fresno, CA is having lots of murders this year;

It has been an exceptional year for Fresno in the worst way possible.

“We have 32 murders this year. Last year at this time we had 22, so ten more murders this year with nearly half the year left,” said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

Here;  http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Fresno-s-Murder-Rate-Surges/1FLWPQd7ok2-9QKxgKPyDQ.cspx?rss=153

Chicago is having lots of murders this year;

Since coming into office 13 months ago, Emanuel has been shouldered with a soaring murder rate. As crime overall has dropped in the city and across the nation, Chicago already has had 275 murders this year, according to CBS News.

here;  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/murder-rate-climbs-chicago-mayor-makes-values-appeal-161727694.html?_esi=1

New Orleans has the dubious distinction of having the highest murder rate per capita.

New Orleans now has the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Most of the killings are concentrated in the city's poorest neighborhoods — places like Central City, just a few blocks north of the stately mansions that line St. Charles Avenue.

The city's mayor is launching a new program aimed at cracking what he describes as a deeply rooted culture of violence. But victims complain that a failed criminal justice system has left the streets to vigilante justice, with innocent residents caught in the crossfire.

Here;  http://www.npr.org/2012/07/05/155986277/new-orleans-struggles-with-murder-rate-and-trust?ft=1&f=3

And Evansville, Indiana is seeing murder go off the charts;

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -

"Off the charts." That's how police are describing the murder rate in Evansville.

Six murders so far this year, and that's already more murders than all of last year.

Here;  http://www.14news.com/story/19023911/evansville-murder-rate-being-described-as-off-the-charts

We live in a wicked age.  The bad news is that things are only going to get worse.

The good news is that nighttime ALWAYS precedes daylight....and when Jesus Christ soon comes it is going to be a glorious day!!

I

Spain's Death Spiral

Here are the facts to nations who borrow money...at some time it has to be repaid.  Yes, of course, you can pay interest on the money you have borrowed and as long as that interest rate stays low, you can just keep muddling along paying interest, technically forever.  But what happens when the folks who loaned you the money start to doubt whether you are going to repay it all?  Well, of course, they will want to receive more interest to atone for the increased risk.  But what happens if the interest rates go to 5% or 6% or even higher?  Then you will end up using all the money that you collect in taxes simply to pay the interest on the $trillions that you borrowed.

And when that happens....all bets are off...because you end up with a crisis of confidence and no one will loan you any money....and your financial system collapses.

Last week Spain broke the supposedly magic 7 percent barrier, its rate to borrow money for ten years rising to 7.18 percent on Friday, 7.4 Monday morning. By contrast, Germany can borrow money at 1.17 percent as I write this; Switzerland, .46 percent; even the downgraded, living-beyond-its-means, politically paralyzed U.S., 1.41 percent, the lowest rate we've had to pay for a 10-year loan in our entire history.

By way of comparison, when Spain adopted the euro as its currency back in 1999, it was paying just under 4 percent to borrow for ten years, the same interest rate Germany had to pay back then. And the identity of Spanish and German interest rates held steady for almost a decade. Same for Greek interest rates, which tells you the basic story: investors thought that any country borrowing in euro was as safe a credit as any other.

It was after the Crash of '08 that investors turned forensic. Not all euro borrowers were the same, they discovered. And so rates began to diverge; lenders simply began to demand a higher yield to compensate them for the added risk they had been taking.

Sadly, however -- but also predictably -- the more Greece cuts, the more its economy shrinks, meaning that its tax base shrivels, meaning the greater its deficit, meaning the greater the risk of default. Death spiral (see above).

One way out: default on your debts, quit the eurozone and start over in your own currency. That's what many of our Making Sen$e Greece experts have predicted for a few years. There's been little talk of it with regard to Spain. Until now. 

Here;  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/07/spains-death-spiral.html

Did you catch the fact that U.S. borrowing rates are at 1.41%...which is the lowest rate EVER!!  What happens when ours goes to 7%....which is where it traditionally has been for 10 year rates??

What happens when many cities start filing bankruptcy in California...and California then seeks help from the Federal government...which is already broke?  What happens when New York, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan also seek help from the Federal government?

What happens when we simply can't find anyone to loan us any more money? 

Then we will simply be done spending other people's money.....and then the unrest will begin.

Friends, this is what happens when we put our trust in man and his schemes.  Only God sets up and tears down nations and I believe we are about to witness some substantial tearing down.

Israel Warns Syria About Chemicals

This whole Syria thing is a pretty big deal.  I know I have posted on it over the past few weeks...but we really do need to keep watching it daily.

It appears more and more likely that Assad is going to fall.  A big bomb killed some of his closest advisors, including his brother in law, and it would appear that the momentum is now with the rebels who want to throw him out.

Israel WILL NOT ALLOW chemical weapons to fall into unknown hands if Assad falls. 

Israel says Syria has the biggest chemical weapons stockpile in the world and the Jewish state has repeatedly warned about the dangers of such materials, and other advanced weaponry such as anti-aircraft systems and surface-to-surface missiles, falling into Hezbollah’s hands

With the Assad regime looking closer than ever to collapse, Israel has stepped up the rhetoric against Syria, warning it could take military action if any of its advanced weapons end up in the hands of Hezbollah.

Following a deadly bombing in Damascus on July 18 which killed four top security officials in what Israeli officials described as a “severe blow” to the regime, Israel has been closely watching developments in Syria, readying itself for the possible collapse of the Assad regime.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the fate of Syria’s weapons stockpiles was of greater concern to him than who or what would replace the Assad regime. “I’m more concerned with what could happen to those stocks of chemical weapons and those deadly rockets and missiles when there is no government in Syria,” he said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

“Can you imagine Hezbollah — the people who are conducting, with Iran, all these terror attacks around the world — can you imagine that they would have chemical weapons? It’s like al Qaeda having chemical weapons,” he said. “It is something that is not acceptable to us.”

Beijing Gets Heaviest Rainfall in 60 Years

NBC Nightly News now has a permanent segment on their broadcast called EXTREME WEATHER.  Even they have realized that the glut of extreme temps, tornadoes, floods, heat and drought are worthy of specific mention.

Here will be another news item for their report;

July 23, 2012 – BEIJING — The heaviest rainfall in six decades caused widespread havoc in this capital over the weekend, killing at least 37 people and forcing the evacuation of 50,000 others from waterlogged neighborhoods and villages, according to the state news media. More than six inches of rain fell overnight Saturday into Sunday, collapsing roofs, downing power lines and turning highway underpasses into ponds that engulfed scores of cars and buses. About 80,000 passengers at Beijing Capital International Airport were stranded overnight after fierce thunderstorms forced the cancellation of 500 flights, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. The sewer system of Beijing, a city poised on the edge of the Gobi Desert, is ill-equipped to handle heavy precipitation; residents in low-lying areas are accustomed to dealing with minor flooding after rainstorms. Officials said the rain, which began at noon and stretched into the early morning, was the heaviest since 1951. The city’s flood control bureau said the downpour in the city’s southwestern Fangshan district brought 18 inches of water and forced the evacuation of hundreds, including 350 students who were trapped at a military training site. Among the dead were a police officer electrocuted by a falling power line and another person struck by lightning. Elsewhere in the country, at least 10 people drowned or perished in landslides, including four people killed in northern Shanxi Province when their truck was swept away by a swollen river, the state news media reported. –NY Times

Gospel Truth Mocked Over Colorado Shootings

The nation's attention is still focused on the Colorado theatre shooting.  How could this have happened?  Who were the victims?  Why did they die so young?  Why were some killed and some were spared?  Why should people be allowed to have guns?...and on and on and on.

How long will this last?  Until the next tragic story unfolds someplace like a big earthquake, a big tsunami, a big explosion or a big war...and then very quickly the news in CO will fade away.

So of course yesterday was Sunday and many ministers got to climb into the pulpits and explain to their parishioners why bad things like this happen.  I, for one, know the incredibly simple answer....because this is a satanic planet, full of evil, selfish people whom the majority of have no desire to accept Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and be transformed from children of the darkness into children of the light.

Now check out what this pastor said in his comments;

I can't help but feel that to some extent, we're reaping what we've been sowing as a society. We said to God, "Get out of the public arena." Lawsuit after lawsuit, often by misguided "civil libertarians," have chased away any fear of God in the land -- at least in the hearts of millions.

"People say ... where was God in all of this? We've threatened high school graduation participations, if they use God's name, they're going to be jailed ... I mean that kind of stuff. Where was God? What have we done with God? We don't want him around. I kind of like his protective hand being present."

If a Christian dies early, if a Christian dies young, it seems tragic, but really it is not tragic because they are going to a wonderful place.. on the other hand, if a person doesn’t know Jesus Christ.. if they knowingly rejected Jesus Christ, then, basically, they are going to a terrible place.

For those who are not ‘in Christ’ and see this incredible tragedy, this would be a good time for soul reflection and consider why have you not accepted Jesus Christ.. I would urge anyone who is not in Christ to repent of your sins.

Yep, what he said all comes right from the words of Jesus Christ and and certainly mainline Christian beliefs.  He had a clear call to repent and be saved by Jesus.  Sermons like this are repeated daily all over the country in Bible believing churches.

Now let's look at what the Huffington Post had to say in response to what this pastor said.

An evangelical spokesperson for a religious group known as Truth In Action has claimed that the tragedy in Colorado happened because America has lost its fear of hell.

Perhaps more disturbing were Newcombe’s comments on a segment on the American Family Association dedicated to understanding the shooting tragedy in Colorado. In taking about the deaths, Newcombe separated the afterlife fate of those who died as Christians and those who did not.

Newcombe then turned the tragedy into an opportunity for people to become Christian and avoid the fate of hell.

This is really quite interesting....that a minister of the Gospel tells the story of Jesus, "Repent and be saved"....and we are now at a point in this nation where the liberal media (Huffington) set up an article knowing it will be used to mock Christian beliefs.

Here are just a few of the comments to the article;

"Remarks such as these are one reason many have turned from these "religions". Many leaders of churches seem to preach "my way or the highway (to hell)" and if that is truly the case, then hell is going to be overflowing."

"The shooter himself was raised a "good Christian". So what is this guy saying, that the shooter was sent by the big boss to put the fear back in us all? Which boss was it, the one in the clouds or the one in the flames? Can any of them even tell the difference?" 

"Back in the bronze age where Christianity was just another myth making the rounds in pagan society it was a popular believe that only followers of Hercules made it to Mount Olympus. While the names have changed, the mythology is just a baseless today as it was then."

"Ooga Booga!! Jesus is cummin ta gitcha!! I think is is safe to say that a significant percentage of deaths throughout history have been perpetrated by religious zealotry in the form of war and torture. If there is a God, why does he allow haters like this to speak on his behalf? The real problem in America is the grip held on the stupids by these ignorant Evangelicals."

This is very sad to see the words of our Savior, the words of eternal life...ridiculed, misused and thrown away. 

The first commenter said that hell was going to be overflowing.  He doesn't realize how accurate his mocking words are.  Jesus clearly said, "Wide is the road to that leads to destruction and many will be on it.  Narrow is the path that leads to life and few will be on it."

This nation is in serious trouble folks.  We need to be praying that the fear of God will overtake us....because without the fear of the Lord, there is no wisdom...and without any wisdom, we have no chance of recovering from this debacle our nation is currently in.

See article and hundreds of comments here;  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/22/jerry-newcombe-hell_n_1692859.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular