Arutz Sheva (Channel 7 in Israel) is reporting that another missile attack has been launched on Israel.
Yes, I know—it's not on CNN, MSNBC, or even Fox News.
Funny how the mainstream media conveniently overlooks news items like this one, don't you think?
If the US launched a missile at a target in Mexico or Canada (or vice versa), it would be major news.
The same thing would have been true if Israel had launched a missile at a Palestinian target. The Israelis would probably be denounced by a specially-called session of the UN Security Council.
But because it's the Palestinians launching a missile at a target in Israel (which, thank God, it missed), it's not newsworthy. And the UN ignores it.
No biggie.
Here's the news item directly from Arutz Sheva in Israel: click here
How ironic that on Wednesday (9/21, the day after tomorrow), the Palestinian Authority plans to ask the United Nations unilaterally to declare the existence of Palestine as a nation alongside Israel—and here are the Palestinians, already carrying out an act of war against a neighbor.
Just a few months ago, they executed a foreign relief worker whom they suspected was friendly toward Israel (which wasn't true, by the way; he was actually an outspoken defender of the Palestinian cause). Read about it here.
Yes, they have an upper, elite class of wealthy, articulate, and well-educated individuals. But they are a tiny minority. A much larger segment of the Palestinian population consists of poor and uneducated people who live in squalor.
Not only that, but they're angry. They're taught from the cradle that "the Jews" are a subhuman race that is responsible for most if not all of their suffering.
The Palestinians have been abused and kicked around for generations—and strangely enough, most of that abuse has been at the hands of other Arabs, not the Israelis.
So their hostility is understandable.
But it's misdirected.
For the United Nations or anyone else to expect these teeming, angry masses in Gaza and the West Bank to govern themselves honorably and responsibly is the height of folly, denial, and utter idiocy.
At issue is some advice Mr. Robertson offered on a recent broadcast of his 700 Club TV show, saying that the spouse of an Alizheimer's victim would be justified to divorce that person because he or she is "not there" anymore.
Some of Pat's friends are saying that he was misquoted or that the quotation has been taken out of context by the hyper-critical media. Listen for yourself, if you like, and see what you think: click here to listen to the program
Personally, I agree with the editorialist, whose name is Russell Moore.
Pat's position on this is utterly and completely indefensible—and more than that, it's disgusting. My own family has been touched by this horrible disease (Alzheimer's), so I certainly empathize with men and women whose spouses suffer from it. I know it can be a dark and lonely road to travel.
However, when we take those marriage vows, we pledge ourselves to be faithful to the one we love "in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part."
So we have to ask ourselves, When we take these vows, do we mean it or not?
We're critical of secularists for tinkering with the institution of marriage (vis-à-vis the legitimization of same sex marriage, for instance), yet Pat turns right around and does precisely the same thing with an irresponsible pronouncement like this.
Are we being too hard on Pat—particularly given his history of far-fetched and off-the-cuff remarks? Should we just consider the source and let it go? Or is it important for the rest of us to let the world know that we don't agree with him?
The terrorists struck first—at around noon Israel time—when shots were fired into an Egged bus from a private vehicle. At around 12:30, mortar shells were fired into Israel from Gaza. At 1:10 p.m., anti-tank missiles were launched into Israel and there were numerous casualties, including an estimated six Israelis killed. At 6 p.m., the IDF carried out a retaliatory strike in Gaza that reportedly killed a senior Hamas terrorist leader. Shortly after 7 p.m. (roughly an hour ago as I write this), gunfire erupted in southern Israel and several Israelis were seriously injured.
So the violence continues to escalate. Hopefully, the IDF will quickly neutralize the Hamas positions in the south and the carnage will stop.
We understand that the Israelis were able to intercept an inbound missile earlier today before it reached Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast. So it appears that the controversial Iron Dome (כיפת ברזל) missile defense system has proven itself effective once again. This system has been criticized because it's so expensive—each Tamir defensive missile costs an estimated $50,000 USD, which is up to ten times the cost of the Palestinian missiles it's designed to bring down—but it works and it saves lives.
The criticism is that the Israelis spend $10 million for every $1 million Hamas spends on missiles. Over time, they say Hamas could bankrupt israel simply by keeping the missiles coming. That's almost certainly an oversimplification of the realities on the ground; but it's interesting nonetheless.
The military and political complexion of the Middle East continues to change in ways that are sometimes head-spinning. For example, while Mubarak was in power in Egypt, he was a relatively reliable partner in the war on terror. But now, with the old man gone, who is Israel's Egyptian "partner in peace"? Nobody seems to know.
It's all well and good that so many autocratic rulers and dictators have been (or are being) toppled in the Middle East.
But we'd better not jump up and down with glee until we know who or what will replace them. If democracy really means that it's the peoples' choice, that means that (especially in the Middle East) the masses might choose a path that could lead to a militant Islamic regime similar to the one in Iran. I continue to be skeptical of people who portray the Muslim Brotherhood (a key player in Egypt) as renouncing terrorism and morphing into something like a Boy Scout troop.
Let's continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6)!
Several of us from CJF Ministries are in England right now attending the annual international meeting of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE).
The news channels here are focused on the economic woes back home in the USA. They reported that the US market took a tumble yesterday (Aug. 4) with the Dow and S&P indexes both declining significantly. The financial uncertainty prompted a major sell-off (yesterday was the busiest trading day since June of last year) as investors fled to less speculative investments to shore up their positions.
As always, when there are economic troubles in the US, there's a ripple effect all across the world--especially in the Asian markets and here in Europe. As I sit here on the train to London writing this blog entry, everyone here is waiting to see what will happen when the American stock market opens in about an hour's time.
Maybe the Lord has had enough of humankind's ungodliness and arrogance, and He's about to bring us to our knees with a horrendous, worldwide economic catastrophe. In that case, I say, "Bring it on." It would be a small price to pay to get ourselves back on track spiritually.
Some of us would do well to learn that "one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). The enormous amount of wealth that evaporates into thin air every time there's a downturn in the global economy is only a drop in the bucket against the backdrop of eternity. With this in mind, we may need to adjust our priorities when it comes to money and material possessions.
Jim Elliot, the late husband of Elizabeth Elliot, had his priorities in order. He said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose."
As an aside, don't you find it a bit bizarre that the Communist Chinese are now rooting for us? Their best interests have intersected with ours in a strange sort of way. They own so much US debt (in the form of US securities they've purchased and hold in their investment portfolio), if we go down, they go with us! So now they're cheering us on and hoping against hope that we make it through this.
Who would have thought it? How do you say, "Go USA" in Chinese?
Earlier this morning, BBC News here in the UK carried a news conference where Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, was fielding questions. His comments made it obvious that the Eurozone countries of the European Union (that is, those countries who've adopted the euro as their currency) are deeply concerned that the global economy may be hovering on the precipice of a major disaster. (For up to date information from the EU, go to the Commission's website ec.europa.eu)
Right now, the British are patting themselves on the back for not adopting the euro a couple of years ago (which means that technically, they're not entangled in the currently-troubled Eurozone). This in fact is one reason why the UK didn't throw its hat into the Eurozone ring in the first place: they knew that Eurozone countries like Greece are relatively weak and undisciplined, so they were afraid that if these weaker countries ever defaulted, the UK might be called upon to bail them out. The UK is an economic superpower (London-based banks have more assets than all US-based banks combined) and the Brits are not interested in being billed for the shortcomings of their EU neighbors.
Here at CJF Ministries, we are typically reserved about declaring current events to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. However, it's difficult to witness what's happening right now and fail to be reminded of these facts:
The Prophet Daniel (Ch. 7) portrays an end-time scenario in which much of the Mediterranean world (roughly corresponding geographically to the ancient Roman Empire) is unified under a single government structure--a resurrection, of sorts, of Daniel's ancient fourth world empire:
Chapter 7 parallels chapter 2; both set forth the four empires, followed by the complete overthrow of all ungodly resistance, as the final (fifth) kingdom is established on earth to enforce the standards of God’s righteousness. The winged lion corresponds to the golden head of the dream image (ch. 2); the ravenous bear to its arms and chest; the swift leopard to its belly and thighs; the fearsome ten-horned beast to its legs and feet. Lastly, the stone cut out without hands that in chapter 2 demolishes the dream image has its counterpart in the glorified Son of Man, who is installed as Lord over all the earth. But chapter 7 tells us something chapter 2 does not—viz., that the Messiah himself will head the final kingdom of righteousness (see Daniel and the Minor Prophets, Volume 7 of Expositor's Bible Commentary, Frank Gaebelein, General Editor [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985], electronic ed., at Dan. 7:1-8).
The stage certainly seems to be set vis-à-vis the EU for a future fulfillment of the "unified Europe" prophecies. Some Christians continue to be skeptical because the late Herbert W. Armstrong, a broadcaster who was wrong about the Trinity and numerous other issues, was one of the first to talk about a "United States of Europe"; however, as it has been said, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
We know that Daniel's fourth kingdom brings us up to the 21st century because it’s followed by a fifth kingdom (the Millennium, the earthly Kingdom of God), which will commence at some point in the future. The fourth kingdom, then, had a first century manifestation (the ancient Roman Empire) and it will have a 21st century manifestation (an end-time resurrection of that ancient empire). In-between those two manifestations, it lay dormant for 1,500 years or more.
The prophetic Scriptures intimate that when the coming anti-Messiah makes his debut on the world stage (during a period we refer to as the Tribulation), a global economic system will be in place that will make it difficult or even impossible to carry on commerce (that is, buying and/or selling) without some sort of "mark" or central approval (Rev. 13:17). Maybe Hal Lindsey and others who have suggested that this control might be accomplished through credit cards or embedded computer chips aren't that far off-base after all. At the very least, we see a global economic apparatus in place now that could accomplish this very thing (that is, make it very difficult to buy or sell without utilizing the system). We also see how desperate the world is for answers to these problems. The anti-Messiah will successfully mediate a seven-year Mideast peace pact between Israel and her Arab neighbors (Dan. 9:27). As a result, he will no doubt be acclaimed as a miracle worker.
The third thing that is glaringly apparent these days (and it's related to the two points above) is the interconnectedness of our world. If Wall Street tumbles, the ripple effect is felt within hours in places like Tokyo, Beijing, Brussels, London, and elsewhere around the world. The Internet with all of its social media, credit and debit cards, and the interdependence of economies (even if they're on different continents) certainly syncs well with the Bible's numerous predictions about end-time global unity--politically, economically, religiously, and other aspects of interconnectedness, as well. Consider, for example, the "Babylon the Great" prophecies in the Book of Revelation, where God is said to bring judgment upon a system that includes "all nations" (14:8).
So, then, what does all of this tell us about the current wave of fear and apprehension that is engulfing our world? First, as believers, we should have a different perspective. Rather than being paralyzed with fear, we should be keen to learn the lessons God is teaching us through these experiences (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Sadly, some of us have become indistinguishable from the rest of the world. We have adopted the same priorities and worldview as everyone else. God, on the other hand, wants us to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). Salt and light are both entities that rely on differentiation for their usefulness. The point is that we should be different—and the Lord uses these trials and difficulties (like the current global economic situation) to show us how.
Second, once the other prophetic puzzle-pieces fall into place, we should lift up our heads in blessed anticipation of our coming redemption: "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28).
I don't turn over my blog very often to guest editorialists, but I thought this one was exceptional.
Randall Price is a longtime friend, a committed believer, and a reliable scholar (that is, if he says something is true, you can write it down and take it to the bank). Before he moved to Lynchburg to work at LU, he was a neighbor of ours down here in south central Texas.
I hope each of us will read these words and take them to heart on this Independence Day 2011.
God bless you!
Gary Hedrick
Some Thoughts on our Independence Day
Randall Price
“… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
I see these words often because they are the motto of my school, Liberty University. As our students wear them on t-shirts and backpacks they remind one another that our liberties are grounded in the godly values that come from the Bible. The Bible was the basis upon which our founding fathers established this great nation and because of such a foundation a Christian university such as ours can exist to continue teaching these godly values that proclaim liberty throughout the land.
However, despite the fact that we have come to interpret “liberty” in light of the freedom we enjoy in the United States, we must remember that at any time in history the majority of peoples and nations have not known the kind of national independence we celebrate today. This was especially true for the People of Israel whose story is at the center of our scriptures. Only in brief moments of their history were they independent as a nation. For the rest of the time they were subject to a dominant resident culture (the Canaanites), hegemony or foreign rule from other nations (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome).
Because of such conditions, the “liberty” spoken of in the Bible should not be understood exclusively as national or political, but as spiritual. This is the kind of liberty that gives men the courage to serve God and not man, even when man’s laws rule, and to remain inwardly free even though such resistance may result in their being outwardly bound. Yet, it is also the kind of liberty that compelled men to do battle to retain their right to live by God’s laws. When God freed the Jewish People from Babylon and returned them to Jerusalem, the newly reformed nation did not enjoy freedom from their enemies, but had to defend their right to live as God’s Chosen People in a Chosen Land. Therefore, we hear the statesman Nehemiah declare: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses” (Neh. 4:14).
Our homeland on this celebration of our national liberty also faces many enemies within that attack the biblical values we have historically enjoyed with respect to family and finance. Families must fight to preserve the very definition of marriage and family with the adoption by states of laws that allow for same-sex marriage. Those who have long practiced the principle of giving to churches, charities and to individuals in need, must fight against economic decisions by our government that have reduced our dollar. And we must not forget that we are waging a War on Terrorism, and even though our troops are on foreign battlefields, we must fight at home to support them and forces that would undermine their success. The terrorism we oppose is rooted in a religion that seeks to supplant the biblical values of our nation with Islamic Sharia law. The triumph of these laws at any level in our nation would result in the loss of the liberties that we have known. Moreover, to follow laws against the God of the Bible would be to subject our people to national sin. For this reason we must remember wise King Solomon’s admonition: “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34).
The way forward in this warfare, which is at the core spiritual, is to individually live free and live righteously so that together we might raise our national consciousness and conduct and restore our land in true liberty. As the Psalmist instructed, “I will walk at liberty, For I seek Thy precepts” (Ps. 119:45). In like manner the leader of the first Christian church in Jerusalem wrote: “So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty” (Jas. 2:12). On Judgment Day the standard against which we measured will not be political correctness, but how our liberties were lived according to God’s law of liberty, which, of course, required His Spirit, as our opening passage established (2 Cor. 3:17). Only those who know (and are known by) the LORD have His Spirit, as the Apostle Paul reminds: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). And, as the Scripture says, “you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). Jesus during His life on earth was under the yoke of Roman imperial power, yet He was the freest of all men. Even when this authority nailed him to a cross He stated, “No one takes my life from Me, I lay it down on My own initiative …” (Jn. 10:18). Jesus laid down His life freely, but He did it for others: “I lay down My life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:15). Jesus Christ died for us sinners that we might trust in Him and find freedom from the penalty of our sins in Him and freedom from the power of sin through His Spirit. As Paul explained: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2).
It is my prayer that each of you would know the LORD through faith in Jesus Christ and having His Spirit would today live free in true liberty. Those who sacrificed to give us our national independence will be properly honored if we through our godly living we restore our nation’s founding principles that preserve our liberty.
Our longtime friend Tony Pearce (formerly associated with Messianic Testimony in London) has revamped his website.
Anything Tony writes or otherwise produces is always beneficial—including his book The Messiah Factor (which is available from our online bookstore).
Check out the newly refurbished website for helpful and timely information about messianic prophecy and other contemporary and biblical issues. You'll find that his approach is always sane, measured, and biblical (sadly, in contrast to many other prophetic websites).
Our own Rob Styler (CJFM director of missions) was interviewed recently by Jim Cantelon on 100 Huntley Street, a well-established and widely-watched Christian TV program in Canada.
Jim was warm and friendly and Rob did an excellent job of explaining how his ministry of drama fits into the bigger picture of what CJF Ministries is all about.
He also got in a good plug near the end for our "Live the Land" student tours to Israel.
Check it out (link below). It's well worth 14 minutes of your time.
Please Note: Some of the hyperlinks above will take you to YouTube or other secular sites where you may see profanity or other objectionable content. We recommend that children not be allowed to click on these links without adult supervision.
Well, today it's official: Harold Camping is a false prophet.
Again.
Yes, he's done this before.
His most recent prediction (that Jesus would return on May 21st, yesterday) failed.
(Image from articlesontop.com)
The Family Radio Home Page shows the countdown at "zero": click here
Ordinarily, we wouldn't get too exercised over something like this. Many kooky sensationalists and date-setters have made similar prophetic predictions over the years.
It's been going on for centuries, in fact. Professor Raphael Patai, in The Messiah Texts (Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1979) documents early instances of Jewish date-setting. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, for instance, thought the Messiah would come during the first century AD (he was actually right, but not in the way he thought). So date-setting and other forms of out-of-control apocalypticism are really nothing new.
However, this instance is different because Harold Camping's prophetic palaver is heard daily on his network of 66 FM radio stations in the US and several foreign countries. For the past several months, Camping has been telling anyone who would listen that "the Bible guarantees" that Judgment Day would happen on May 21, 2011.
Judgment Day à la Camping was supposed to be accompanied by a worldwide earthquake and the Rapture of true believers.
None of it happened, of course; and many unbelievers will no doubt conclude that the Bible (and by extension, God) was wrong.
And therein lies the problem. With Mr. Camping's claims that "the Bible guarantees" the accuracy of his predictions, he's taking it upon himself to put the Bible's credibility on the line. This is extremely sad and tragic.
God himself tells us that it's important to maintain a good testimony before a watching world: "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).
Mr. Camping has been discussing his predictions on his "Open Forum" call-in program on Family Radio (click here for the archives). If you take the time to listen to the programs leading up to May 21st, you'll notice how he avoids questions that make him uncomfortable. He just says, "Excuse me," and cuts questioners off. The "Open Forum" program for Wednesday, May 18 includes several such instances.
When his earlier predictions failed, Harold blamed it on mathematical error. This time, however, he said the earlier errors had been corrected and he was "100 percent certain" that May 21st would be the long-prophesied Judgment Day.
Tomorrow's issue of USA Today says Camping has dropped out of sight following the failure of his prophecy: click here
Mr. Camping, you can't hide forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to emerge from the shadows and face the music.
Your followers trusted you. Some of them poured large amounts of money into advertising your bogus prophecy.
Your irresponsibility has unnecessarily divided families and caused untold hurt.
We call it "Chicken Little Syndrome" (CLS), the obsessive compulsion some Christians suffer from that compels them to attach prophetic significance to almost every current event in the news. Whether it's abnormal weather, political developments in various parts of the world, or even flocks of birds falling from the sky—they see it as a fulfillment of prophecy.
A closely related phenomenon is "date setting." These folks use various biblical passages to "calculate" the precise date of the Rapture.
We talked about this at some length at our recent God, Israel & You conference in Branson this past week (www.godisraelandyou.com).
Family Radio, an Oakland-based radio network, has purchased billboard space all over the country (and even a full-page spread in USA Today) to warn the world that the Rapture will take place tomorrow (May 21st).
The Bible "guarantees" it, they say. So if it doesn't happen, the message is that the Bible is wrong and God himself failed to do something He promised to do.
You see, that's really the problem. It's about our credibility in the eyes of a lost and unbelieving world.
The Bible says, "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).
The Enemy must be jumping up and down with glee right now.
If the Rapture doesn't happen tomorrow, the world won't be looking at us and glorifying God because of what they see. On the contrary, the result will be disillusionment and disappointment. Some people will think the Bible has finally been proven wrong.
Here's how the whole debacle is affecting one family: click here.
I can't even imagine how the prophecy's failure will affect these folks—especially the kids. Very sad. They seem like a nice, sincere family.
Personally, I hope the Rapture does happen tomorrow. Even better, let it be tonight ... or in the next five minutes!
But if it does happen, it won't be because of Harold Camping's predictions. It will be purely an accident that he finally got the date right.
After all, if someone just keeps on predicting the Rapture, year after year, sooner or later he'll be right!
With all of the important things happening in the world right now, and their legitimate prophetic ramifications, the last thing we need is to be distracted by prophetic craziness.
Like Christianity Today magazine has said, one of two things should end tomorrow: either the world or Harold Camping's prophetic career (click here).
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