Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Yet Another Database to Profile Americans
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

A joint National Mortgage Database Program of The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), will soon compel as many as 227 million Americans to disclose intimate details of their families and financial lives- including their Social Security numbers - in a new national database being assembled by the two federal agencies

The Rise of ISIS and the Coming Mahdi
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

In the continuing dismantling of the Iraqi government, a Sunni group known as ISIS has spread panic and fear in much of northern Iraq and continues to destabilize what once was a form of democratic government. Members of ISIS are led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a fundamentalist Islamic leader who is said to have a far more organized and powerful military than existed under al-Qa’ida and Usama bin Laden. Their military attacks have proven effective, and they continue to take over major Iraqi cities, killing Shia Muslims and Christians in their path of terror.

ISIS is an acronym for the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria" as the organization operates in both Iraq and Syria. Like many jihadist groups, its goal is to establish an Islamic state that is true to the teachings of Mohammed, with their current way being a fanatical military movement that is experienced and has a strong leadership directing the military strategy. Thus far, its exercise over northern Iraq and parts of western Syria make it the most successful jihadist movement in history.

This success is being watched closely by neighboring countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey who fear that the expanding military operations of ISIS may come to roost in their own backyard. ISIS recruits many of its members from untrained volunteers from other parts of the world, then trains them to be suicide bombers. For the neighboring countries, this means members of ISIS can act covertly within their own borders. The group is extremely violent and will use any means necessary to establish its Islamic state in Iraq.

Stepping away from the violence and media coverage, ISIS is one of several hundred splinter groups of Islam looking to unite its people before the return of Mahdi, a descendant of Muhammad who is to work in concert with Jesus Christ to conquer the world and convert the entire world to Islam. The ISIS way seems to be that this will take place through a violent and autocratic ascension to power. As they mercilessly kill all those who are not believed to be true Muslims, those who will be left are the faithful. Then the jihad can expand around the globe.

ISIS rose to power when Sunni influence and power in the political process was marginalized after the end of the Iraq war, even though promised otherwise by the Iraqi government. The idea of unifying the various Muslim sects in the country through a democratic government was turned to rubble by the majority Shia political group. It seems a political solution to the problems of Iraq are no closer to being resolved than at the end of the war.

These end times events are significant. One particular city often mentioned in the Bible concerning the last days is Babylon. For most of the world, it is an ancient city with little modern day influence. Yet in Revelation 17, Babylon is the woman on the beast who slays those who have given testimony to the truth of Jesus. Keep in mind this is the one world political system that emerges in the last days. So while much attention is being paid to the political interests of these individual jihadist groups, the critical location inside the country should not be overlooked. Is it here where the Mahdi appears or will rule from?

Should the Biblical perspective be considered, the country of Iraq remaining a somewhat democratic form of government for any length of time is a pipe dream. The dismantling of the current political system should not surprise anyone, particularly Christians. The focus of the political world has shifted to the Middle East where God wants it. The world may minimize the events there, but it is certain that this is where the end of history will unfold.

ISIS is one more piece of evidence that the warring factions of Islam which have been fighting for power over many centuries will only come together under a single Islamic ruler. The attacks of ISIS have spilled over into Turkey, a country once at the heart of the Ottoman Empire, and which is still heavily Muslim. The targets of attacks and suicide bombers in Turkey were Kurds, who are almost exclusively Sunni. Any ideas of peace among the various Islamic factions are more likely to resolve themselves in military rather than in political form. For the Muslim, that resolution will appear in the form of Mahdi.

The End of Evangelical Support for Israel? the Jewish State
Jun 18th, 2014
CommentaryDavid Brog Middle East Quarterly
Categories: Commentary;Warning

We have posted the article below to show that a paradigm shift is taking place within evangelical Christianity that will result in further apostasy among proclaiming Christians. When you couple the move toward anti-Israelism within the evangelical church with the flood of homosexual acceptance,  the overwhelming embracing of mysticism (i.e.,  contemplative) and welcoming of Catholicism, and a growing hostility toward biblical Christians, it becomes plain to see that the stage is being set to form a one-world harlot “church” of which the Bible speaks.

A mere decade ago, Christian Zionism was seen as an emerging force in American politics. As if out of nowhere, a block of fifty to one hundred million friends of Israel were poised to enter the national debate and safeguard the U.S.-Israel relationship for generations to come. Evangelical love for Israel appeared so solid that the only debate within the Jewish community was whether or not to "accept" it.

How quickly things change. The days of taking evangelical support for Israel for granted are over. As they are increasingly confronted with an evangelical-friendly, anti-Israel narrative, more and more of these Christians are turning against the Jewish state.[1]

There is troubling precedent for such an about-face. At one time—prior to the 1967 war— the mainline Protestant denominations were among Israel's most reliable American supporters. Israel's opponents, therefore, targeted these denominations with mainline-friendly, anti-Israel messages. There are still many mainline Protestants who support Israel today. But to the extent the mainline denominations act corporately in connection with the Jewish state, it is to divest from it. And it is from Israel—not Iran—that they seek to divest.

In a similar fashion, Palestinian Christians and their American sympathizers are successfully promoting a narrative aimed at reaching the rising generation of evangelicals and turning them against Israel. As a result, more leaders of this generation are moving toward neutrality in the conflict while others are becoming outspoken critics of Israel. Questioning Christian support for the Jewish state is fast becoming a key way for the millennials to demonstrate their Christian compassion and political independence. In short, this population is in play.

The Shift

There is nothing new about the efforts to drive a wedge between America's evangelicals and Israel. Many in the anti-Israel camp have been working for years to do exactly that. Anti-Israel Palestinian Christians such as Sami Awad and Naim Ateek have traveled the country telling American Christians how their "brothers and sisters in Christ" are being oppressed by Israel's Jews. Left-leaning evangelicals such as Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, and Serge Duss have echoed this narrative in their corner of the Christian world. Duss's sons, Brian and Matt, have worked diligently to mainstream their father's views within the fields of Christian philanthropy and Democratic Party policy-making, respectively.

Until the past couple of years, however, there was little reason to believe that these individuals were influencing Christians beyond their own narrow circles. Almost every significant evangelical leader who took a position on the issue came out squarely behind the Jewish state. A center-right evangelical world simply was not taking its political cues from these stalwarts of the left.

This situation is changing dramatically. With every passing month, more evidence is emerging that these anti-Israel Christians are succeeding in reaching beyond the evangelical left and are influencing the mainstream. In particular, they are penetrating the evangelical world at its soft underbelly: the millennial generation. These young believers (roughly ages 18 to 30) are rebelling against what they perceive as the excessive biblical literalism and political conservatism of their parents. As they strive with a renewed vigor to imitate Jesus' stand with the oppressed and downtrodden, they want to decide for themselves which party is being oppressed in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Whoever first defines the conflict for these young people will win lifelong allies.

Of Polling and Documentaries

In October 2010, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a major survey of evangelical leaders attending the Third Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. When asked with which side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict they sympathized, these leaders answered as follows:

All Evangelicals (Global)

Sympathize With Israel—34%
Sympathize with the Palestinians—11%
Sympathize with Both Equally—39%

American Evangelicals

Sympathize with Israel—30%
Sympathize with the Palestinians—13%
Sympathize with Both Sides Equally—49%

The survey contained two bombshells. It showed that only a minority of those evangelicals polled sympathized primarily with Israel. And it demonstrated that American evangelical leaders were actually less inclined to support Israel than evangelical leaders in general.

These figures may mean that evangelical support for Israel was never as universal as was commonly believed. But they may also demonstrate that years of grassroots efforts by Israel's critics were beginning to bear fruit even before their recent intensification.

The year 2010 was one of dramatic escalation in the efforts to drive a wedge between American evangelicals and Israel using the medium of film. In the span of that one year, no less than three major documentaries were released attacking Christian support for Israel. These were hardly the first anti-Israel movies to be produced. What made these films special was that they were focused on discrediting Christian support for Israel. While First Run Features' Waiting for Armageddon was produced and directed by a team of secular documentarians, two other films—With God on Our Side (Rooftop Productions, 2010) and Little Town of Bethlehem (EthnoGraphic Media, 2010)—were made by Christians specifically for Christians. With God on Our Side was produced by Porter Speakman, a former Youth with a Mission[2] (YWAM) activist while Little Town of Bethlehem was funded and produced by Mart Green, chairman of the board of trustees of Oral Roberts University and heir to the Hobby Lobby arts and crafts stores fortune.

These two Christian-made films are masterpieces of deception. They feature compelling protagonists wandering earnestly through a Middle Eastern landscape in which all Arab violence, aggression, and rejectionism have been magically erased. Thus the Israeli security measures they encounter along the way—from the security fence to Israel's ongoing presence in the West Bank—are experienced as baffling persecutions, which any decent person would condemn.

More recently, in November 2013, another anti-Israel documentary—The Stones Cry Out—was released. Like its 2010 predecessors, this documentary specifically tailors its anti-Israel message to a Christian audience. The film's website laments: "All too often, media coverage of the conflict in Palestine has framed it as a fight between Muslims and Jews." The not-too subtle goal of The Stones Cry Out is to reframe the conflict as a fight between Christians and Jews.

The Stones Cry Out begins with the story of Kfar Biram, a Christian Arab village on Israel's border with Lebanon. Israel expelled the village's residents in 1948 in order to, in the words of the film's website, "make way for settlers in the newly created state of Israel." The film then moves on to "the expropriation of the West Bank in 1967" and the plight of modern Bethlehem, which is "hemmed in by the wall."[3] As such language repeatedly makes clear, the filmmakers did not craft a nuanced critique of Israeli policies. They produced instead a modern passion play.

In an interview about the film, Bethlehem pastor Mitri Raheb summarizes the changes taking place in the American evangelical world:

It's not a hopeless case. The first time I went to the States in 1991, most of the people I met knew nothing about Palestine. That has changed a lot. I see among the evangelical Christian community more openness towards the Palestinians.[4]

Raheb is right about the openness. And this could be a good thing if it leads to an honest examination of the issue. Unfortunately, Raheb and his colleagues are exploiting this openness by telling a one-sided narrative of Jewish persecution of Christians that may sow the seeds of future hate.

Of Campuses and Conferences

The effort to delegitimize Israel on America's college campuses has quickly progressed from news item to cliché. The annual Israel apartheid weeks and the repeated divestment campaigns targeting everything from university pension funds to cafeteria humus have become all too familiar. But what many observers do not realize is that the effort to demonize Israel is also being waged on America's Christian campuses.

Russian Navy to Equip Fifth - Generation Submarines With Military Robots
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsRia Novosti
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Nuclear submarine (Archive)

Russian fifth-generation submarines will be armed with military robots, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy said.

"The combat capabilities of the multipurpose nuclear and conventional submarines will be improved in the future through integration of promising robotic systems into their weaponry," admiral Viktor Chirkov said on Tuesday.

He stressed that tough laws of shipbuilding demand to avoid pauses in the creation of new generations of submarines. This is due to the construction time, cyclical use of ships and submarines, and the rapid development of scientific and technical progress.

"Therefore, we demand from the industry to avoid pauses and start designing the next generation of submarines as soon as they finish designing the previous one," Commander-in-Chief said.

This is the only way the Russian Navy can keep up with technological progress and have submarines that “meet the latest requirements," the admiral said.

Currently, the fourth-generation ships are passing into service of the Russian Navy – the Yasen-class nuclear multipurpose attack submarines [NATO reporting name: Severodvinsk] and the Borey-class ballistic missile submarines.

After raising a flag over the leading Yasen-class submarine, Chirkov said that the fifth-generation submarines are already being designed.

Putin, Poroshenko Discuss Possible Ceasefire in East Ukraine
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Moscow (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, discussed a possible ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the deaths of two Russian journalists there in a late night telephone conversation, the Kremlin said.

The conversation "touched on the theme of a possible ceasefire in the area of military action in southeastern Ukraine", the Kremlin said in a statement.

It also said Putin had expressed his concern over the deaths of two Russian state television journalists, who were killed in shelling in clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists near the eastern city of Luhansk.

Poroshenko expressed his condolences and assured Putin there would be an investigation and measures would be taken to protect journalists.

Obama Rules Out Iraq Airstrikes
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Barack Obama

Reuters

US President Barack Obama has reportedly ruled out American airstrikes on the Islamist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which has captured large portions of Iraq in a lightning blitz.

Obama on Wednesday is to present House and Senate leaders with his "new comprehensive approach," that will focus on providing intelligence to the Iraqi army instead of taking direct military action, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The US president has shown a highly inconsistent position on Iraq; last Friday he committed to not sending troops to Iraq, only to send over 500 marines, dozens of helicopters, and the aircraft carrier George HW Bush into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.

Now Obama apparently is reversing himself again, backpedaling on his military stance under the claim that the US military doesn't have enough information to hit ISIS targets that would significantly affect the battle.

A senior official praised the move, saying "what the president is focused on is a comprehensive strategy, not just a quick military response. While there may potentially be a military component to it, it's a much broader effort."

Instead, the US is preparing to help provide intelligence and advice to the Iraqi army according to officials.

US-armed and trained Iraqi soldiers were routed in a lightning strike by ISIS that began last Monday in the second-largest city of Mosul. Reportedly thousands of the soldiers simply turned tail and fled, leaving behind their American equipment and weapons for the Islamists to scoop up.

ISIS is now marching on Baghdad, after having conquered parts of the city of Baquba, located just 37 miles from the Iraqi capital. ISIS reportedly captured the city's main police station with its weapons stockpile, as well as several neighborhoods.

Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, claimed Tuesday that Iraq's army in Baghdad may be better prepared to give more of a fight than they did in the north.

"It appears as if they have the will to defend the capital," Kirby said. "We have reason to believe, certainly indications, that the Iraqi security forces are stiffening their resistance."

One key factor behind the clash between the Sunni ISIS movement and Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq is the position of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, who has been accused of marginalizing the Sunni presence in his government and stripping the Sunnis of representation.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that if Maliki was removed from Iraq, it would "not necessarily at all" be more destabilizing.

"If there is a clear successor, if the results of the election are respected, if people come together with the cohesiveness necessary to build a legitimate government that puts the reforms in place that people want - that might wind up being very salutary," opined Kerry.

Norway Delays International Funding Meeting for PA
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Mahmoud Abbas

Flash 90

Norway announced Tuesday that it was delaying the meeting of an international donor group for the Palestinian Authority (PA), planned for next week, in light of the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers last Thursday by Hamas terrorists.

The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), which is responsible for coordinating international funding of the PA and is chaired by Norway, was set to meet in Oslo on June 25.

"The situation is not conducive to having an AHLC meeting at this point," Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Frode Andersen told AFP. Frode avoided specifically referencing the kidnapping as the reason for the delay.

The PA has threatened to end its unity deal with Hamas over the kidnapping according to unconfirmed reports, even as it celebrates the kidnapping.

Andersen said the decision to postpone the meeting was made in coordination with the PA, Israel, the European Union (EU) and the US. He did not give a date for when the meeting would be held.

Over 20 European members of parliaments (MPs), hailing from 15 different European countries, signed a joint declaration on Monday condemning the kidnapping.

"We support Israel's right to defend its citizens from acts of war and terror, as is the duty of every sovereign nation. We condemn in the strongest terms the recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers and demand that the Palestinian Authority actively assist in securing their safe return," read the joint statement.

The EU welcomed the Hamas-Fatah unity deal, and a delegation of EU officials traveled to Gaza last Wednesday to meet Gaza-based members of the unity government.

Hamas is on the EU's list of terrorist organizations. That listing specifically includes both "Hamas" and "Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem," meaning that both the military and governmental branches of Hamas are recognized as terror groups by the EU.

List of 50 Top Contemplative - Promoting Organizations Adds 8 Runner U.S.
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsLighthouse Trails
Categories: Warning;Apostasy

In 2012, Lighthouse Trails posted the “50 Top Organizations With a Significant Role in Bringing Contemplative Spirituality to the Church.” We are reposting this list for those who may not have seen it then, and we have added 8 “runner ups” to the list (see bottom of post). From 12 years of research at Lighthouse Trails Research Project, we have found these organizations to have had a significant role in bringing contemplative spirituality into the evangelical/Protestant church. If you do not know or understand the implications of this, we urge you to educate yourself as soon as possible.

Note: We have not listed any colleges or seminaries in this list.

1.  Acts 29 Network

2. American Association of Christian Counselors

3.  American Bible Society 

4.  Association for Biblical Higher Learning

5.  Association of Theological Schools (ATS)

6.  Baker Books (Emersion)

7.  Bible.org

8. Boundless Webzine (FOF)

9.  Breakforth (Canada)

10.  Center for Action and Contemplation

11.  Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL)

12.  Christian Missionary Alliance

13.  Christianity Today

14. Emergent Village

15. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

16.  Focus on the Family

17.  Group Magazine

18. Henri Nouwen Society

19.  IHOP-KC

20.  Intervarsity Press

21.  Kairos School of Spiritual Formation

22.  Conversations Journal

23. Leadership Network

24.  Lifeway Resources

25.  Mennonite Brethren

26.  Mennonite Church, USA

27. Metamorpha

28.  National Worship Conference

29. NavPress

30.  New Church Specialties

31. Presbyterian Church USA

32.  Relevant Magazine

33.  Renovare

34. Robert E. Webber Institute for Spiritual Studies

35. Saddleback Church

36.  Sojourners

37.  Spiritual Directors International

38.  Teen Mania

39.  The Church of the Nazarene

40. The Ooze

41. The Purpose Driven Movement

42.  The Upper Room

43. Thomas Nelson Publishers

44.  Transforming Center

45.  Wesleyan Church

46.  Willow Creek Association

47.  Worship Leader Magazine

48.  Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project

49. Youth Specialties

50. Zondervan

2014 Update: Runner Ups

1. Biblegateway.com

2.  Compassion International

3. World Vision

4. Radio Bible Class

5. In Touch Magazine

6. Moody Bible Institute/Moody Radio

7. ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International)

8. Assemblies of God

Note: You can get information on any of these organizations using our search engines on both our blog and research site.

Note: There are also well over 100 Christian Collages and Seminaries that promote Contemplative Meditation. We are made aware of how rapidly the whole Evangelical Movement is being swept away by the great last days apostasy.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Is Prophecy Being Fulfilled Now In Iraq And Iran?
If you are a student of Bible prophecy, then I want you to get your Bible out and open it to Daniel chapter 8. Now, if you consult nearly any commentary on the Book of Daniel, you’ll find they nearly all interpret this prophecy as fulfilled in history. The prophecy begins with a ram butting to the west, to the north and to the south.

New Poll Is A Disaster For Obama
President Barack Obama has seen an erosion in support for his foreign policy plummet to an all-time low, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released Wednesday. According to the poll, just 37% of respondents said they approved of Obama's handling of foreign-policy issues, an all-time low. Meanwhile, 57% said they disapproved, an all-time high.  

House budget punishes IRS with 15% cut, halts Obamacare enforcement
The Internal Revenue Service is about to get slapped with a harsh payback for messing around with conservative groups, blowing wads of tax dollars on employee conferences and helping implement Obamacare. The House Appropriations Committee is set to OK an IRS budget of $10.9 billion, $1.5 billion under President Obama's request for fiscal year 2015, reducing the agency's budget to 2008 levels.  

DARPA Brain Chips to Implant False Memories
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing brain chips that will implant or remove specific memories from a subject, a prospect some may deem chilling given DARPA’s previous advocacy of authentication microchips. Neuroscientists foresee a brave new world where minds can be programmed using lasers, drugs and microchips in order to create false memories, a technology that has already been used on mice.  

Military Blimps Will Float In Aberdeen, Tracking Potential Threats
Soon, Maryland will be the home to a couple of new landmarks. Actually, sky-marks. As Mike Schuh reports, two large blimps will soon rise over Harford County and stay put. ...What will they be looking for? Anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned aircraft and swarming boats.  

Seven die in Monrovia Ebola outbreak
The deadly Ebola virus has killed seven people in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, health officials have said. These are the first deaths reported in the city since the outbreak of the contagious virus in several West African states. Among the dead are a nurse and four people from the same household, including a baby, officials said.  

Expansion of US marine protected zone could double world reserves
The US plans to create the world's biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The White House will extend an existing protected area, known as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Fishing and drilling would be banned from an area that could eventually cover two million sq km.  

Muslim candidate wants to shake up EU parliament
The 43-year old of Pakistani descent was the first British Muslim to be elected as MEP, in 2004. He started politics at the age of seven handing out leaflets for a local MP candidate, and spent 18 years...a Liberal, before rejoining the Tories in 2007. Karim...put his name forward for the presidency of the European Parliament, the first official candidate for the top post which will have to be filled in the first week of July.  

US Treasury Secretary Lew: Iran's nuclear program will remain peaceful
While the US will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Wednesday that sanctions will lead to an agreement that will "ensure that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful," a step short of the complete dismantling Israel has urged. "We have always been clear that we will take the time to do this right, and we will not rush into a bad deal. No deal is better than a bad deal," ...  

This Is Not Going As Planned: Iraq Prime Minister Defies US, Accuses Saudi Arabia Of "Genocide"
Shortly after the US revealed that, in addition to aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships it was also sending a few hundred "special forces" on the ground in Iraq, contrary to what Obama had stated previously, Washington made quite clear it wants Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to embrace Sunni politicians as a condition of U.S. support to fight a lightning advance by forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Then something unexpected happened: Iraq's Shi'ite rulers defied Western calls on Tuesday to reach out to Sunnis to defuse the uprising in the north of the country, declaring a boycott of Iraq's main Sunni political bloc and accusing Sunni power Saudi Arabia of promoting "genocide."  

Widespread incursions by armed Mexican officers put border agents in regular standoffs
Armed Mexican troops and police regularly stray across the U.S. border, according to statistics the Department of Homeland Security provided to Congress on Tuesday that indicate more than 500 of them have jumped the border in the past decade.  

Putin’s nuclear navy gets an upgrade: Russia christens new top-secret submarine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new weapon at his disposal: a top-secret nuclear submarine named Severodvinsk. The fourth-generation vessel, the first Yasen K-560 nuclear submarine, was christened Tuesday, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported.  

Sunni militants invade Iraq's biggest oil refinery
Islamist-led militants have invaded Iraq's biggest oil refinery, after pounding it with mortars and machine guns from two directions. An official quoted by Reuters said the militants now controlled 75% of the Baiji refinery, 210km (130 miles) north of Baghdad.  

Nabbed Libyan militant lived openly in Benghazi
The Libyan militant suspected in the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi was not a difficult man to find. Ahmed Abu Khattala lived openly and freely in the restive eastern Libyan city — seen at cafes and in public places — even after the U.S. administration named him and another militant as suspects in the attack two years ago that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya.  

Israel leader seeks world pressure on Palestinians
Israel's prime minister on Tuesday urged the international community to demand the Western-backed Palestinian president break off ties with the militant Hamas group over the abduction of three Israeli teens, the latest sign that Israel's massive five-day-old search in the West Bank has broader objectives than finding the missing.  

Iran says will not hesitate to defend Iraq holy sites
Iran will not hesitate to defend Shi'ite Muslim holy sites in neighbouring Iraq against "killers and terrorists", Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, following rapid advances by Sunni militants there over the past week.  

Putin, Poroshenko discuss Ukraine ceasefire as two TV crew killed
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko held talks on Tuesday over a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, as two members of a Russian television crew were killed in the ex-Soviet state's separatist east.  

Is the fracking revolution overhyped?
The nation's booming natural gas industry has transformed the U.S. energy landscape. Yet Dan Dicker, author of Oil's Endless Bid and a long-time oil trader, argues the U.S. shale revolution has been "overhyped." He tells The Daily Ticker that hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) of shale rock has increased U.S. energy production by 3.5 million barrels a day -- a significant increase from previous years but not nearly enough to keep up with global demand.  

Largest U.S. Protestant Church Votes Again on Bds
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Anti-Israel boycott movement (file)

Reuters

America's largest Protestant Christian denomination, the United Methodist Church, is again voting this week on whether to join the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, just a week after it divested from a security company with Israeli ties.

The Church divested its $110,000 stock holdings in the British company G4S last week. The company supplies security equipment to Israel, equipment used to protect Jews in Judea and Samaria, as well as to secure Israeli prisons holding terrorists, reports the New York Times.

This week, the Church will hold its general assembly in Detroit, and vote on divestiture from three companies that supply equipment to Israel: Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola. The Church's holdings reportedly collectively equal $21 million in the companies.

A similar motion against the same three companies failed two years ago, missing by a mere two votes - 333 to 331 with two abstentions.

However, a resolution was passed at the time denouncing the “occupation” and Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, calling for “all nations to prohibit the import of products made by companies in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.”

This time the results may be different, particularly on the heels of the divestment last week, which was an independent action of the Church's General Board of Pension and Health Benefits.

Rev. Jeffrey DeYoe of the Church's Israel Palestine Mission Network, which advocates against Israel, praised the new vote, reports Fox News.

"I remember in 2006, the use of the word 'occupation' in General Assembly circles - it was like using a bad word. You just didn't say it and when you said it sounded outrageous. We've come a long way from there," stated DeYoe.

On the other side George Douglas, a Presbyterian member of the steering committee of Presbyterians for Middle East Peace, a body that opposes BDS, condemned the move the Church is contemplating.

"It's become more and more clear that the BDS movement is hostile to Israel and does not support a two-state solution," said Douglas. "If you vote for divestment, you place the church in the BDS camp."

The Church has been fading in attendance and influence for decades according to Fox News, which notes that only 1.8 million members were recorded last year. Nevertheless, the American news site acknowledges it would be the most prominent American religious group to support BDS till now if the vote goes through.

It is worth noting that the 2012 Levy report found that Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, the Biblical heartland of the Jewish state, is completely legal under international law.

Is Prophecy Being Fulfilled Now in Iraq and Iran?
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

If you are a student of Bible prophecy, then I want you to get your Bible out and open it to Daniel chapter 8. Now, if you consult nearly any commentary on the Book of Daniel, you’ll find they nearly all interpret this prophecy as fulfilled in history. The prophecy begins with a ram butting to the west, to the north and to the south, which most believe refers to the historical conquests of the Medo-Persian Empire:

Behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. (vv. 3-4)

After this, a male goat with a single prominent horn charged from the east and crushed the ram. Most understand this to refer to the historical conquests of the Greek armies (the goat) led by Alexander the Great (the prominent horn):

While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power (vv. 5-7).

No sooner does the Greek goat defeat the Persians and exalt itself that its great leader dies or “was broken.” After this, four other horns grow up in its place. One of these horns in particular, starts small, but eventually becomes great, controlling much of the Middle East. Most interpret this little horn to refer to the historical Antiochus IV Epiphanes:

Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land (vv. 8-9).

This is where the historical interpretation begins to run into significant problems. For the “little horn” that grows large is not only said to conquer the northern swatch of the Middle East, it is also said to carry out some profound events in heaven:

It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper (vv. 10-12).

Now, will anyone claim that Antiochus caused some of the angels (stars) to fall from heaven? I certainly hope not. In fact, the Book of Revelation describes precisely the same event, but there it is Satan the dragon, who causes the angels to fall, and it is something that takes place in the last seven years before the return of Christ:

Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth… the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Revelation 12:3-4,7-9).

Next two angels began explaining the vision of the ram and the goat and the little horn, and Daniel is given some profound information concerning the timing of these things. One angel standing on the banks of the River Ulai (which is in modern day Iran) called to the other angel and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision” (v. 16). So Gabriel came to Daniel and said, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end” (v. 17).

Suddenly the idea that this was solely about the historical Persian and Greek empires becomes very difficult. For Gabriel himself told Daniel that the vision concerned the end times. He did not say that part of the vision was historical and part of it was future. He simply said that the vision concerned the time of the end. If it was not enough to say it once, Gabriel then repeated his statement to really let it sink in again stating: “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end” (v. 19).

To be fair, Gabriel then went on to explain that the ram represented “the kings of Media and Persia,” while the goat represented “the kingdom of Greece.” The word there for Greece is actually Javan, which included the west coast of modern day Turkey as well.

Now, I have always interpreted the vision to pertain to the historical empires of Medo-Persia and Greece, and then the little horn, while being partially fulfilled in the life of Antiochus Epiphanes, to be ultimately fulfilled in the last days through Antichrist. Many other commentators hold to this view as well. Although I have more than 100 commentaries on the book of Daniel, I had never really considered any other view until I read “Daniel Revisited” by Mark Davidson. In that book, Davidson, taking a radical futurist perspective, makes some excellent points that I had simply never considered. When we actually read the explanation of Gabriel, the truth is that he does not make any such break in the vision, placing some of it in history and some of it the future. He simply says that the vision pertains to the time of the end. And then he says it again.

If the ultimate meaning of the entire vision is eschatological, pertaining to the time of the end, while it may certainly maintain a historical partial fulfillment, it may also very well speak of two forthcoming regional wars. The first war would be Iran “butting” as it were to the west, the north and the south – into the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and perhaps Bahrain, Azerbaijan and as far as Israel and Egypt. But after this, Turkey in the east would launch a counter offensive. 

After this time, it appears as though out of the ashes of these wars, in the region stretching from Nineveh (Mosul) to Turkey, we should expect to see the Antichrist arise, starting small but then gaining in power. With Iran already declaring that it will enter the fray in Iraq to respond to the ISIS offensive, the beginning of Daniel’s vision may very well be beginning to unfold right in front of us. Am I saying that this is absolutely how it is going to happen and that “this is that?” Not yet, but I think we can all acknowledge that what is now unfolding in Iraq and Iran makes this all a very real possibility.

Iraqis to ISIS: Bring It On, We Have Dug Your Graves
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is moving in on Baghdad after already having taken over several cities in Iraq, but the Iraqis are unfazed.

A group of Shiite Iraqi poets, who spoke at a religious gathering in Karbala last week, roused the crowds in anti-ISIS rhetoric.

"You want to march on Baghdad?! Bring it on as soon as possible. By Allah, we have already dug your graves," poet Hussein Al-Karbalai cried, to the cheers of the crowds.

The recitations were posted to the internet on June 13, and were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The ISIS Islamists took control of the northern cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a rapid advance last week, and took over Tal Afar on Monday.

Advancing toward Baghdad, large-scale clashes have erupted in Samarra; on the eastern front, Kurdish forces took Kirkuk to fend off the Islamist advance on Thursday. 

Last week, Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric, Sheik Abdulmehdi al-Karbalai said, issued a call to arms against the ISIS rebels.

"Citizens who are able to bear arms and fight terrorists, defending their country and their people and their holy places, should volunteer and join the security forces to achieve this holy purpose," he said.

Hamas Attacks 'Harmful' Abbas for Condemning Kidnappings
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

Flash 90

Hamas lost no time taking Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to task on Wednesday, just after Abbas condemned the kidnappers of the three Israeli teenagers, who he said "want to destroy" the PA.

In the statement, Abbas defended the cooperation between PA security forces and the IDF in the rescue operation, saying "the kidnapped are human beings like us. It is in our interest to have security coordination with Israel because that would help protect us. I say it frankly, we will never have another Intifada - that would destroy us."

In response, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri released a statement criticizing Abbas.

"President Abbas's statements on security coordination with Israel are unjustified, harmful to Palestinian reconciliation...and a psychological blow to the thousands of Palestinian prisoners suffering a slow death in the occupation's jails," Zuhri, reports AFP.

"These statements are based solely on the Israeli narrative, without presenting any true information," Zuhri claimed.

Regarding the prisoners, 80 Arab terrorists have been hospitalized after refusing to eat for nearly two months; the Knesset has presented a controversial bill to force-feed them.

The criticism comes after Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza condemned Abbas on Monday over cooperating with Israel, saying instead he should declare “jihad” against the “Zionists.”

That same Monday, Abbas condemned the kidnapping four days after it occurred. However, in the same statement he condemned the IDF operation as well, which aims to rescue the youths and clean out the Hamas terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.

It should be noted that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, the military wing of Abbas' Fatah faction, released a joint statement with Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza on Tuesday, threatening they would use "force" against Israel if the operation continues.

Abbas has publicly distanced himself from Hamas over the kidnapping, which was conducted by Hamas terrorists operating in Judea and Samaria without the aid of Hamas in Gaza, threatening to end its unity deal with Hamas over the kidnapping according to unconfirmed reports.

However, Abbas's PA and Fatah have both joined the Islamist Hamas in celebrating the kidnapping, and even calling on locals in the Hevron region to impede the IDF's search.

Full Hamas, Jihad Islami Mobilization in Gaza
Jun 18th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A Conditioning Process
Jun 18th, 2014
CommentaryLighthouse Trails - Caryl Matrisciana
Categories: Contemporary Issues;Warning

One day in 1979, a young California business man was on his morning jog on a hillside path overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Feeling the breeze against his face and taking in the beauty around him, he suddenly heard a whispered voice within him. He describes the experience:

It formed into a pair of meaningless but mellifluous-sounding syllables in my mind, which gradually grew into a chant. To the beat of my running steps I gave voice to it, feeling a bursting joy: Kah-lee! … Kah-lee! Somehow I knew that it was good and right for me to be doing this. Several months later, a friend gave me a copy of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. A few pages into the text, reading the author’s account of his early life in India, I came across these words: “Our family moved to Lahore in the Punjab. There I acquired a picture of the Divine Mother in the form of the goddess Kali.”

I was stunned. No wonder on that morning run I had felt such an abounding bliss . . . I had been chanting the name of a Nature god! I later learned that on that morning I had been a few hundred yards from the seaside ashram that Yogananda occupied for many years. Many mysterious experiences led me eventually to the feet of this master.1

The jogger that day was Jim Ballard, the author of Mind Like Water, a primer in Eastern religious practices. Former New Age follower Warren Smith describes his own reaction to Ballard’s experience with Kali:

Just as I had not questioned the supernatural circumstances that led me to Indian guru Bhagwhan Shree Rajneesh, Ballard did not question the supernatural circumstances that led him to Paramahansa Yogananda. Yet if either one of us had been seriously reading the Bible back then we might have looked at our spiritual experiences quite differently. . . .

Fueled by his supernatural experience with “Kali” and by other various “mysterious experiences,” Ballard was eventually led to “the feet” of Yogananda just as I had been led by my mysterious experiences to “the feet” of Rajneesh.2

Ballard’s experience took place nearly thirty years ago, but the effect the Hindu god had on him continue. In his book, Little Wave and Old Swell (most recently published in 2007), Ballard says the book was “Inspired by [Hindu swami] Paramahansa Yogananda.”3
Sadly, a very popular Christian figure has written glowing forewords to both of Ballard”s books: Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager and founder of “Lead Like Jesus,” calls Mind Like Water a “wonderful book,” adding:

I hope that you and countless other readers will find in Mind Like Water some ways to calm your mind and uplift your consciousness, and to transform the way you operate every day in this chaotic world.4

Little Wave and Old Swell is a children’s book that carries the same message as Helen Schucman’s A Course in Miracles–a New Age book made popular largely through Oprah Winfrey’s promotion. What is the theme of the Course? – ”that man is divine, and God is in all. In the foreword to Little Wave and Old Swell, Blanchard tells readers to “[r]ead it many times. Let it speak to your heart.”

Blanchard’s endorsement of Mind Like Water and Little Wave and Old Swell is a prime example of how New Age spirituality has entered Christianity.

In view of these things, I cannot help but recall the lyrics I heard so many years ago at the musical Hair: “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.”5 But unlike the optimistic, utopian world the hippies in the 1960s thought was in the making, the Bible says the world will enter a time of strong spiritual delusion. Revelation 12: 9 says that at some point in history, before Jesus Christ returns, Satan will deceive the whole world.

Our hope as young hippies, for a world with “Harmony and understanding, Sympathy and trust abounding,”6 will not occur. True peace will not come before the world experiences a great tribulation, as Revelation describes, but will only occur after Jesus Christ comes back to take His rightful place as King. Before Christ returns, the Anti-christ will come, and many will fall into his grip of madness and deceit.

Before the world can accept this world leader, a conditioning process must first take place. Such a process has been going on for some decades. Western society has been heavily influenced and altered by it already. The last hold out against the New Age of Aquarius is the Christian church. Now, that too is caving in under the assault. (To learn more, read Caryl Matrisciana’s book Out of India.”)

Notes:

1. Jim Ballard, Mind Like Water (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2002), p. 14.
2. Warren Smith, Reinventing Jesus Christ, chapter 5 updates, p. 12.
3. Jim Ballard, Little Wave and Old Swell (New York, NY: Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2007), front cover.
4. Ken Blanchard quoted from foreword of Jim Ballard’s Mind Like Water, op. cit.,
5. “Aquarius,” song in the production, Hair, op. cit. (used by permission from Alfred Publishing Co. – permissions on file at LTPC).
6. Ibid.