Signs of the Times

[Shammu]

African States Want to Condemn Israel While Ignoring Darfur
Friday, August 29, 2008
By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor

African nations preparing for a major United Nations racism conference next year want Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians on the agenda, but not the conflict in Darfur, Sudan.
 
The focus on Israel will reaffirm the concerns of critics who are urging Western governments to boycott the conference.
 
A leading African legal scholar said Thursday that Darfur should not only feature at the conference planned for April 20-24 in Geneva, but should top the agenda if the event is not to be “a joke.”
 
The Geneva gathering aims to review actions taken as a result of the landmark World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), held in Durban, South Africa in 2001.
 
The WCAR and a parallel forum of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were mired in controversy over attempts to brand Israel as a racist state and demands for reparations for slavery, and saw both the United States and Israel withdraw in protest.
 
Canada and Israel have already indicated that they will stay away from the 2009 event, which critics have dubbed “Durban II,” and some European countries, Britain and France among them, are considering their options.
 
The U.S. government has not yet announced a final decision, but has refused to participate in or fund a preparatory process, which includes regional conferences like one by Nigeria this week.
 
Attended by government officials and NGO observers from more than 20 African nations, the three-day meeting in Abuja ended with the adoption of a declaration. Along with similar texts from other regional meetings, it will be used to draw up the “outcome document” for the 2009 conference.
 
The African declaration, almost 6,000 words long, makes reference to only one specific country situation anywhere in the world, reiterating “concern about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupations.”
 
The crisis in Darfur does not get a mention. The U.N. says up to 300,000 lives have been lost in the western Sudanese region since fighting erupted between government-backed Arab Janjaweed militias and ethnic African rebel groups in 2003.
 
“Why is a non-African situation mentioned in a declaration about Africa, one that references neither Sudan’s racist killings, nor any other country in Africa?” asked Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based NGO, U.N. Watch.
 
“Portraying Israel’s conflict as racial is more than political mischief,” Neuer said in a statement. “It’s an attempt to dehumanize Israelis and their supporters as uniquely evil.”
 
“The obvious result of mentioning only the Palestinians as victims of racism is to demonize the Jewish state,” said Anne Bayefsky, senior editor of Eye on the U.N., a project of the Hudson Institute.
 
“The Abuja Declaration indicates that continued participation by democratic nations in the Durban II process sends precisely the wrong signals to rights-abusing states and their victims,” she said.
 
Reuters quoted a U.N. official, Ibrahim Wani, as saying that Israel’s interests were not “badly damaged,” since “it is only one paragraph that mentions the Palestinians.”
 
‘Race is the defining issue’
 
Prof. Makau Mutua, Dean of  the Buffalo Law School and director of the Human Rights Center at the State University of New York, said Thursday that that “unless the meeting [in Geneva] is a joke, it has to place Darfur at the top of its agenda.”
 
“There is no other more pressing race issue in Africa than Darfur,” said Mutua, a Kenyan. “What could be more horrendous than genocide?”
 
Asked whether he was surprised that Darfur was ignored in the text adopted in Abuja, Mutua said African nations “have shown absolutely no spine” in confronting the issue.
 
“This problem has historical dimensions where black Africans have borne the brunt of Arab expansionism and slavery,” he said.
 
The now-defunct Organization of African Unity “failed to address this historical problem, and sadly, the [successor African Union] has followed suit.”
 
The A.U. has opposed an International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for Bashir to be indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity, condemning what it called “the misuse of indictments against African leaders.”
 
“How can Africans expect outsiders to tackle the issue of Darfur if they themselves are too cowardly to address it?” Mutua asked.
 
During the meeting in Abuja, a U.N. Watch representative delivered a speech in which atrocities in Darfur were addressed.
 
“Sudan immediately interrupted with an objection – supported by Algeria and Morocco – and Chairman Martin Uhomoibhi of Nigeria ruled that country situations could not be mentioned,” Neuer reported.
 
Some have disputed that the Darfur conflict is a racial one, pointing to the fact that while Arabic speaking, many Janjaweed militiamen are black. Juan Cole, left-wing Middle East professor at the University of Michigan, has written that the Arab versus African argument is promoted by “rightwing Zionists” who want to racialize the conflict for political reasons.
 
But the Janjaweed itself has promoted the Arab vs. African angle. An Amnesty International report published in 2004 cited a song sung by militia-supporting women that said, “the power of [Sudanese president Omar] al-Bashir belongs to the Arabs and we will kill you until the end, you blacks, we have killed your God.”
 
(Some experts argue that, however the race issue may appear to Western eyes, what is relevant is how the protagonists view each other; to outsiders, Rwandan Tutsis and Hutus may look alike but few dispute that attempted genocide occurred there during the 1990s.)
 
Mutua said there was no doubt that “race in the context of the struggle for resources and power is the defining issue in the genocide” in Darfur.
 
“The more than 300,000 killed and three million Darfurians who have been displaced are black,” he said. “There is no other rational explanation for the pogroms against them except their race.”
 
'Islamophobia,' free speech and counter-terrorism
 
Other concerns arising from the declaration adopted in Abuja include references – six times in the text – to “incitement to religious hatred” and the need for countries to take legal and other steps against it.
 
The document “calls upon States to avoid inflexibly clinging to free speech in defiance of the sensitivities existing in a society and with absolute disregard for religious feelings.”
 
The Organization of the Islamic Conference, a bloc of Muslim states, is leading a campaign at the U.N. to have what it calls the defamation of Islam outlawed, and “Islamophobia” is expected to feature prominently at the Geneva conference.
 
Neuer said the language in the Abuja text “goes far beyond the recognized norms for balancing prohibitions of racial hatred with respect for free speech, which is the lifeblood of democracy.”
 
“If the right to express one’s beliefs … is to be restricted by the ‘feelings’ and ‘sensitivities’ of others, this will mark the end of free speech as we know it.”
 
Elsewhere, the Abuja declaration “draws attention to the impact of counter-terrorism measures on the rise of racism … including the practice of racial, ethnic, national and religious profiling.”
 
Bayefsky of Eye on the U.N. said this was an attempt to stifle efforts to combat terrorism.
 
“The United Nations, which still cannot manage to define terrorism, has instead focused on placing roadblocks in the way of counter terrorism measures,” she said. “Charging counter terrorism activities with racism is a favorite.”

CNSNews.com African States Want to Condemn Israel While Ignoring Darfur

[Shammu]

Anglicans still divided over homosexuality
August 30 2008

Senior churchmen yesterday rejected proposals designed to avoid a schism in the Anglican Communion, insisting they would continue to develop their own global movement for conservative evangelicals and offer it as an alternative solution to the current crisis over homosexuality.

Six primates, who between them claim to represent half of the world's Anglicans, issued a communique saying they were "saddened" by the Lambeth conference, the 10-yearly gathering held last month in Canterbury, for failing to offer a "more effective way forward".

The communique follows their meeting, in London last week, to establish a council, an advisory board and a secretariat for the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca).

All but one of the signatories, the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, boycotted Lambeth, partly because of invitations extended to prominent liberal bishops.

The primates said their "immediate difficulty" was that the voice of Lambeth 2008 was "seriously weakened" because it repeated what had already been said in previous summits aimed at healing deep divisions over the ordination of gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions.

In a swipe at the Archbishop of Canterbury, who earlier this month expressed his optimism and hope about the future of the Anglican Communion, they said: "The hope that we may somehow return to the state of affairs before 2003 is an illusion."

The Archbishop of Sydney and newly-appointed Gafcon secretary, the Right Rev Peter Jensen, said: "At Lambeth there was talk of building bridges but as far as I know there has been no approach made.

"The communique is on the right track. It is not a schism, they have no intention of leaving, it is the reverse. To provide a way for people to stay. They are trying to get the Americans to have a mechanism to stay within the Anglican Communion."

Anglicans still divided over homosexuality

[Shammu]

Brazil spending $160M on nuclear propelled sub

By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer Fri Aug 29, 8:22 PM ET

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil will spend US$160 million by the end of next year on the development of a nuclear-propelled submarine to protect the oil reserves found recently off its coast, the defense minister said Friday.

The vessel — which officials hope to be complete by 2020 — would be the first nuclear-propelled submarine in Latin America. Brazil does not have nuclear weapons.

The submarine is the highlight of the Brazil's new defense plan — to be made public on Sept. 7.

Brazil is believed to be preparing to spend US$3.5 billion by the end of 2010 to upgrade its weapon systems, according to reports in the local media.

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim, speaking Friday in Rio de Janeiro, said the new defense plan includes provisions for a massive technology transfer from France — essential if Brazil hopes to have a nuclear submarine.

In February, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France would transfer technology to Brazil for construction of the diesel-powered Scorpene attack submarine. It will serve as a model for a nuclear sub, Brazilian officials have said.

Brazil's strategic affairs minister said this week that Brazil is planning a "significant increase" in defense spending.

Roberto Mangabeira Unger told reporters Brazil wants to create a rapid deployment force and build a state-of-the-art weapons industry — one that would become an active exporter of arms.

Unger did not detail how big of a jump there would be in the defense budget, which now stands at 1.5 percent of gross domestic product. Brazil's GDP was about US$1.5 trillion last year.

But he said Brazil's military must become more agile to protect the country's long coastline and vast, porous borders in the Amazon, along with its oil reserves.

Brazil has discussed building a nuclear submarine for decades, and began a formal program in 1979. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last year announced US$540 million in new funding for the program and for existing uranium enrichment efforts.

The nation has five conventionally powered submarines.

Brazil spending $160M on nuclear propelled sub

[Barbara]

Thought this was really interesting from David Reagan:

Signs of the End Times and the Exponential Curve

"Well, the Bible says we are to watch for signs that are going to point to the soon return of Jesus and there are many. One of the signs we're going to talk to you about... is the signs of technology - the sign of the exponential curve. Economically, if say a business is growing so fast, and you're charting it's growth, and the lines on your chart begin to go straight up, that's an exponential curve. For example in 1986 America On Line had 55 employees and 50,000 customers, and in 1995 (9 years later), it had 3,228 employees and 4 1/2 million customers - that's how fast they grew - that's an exponential curve.

The Biblical concept of the exponential curve can be found in the Word of God, both in the OT and the NT. For example in Daniel 12:4 we find this verse:

"But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time, many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." (NASV)

Jesus referred to this in Matthew 24:

"Many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will mislead many.
And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for these things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will ber famines and earthquakes.
But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."

When a woman nears the time of birth, He's talking about the birth pangs that increase in two ways, in frequency and intensity. So there'll be more wars and more intense wars; more hurricanes and more intense hurricanes, as we approach the time of the LORD'S return.

The point that I wanna make here is that all aspects of life wil be on the exponential curve in the end times. And, my thesis is, that the 20th century was the century of the exponential curve, and it is a sure sign that we are on the threshhold of the tribulation, and that the Lord Jesus Christ is returning soon!

Now I'll give you some examples. The first one is the most obvious, and that has to do with world population.

- I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but the population of the world at the time of Jesus Christ was 200 million. You'll find this is a figure all agree on if you study it. If I were to chart that for you and I started at the time of Christ and started with a line, the line would be almost flat....until you got almost to 1900 and then suddenly the line goes straight up in a classic exponential curve. For example, did you know that from the time of Christ until the 16th century, it took 1,650 years for the worlds population to double to 400 million. It did not reach a billion until 1850 - and 100 years later, we ended the 20th century with 6 billion people! That is a classic exponential curve, and that is incredible growth in one century's time.

-The key to this is modern day medicine. And what we don't understand is how 'modern' modern day medicine is. It's primarily in your and my lifetime that we've experienced the miracles that make it possible for people to live alot longer. For example take US life expectancy, in 1900 the life expectancy of an American was 47 years. By the end of the century the life expectancy had increased 30 years to age 77. If I had been born in the 19th century I would have already been dead several times. At age 12 I had appendicitis, in the 19th century if you had appendicitis you're dead. Even in the early 20th century, Harry Truman's father had appendicitis - 3 days later he died. Did you know that if you're 35 years old, you've lived longer than the vast majority of all the people that have ever lived on planet earth. 1897 was the first aspirin - think about that for a second - mankind lived 5,000 years without aspirin. How could that be? That's like saying they lived 5,000 years without duct tape - I don't know how ya do that, ya know?
Also, did you know that 2/3 of all the people who have ever lived to the age of 65 are alive at this very moment.

- Military power - throughout most of recorded history man has used bows and arrows and swords and spears and catapults to fight. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, warfare was still very primitive. WWI turned into a stagnant war, where no one had the power to break it open, and more people died of trench diseases than died of wounds in WWI. Bi-planes would fly over trenches and drop hand grenades into ditches. Lines would only move a few hundred yards. But yet, 80 years later, military power had increased exponentially. We had inter-continental bombers, we had nuclear weapons, we had laser guided missiles, biological and chemical weapons. Today, one nuclear submarine has more fire power than all the bombs that were dropped in WWII. All of which help us to better understand these words of Jesus:

"Men will faint from fear over the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." (Luke 21:26)

Cont'd....

[Barbara]

David Reagan Cont'd...

-Let's consider transportation. At the beginning of the 20th century, the major means of transportation was still what it had been for 5,000 years. People mainly got around by walking and riding a horse. The only thing new that had come up was steam power which had been applied to trains and to ships, but the average person couldn't afford to travel in that manner very often, it was simply too expensive.
Yet 80 years later, we had automobiles, airplanes, rocket ships, bullet trains. In 1866, Mark Twain went to the Holy Land. His very famous trip that resulted in his first book called "Innocents Abroad". From the time he left San Francisco to the time he arrived in the Holy Land, it took him 3 months travel to get there. Today we get on an airliner, and we fly non-stop from Atlanta to Tel Aviv in 13 hours and everybody gets off the plane fussing about how long it took to get there! It's amazing what has happened in the field of transportation.

- Consider communications - at the beginning of the 20th century the telegraph had speeded up communication considerably, but the fundamental way of communicating in that day and age was by newspaper and by word of mouth. And look what has happened 80 years later we are communicating in ways we never imagined. We communicate by telephone, by short wave radio, by radio, by television, by fax machine, by pagers and satellites make that communication instantaneous and worldwide. I never cease to be amazed when I go to the city of Jerusalem and bring someone over to a little hole-in-the wall shop and the person I take buys something, hands a credit card to the clerk, the clerk swipes the card, it sends a signal up to a satellite, the satellite sends a signal accross the ocean, there in the US to a bank, the bank verifies his card, the signal goes back up, back over, and all that is done in an instant! And we just take it for granted.

- Perhaps the greatest revolution of all has been the internet. In 4 years, from 1995 -1998, 150 million people became internet users. Today, there are 1.3 billion users worldwide! That is certainly an example of the exponential curve.

- Computer technology - In 1970, I was VP of Austin College. In 1970 we paid $100,000 for an IBM computer. That computer filled an entire room, we had to have special air conditiong to keep it from melting down. It operated with punch cards, and it had an amazing 64K memory. Ten years later, in 1980, our ministry bought a desktop computer, for $4,500. The first time I plugged it in and turned it on, the first thing that came on the screen was, to my amazement, 64K memory! In 10 years time it had gone from $100,000 and an entire room, to $4,500 and sitting on my desk.
Ten years later, 1990, I go to Radio Shack and I buy myself a little palm held address book. It cost me $90. I turned the thing on and the very first thing that came on the screen - 64K memory! That is the exponential curve folks!
Today you can purchase a computer with 1 gig of memory and a 250 gig hard drive, operating at 667 megahurtz, for $349, it's amazing what has happened in the world or technology!

- Well, let's look at knowledge - knowledge is increasing exponentially, and brother if you're trying to keep up in any field you know that's true. But knowledge is increasing so rapidly that there's very little wisdom that you run accross these days. Because wisdom comes from reflection on knowledge, and you have to run so fast to keep up with the knowledge that you don't have time to sit and reflect on it - so you just don't see that much wisdom. Let me show you how fast it is increasing:
- From the time of Christ to 1500, knowldge doubled
- From 1500 to 1750 it doubled again
- From 1750 to 1900 it doubled again
- From 1900 to 1950 it doubled again
- Today, this moment, it is doubling every 2 years! That means that a set of encyclopedias are out of date before they can even be published. That's how fast knowledge is increasing!

Cont'd...........

[Barbara]

Cont'd....


"I ran accross a remarkable article a few years ago, by a scientist named Dr. Gabor Levy. And he talked about this, listen to what he said, "There are some 100,000 scholarly journals into which 100's of thousands of researchers pour their findings. There are 100's of textbooks published yearly, there are uncounted meetings and lectures. Suburban commuters know the frustration of running after a train as it is pulling out of the station - no matter how fast you run, the ever accelerating train lengthens the distance. It is this sinking feeling that I experience when reviewing scientific literature, regardless of how diligently I read, I master a poor percentage of the existing knowledge each year. I knew more about what was knowable at age 25 than I did at 40 years of age. By now, I feel utterly uneducated. As my speeding literary train fades into the distance, I'm not alone. I see others on the platform just shrugging in desperation. There is an alarming increase in things we know nothing about."

Did you know that one Sunday edition of the NY Times contains more information than a normal person in the 19th century was subjected to in an entire lifetime? That's what we're dealing with today when we think about the explosion of knowledge.

- Violence and Lawlessness - Deaths in all the wars from Jesus Christ to the 20th century is estimated to be a total of 40 million people who died in warfare. Now in the 20th century 110 million people died in wars! Since WWII wars have been constant in the world. At any given moment 40 wars have been raging somewhere in the world through the last part of the 20th century. Now, the new boy on the street, Terrorism - resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of lives all over the world.

- What about society? - In society we have seen an exponential decline in our quality of life as society has disintegrated before our very eyes. And it is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The major prophecy is here in 2Timothy 3, although Jesus said society will go full circle and become as evil and immoral as it was in the days of Noah. But Paul lays it out:

"In the last days, perilous times will come..."

It's going to be a time where society will literally wallow in despair, and we are there, that's where we are today. When I was born abortionists were sent to prison; homosexuals were considered unnatural; pornography was considered despicable; marriage was sacred; living together was taboo; homemaking was honored; home care was provided by mothers in their homes; child abuse was almost unheard of; cursing was just not acceptable - today the most horrible language you could possibly imagine is in movies from beginning to end and it's amazing how many Christians just sit there and listen to it and don't even think anything about it, or get up and leave or whatever, and don't pay any attention to how the movies are rated!
But anyway, houses and autos were never locked - we never locked anything; if you don't lock things in Dallas today it won't be there when you get back -
but we never locked anything - we never worried about that; drugs were something you bought at a pharmacy...

These are all so negative, but here is a positive. I said to you, my thesis is that everything in the end times will be on the exponential curve - well that includes evangelism, Praise God, it has also been on the exponential curve.
In 1800, there were only 71 translations of the Bible available in different languages, and that was in whole or in part. Some of them were just the NT only, others the whole Bible.
By 1930, there were 900! Today, there are 2100 different translations of the Bible in different languages and there are 1900 in progress at this moment and they're coming off faster than ever before because of computer technology!
Last year approximately 72 million Bibles were distributed worldwide.

In preaching - in 1996, Billy Graham preached in Puerto Rico. That message was broadcast in 185 countries in the world, in 116 different languages and 1 1/2 billion people heard the message. More people heard that one sermon than at the time of Peter in Petecost in that day. Because of modern technology.

World Missions - 70% of all missions work has been done since 1900. Worldwide, Christianity is growing at 3 times the rate of the population growth!

In Africa, in 1900, there were 10 million Christians. Today theres a minimum of 380 million Christians in Africa.

In China, they estimate that there's a minimum of 25,000 people a day accepting the Lord in China! If there was freedom to preach in China, the Gospel would spread through that country like wildfire! But the fact that 25,000 a day come to the Lord, when you can be jailed for preaching in China is fantastic!!

In the Moslem world, more Moslems have accepted Jesus Christ in the last 20 years than in the previous 1,000 years! That is something - particularly when you consider accepting Christ in the Moslem world means death!

The real key to that is prayer. God is moving supernaturally.

With the Jews. In 1967 there was not one Messianic congregation in the world. Now there's over 500, 50 of them in Israel! God is bringing a salvation of firstfruits before He saves that great remnant at the end of the tribulation period.

The fields are white, they are ready for harvest, we've gotta get the workers out there as never before!

These things underscore the possibility of the impossible!! And they certainly reavel that man is not in control.

And what does this mean to you?

1 - Bible prophecy is true - how can a person that reads the Bible conclude that the regathering of Israel is an accident of history?

2- It proves that God is in control. He knows what's going to happen in the future - He has the power to see that it comes to pass!

3 - We are living on borrowed time. Do not take time for granted. Do not keep putting off the Lord!! Live for Him and let Him live in you now!!

The exponential curve is just one of many, many signs that Jesus is about to return! The signs of the times are literally shouting from the heavens that Jeus is Returning Soon!!

[Barbara]

Cont'd...

"Are you taking time for granted, or are you turning a deaf ear to the signs of the times? So many people are doing that - they think they've got time. But the time is very short.

Let me give you an illustration:

Mount St. Helens, in the winter of 1979, was very serene, very beautiful. But in the winter of 1979 that mountain began to shake, and I mean brother, it began to shake. Volcano experts, geologists, seismologists, came from all over the world, put all their instruments all over the mountain, and they said 'this baby is gonna blow, and it's gonna blow big'. And everyone got off the mountain except 1 person. He was a colorful character named Harry Truman. He was 83 years old, had 23 cats, and he wouldn't come down.

They had him on the news every night, standing there with 23 cats hanging around him, and the mountain would be shaking back and forth, and they kept saying, 'Harry, when are ya comin off the mountain?' He said, 'I was born on this mountain, I lived on this mountain 83 years, I know more about this mountain than those 'experts' know about it, this mountain will never blow, they're all just full of hot air. I don't care what they say. They say there are signs. But I don't care about the signs, it's not gonna happen.'

One day his daughter, who was 60 years old, begged him, 'Daddy, please come off the mountain', but he said, 'Honey, don't worry, it's not gonna happen.'

Well, at 8:32am on Sunday, May 8, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with a 24 megaton explosion that reduced the height of the mountain by 1,300 feet, leaving a crater 1.5 miles wide and 2,000 feet deep - darkening the sky all the way from Seattle to NY, and as far south as Oklahoma. And to this day, no one has ever heard a word from poor Harry Truman or his 23 cats.

Folks that's where we are. The signs are shouting from the heavens 'JESUS IS COMING' and no one understands what's going on. Those getting the warnings are saying, 'Well, I've got some time'. Well our time is running out. And I urge you, if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, before this day is over to receive Him. Get on your knees before the Lord and cry out to Him and say 'God I am a sinner, I confess that I'm a sinner, I repent of my sins and I need Jesus Christ to come into my life. Send the Holy Spirit to energize me. May I be born anew. May I become a child of yours with the hope of spending eternity with you.'

And if you're a person whose put your hope in something else rather than putting your hope in Jesus Christ, I urge you to transfer that hope to Jesus, and away from the things of the world. I urge you - because the time is short. Jesus is Coming Soon! And on the day that He breaks through the heavens I want you to be able to look upon Him as your blessed hope. I want you to be able to cry out from the depths of your heart, 'Maranatha!!!! Come quickly Lord Jesus!!"

[Soldier4Christ]

The signs are shouting from the heavens 'JESUS IS COMING' and no one understands what's going on. Those getting the warnings are saying, 'Well, I've got some time'. Well our time is running out. And I urge you, if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, before this day is over to receive Him. Get on your knees before the Lord and cry out to Him and say 'God I am a sinner, I confess that I'm a sinner, I repent of my sins and I need Jesus Christ to come into my life.

Amen!

For many that time may be even sooner. Today, right now is the time.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Salvation, salvation from death under the law by God's perfect grace.

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God.
Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of
works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee
to repentance?

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference:

Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was
able also to perform.

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

[Soldier4Christ]

Something that I just found out that is quite interesting and fits into the Biblical end times scenario.

First it is important to know what a dhimmi is according to sharia law. The word dhimmi basically means protection or protected. In sharia law dhimmi's are those that are non-muslims that pay what is called a jizya which is basically a capitol tax or poll tax just for non-muslims. Those that pay this tax are protected and allowed to own a home, property, and supposedly allowed freedom of religion and to worship (naturally there are huge restrictions on this).

One of the things that is required is that a dhimmi must be marked in order to recognize them from those that do not give their total loyalties to sharia law. In the past it has been acceptable that dhimmi's were made to wear certain clothing to distinguish them. Recently they are requiring that dhimmi's are to be tattooed in a place that is easily seen at all times. (forehead or right hand is recommended) Any non-muslim that is not tattoed becomes a target for forced conversion and punished even by death for not converting.

[nChrist]

AMEN AND AMEN!

Sister Barbara, the article from David Reagan was great - THANKS! Pastor Roger, I also found the markings according to sharia law to be fascinating. Could this be the MARK OF THE BEAST? I don't know, but it would make sense. In fact, it makes more sense than anything I've read in a long time, and it does fit Bible Prophecy like a glove.

Brothers and Sister, every Christian should be very sad about the great hosts of lost people around the world. They must remain a high priority and a matter of prayer for every day we have left on this planet. HOWEVER, we should not be sad that ALMIGHTY GOD is about to fulfill Promises HE made thousands of years ago. For Christians, GOD'S Promises are a matter of JOY and PEACE!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable GIFT, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour Forever!

[Shammu]

Europeans to join Israelis in anti-Islam summit
September 03, 2008

A right-wing Israeli lawmaker announced on Wednesday that some 30 European parliamentarians have agreed to attend an upcoming conference at the Israeli Knesset dealing with the threat posed by Islam's spread across Europe.

National Union representative Aryeh Eldad said that the conference, entitled "Facing Jihad: A Lawmaker's Summit," is planned for December 14-15, and will also be a showcase of support for the Jewish state by his European guests.

The centerpiece of the gathering will be the short film "Fitna," created by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders earlier this year to demonstrate how Islam and the Koran promote terrorism and pose a threat to modern European and Western society.

Wilders will join the other European lawmakers at the summit, and is scheduled to give the keynote address.

Eldad hopes that the summit will end with the Israelis and Europeans forming a new Judeo-Christian alliance to confront the spread of Islam and the violence that inevitably follows in its wake.

The summit plans are being furiously opposed by Arab members of Israel's Knesset like Ahmed Tibi, who accused Eldad and his European friends of being racists.

Tibi was formerly an aid to Yasser Arafat, and has spent his years in the Knesset encouraging Israel's Arabs to subvert Israeli authorities.

He and other Arab lawmakers, along with the more left-leaning Jewish Knesset members, are urging Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik to deny Eldad permission to host the summit.

Eldad says that if Itzik denies his request, he will petition Israel's Supreme Court on the grounds of freedom of speech. He also warned Itzik against alienating a group of European parliamentarians who are brave enough in today's politically-correct atmosphere to still unconditionally support Israel and its right to sovereignty over all its God-given lands.

Europeans to join Israelis in anti-Islam summit

[Shammu]

Let A World Council Decide The Fate Of Jerusalem, Temple Mount
4 Elul 5768, September 4, '08
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that the international community participate in helping to determine the status of Jerusalem. He will meet with Abbas on Sunday, probably for the last time before Kadima party members go to the polls in less than three weeks to elect his replacement.

The international community's role would be that of advisors, but would give it large media exposure in attempts to divide the city and make it a shared capital of both Israel and a new Arab country. Leaders of the European Union (EU) and other Western countries have suggested that Jews not have exclusive sovereignty over its holy sites in the city.

Yasser Arafat, Abbas's predecessor, rejected a similar offer by then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2000. His rejection of the proposal stemming from the Oslo Agreements helped spark the Oslo War, also referred to as the "second intifiada," that unleashed suicide bombings, machine-gun ambushes and rocket attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Israelis.

Prime Minister Olmert as recently as two years ago stated that Jerusalem is Israel's "undivided and eternal" capital, and the Shas party has said several times it will leave the coalition and topple the government if the status of Jerusalem is negotiated.

However, the Prime Minister has successfully maneuvered negotiations around this obstacle while the Knesset remains out of session, and the media generally has avoided restraining him or questioning him or Shas on its previous promises. Technically, the agreement could allow Shas to claim that Prime Minister Olmert only is placing into effect a mechanism to discuss the status of Jerusalem in the future and that dividing the city is not being negotiated at the moment.

Possible international monitors under consideration are Jordan, the Vatican, Egypt and the Quartet, which includes Russia, the United Nations, the United States and the EU.
 
Prime Minister Olmert's proposal calls for a final status agreement to be reached within five years. If Abbas agrees, the deal could effectively bind the next government through international pressure.

Let A World Council Decide The Fate Of Jerusalem, Temple Mount

[Shammu]

Georgia mobilizes commando units near S.Ossetia - Russian military


Global Research, September 2, 2008
RIA Novosti

02/09/2008 19:06 MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia is mobilizing commando units near its border with South Ossetia, a senior Russian military official said on Tuesday.

Russia officially recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, saying the move was needed to protect the regions after Georgia's August 8 attack on South Ossetia.

"According to our information, Georgian security forces are trying to restore their [military] presence in Georgian populated villages in South Ossetia. With this aim, Georgia is mobilizing its special forces from the interior and defense ministries near the administrative border with South Ossetia," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, said.

He also said that Russia had deployed 19 peacekeeping observation posts in South Ossetia to provide security and stability in the republic, adding that South Ossetian military detachments were also mobilizing near the border to counter any possible Georgian attacks.

Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 8 in an attempt to regain control over the republic, which split from Tbilisi in the early 1990s. Most people living in South Ossetia have Russian citizenship and Moscow subsequently launched an operation to "force Georgia to accept peace." The operation was concluded on August 12.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that Russian support for South Ossetia and Abkhazia envisaged military as well as economic assistance.

Georgia mobilizes commando units near S.Ossetia - Russian military

[Soldier4Christ]

 LIBYA: GADDAFI APPOINTED "KING OF KINGS" BY TRIBE LEADERS


Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was appointed 'King of Kings' of Africa on the occasion of an unannounced meeting between a few dozens of African tribe leaders held yesterday evening in Benghazi, in east Libya.

"We decide the recognition of our brother leader as 'king of kings, of sultans, of princes, of sheikhs and of mayors of Africa' and his appointment 'king of kings' from today," a final statement of the 'forum' which gathered over 200 African tribe leaders on initiative of the Libyan leader, reads. "The forum of the kings, princes, sultans and sheikhs of the traditional tribes in Africa," which from now on will meet every year, also decided the creation of a permanent secretariat general, whose seat will be in Sirte, Libya.

The Libyan leader, in his turn, invited the tribal leaders to take their responsibilities in the capacity of local leaders "to put pressure on the governments of their countries in view of Africàs unification and the creation of the United States of Africa", whose architect is Gaddafi. "I incite the tribes to move quickly and to put pressure for the creation of the United States of Africa," he said during a speech, adding that he has allotted funds for those who will pursue this goal.

Dressed in animal leather and feathers, with crowns of massive gold on their heads, the tribe leaders followed one another on the tribune with their traditional coloured clothes to "praise the efforts of the Leader" of the Libyan revolution for the unification of Africa and to offer their congratulations on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the revolution on September 1, 1969 when he rose to power. Gaddafi was given 'a royal throne', a Koran of the 18th century, ostrich eggs, traditional clothes and products of the local handicraft.

[Soldier4Christ]

Signs Of The Times

The bible gives us many "signs of the times" to show us of the coming age of the end times. Jesus tels us in Matthew 24 that many will come in His name claiming to be Christ, that there will be wars and rumors of wars, yet even though these things happen it still is not yet the end. He continues to tell us that nations and kingdoms will rise against each other, that there will be famines, pestilences (diseases and an abundance of insects), and earthquakes. and that these are just the beginning of sorrows. These sorrows will include worldwide persecution of Christians with many false prophets, sin will be widespread and that any semblance of true love for others will diminish. We see many of these things just now starting to take place. Yet it is still not full blown. When it does come it will be like no other time in the history of the earth. Remember this as we continue on in this subject ... it will be a time unlike any "since the beginning of the world".

Also take note here that there is no mention of anything that resembles global warming or the hype that is associated with it such as more hurricanes or extensive flooding.


Global Warming Is Not Biblical

I am really surprised as to how many Christians have jumped on the global warming bandwagon. Global warming is a complete myth that was started by pagan environmentalists. This is a group that actually worships "mother earth" and sometimes is even called Gaia, which is a Greek mythological character that is the mother and gaurdian of the earth. Al Gore even mentions this Gaia in his book "Earth in the Balance".

Now how can I say it is not Biblical? If we but do a little looking we can see that we have God's word on this. All the way back to Genesis He tells us that we will continue to have seasons both hot and cold as long as the earth remains.

Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Going back to Matthew 24 Jesus tells us that there will be winter even after the appearance of "the abomination of desolation".

Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

There are so many end times scenarios that are preached that add in this global warming hype as though it were a Biblical fact when in truth it is not there at all. In doing so they are actually hurting their ministry, they are helping lead many astray by aiding in the pagan beliefs and even the worship of Gaia.

Let's make sure that we keep that which is committed to our trust, to avoid the profane and vain babblings of these false prophets and to insure that we oppose science that is so falsely called science.