Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Then Came The Morning :: By Dennis Huebshman

Published on:  by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles
The conflict started even before the creation of this earth. Though we are not given the absolutes of what existed with God before our creation, we have been given an account of a revolt against the Father by a certain created being – Lucifer. This conflict continues today, and will end at the final moment of the millennial reign of Jesus on this earth.
By the Hebrew translation of his name, Lucifer means brightness; morning star. Isaiah 14:12-14, “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn. How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid all the nations low. You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the Mount of Assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (ESV – emphasis mine)
In Ezekiel 28, it sounds like a person is being talked about – the King of Tyre. However, starting in V.13:
“You were in Eden, the Garden of God (Genesis 3); every precious stone was your covering; sardis, topaz and diamond, beryl, onyx and jasper, sapphire, emerald and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. (God had made him to be a beautiful angel.) On that day that you were created, they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub (designated angel). I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire, you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.”
Verses 16-19 tells of Satan being cast down from his lofty position and told of his destructive pride because of his beauty. God hates destructive self-pride, and this is one reason why.
When God created humans, He gave us free-will to make choices for ourselves rather than make us all like robots. It stands to reason that the angels were given free-will also. The majority of them follow God’s will totally and completely (i.e. Michael and Gabriel). Revelation 12:4 leads us to believe that about 1/3 of the angels followed Satan, and they now are the demons mentioned in the Bible, and are even here today. Matthew 25:41 tells that the Lake of Fire was created specifically for Satan and all his demons. It will also be the final destination for all who will have followed Satan on this earth.
Satan has tried to disrupt God’s plans for us from the very beginning, as given in Genesis 3. He wants to be God, but does not possess the divine qualities of the Godhead: Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient – all powerful, everywhere at the same time, and all-knowing. For example, God knows the exact day and hour down to the second that He will send Jesus to take up His Church (all believers) in the Rapture. Satan can only guess by the signs that are present.
Speaking of the signs, reading end-time prophecy in the Bible is like reading or hearing the “true” news of all the events taking place right now. All prophecy leading up to the Rapture has been completed, and exactly the way the Bible said it would be.
Satan knew God would have a plan to save His creation, and that it would be a descendant from the bloodline of David. He knows the Bible, contrary to what some may believe, and knew of the prophecies of a Messiah that would come, born of a virgin.
When the time was right for the Savior to be born, Satan would have known the area where it would take place (Micah 5:2), but not necessarily to whom and exactly when. He used whatever he could to destroy the child. What better plan than to have Herod, who was a vicious, murderous king, that would try to eliminate any threat to his throne? God, always several steps ahead of Satan, sent Joseph, Mary and the child (Jesus) to Egypt to save them.
Some have said Satan didn’t really know Jesus was God in “human” form, but that is dispelled with the noted temptation of Jesus that took place in the wilderness. This was right after He was baptized by John, and is recorded in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. He had to realize who Jesus was, just as the demons recognized Jesus when He cast them out of people.
That takes us to the last days of our Savior on this earth. Jesus knew what was going to happen, and willingly allowed Himself to become our perfect sacrifice (John 10:18). He endured the entire process, and had even told the Jewish leaders beforehand that He would rise three days later (John 2:19).
After His death, and being placed in the tomb, the religious leaders went to Pilate and asked that the grave be sealed and guarded. They thought they could keep Him in the tomb, and this also eliminated any possibility of His disciples stealing the body. They didn’t realize they were going along with Satan’s plan to keep the resurrection from happening. From the moment Jesus was arrested, and all through the crucifixion, I’m sure Satan and his demons were rejoicing. In his great pride, I believe he may have thought he had finally won.
However, the third day, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came out of the grave. This was the ultimate sign that Satan had been defeated, and Revelation 20:10 was a certainty. By the way, Jesus did not need for the stone to be removed, as He could’ve passed right through it as He did when He entered the locked room in John 20:19 and 26.
On Easter, while kids check out their baskets of candy, and people dress up in their “Sunday Finest,” the real reflection should be on the process our Savior endured, and His ultimate victory over sin and death. For some, this may be one of the two days a year they attend worship services, Christmas being the other holiday. For others, we choose to worship Jesus every day, thankful that He was willing to love us all the way to the cross and grave.
Please consider a song by Bill and Gloria Gaither from 1982. It tells about the despair His followers felt because they really didn’t understand what the sacrifice was all about, until He appeared to them after His resurrection. After His ascension back to Heaven, and the Holy Spirit coming to them at Pentecost, the “Good News” started, and hasn’t been stopped by Satan yet.
Then Came the Morning:
(v.1) They all walked away; nothing to say; they’d just lost their dearest friend. All that He had said; now He was dead; so this was the way it would end.
The dreams they had dreamed were not what they seemed, now that he was dead and gone. The garden, the jail; the hammer the nails; how could a night be so long?
(chorus) Then came the morning! Night turned into day. The stone was rolled away; Hope rose with the dawn. Then came the morning; shadows vanished before the sun. Death had lost and life had won; for morning had come!
(v.2) The Angel, the star; the kings from afar; the wedding, the water, the wine. Now it was done; they’d taken her son, wasted before His time.
She knew it was true; she’d watched Him die too; she heard them call Him just a man. But deep in her heart, she knew from the start, somehow her Son would live again!
(chorus)
Time is drawing near to the end of this age; and just as Jesus said, few have followed the straight and narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14). The day is rapidly approaching when the significance of that first Easter morning will be realized by all believers – when we will actually be with Him. It will also signal the worst 7-year period this world will have ever experienced.
If you have already accepted Jesus, your first moment with Him will totally outshine anything you could possibly experience here. If you haven’t accepted Him, please consider your eternal destiny. Accept Jesus and you get Heaven and eternal life; deny Him, and you will be in the Lake of Fire with Satan and his demons forever (Revelation 20:11-15).
He will turn no one away, but will not force anyone either. He was crucified, shed His precious blood, and died so that we could have everlasting treasure. Satan can only offer lies and deception as he has done from the beginning.
Choose this day – before it’s too late – whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15) He’s waiting for your call.
Maranatha
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The Lie of the Century :: By Edwin Tan

Published on:  by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles
About a fortnight ago, I came across a program on the radio when tuned in to the British Broadcasting Corporation. The subject that caught my ears was all about fear. The following salient points captured my attention: fear was a potent manipulative tool for control by tyrannical despots and, on the other hand, ignorance cements the power fear has over a person’s life.
There is without any question that there is an escalation of evil as we approach the final hour. Sadly speaking, a lot of believers forget who is really in control; terrified and petrified by what hits their senses – they inadvertently sink into hopelessness coupled with a constant state of panic. Some would whimper to Our Saviour, half believing as the frown on their faces persists. If they only knew that their Redeemer was the same – yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Did they not know that the Restrainer of evil is still keeping wickedness at bay with the same power as in the days of our Church father’s? The enemy’s meanest con job is to make everyone think that he has got it all; he is upping the ante because he knows that shortness of the time available as mentioned in Rev 12.
Tragically, a great number of believers fall into this ruse. They fail to comprehend the greatness of God’s infinite power which is a total opposite of the adversaries’ limited strength. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” That is Matthew 10:28, and this verse truly reminds me that there is only One we all must fear.
Another verse that is very easy to understand and digest is 1 Samuel 2:9. Here is a simplified point-form paraphrase of the above verse that will be helpful in easing many unfounded fears.
  1. HE guards the feet of his saints. (We believers are all his saints, and no one is left out in His protective shield.)
  2. The wicked will be silent in darkness. (Simply said, those wanting to harm us will be silenced by His Hand. Furthermore, they will be groping in the dark, thereby being incapable of causing any harm.)
  3. By strength alone, no one will prevail. (Cuts both ways; the adversaries’ power will be curtailed when we believe in His infinite power and, on the other hand, reliance on our own abilities will not enable us to overcome our adversary.)
Which brings another thing to mind; low Scriptural literacy only makes believers susceptible to relentless bouts of scaremongering. This only serves to get them worked up easily when there is perceived fear, sometimes out of worthless stuff. If only believers could devote more time to solid spiritual food from websites like Rapture Ready and Understanding the Times instead of the bulk of their available spare time on frivolities like Game of Thrones, then they will not be in danger of falling away. A little but crucial bit of the Truth can have a greater calming effect than tranquillizers!
Of very late, a lot of churches have aggravated the situation by not placing emphasis on things that matter for the times. Placing excessive weight on things of lesser importance, plus clinging vehemently to manmade traditions, does very little to equip believers to face the challenges of the day, turning them into beating the retreat and not emerging as victors for Christ.
Reminds me of a portion of history about the place I come from. Back during the Second World War, the British surrendered the then island fortress of Singapore after a brief but one-sided aerial battle with the Imperial Japanese Army. All because they relied on second-rate Brewster Buffalo monoplanes as frontline fighters that were cut down by sleeker Japanese Zekes. Worst of all, they were unable to shoot down a Betty bomber if not a Kate torpedo plane. Absent were Curtiss P40s or Supermarine Spitfires that could have significantly made a difference. No wonder someone wrote a book about the above debacle entitled Bloody Shambles.
I reckon that definition is true of many of the mainstream churches today; they have the physical numbers, but what about the spiritual state of the congregation? Are their lives a testament of victory over the enemy through the blood of Christ? Look at the apostasy and even drop-out numbers!
I chanced recently to listen to somewhat shocking revelations from Jan Markell and Carl Teichrib – they were on a fact-finder that took them to a pagan conference. I learnt that there were former Evangelicals and even a former Christian youth leader that have drifted into such a parlous. They simply stopped believing in the power in the Resurrection. Never thought I would live to witness such a sad state amongst the salt of the earth.
It can be totally demoralizing to picture the Son of Perdition laugh his way to the bank as the casualties seemingly mount – followers of Christ dropping out and turning to other faiths while those that hang on have the fire they once had from the Lord extinguished. Small wonder why these become unfruitful with drunkenness, lewd language and sexual immorality appearing to be the norm. Once the decay sets in, then jealousy, bitterness, envy and unloving apathy revolve around those in this freefalling mode. When evil has a grip on a person, anything unspeakable is possible – be it slander, suicide, and even murder!
To throw in the towel and assume all is but lost amounts to the certain alteration of one’s eternal destiny on doom’s path.
It is simply succumbing to a blatant lie when a believer is inclined towards defeatism – as good as a simple trap gets. Yet this weapon of the enemy is not impotent but, on the contrary, possesses a devastating sting straight from the pit of hell!
We are not helpless against this sting if we would only fear none whatsoever of the creation except the Creator. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:19, “Behold, you have been given the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
It is easy to understand, but how many people take it to heart that this is still possible in current-day contexts? I reckon not a large number, though I pray that there could be more. What is said two thousand years ago is still valid, regardless of the opposition’s tenacity. Except that many disbelieve if not half believe; so much for a paucity of faith.
All that is due to our fallen nature; that is why Jesus had to become human like us and then die for our wrongs. By His stripes we are healed, but lots who do not believe are still very sick.
So, the only way for all of us to be well and good is not to put our hope in our limited fragilities but in infinite power of Christ. For that to happen, we must make Him center stage in our lives – connecting with Him closely in our walk of faith. This is no stop-start affair but ongoing by the seconds, minutes and hours!
Will He tell us that He is busy and would only get back to us later? Absolutely not! Once you surrender everything to Jesus, you become his saint and are precious in his sight. When the wicked one taunts you, he is powerless to drag you down once Christ in dwells in you.
“Fear not; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt 10:31).
We therefore have to live by the Living Word if this great lie plus other deceptions are to be successfully overcome. Not half-truths that stem from mindless gossip, but simply abiding by the Word of Truth will enable us to circumnavigate this fallen world with all its snares.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, banish all that defeatist murmur that comes from nothing but a lie meant to frighten all of you. But put on Jesus and cling on to the inerrant Word; on that note, you will have spiritual empowerment that will translate into victorious lives. Wouldn’t it be great to be in such a state when the Trumpet sounds!
All for His Kingdom & Glory

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Dermer: New York Times Has Become a ‘Cesspool of Hostility’

Dermer: New York Times Has Become a ‘Cesspool of Hostility’

By JNS 
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Israel Bible™)
Ron Dermer
Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer (Credit: Miriam Alster, Flash90)
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said on Monday that The New York Times has become a “cesspool of hostility” amid the publication’s international edition featuring antisemitic cartoons on April 25 and over the same weekend that a Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue in Southern California was attacked by a gunman who killed one woman and injured three others, including a child.
Dermer, attributing Saturday’s tragedy at the Chabad of Poway to white supremacists, said at the annual Holocaust Days of Remembrance organized by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that “we have also seen anti-Semitism increasingly poison minds in the political classes of what once proudly called itself the West.”
“We have also seen one of the world’s most prestigious newspapers become a cesspool of hostility towards Israel that goes well beyond any legitimate criticism of a fellow, imperfect democracy,” he said.
“The same New York Times that a century ago mostly hid from their readers the Holocaust of the Jewish people has today made its pages a safe space for those who hate the Jewish state. Through biased coverage, slanderous columns and anti-Semitic cartoons, its editors shamefully choose week after week to cast the Jewish state as a force for evil.”
The Times apologized for the April 25 cartoon and, according to The Daily Beast, on Monday cut ties with the syndication service behind the image.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said the apology was insufficient.
“Those who engage in antisemitism must be punished, whether it’s here at the U.N., political leaders, editors, policy pundits or college professors,” he said. “I am not in a position of accepting or not accepting the apology, but if somebody makes a mistake, I think somebody should be accountable.”
Thursday’s cartoon featured U.S. President Donald Trump wearing a yarmulke, sporting dark-tinted glasses and being led by a dog with the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a large blue Star of David hanging from its collar.
The weekend image by Norwegian cartoonist Roar Hagen depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with sinister eyes taking a picture of himself with a selfie-stick, carrying in what appears to be an empty desert a tablet featuring the Israeli flag painted on it.
It also resembles a different one from the same cartoonist featuring Netanyahu carrying a tablet that resembles the Ten Commandments, which the Israelites received in the desert after fleeing their enslaved lives in Egypt, in what appears to be a desert being followed by a sinister-looking U.S. President Donald Trump, both walking in the opposite parallel of a directional sign marked “Golan,” a reference to the Golan Heights.
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UNITED STATES

Report: Violent anti-Semitic attacks in US doubled in 2018

Associated Press
(April 30, 2019) - Violent attacks against the Jewish community in the United States doubled last year, while overall attacks that also include vandalism and harassment remained near record-high levels, the Anti-Defamation League reported Tuesday.
The Jewish civil rights group released its annual census of anti-Semitic incidents three days after a gunman opened fire at a Southern California synagogue, killing a woman and wounding a rabbi and two others.
The New York-based group counted 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents — either harassment, vandalism or physical assault — in 2018. That is a 5% decrease from the 1,986 incidents reported in 2017, but the third-highest total since ADL began tracking the data in the 1970s. The 2017 number marked a 57% increase over 2016 and was the highest tally ADL had counted in more than two decades.
ADL counted 39 cases of physical assaults involving 59 victims in 2018, up from 19 assaults and 21 victims in 2017. The 2018 tally includes the 11 people who were killed and two congregants wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the nation's history.
Israel Dahan, whose 8-year-old daughter and brother-in-law were both wounded in Saturday's shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego, said he doesn't understand why there's so much hate.
"We welcome everybody. We love everybody," said Dahan, 32, who is originally from Israel. "I don't even know why people like that (are) coming up against Judaism and against Jewish people."
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL's CEO and national director, said he spent much of the weekend in California meeting and praying with the families of the shooting victims and other synagogue congregants. Greenblatt said it's "hard to find much solace" in the new data.
"Unfortunately, the horrific tragedy in San Diego County reminds us that anti-Semitism is virulently strong," he said.
In 2018, ADL counted 1,066 cases of harassment, defined as a situation in which a Jewish person or group of people "feel harassed by the perceived anti-Semitic words, spoken or written, or actions of another person or group." Last year's tally of harassment incidents was 5% higher than in 2017. The one category that experienced a decline was vandalism: The 774 incidents in 2018 represented a 19% drop from 2017.
ADL's report says "known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist ideology" were responsible for 249 anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, accounting for 13% of the total.
"This is the highest level of anti-Semitic incidents with known connections to extremists or extremist groups since 2004, when at least 128 incidents were the result of leaflet distributions by white supremacist groups," the report adds.
The ADL report doesn't address online anti-Semitism.
"We are only talking about real-world incidents in this report," Greenblatt said.
But the deadly shootings at the Pittsburgh and California synagogues and the recent mosque attacks in New Zealand demonstrate "the role of online communities in radicalizing anti-Semites and bigots to violence," said Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center on Extremism.
"Extremists are preparing their social media strategy as they are preparing their weapons," Segal said.
ADL last year counted 140 anti-Semitic incidents that referenced Israel or Zionism, including dozens of robocalls from a white supremacist who ran an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in California.
The report says ADL includes "anti-Israel incidents" in its audit of anti-Semitic incidents "if they invoke or are accompanied by classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes (such as Jews/Zionists control the government), if they target Jewish religious or cultural institutions or if they are expressed by groups or individuals who consistently express anti-Semitic ideas."
"ADL is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with anti-Semitism. However, Israel-related harassment of groups or individuals may be included when the harassment incorporates established anti-Jewish references, accusations and/or conspiracy theories," the report adds.
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