Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Quote of the Day
Dec 18th, 2014
CommentaryRick Warren
Categories: Apostasy

RICK WARREN ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM: "WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN WHAT DIVIDES US"

He continued: "When you talk about Pentecostals, charismatics, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians ... Well, they would all say we believe in the trinity, we believe in the Bible, we believe in the resurrection, we believe salvation is through Jesus Christ. These are the big issues."

Warren is a driving force in the bring together of all religious groups. He is on the leading of the formation of the coming world church.

Obama Signs Ukraine Freedom Support Act: Psaki
Dec 18th, 2014
Daily NewsSputnik
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

State Department’s spokesperson Jen Psaki announced that US President Barack Obama signed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, providing lethal and non-lethal aid to the Ukrainian government and imposing a new round of economic sanctions on Russia’s defense, energy and finance sectors.

North Korea to Have 20 Nuke Bombs By 2016: U.S. Expert
Dec 18th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Korea Herald
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

North Korea would possess some 20 nuclear bombs by 2016, and it could conduct several rounds of detonation tests to miniaturize nuclear warheads, a renowned U.S. nuclear scientist said Wednesday.

"North Korea is presumed to have the capability of producing some four nuclear bombs per year, and it appears that the North will possess some 20 nuclear bombs by 2016," Siegfried Hecker, a research professor at Stanford University who visited the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex in 2010, was quoted as saying by Rep. Yoo Ki-june of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party.

In April, Hecker estimated that North Korea had about 10 nuclear bombs, according to sources in Washington.

The expert, who came to Seoul to participate in the 13th Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum on Thursday, made the remarks during a Wednesday meeting with a group of lawmakers of Seoul's parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. Yoo is the head of the committee.

Speaking of the communist country's attempts to miniaturize a nuclear warhead for missiles, Hecker raised the chances of Pyongyang's further underground tests.

"For the miniaturization, the North could carry out several rounds of nuclear tests down the road," Hecker was quoted as saying. "North Korea appears not to be sure (about the technology)."

Pyongyang has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, including its most powerful one with a uranium-based device in February 2013. The bellicose state has threatened to carry out "a new form" of underground test.

Though the North has yet to demonstrate the miniaturization capability, officials and experts from South Korea and the U.S. have said the communist country is believed to have the technology to build nuclear-tipped missiles. (Yonhap)

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

Why Muslims Are Converting to Christ in the Face of ISIS Atrocities
Former Muslims, who once prayed five times a day as a duty, say they don’t quite know how to describe the difference. "They say, 'Now with our relationship with God, we see a huge difference; something has changed in our life,'” he said. "You can see it on their faces. They say, 'Every time we pray, there’s a difference.'”  

Death penalty for smuggling Bibles?
Several Christian missionaries said they were seeking to confirm a recent report by the Virginia-based Heart Cry Missionary Society that a new death penalty law has been adopted citing an “official statement” in Arabic on a Coptic Christian website called CoptsToday.  

Communists Win the Day. Frank Marshall Davis Would Be Proud Of Obama
To reiterate my conclusion on Barack Obama’s world view and policy objectives: to make the world safer, the United States must be less safe. To make the world more stable, the United States must be less stable. To make the world more prosperous, the United States must be less prosperous.  

Yellen Makes It Clear That Fed's Patience on Rates Has Limits
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen restored clarity to the central bank’s monetary policy plans, saying it was on course to raise interest rates, though not right away, after officials issued a statement that some Fed-watchers found confusing.  

Alphabetical list of all active volcanoes in the world
Abu (Honshu, Japan) shield volcano, 641 m / 2,103 ft Acamarachi (Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, South America) stratovolcano, 6046 m / 19,836 ft Acatenango (Guatemala) Stratovolcano, 3976 m / 13,044 ft Continued:  

Sierra Leone to Search for Ebola Cases in Capital
With the disease now spreading fastest in Sierra Leone, authorities are ramping up their response.  

Russian Ruble Crisis Spreads Across US, Emerging Markets And BRIC Nations
“The currency has collapsed, and it’s possible that the economy could also collapse. They’ve become a wild card at this point, it’s a very dangerous situation,” said Stephen Guilfoyle, chief economist at Sarge986.com.  

Small earthquake shakes Greene County half a mile from epicenter of similar quake in November
Alabama -- A magnitude 3.4 earthquake shook parts of Greene County Wednesday afternoon, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake happened about 11 miles northwest of Eutaw, Ala. and 31 miles southwest of Tuscaloosa, the USGS said. A similarly strong earthquake occurred in November just half a mile away from Wednesday's epicenter.  

Texas plumber's old truck resurfaces in Syria, mounted with terrorists' guns
A Texas plumber has been receiving threats after a photo emerged of Islamic extremists in Syria firing a high-powered gun from the bed of his old pickup, which still bears his company's logo on the door.  

From Sydney to Rome, until Islam rules the world
As the Israeli-Arab conflict becomes more religious, solidarity with the Israeli side grows; because now the war is not against Israel – it’s against the entire Western world.  

Russia not fit to be part of international financial system – Cameron
“And what the combination of the lower oil price and the sanctions are showing that I think it isn’t possible for Russia to be part of the international financial system, but try and opt out of the rules-based international legal system,” Cameron said.  

Putin says Russia economy will be cured but offers no remedy
Under pressure to show he has a plan to fix the economy, Putin told an end-of-year news conference the actions of the central bank and government had been "adequate" in a crisis he blamed on external factors.  

Bookies suspend betting on Queen ABDICATING as Royal Family gather for pre-Christmas lunch
Favourable odds of 10-1 were being offered on Her Majesty announcing she would step down from the throne during her speech on December 25. However, after seeing a flurry of activity, bookmakers Coral have now closed betting on a potential abdication.  

Nigeria sentences soldiers to death for refusing to fight Islamists
A Nigerian military court on Wednesday sentenced 54 soldiers to death for mutiny after they refused to deploy for an operation against Boko Haram Islamists in the northeast, their lawyer said. "They sentenced 54 to death and acquitted five," said prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, following a court martial that began on October 15 and was conducted behind closed doors.  

US-Cuba relations: Global praise for normalisation of ties
World leaders have welcomed a historic move by the US to end more than 50 years of hostility towards Cuba and restore diplomatic relations. Pope Francis joined leaders from Latin America and Europe in praising the "historic" deal which saw the release of prisoners from both countries. But dozens of dissident Cubans oppose the move, which some Republicans have labelled a "retreat" by the US.  

ISIS Attacks American Base In Iraq In First Ever Clash With U.S. Troops
American troops in Iraq had their first actual battle with ISIS troops, after the Islamist militants tried to overrun a base, an encounter that left the ISIS troops decimated and in retreat. The attack took place near the Ein al-Asad base, which includes close to 100 U.S. military advisers. The U.S. troops, armed with “light and medium weapons,” and were able to inflict casualties against the ISIS fighters, forcing them to retreat, Shafaq News reported.  

Opponent calls for Putin's exit as Russia slides into crisis
A prominent opponent has warned Vladimir Putin his days in power are numbered, as Russia awaits the president's response to the dramatic decline of the rouble.  

A Dangerous Holiday
Holidays are a calendar. They mark points in emotional and physical time. They remind of us who we are. Many of those celebrating Chanukah celebrate a holiday that does nothing more than celebrate ‘celebration’, the rituals and rites of entertainment, a special food, a symbol whose meaning they don’t remember and a little family fun. Chanukah is many things but it is not a safe holiday. It is a victory celebration in a guerrilla war. It is a reminder that Obama’s war on Jerusalem was preceded long before him by Antiochus’s war on Jerusalem. It is a brief light in a period of great darkness.  

Law Enforcement and National Security vs. Global Business Interests
Three interesting processes are underway as a direct result of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the extent of the access by US security services to personal information stored and processed in the IT systems of global American companies. One of these processes is essentially technological, the second is legal, and the third is of a business nature. All three processes are designed to constrict access by American government agencies to personal information held by those companies, in their effort to preserve national security and enforce the law.  

UN: Turning back the clock to pre-1948 is the real endgame
Apparently, a direct attack on the legitimacy of the UN member state of Israel is now interpreted in UN circles as consistent with the principles of the United Nations. Incitement against the Jewish state is directly related to the stabbings, raping and killing of Jews inside and outside of Israel. But doing something to stop it requires confronting a very troubling fact: the global epicenter for incitement is the “human rights” leviathan, the United Nations.  

Ruble collapse: Freakish Russian ruble rout is unlike any currency crisis in history
A large part of Russia's problems today come from an over-reliance on oil exports. Oil sales bring in 70% of Russia's exports value. As IBTimes UK went to press, Brent crude oil dipped below $59 per barrel for the first time since 2009. Russia needs oil to be selling at $109 per barrel in order to break even.  

America under dictatorship
Just as Fidel Castro became Cuba’s dictator when he and his guerrillas triumphantly entered Havana on January 7, 1959, President Barack Obama became America’s dictator on Dec. 17, 2014. Swaggering into Havana dressed in army fatigues with his signature cigar, Castro claimed the island as his own. Like a thief making off with a nation in the middle of the night, Obama waiting until Congress was out of town, opened America to a Communist totalitarian state.  

Germany: 15,000 join anti-Islam protest in Dresden
Marking a 50% rise in attendance since the demonstration last Monday, the founder of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident (PEGIDA), Lutz Bachmann, addressed the protestors saying: "The people are with us! Everywhere now.  

Palestinians set deadline for Israeli occupation
UNITED NATIONS — Israel suffered back-to-back diplomatic setbacks in Europe on Wednesday, while the Palestinians at the United Nations set a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from lands captured nearly 50 years ago by the end of 2017.  

Jordan Presents Draft of Resolution on Palestinian State to UN
Dec 18th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Jerusalem Post
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Kerry says US has "no problem" with resolution.

Jordan formally submitted to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday a draft resolution calling for peace between Israel and the Palestinians within one year that "fulfills the vision of two independent democratic and prosperous states."

The Palestinian-drafted resolution was formally submitted to the 15-member council, which means it could be put to a vote as soon as 24 hours later, but it does not guarantee it will happen. Some drafts formally submitted have never been voted.

Diplomats say negotiations on the text could take days or weeks. Jordan's UN envoy Dina Kawar said she hoped the council could reach a unanimous decision on the resolution.

Nine votes are needed to adopt a resolution, which would then force the United States, a close ally of Israel, to decide whether or not to veto it.

France, Britain and Germany are also drafting a resolution, which French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said would propose concluding peace talks in two years. Other parameters for ending the conflict would also be set, diplomats said.

Palestinians seek statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with east Jerusalem as their capital.

The draft resolution submitted on Wednesday states that a negotiated solution should be based on several parameters including the 1967 borders, security agreements, and "Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two States which fulfills the legitimate aspirations of both parties and protects freedom of worship."

The text also "calls upon both parties to abstain from any unilateral and illegal actions, including settlement activities, that could undermine the viability of a two-state solution."

Israel accepts the "two-state solution" of an independent and democratic Palestinian state alongside Israel, but has not accepted the 1967 borders as the basis for final negotiations, citing security and other concerns.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Wednesday that providing it doesn't heighten tensions, the US "no problem" with the draft, AFP reported.

Kerry, who was back in the US after a trip that included a meeting with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "we haven't seen the language yet, we don't know precisely what was filed."

Kerry added that he US had been "troubled by some of the language that had been out there at different points of time."

"We don't have any problem with them filing some resolution providing it's done in the spirit of working with people to see how we could proceed forward in a thoughtful way that solves the problem and doesn't make it worse."

God the First and Last
Dec 18th, 2014
CommentaryA.W. Tozer
Categories: Warning

Man has no say about the time or place of his birth. God determines that without consulting man himself.

One day the little man finds himself in consciousness and accepts the fact that he is. There his willful life begins. Before that he had nothing to say about anything. After he struts and boasts and utters his defiant proclamations of individual freedom and encouraged by the sound of his own voice he may declare his independence of God and call himself an atheist or an agnostic.

Have your fun little man: you are only chattering in the interim between first and last; you had no voice at the first and you will have none at the last.

God reserves the right to take up the last where He began at the first and you are in the hands of God whether you will or not.   A.W. Tozer

China Plans Nuclear - Powered Aircraft Carriers: U.S. Expert
Dec 18th, 2014
Daily NewsWant China Times
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The model of a nuclear-powered carrier with the hull number 18 displayed at Jinshuai Model Crafts in Guangdong. (Internet photo)

China is developing a large nuclear-powered aircraft carrier similar to the Nimitz-class or Ford-class aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, Associate Professor Andrew S Erickson from the Strategic Research Department at the US Naval War College wrote in his recent article for National Interest magazine.

Erickson said three models of aircraft carriers displayed at Jinshuai Model Crafts based in Zhanjiang in Guangdong province show what China's future aircraft carriers will look like. Jinshuai Model Crafts is located close to the headquarters of the PLA Navy's South Sea Fleet and the models it makes usually provide reliable and detailed information about the design of China's future warships.

The first important thing to notice, Erickson wrote, is that the three models give the hull numbers of China's first three domestically built carriers as 17, 18 and 19. The models also show that the design of the PLA Navy's future carriers will be different to its first carrier, the Liaoning, which carries the number CV-16. The carrier was purchased from Ukraine as the hulk of the Soviet-era carrier Varyag and refitted for service. It was commissioned in 2012.

While the design of the model labeled CV-17 still retains some characteristics of the Liaoning such as its ski-jump deck, the CV-18 and CV-19 are completely different from the Russian-designed light aircraft carrier, according to Erickson. They look much more similar to the Nimitz-class or Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the US Navy. Described as the first domestic nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, Erickson said that both vessels are American-style ships with Chinese characteristics.

Some mistakes were found on the models, however, likely due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the model builder, Erickson said. The position of the CV-18's blast deflectors and catapult are wrong. In an attempt to fill the space, about 70 carrier-based aircraft can be seen on the flight deck of the model. The carrier has six 30 mm single-tube artillery sets, four sets of HHQ-10 point defense missiles, and four sets of laser anti-missile systems.

Erickson said Shanghai's Changxing island is a promising location for China to construct its own nuclear-powered carriers.

Defense expert Du Wenlong was quoted as saying that the PLA Navy will need at least three aircraft carriers to use in rotation. While one carrier is on active duty, another can carry out training exercises while the third undergoes maintenance. After three carriers are completed, the Liaoning is more likely to serve as a purely training vessel, the Global Times said.