Shechem, Mount Gerazim, and Ramallah

Finished the conference in Jerusalem and today we hired an Arab driver to take us to Shechem, Mount Gerazim, and Ramallah in the West Bank. On board are Tim Sigler (Moody Bible Institute), Richard Averbeck (TEDS), Randall Price (Liberty U.), and Jim Sibley (Israel College of the Bible), among others, so we are well guided! Here's the checkpoint between the Israeli controlled area and the Palestinian territory. We noticed that the Israelis were having to check every car that was crossing over from the Palestinian side – but the Palestinians weren't checking the Israeli cars that were coming from the other direction. So it's obvious that no one thinks anyone from Israel is coming across the border to hurt anyone. The Palestinian soldiers don't even bother to check the Israeli cars.

A Word to Religious Leaders

So-called "Christian" leaders and denominations are partakers in our culture's continuing demise when they approve and even applaud the very sins and perversions that are helping to take us down. It's reminiscient of pre-exilic OT times when Israel's corrupt clergy was coddling and reassuring the nation and telling them that everything was fine – when in fact, the nation was in great peril due to their sinful behavior. In the verses below (from Ezekiel 13), the LORD is speaking to us today just as surely as He was speaking to ancient Israel. He has little patience with religious leaders who fail to warn rebellious people about the consequences of their behavior!