Category Archive: The Church

Apr 05

THE COMING STORM

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America, The Church

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April 5, 2012

A great little article from David Wilkerson focusing on the fact that is shaking us right now. We need to be about His will as the time is very short! Keep looking up!

 

When a sleeping child must be awakened, a loving parent takes him by the shoulders and gently shakes him. If the child doesn’t wake up immediately, the shaking becomes a bit firmer. The parent insists, because he knows the child will suffer if he doesn’t wake up on time.

That is precisely what God is doing right now—both to America and to the world. At first, He shook us very tenderly but now His shaking has become violent, because He has not succeeded in awakening us.

The Lord began to literally shake the earth with earthquakes in the late 1980s. A quake in Armenia wiped out almost that entire province. A quake in Japan measuring 6.9 nearly destroyed an entire city. Then came the horrible quake in San Francisco, with more following almost daily in that area. Quakes hit the West Coast constantly, from northern California to San Diego and down into Mexico.

Isaiah prophesies that God will one day rise up and shake the whole earth: “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty . . . and turneth it upside down. . . . All joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. . . . When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree” (Isaiah 24:1, 11, 13). God is going to shake the earth as if it were an olive tree—till every bit of fruit falls.

Ezekiel says that when God’s fury arises, He will shake all that can be shaken: “All the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. . . . And I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:20 and 23).

The writer of Hebrews says: “Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. . . . That [only] those things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:26-27).

God is going to shake everything in sight so that He is revealed as the only unshakable power!

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Apr 04

Catholic And Protestant Journalists, Websites Abuzz About Coming False Prophet “Petrus Romanus”

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Antichrist, The Church

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April 4, 2012

The False Prophet is the forgotten figure in end time prophecy.  There is plenty of speculation about who the Anti-Christ is, but very little about his “promoter.” Yet if we look deeply enough, we can discover what evangelicals and Catholics have believed about this personality, although there seems to be plenty of room for multiple interpretations in both camps.

We begin by taking what at first glance appear to be bit of a rabbit trail, but it’s actually to establish historical context.  The early Protestant reformers were firmly united in the belief that the Pope was the Anti-Christ.  Actually, as John 2:18 tells us, there are many anti-Christs, but the term is usually reserved for the final one.  Although they had many reasons to believe this, perhaps the easiest to explain is the one tied to one of the Pope’s titles — the Vicar of Christ.  “Vicar” means “substitute” and “anti” can mean “instead of.”  One of the best-known defenses of this point of view is The Two Babylons,  by Alexander Hislop.  He published his work in 1853, after the “Pope as Anti-Christ” theory was no longer so popular among Protestants.

The viewpoint was rooted in the Historicist interpretation of Revelation, which presents amazing fulfillments of most of the prophetic book up to the present time.  However, in an effort to get the Pope “off the hook,” two Catholic theologians started promoting Futurism, which is the dominant evangelical view of Revelation today, and Preterism, which teaches that most of Revelation was fulfilled by the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  A good source for the Historicist interpretation is The Present Reign of Jesus Christ by Robert Caringola.  The main weakness I see in Historicism is a lack of appreciation for multiple fulfillments, which would open the door for common ground with Futurists.

It turns out that Preterism has historical roots planted long before the Protestant Reformation.  It’s strongly reflected in the writings of Eusebius and may be linked to Saint Augustine, John Chrysostom and Ignatius.  This variety is more properly termed “partial preterism” or “historical preterism” because it allows for more future fulfillment of Revelation than does standard preterism.  It works nicely with Saint Augustine’s amillenial position, which is still the dominant position of the Catholic Church, namely that the  thousand-year period of Revelation 20:3 is symbolic of a great number of years and is our present era.  A blogger, identified only as Nic, on CatholicForum.com equates the False Prophet with the Sanhedrin/Pharasaic elite.  It remains to be seen how many Catholics share this interpretation.

There’s a new interest among evangelical Protestants in determining the Pope’s place in end time prophecy, and some are taking another look at the forgotten figure, the False Prophet. Tim McHyde has written an article on EscapeAllTheseThings.com called Is Pope Benedict XVI / Joseph Ratzinger The False Prophet (a point of view the authors of the new research book Petrus Romanus disagree with). His arguments include the previously cited one, involving the meanings of “vicar” and “anti.”  He also says, “The pope’s mitre literally has two horns.  If you go to the Catholic Encyclopedia, they themselves call it a “two horned mitre” (hat).  Again, its plain meaning is fulfilled in the pope.  He is a like a lamb with two horns.”  Another Protestant site, RedMoonRising.com, takes the argument further, “Catholic commentators such as the late Father Malachi Martin, Kathleen Keating and numerous Catholic visionaries are united in the belief that the Catholic Church will at one time be led by a figure they call the Anti-Pope who will turn against the fundamentals of the Christian faith and accept the Antichrist.” 

There is a variation of this theme involving an extra-Biblical Catholic revelation called “The Great Monarch and Angelic Pastor.”  The anonymous author of An Analysis of Catholic Prophecy writes, “… as Catholics understand it, there will be a Great Monarch and an Angelic Pastor who rule together followed by the Antichrist and then Jesus Christ returns to bring the last judgment.”  The author warns that these two personalities are really the False Prophet and the Anti-Christ, which means that when Jesus Christ arrives on the scene, believers in this prophecy would misidentify Him as the Anti-Christ.

The theme of an anti-Pope is further developed in an article in Examiner.com which quotes from a Catholic audio recording called Reign of the False Prophet.  It mentions a Father John O’Connor.  “Father explains how God will and is punishing the world for sin, and that the Fathers of the Church all wrote that the False Prophet would be a Catholic Bishop who will become an invalid anti-pope while the real Pope dies a cruel death in exile.”

Finally, a Catholic friendly website called EndTimesLion.com fills in more of the details of the anti-Pope theory.  “This Anti-Pope will appear to be elected, but he will not be validly so. This Anti-Pope will physically reside in Rome, at least for a time until the “Anti-Vatican” is moved to Jerusalem.  The election will be done invalidly through electronic means, such as email, fax and phone, based on the excuse that it will be too dangerous to travel to Rome because of the wars and revolutions in the streets.”

It must be remembered that Saint Malachy’s Prophecy of the Popes (learn more by reading the series in the above left column) contains references to both Popes and anti-Popes. It would be entirely consistent with Catholic teaching and emerging Protestant interpretation, for Benedict XVI’s successor, the final pontiff known as Petrus Romanus, to be both anti-Pope and False Prophet.

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Apr 04

Egypt: Christians Now Abandon Constitution Talks, Saying It Is ‘Pointless’ To Take Part

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The Church

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April 4, 2012

 

Worry not, the Islamists will eventually rule in a manner which reflects the diversity of Egypt. Indeed, there will be a diverse list of penalties for those who break the law. In fact, Egypt’s new rulers have even decided to finally accept the crucifixion. As a means of punishment. In light of the fact that Egypt is becoming a “new Iran“, some will even say that this is a step forward. That is, if you still have feet …

“Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church has said it is ‘pointless’ to take part in talks on a new constitution, saying mounting Islamist domination in the talks has led them to withdraw from the assembly, Egypt’s state news agency said.

The 100-member constitutional assembly selected by the parliament is dominated by Islamists, reflecting their resounding victory in parliamentary elections.

Late on Sunday, the Church announced the decision to withdraw; a move which followed earlier calls by Egyptian liberals to boycott the constitution drafting committee, which is seen as failing to adequately represent the nation’s diversity.

‘The Coptic Orthodox Church General Council agreed with the approval of all of the council’s 20 members to withdraw from the constitutional assembly… as it found it was pointless for the church to be represented following the comments made by the national forces about the way the assembly was formed,’ the state news agency said, quoting a church statement.

The current constitution was suspended by the country’s army rulers in February of last year shortly after they took power from Egypt’s long-serving autocratic president, Hosni Mubarak.

Coptic Christians, who form Egypt’s biggest minority group and constitute most of Egypt’s 10 percent Christian population, have long had a difficult relationship with the country’s overwhelmingly Muslim majority.

Since Mubarak’s ouster, Christians have become increasingly worried after an upsurge in attacks on churches, which they blame on hardline Islamists.

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Mar 28

The Prophecy of the Popes or False Prophet

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The Church, Tribulation

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March 28, 2012

I am attaching this article by Hal Lindsey in regard to the prophecies of Malachy an Irish onk made in 1158. While definitely not Biblical or canonical in any way, it is amazing how accurate Malachy has been to date. Read and keep in mind the propecy of the second beast in Revelation chapter 13.

The Prophecy of the Popes – Hal Lindsey – www.hallindsey.com

 Almost 900 years ago, Pope Innocent II summoned the Bishop of Armagh, in what is now Northern Ireland, to come to Rome. While there, this Bishop purportedly experienced a vision in which he saw the popes from that time until the end of the Roman Catholic church. He recorded his impression of each of the remaining 112 popes in a series of cryptic phrases.

 Today, Saint Malachy’s vision is called “The Prophecy of the Popes.” Written in 1139, it was rediscovered in the Vatican’s archives in 1590.

 I do not believe Saint Malachy’s predictions rise to the level of the Bible’s prophecies in either their detail or accuracy. However, his predictions have been remarkable in their own way and bear relevance to the times in which we live.

 You see, Saint Malachy’s prophecy seems to predict that the current pope, Benedict XVI, will be the next to last pope of the Roman church. After him will come a pope called Petrus Romanus, or Peter the Roman. Malachy appears to indicate that he will be the one who cooperates with the Antichrist, then will be turned upon and destroyed by the leader of the confederacy that rises out of the old Roman Empire.

 When you consider the fact that Benedict XVI is 85 years old, the world might not have to wait very long to learn if Saint Malachy’s final prediction comes true.

 And if that’s not interesting enough, stir this into the mix. The European Union is virtually teetering on the edge of collapse. I’m sure you’ve been hearing all the talk about Greece in the news. As I write this, the G20 is meeting to discuss how to rescue Greece from total bankruptcy. Germany is leading the effort to bail out the Greeks because if they fall chances are several other EU nations will follow in short order.

 It’s gotten so dodgy that some European leaders have turned to China for help.

 Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve System, recently told CNBC cool

that the European Union is too big (27 members) to succeed. He noted that the divide, both culturally and economically, between the northern and southern countries of the EU is just too great. He thinks that the only way divergent nations can successfully lump their currencies together is if they are culturally close, like Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. Otherwise, he said, it just can’t work.

 Wow, that means the northern nations of the EU should not be tied, currency-wise, to the southern nations of the EU. That could cause a problem since, essentially, it’s the northern nations that are having to bail out the southern members. And the citizens of those northern nations are none too happy about that.

 Bottom line, of course, is that if the EU can’t make it work (and the futility of previous bailouts of several of the EU nations seems to indicate it will not), then there is every chance that the European Union may collapse. Or, it may turn to someone who has the ideas and the leadership to make it work. Or, at least, make a revised form of it work.

 Now, consider, too, the fact that the Vatican just recently published a report by the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace. It calls for the establishment of a “global authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over the world’s diverse financial institutions. Although this body does not speak directly for Pope Benedict, it carries his authority because the report quotes him extensively.

 In fact, in 2009 Pope Benedict issued an encyclical called “Caritas in Veritate.” In it, the Pope denounced the capitalist mentality as responsible for the global financial meltdown. He also stated that the world’s nations need to transfer part of their powers to a world authority. Then he argued that “there is an urgent need for a true world political authority.”

 To recap: We have an ancient prophecy — issued by a Catholic Bishop — that predicts Pope Benedict XVI will be the next to last pope. It also indicates that the pontiff which follows him will cooperate with the Antichrist, which, in turn will result in “the city of seven hills” being destroyed.

 Then, we have the current Pope and leadership of the Roman Catholic church advocating for a global authority to rule over the world’s financial institutions. Further, the Pope suggests that there needs to be a single world political authority.

 At precisely the same time, the vaunted European Union — which essentially springs from the residue of the old Roman Empire — is facing the possibility of imminent collapse. If that were to happen, it would result in either it disappearing from the pages of history or finding new leadership, retooling itself, and rising again to take charge of the chaos enveloping the world in the wake of its first failure.

 Now, how can anyone look at this convergence of remarkable circumstances and say that Bible prophecy is just so much hooey? Only a spiritually blind and deaf person could conceivably argue that these are not exciting times in which to live. Especially if you’re a believer!

 But Europe’s not the only place in the world witnessing major movement among end-times players. In the last 10 months, the “Arab Spring” has resulted in a geopolitical shift that has brought the Bible’s prophecies concerning the “King of the South” into sharp relief — no — into concrete reality. The nations that span northern Africa and extend down the Arabian peninsula are now formally Islamic states or soon will be. They all lie to the ‘south’ of Israel and, I believe, form the entity that the prophets called the “King of the South” — referring to one of the four spheres of power that will be involved in the war of Armageddon.

 Once again, these remarkable events prove the veracity of God’s Word. And that Word also says that before things get too nasty, Jesus Christ will return to receive all true believers unto Himself. And when He calls us up to join Him in the air, He’ll be removing from this earth the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit. And, friends, that’s when — literally — all hell will break loose upon this world. You do not want to be here when that happens.

 Don’t wait. If you’ve never believed and accepted the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ; if you’ve never received the pardon that He died to purchase for you, do it right now. Accept His free gift of pardon and welcome Him into your life. Trust me. You will never regret it.

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Mar 24

Petrus Romanus and the Jerusalem Connection

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The Church, Tribulation

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March 24, 2012

The False Prophet is about to make his appearance!

The Vatican’s establishment of full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1993 has been credited as an overdue political consequence to the theological changes reflected in Nostra Aetate. However, in truth, there is much more going on than meets the eye. As early as April 15th, 1992, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger visited Israel and met exclusively with Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek. The Jerusalem mayor was quoted previously as saying, “The Israeli government should meet the Vatican’s demand to apply special status for Jerusalem.”[i] An Israeli journalist, Barry Chamish, has been working fearlessly for over two decades to expose a conspiracy which includes the current President of Israel, Shimon Peres, and his aid, Yossi Beilin. In his 2000 book, Save Israel, Chamish wrote:

In March 1994, the newspaper Shishi revealed a most remarkable secret of the Middle East “peace” process. A friend of Shimon Peres, the French intellectual Marek Halter, claimed in an interview that in May 1993, he delivered a letter from Peres to the pope. Within, Peres promised to internationalize Jerusalem, granting the UN political control of the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Vatican hegemony of the holy sites within. The UN would give the PLO a capital within its new territory and East Jerusalem would become a kind of free trade zone of world diplomacy.

Halter’s claim was backed by the Italian newspaper La Stampa, which added that Arafat was apprised of the agreement and it was included in the secret clauses of the Declaration of Principles signed in Washington in September 1993.[ii]

The headline reads “‘Now Jerusalem’ Secret Plan: to entrust it to the Pope”; the text below and to left of John Paul II’s photo reads, “The old town, under the auspices of the Vatican would be administered by the Palestinians Arafat told me: ‘I’m going to Jericho.’” The small print below that reads, “Mark Halter, French Israeli writer who, like other Jewish intellectuals played a mediating role in the difficult question, said here, the Pope would have the ‘spiritual sovereignty’ of the old town.” (translation Putnam)

It seems that the timing of the Vatican’s long overdue recognition of the state of Israel was motivated more by ambition than repentance. The major players on the Israeli side are the current President Shimon Peres (the Israeli representative at Oslo) and his aid, left-wing politician Yossi Beilin, a former Knesset member, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, and Justice Minister. The secret deal was allegedly meant to sweeten the pot as a clandestine portion of the Oslo Accords. According to another Israeli journalist, Joel Bainerman, New World Order think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations was behind the deal all along and was encouraging a turnover of Jerusalem to the Vatican:

The plan was originally discussed in November 1992 (the same time the first meetings in London took place to discuss an agreement between Israel and the PLO which was probably arranged by Council on Foreign Relations executive, Edgar Bronfman) when then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met with Vatican officials in Rome. Under the plan, Jerusalem will stay the capital of Israel but the Old City will be administered by the Vatican. Arafat agreed not to oppose the plan. The plan also calls for Jerusalem to become the second Vatican of the world with all three major religions represented but under the authority of the Vatican. [iii] (emphasis added)

It seems the plan is underway. On February 4, 2012, an op-ed piece ran on the Israeli news site Ynet News titled, “Don’t Bow to the Vatican.” The editorial by Italian journalist Giulio Meotti opposes the Vatican’s designs on Jerusalem, and speaks in the past tense referencing the sovereignty over the Cenacle (which houses the Hall of the Last Supper and King David’s tomb):

Israel reached an historical agreement with the Vatican to give up some sort of sovereignty over the “Hall of the Last Supper” on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The Vatican will now have a foothold at the site: Israel agreed to give the Vatican first priority in leasing opportunities and access to it. [iv]

It appears that Rome’s Jerusalem ambitions are being implemented just in time for the arrival of Petrus Romanus.

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Mar 21

Did Pope Benedict cross the line about Mary?

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The Church

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March 21, 2012

We are seeing the formation for the revelation of the False Prophet of Scripture soon. Keep looking up!

Pope Benedict XVI made a variety of improper theological statements about Mary yesterday.  Here is the first:

“If the Church does not exist without Pentecost, neither does Pentecost exist without the Mother of Jesus, since she lived in a wholly unique way what the Church experiences each day under the action of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope said in the general audience.  (Naab K.  Benedict XVI: Mary Invites Us to Pray for More Than Ourselves.  Zenit, March 14, 2012.  http://www.zenit.org/article-34459?l=english)

Did he cross the line?

It should be understood that the only mention of Mary around the time of Pentecost in the Bible is in Acts 1:14.  Here are two Catholic renditions of that portion of scripture:

13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James.  14 All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.  15 In those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren, said: (now the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty: (Acts 1:13-15, Douay-Rheims).

13 and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. 14 With one heart all these joined constantly in prayer, together with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15 One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers — there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation, (Acts 1:13-15, New Jerusalem Bible).

Thus, while the Apostle Peter seemed to have a certain prominence then, even the two Catholic versions cited for those scriptures do not indicate that Mary was essential for Pentecost.  In my view, the Pope crossed the line here.

Notice carefully some more of what the Pope stated:

“The Mother of Jesus was placed by the Lord in the decisive moments of salvation history, and she always knew how to respond with complete availability — the fruit of a profound bond with God that had matured through assiduous and intense prayer. [...] As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary exercises her maternity until the end of history.  “Let us entrust every phase of our personal and ecclesial lives to her, not the least of which is our final passing…”  (Naab K.  Benedict XVI: Mary Invites Us to Pray for More Than Ourselves.  Zenit, March 14, 2012.  http://www.zenit.org/article-34459?l=english)

Notice that the Bible shows that the only name that is needed for salvation is Jesus, and not Mary, again according to two Catholic renditions of scripture:

10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner.  12 Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12, Douay-Rheims)

10 you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured. 11 This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation; 12 for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:10-12, New Jerusalem Bible)

Sacred scripture does not give any hint that Jesus placed His mother Mary in the decisive moments of salvation history.  Nor does it give any hint that we are to entrust anything to Mary, let alone every phase of our personal and ecclesial lives to her.  The only scriptural “command,” if you will, about Mary is that Christians will call her blessed.  And we do.  The Pope has publicly crossed the line here.

Many non-Catholics will say that this is nothing new and that Bishops of Rome have long overlooked scripture to teach traditions that they embraced that were not in the Bible nor held by the original apostles.

My reporting of this today, however, is related to the fact that since becoming Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Ratzinger took positions that were not as supportive of certain “Marian” dogmas and beliefs as many Catholics seemed to have preferred.

For example, because of his writings on Fatima, Mary, and ecumenical matters, in 2002 certain Catholic priests (who are still part of the Church of Rome and have not been defrocked) wrote that Pope Benedict, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger had, “sheer audacity,” writings “that should disturb any Catholic,” “blatantly falsified” “Our Lady’s prophecy” through “tampering,” caused “butchery of the message of Fatima,” “taken the lead in attempting nothing less than the murder of the Message of Fatima,” “conspired, and then acted publicly, to impose upon the Church a version of the Fatima Message that bears no resemblance to the Catholic prophecy,” become one of “many collaborators” in “auto-demolition of the Church,” committed a “crime” through his explanation of Fatima, tried to “bury the Fatima Message,” contributed to a “jig-saw of truths, half-truths, and lies,” presented something “wholly lacking in credibility,” wrote at least one “lie,” written another statement that “borders on heresy and blasphemy,” become “at least a material heretic,” made “citations to Scripture which…obscure the simplicity of God’s truth,” made “a patently fraudulent interpretation,” made a “bogus—bordering on blasphemous—interpretation,”  made “not only lies but clumsy lies,” been “deceptive,” emanated “lies,””blatantly undermined” at least one Catholic “dogma” in a manner that was “outrageous,” committed “fraudulent witness tampering,” “deliberately tampered with the words of the Mother of God,” “deliberately ignored the Virgin’s prophecy,” promoted “exegetical frauds,” committed “grotesque and blasphemous interpretation” which “debases the Mother of God,” flatly contradicted his own testimony in 1984,” caused “a shameless deconstruction of the Message of Fatima,” “produced only confusion,” “caused untold damage to the Church,” changed “his prior testimony,” and produced commentary that “scandalizes the faithful” (Kramer P. The Devil’s Final Battle. Good Counsel Productions, 2002, pp. 65, 66, 109, 130, 132, 136, 141, 142, 164, 165, 178, 210, 232, 233, 246-247, 259, 275).

Yet in 2005, Cardinal Ratzinger, who actually did (prior to 2002) make several biblically-appropriate statements related to Mary and Fatima, was made pope.

My concern is that since becoming pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI has started to change and make more “traditional” and less biblical statements related to Mary.

This is important because I suspect that in the future, one or more apparitions that many will believe are Mary the Mother of Jesus will become more public and be part of the signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) that the Bible warns about (cf. Isaiah 47:1-12; Revelation 18:7,23).  Teaching people that they should “entrust every phase of our personal and ecclesial lives to her” is a step towards getting them to accept apparitions that may become public in a relatively short time from now.

Some type of global religious unity is prophesied in scripture before Jesus returns (Revelation 13:4,8) and not in a favorable light.  It is likely that public appearances (as opposed to apparitions seen by relatively few) of something that people will claim to be Mary of the Bible will be a factor in this unity.

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI made public statements that seem to be setting people up to accept Mary and consider that she still has an integral role in personal salvation, despite what the Bible teaches.  Pope Benedict XVI crossed several serious theological lines for those of us who believe sacred scripture.

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Mar 17

ALMOST CHRISTIANS

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The Church

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March 17, 2012

Read the attached from Greg Laurie. Almost Christians……………Interesting!

Almost Christians

Exclusive: Greg Laurie explains 2 things necessary for true faith to exist

by Greg Laurie

The word “almost” is a fascinating word. It means “slightly short of” or “not quite” or “nearly.” Other words we use in the place of almost are “about,” “approaching,” or “close.” It is often used to speak of delaying something.

For instance, if you are in a restaurant and the server comes to you and says, “Are you ready to order?” and you aren’t ready, but you don’t want him to go away (because you are afraid you won’t see him for another hour), you say, “Almost.”

Or, maybe you are late for a meeting at work and your boss calls you and says, “Where are you?”

You say, “I’m almost there.”

“Almost” is a word that is generally coupled with procrastination. In other words, we will say something along the lines of, “I am almost ready to decide, but not yet.” You don’t want to say no. Nor do you want to say yes. So instead, you say almost.

But there are some words that don’t work with “almost,” like “almost pregnant.” You either are, or you aren’t.

Another word that doesn’t work with “almost” is the word “Christian.” You can’t almost be a Christian. You may be in the process of checking out the claims of Christ. In fact, you may be closer than you were a month ago. But you either are or you are not a Christian.

In a scene from one of the “Star Wars” films, Luke Skywalker is talking with Yoda. Yoda is telling Luke to move an object using the Force. (I am not advocating this as theology.) So Luke says, “Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different!”

And Yoda says, “No. No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.”

Luke says, “All right. I’ll give it a try.”

Yoda answers, “No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

The same can be said of being a Christian. You either are a Christian or you are not.

The Bible tells the story of a man who used the word “almost” with the word “Christian.” He was known as Herod Agrippa, who was one of several Herods in a wicked dynasty.

The first Herod we read about in Scripture was known as Herod the Great. He was known for the great edifices he would build. This was the Herod who was in power during the time of the birth of Christ. And that Herod was such a paranoid tyrant that he had all of the baby boys in Bethlehem slaughtered.

His son, Herod Antipas, was responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist, and the son of Herod Antipas executed James the apostle and also imprisoned Peter. But after refusing to give God glory, Herod Antipas was struck down by God, eaten by worms and died.

Then there was his son, Herod Agrippa, before whom the apostle Paul was brought for examination. In a sense, it was Agrippa who was brought before Paul, because although Herod was in the position to technically judge Paul, he really in effect was judging himself.

At the conclusion of Paul’s statement to the king, Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28 NKJV). You see, Herod was moved by Paul’s powerful and persuasive message. But he walked away. He was close, but not close enough.

I think there are a lot of people like Agrippa out there today, maybe more of them than outright nonbelievers. Though atheism perhaps has been made a little more popular of late, and there are some prolific authors that have written books that challenge Christianity and faith in God in general, the fact of the matter is there are comparatively very few actual atheists in our country. Most Americans believe in a higher power, and many claim to be Christians. This is something that is still the warp and woof of our country.

On the other hand, there are people who are pretending to be Christians when they really are not. You can pray and not necessarily be a Christian. You can believe Jesus is coming back again and not necessarily be a Christian. You can be baptized and not necessarily be a Christian. You can keep the Ten Commandments to the best of your ability and not necessarily be a Christian.

It is not your works that make you a Christian. When you put your faith in Christ, then you will see the evidence in your life. And while it is true that faith without works is dead, it also could be said that works without faith is dead.

There are two big steps that must be taken to become a real Christian and not an almost Christian. First, we need to have our eyes opened. Prior to becoming believers, we are spiritually blinded. That is the reason some can hear the gospel and be unmoved by it. To become a Christian, a person’s eyes first must be opened spiritually.

Second, we must turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. God opens our eyes spiritually, but turning from darkness to light is a step that we must take. It means stepping away from sin. And what is the benefit of making that commitment? Jesus said that we will “receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).

It is not enough to be exposed to truth. We need to act on it. The scary thing is that when we hear the truth again and again but don’t respond, our hearts can actually get harder.

It is not enough to have our spiritual eyes opened and see our need for Christ. We have to turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18). Because there really is no such thing as an Almost Christian.

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Mar 17

Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region’

Categories:

America, The Church

by

March 17, 2012

Do we honestly still believe that Islam is a religion of peace. Please see the article below as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has announced the destruction of churches on Islamic land,. What if we here in America banned all mosques? The uproar in the mainstream media would be unprecedented. While this story barely gets spotlighted. Keep looking up!

Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Calls for ‘Destruction of All Churches in Region’

Today it is all churches in the region. Tomorrow it is all churches in the world …

Qur’an Sura 8:12b, “… terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an.”

Qur’an Sura 3:85, “And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers [in hell].”

“According to several Arabic news sources, last Monday, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is ‘necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.’

The Grand Mufti made his assertion in response to a question posed by a delegation from Kuwait, regarding the position of a Kuwaiti parliament member who recently called for the ‘removal’ of churches (he later ‘clarified’ by saying he merely meant that no churches should be built in Kuwait). The Kuwaiti delegation wanted to confirm Sharia’s position on churches.

Accordingly, the Grand Mufti ‘stressed that Kuwait was a part of the Arabian Peninsula, and therefore it is necessary to destroy all churches in it.’

As with many grand muftis before him, the Sheikh based his proclamation on the famous tradition, or hadith, wherein the prophet of Islam declared on his deathbed that ‘There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula,’ which has always been interpreted to mean that only Islam can be practiced in the region.

While the facts of this account speak for themselves, consider further:

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah is not just some random Muslim hating on churches. He is the Grand Mufti of the nation that brought Islam to the world. Moreover, he is the President of the Supreme Council of Ulema [Islamic scholars] and Chairman of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing of Fatwas. Accordingly, when it comes to what Islam teaches, his words are immensely authoritative.

Considering the hysteria that besets the West whenever non-authoritative individuals—for instance, a fringe, unknown pastor—offend Islam, imagine what would happen if an authoritative Christian leader, say the Pope, were to declare that all mosques in Italy must be destroyed; imagine the Western media frenzy that would erupt, all the shrill screams of ‘intolerance’ and ‘bigot,’ demands for apologies if not termination, nonstop handwringing by sensitive politicians, and worse.

Yet the Grand Mufti of our ‘friend-and-ally’ Saudi Arabia gets a free pass when he incites Muslims to destroy churches—as if any extra incitement was needed (not a month goes by without several churches being bombed and destroyed throughout the Islamic world). In fact, at the time of this writing, I have not seen this story, already nearly three days old, translated on any English news source, though “newsworthy” stories are often translated in mere hours.

Likewise, consider how the Grand Mufti’s rationale for destroying churches is simply based on a hadith. But when non-Muslims evoke this particular hadith (or the countless others that incite violence and intolerance against the ‘infidel’), they are accused of being ‘Islamophobes,’ of intentionally slandering and misrepresenting Islam, of being obstacles on the road to ‘dialogue,’ and so forth.

Which leads to perhaps the most important point: Islam’s teachings are so easily ascertained; there is no mystery in determining what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in Islam. The Grand Mufti based his fatwa on a canonical hadith, which Muslims and (informed) non-Muslims know is part of Islam’s sources of jurisprudence (or usul al-fiqh). And yet the West—with all its institutions of higher learning, including governmental agencies dealing with cultural and religious questions—is still thoroughly ‘confused’ as to what Islam teaches.

All of this is nothing short of a scandal—a reminder of just how deep the mainstream media, academia, and most politicians have their collective heads thrust in the sand.

Meanwhile, here is the latest piece of evidence of just how bad churches have it in the Muslim world, for those who care to know.”

 

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Mar 13

Petrus Romanus, the Antichrist, and the Years 2012 & 2016

Categories:

Antichrist, The Church

by

March 13, 2012

Contemporaneous to the arrival of the False Prophet (Petrus Romanus) is a prophecy from what is widely considered the most important work of Jewish Kabbalah, the Zohar, a collection of books written in medieval Aramaic over seven hundred years ago containing mystical commentary on the Pentateuch (five books of Moses, the Torah). In addition to interpreting Scripture, the “Vaera” section (volume 3, section 34) includes “The signs heralding Mashiach,” or “The coming of the Messiah.” The fascinating date for “his” appearance is set in the Zohar in late 2012! Given the rejection of Jesus by orthodox Jews as Messiah, Christians understand this “coming” would herald the unveiling of Antichrist in 2012.

J. R. Church of Prophecy in the News called our office a couple years back and led us through verses 476–483 of this part of the Zohar to point out what nobody in the 2012 research community had written before—that the time of Jacob’s trouble (the Great Tribulation, which some Catholic scholars say begins with the election of Petrus Romanus) will commence according to this ancient text in the year 2012 when the “kings of the earth” gather in Rome, possibly during a papal conclave, and are killed by fiery stones or missiles from the sky.

The prophecy in the Zohar, given by Jews hundreds of years separate from the divination of “the last pope,” is amazing when compared with the Catholic prediction. The final pope, “Peter the Roman,” whose reign ends in the destruction of Rome, will assume authority during a time of great tribulation, and then “the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the terrible and fearsome Judge will judge his people.” But Dr. Church pointed out how in the Jewish Zohar, this vision of the destruction of Rome is repeated, though one prophecy connects it to the coming of the False Prophet, and the other, the Antichrist:

This ancient rabbinical dissertation claims that Rome will be destroyed in the Jewish calendar year 5773, which, in our calendar begins with the new moon of September 2012 and concludes a year later:

“In the year seventy-three [2012/2013] the kings of the world will assemble in the great city of Rome, and the Holy One will shower on them fire and hail and meteoric stones until they are all destroyed, with the exception of those who will not yet have arrived there.”

Is he hinting at the destruction of Mystery Babylon? He notes that not all kings will be destroyed. Of those remaining, he says: “These will commence anew to make other wars. From that time the Messiah will begin to declare himself, and round him there will be gathered many nations and many hosts from the uttermost ends of the earth.”[i][i]

  Thus the false messiah (antichrist) is predicted in a seven-hundred-year-old Jewish prophecy to appear in 2012. Similarly, the nine-hundred-year-old Prophecy of the Popes looks to be unfolding in parallel fashion to provide Petrus Romanus in 2012. To these, we could add numerous other strange attractors from throughout history that also assigned apocalyptic importance to the year 2012, including:

  • The Mayan calendar ends in 2012 with the return of their flying dragon god Kulkulkan.
  • ·         The Aztec calendar ends in 2012 and their flying dragon god Quetzalcoatl returns.
  • ·         The Cherokee Indian calendar ends in the year 2012 and their flying rattlesnake god returns. The “Cherokee Rattlesnake Prophecies,” also known as the “Chickamaugan Prophecy” or the “Cherokee Star Constellation Prophecies,” are part of a series of apocalyptic prophecies made by members of the Cherokee tribe during 1811–1812. Like the Maya, the Cherokee calendar ends mysteriously in the year 2012 when astronomical phenomena related to Jupiter, Venus, Orion, and Pleiades cause the “powers” of the star systems to “awaken.”
  • ·          According to ancient Mayan inscriptions, in 2012, the Mayan underworld god Bolon Yokte Ku also returns.
  • ·         The Hindu Kali Yuga calendar ends in the year 2012 at the conclusion of the age of “the male demon.”
  • ·         According to the book, Apollyon Rising 2012, the prophecy of the Cumaean Sibyl on the Great Seal of the United States (novus ordo seclorum) points to the coming of the Antichrist in 2012. (more notes on this below)
  • ·         Over two hundred sixty years ago, the leader of the first Great Awakening in America, Jonathan Edwards, tied the arrival of the Antichrist and Great Tribulation period to the timeframe 2012 and 2016.
  • ·         One hundred thirty years after that, in 1878, Reverend William J. Reid did the same, writing in his “Lectures on the Revelation” concerning the papal system: “…we are prepared to answer the question, When will the Papal system come to an end? [It] will be destroyed in the year 2012.”[ii][ii]
  • ·         Also of interest is the Web Bot Project, which was developed in the late 1990s for tracking and making stock market predictions. This technology crawls the Internet, much like a search engine does, searching for keywords and following “chatter” in order to tap into “the collective unconscious” of the global community for tipping points regarding past, current, and future buying patterns. In 2001, operators began noticing what looked like more than coincidences, and that the “bot” was taking on a mind of its own, accurately predicting more than just stock market predictions, including June of 2001 when the program predicted that a life-altering event would be felt worldwide and would take place within sixty to ninety days. On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center fell. The Web Bot also predicted the 2001 anthrax attack on Washington DC; the earthquake that produced the December 26, 2004, tsunami; Hurricane Katrina; and more. The Web Bot has now foretold global devastation for late December 2012.
  • In 2008, Henry Kissinger predicted the arrival of the New World Order in four years – 2012 (watch video below)
  • ·         In 2012, the United States elects a President.
  • ·         In 2012, the United Nations gets new leaders.

·         And in 2012, Petrus Romanus is set to materialize during a Final Conclave


 

 

 

Juppe calls for action against Syria; U.N.’s Ban urges Assad to act ‘within days’

Monday, 12 March 2012

By Al Arabiya With Agencies
UNITED NATIONS

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Monday called for action to stop the killing of civilians in Syria and demanded that Syrian leaders face international court charges.

Speaking at the U.N. Security Council Juppe also appealed for Russia and China to hear the “world conscience” and agree on a U.N. resolution condemning the Syria violence.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to act within the “next few days” on U.N.-Arab League proposals to bring peace to the country where pro-democracy protests deteriorated into bloody turmoil.

“The Syrian government has failed to fulfill its responsibility to protect its own people and instead has subjected its citizens in several cities to military assault and disproportionate use of force,” Ban said. “These shameful operations continue.”

A popular uprising against Assad erupted a year ago. The United Nations estimates Syrian security forces have killed well over 7,500 people. Syria said in December that “terrorists” had killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police.

APPRISING MINISTRIES EXCLUSIVE ON RICK WARREN, JIM HINCH, AND ISLAM

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Mar 4, 2012 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features, Rick Warren

Apprising Ministries has long been a leading critic of the semi-pelagian (at best) doctrine of Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Rick Warren.

In articles like Rick Warren And Teachings Of Demons I’ve also clearly documented his sinful ecumenicism as well.

Of course that’s merely one of the fruits festering within apostatizing evangelicalism because of its foolish fascination with corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism.

With this in mind, I previously told you that Christian Research Network contributor Christine Pack brought out in her piece Controversy Over An Article About Rick Warren’s Efforts to Bring Muslims, Christians Together:

According to our article posted just a few hours ago, Rick Warren, megachurch pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, is currently working to build a “bridge” (through a document called “King’s Way”) between Christians and Muslims by claiming that the two faiths worship the same God. The “King’s Way” document, which is the foundation for these bridge building efforts, is not yet publicly available, but a December 2011 meeting at Saddleback Church has been documented here. From the article by Jim Hinch of the Orange County Register:

“The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and one of America’s most influential Christian leaders, has embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering with Southern California mosques and proposing a set of theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.” (Online source)

You might remember that Rick Warren then appeared in the comments section of Hinch’s report with a rather nebulous comment about apparent misinformation allegedly put out by Hinch. So in Rick Warren, Islam, And Jim Hinch I shared with you the result of my personal conversation with Hinch, as well as his subsequent clarification.

To God be the glory that online apologetics and discernment works He’s raised up were able to put enough pressure upon Rick Warren that Ed Stetzer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lifeway publishing arm would lament:

Once again, watchbloggers are accusing Rick Warren of heresy. Why? Because, Warren explains, a secular Orange County newspaper got something wrong about a religious issue. Some of the usual bloggers have done their usual job.

However, due to the nature of the story, some mainstream news organizations and bloggers, without the constant anti-Warren agenda, were asking questions and wondering what what was going on. I was. So, I emailed Rick and asked him.

Rick sent me this interview where he seeks to bring clarification. He gave me permission to share it here at the blog. I think it will be helpful. (Online source)

Since I am considered one of those “watchbloggers” this immediately caught my attention. Stetzer would go on to say, “I am sure those who quoted the OC Register will also quote this to clear up any confusion.” Indeed Daniel Neades of Better Than Sacrifice, editor of my CRN, did immediately cover this development.

Neades noted in his piece Rick Warren Categorically Denies OC Register Report:

In an ‘interview’ published by Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and one of America’s most prominent Christian leaders, has categorically denied an Orange County Register report that he had ‘embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering with Southern California mosques and proposing a set of theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.’ (Online source)

Well, in the interest of fairness I decided to email Jim Hinch today. Remember, he is a veteran freelance reporter; not some “angry watchblogger.” I asked Jim if there’s any way I could get a copy of that King’s Way piece at the source of this confusion. I explained that without seeing it there wasn’t much more I can say.

I then told him that my guess is the wording of it does imply what what he had stated. I told Hinch it was my opinion, based upon 25 years in the field of Comparative Religion, that likely it’s wording is consistent with the original In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful A Common Word between Us and You, which says:

It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity. (Online source)

Now compare the Christian response to the above that Rick Warren actually signed. You’ll see it also, at least, implies that Islam is an Abrahamic faith believing in the same God:

A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism…in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world…

We applaud that A Common Word Between Us and You stresses so insistently the unique devotion to one God, indeed the love of God, as the primary duty of every believer… (Online source)

As I then told Jim Hinch in my email to him, sure, someone can hide in the weeds claiming all of this doesn’t exactly say that Muslims believe in the same God, but it’s my assertion this is the clear implication. I’ll also offer that if one doesn’t mean this then they’re actually being a bit disingenuous to followers of Islam.

The Lord be praised, Jim Hinch has given me permission to publish the following, which further explains his thinking in his report. It also includes a bit of the King’s Way document. I read it the same way as Jim Hinch:

1. The primary source for this story was a five-page document jointly drafted by Abraham Meulenberg, a Saddleback pastor in charge of interfaith outreach, and Jihad Turk, director of religious affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California, a mosque in Los Angeles. The document was unveiled at a December, 2011 dinner at Saddleback Church attended by approximately 300 Saddleback members and members of Southern California’s Muslim community. At the dinner a Powerpoint presentation described the document, and the King’s Way outreach effort which inspired the document, as “a path to end the 1,400 years of misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians.” The document, which was given to me by a source for this story on condition it not be published in its entirety, outlines several areas of theological agreement between Christians and Muslims and commits members of both faiths to three goals: becoming friends; making peace; and sharing “the blessings of God with others.” Here is how the document describes the points of theological agreement:

I. WHO: we believe in

ONE GOD:

1. God is one (Mark 12:29; Muhammed 47:19)

2. God is the Creator (Genesis 1:1; Al Shura 42:11)

3. God is different from the world (1 Timothy 6:16; An An’am 6:103)

4. God is Good

a. God loves (1 John 4:16; Al Buruj 85:14)

b. God is just (1 John 1:19, Romans 3:26; Hud 11:45)

c. God’s love encompasses God’s judgment (1 Peter 4:8; Al A’raf 7:156; Al Ghafir 40:7)

The Register story based the phrases “same God” and “one God” on the phrasing in this document, which states that Christians and Muslims believe in one God.

2. Rick Warren initially posted a comment to the article claiming that the article contained “multiple errors.” That comment was later deleted, I presume by Warren. After seeing that comment I reached out to Warren’s director of communications. On Monday, Feb. 27 a Saddleback representative called and told me that while the Register story was factually accurate, folks at Saddleback would prefer that the opening paragraph read “Muslims and Christians believe that God is one.” Following a discussion with a Register editor Saddleback decided to withdraw its request for a clarification. At no time has anyone at Saddleback said to me or to anyone else at the Register that the story contains factual inaccuracies.

3. Warren states in his white paper that “no one even talked to me about that article!” I made numerous attempts to contact Warren, both by phone and by e-mail, before the story was published. I was eventually told by Warren’s director of communications that Warren was too busy with other projects to speak with me or to e-mail a response to the story’s main claims, which I had e-mailed to the communications director. Instead I was put in touch with Tom Holladay, an associate senior pastor at Saddleback. I ran all of the story’s claims by Holladay and he affirmed all of them, including the language of the King’s Way document and the fact that King’s Way was an effort to build bridges of friendship and cooperation, not an attempt to evangelize. During my conversation with Holladay I asked whether the King’s Way effort, including the December dinner and the theological document, was done with Rick Warren’s approval. “Of course it has his approval,” Holladay replied. It is neither fair nor accurate to claim that this story was published without attempting to solicit Rick Warren’s response.

4. Warren claims in his white paper that it is “flat-out wrong” that either he or members of Saddleback have promised not to evangelize the Muslims they are working with in the King’s Way effort. As I stated above, that was not what I was told by Tom Holladay. Also, every one of the Muslim sources I talked to for this story emphasized that both sides promised not to evangelize one another. Indeed Muslims told me that the promise not to evangelize was one of the things that enabled them to overcome their wariness toward evangelicals and build bonds of friendship. Again, no source for this story, including at Saddleback, ever told me that the intent of the King’s Way effort was to evangelize Muslims.

This story, obviously, has generated a great deal of passionate response. I respect Rick Warren’s desire to make his views and intentions clear. However I do not believe it is fair to question the accuracy of the Register’s story or the way it was reported. I have had several conversations with people at Saddleback following the publication of the story, including with the church’s director of communications. Everyone I have talked to from the church has told me that the story is entirely factually accurate but they wish certain phrases had been worded differently. However, since those phrases stem directly from a printed document whose authenticity no one has questioned, everyone agrees that there is nothing in the story to correct.

WND Exclusive

U.S. ‘seriously’ considers strike on Syria

Ever-growing international cooperative prepares for next military action

Published: 22 hours ago

by Aaron Klein

The Obama administration and its allies and international partners have begun “serious discussions” about possible military action in Syria, the Washington Post reported today.

Last month, WND was first to report NATO countries were strongly considering the possibility of an international deployment to Syria if the Syrian opposition does not make major advances.

The Post reported possibilities for international intervention include directly arming opposition forces, sending troops to guard a humanitarian corridor or “safe zone” for the rebels, or an air assault on Syrian air defenses, according to officials from the United States and other nations opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

WND, meanwhile, reported the U.S. and other countries have been arming the rebels for weeks.

Egyptian security officials outlined to WND what they said was large scale international backing for the rebels attacking the embattled regime of Assad – including arms and training from the U.S., Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Several knowledgeable Egyptian and Arab security officials claimed the U.S., Turkey and Jordan were running a training base for the Syrian rebels in the Jordanian town of Safawi in the country’s northern desert region.

The security officials also claimed Saudi Arabia was sending weapons to the rebels via surrogates, including through Druze and Christian leaders in Lebanon such as Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Saudi-Lebanese billionaire Saad Hariri, who recently served as Lebanon’s prime minister, and senior Lebanese opposition leader Samir Farid Geagea.

Syrian sources claimed to WND that Jordan’s fingerprints can be seen on the opposition forces entering the country. They claimed that just this week they shot dead 15 armed smugglers coming into the country from Jordan and that Jordanian forces helped to cover the smugglers’ tracks on the Jordanian side of the border. They said the incident did not make it to the news media.

NATO war in Syria in March?

Meanwhile, according to the Middle Eastern diplomatic and security officials speaking to WND, the international community is considering launching NATO air strikes on Assad’s forces as soon as this month if the opposition does not make major strides toward ending Assad’s regime.

The NATO members, however, have been satisfied with the momentum of the opposition, which saw a number of defectors from the Syrian military join the rebels, a move that also precipitated the downfall of Muammar Gadhafi’s regime before the NATO campaign in Libya.

Similar to Gadhafi, Assad’s regime has been accused of major human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, in clamping down on a violent insurgency targeting his rule.

Mass demonstrations were held in recent weeks in Syrian insurgent strongholds calling for the international NATO coalition in Libya to deploy in Syria.

Last month, 50 foreign ministers from Western and Arab nations got together in Tunis to demand that Syria allow aid to be delivered to civilians in the absence of any international force to resolve the conflict.

Damascus officials claimed to WND that NATO troops are currently training in Turkey for a Turkish-led NATO invasion of Syria.

Any deployment would most likely come under the banner of the same “Responsibility to Protect” global doctrine used to justify the U.S.-NATO airstrikes in Libya.

Responsibility to Protect, or Responsibility to Act, as cited by President Obama, is a set of principles, now backed by the United Nations, based on the idea that sovereignty is not a privilege, but a responsibility that can be revoked if a country is accused of “war crimes,” “genocide,” “crimes against humanity” or “ethnic cleansing.”

Iron Dome Foils 90 Percent of Missiles

The Iron Dome system has intercepted 90 percent of missile attacks on urban centers during the latest rocket bombardment from Gaza.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 3/11/2012, 9:57 AM

 

 

Iron Dome anti-missile system

IDF Spokesman

The Iron Dome system has intercepted 90 percent of missile attacks on urban centers during the latest rocket bombardment from Gaza.

The expensive systems were inaugurated last year amid controversy over its worth. A primitive Kassam rocket costs terrorists only a few hundred dollars while each Iron Dome anti-missile missile costs $50,000.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated Saturday night, “We will continue to improve home front defense including by means of additional Iron Dome systems, the effectiveness of which was shown again over the weekend.”

The Iron Dome system intercepted about 90 percent of the rockets fired at Be’er Sheva, Ashdod and Ashkelon, including three on Sunday morning.

Despite the rocket barrage, Israel kept open the Erez Crossing for passengers and employees of international organizations operating in Gaza. Kerem Shalom was open for the delivery of 200 truckloads to Gaza residents.

Its deployment this past weekend appears to have defeated Hamas, at least for the time being. The terrorist organization has been talking with the new regime in Egypt for another ceasefire after failing to inflict mass casualties or property damage on Israel.

The problem with the Iron Dome is its cost and the lack of enough systems to defend all of Israel. The United States is providing funds to Israel to buy more of the made-in-Israel systems, each one of which costs more than $100 million.

The Iron Dome has been able to defend Israel’s three most populous southern cities, but if Hamas unleashes longer-range missiles that can reach Rehovot, Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi, closer to metropolitan Tel Aviv, the IDF would lack enough systems to cover everyone. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday morning that expanding the system should be a national emergency project.

In addition to the defensive action of deploying the Iron Dome, the IDF also has taken the offensive against terrorists.

It targeted two members of the Popular Resistance Committee terror organization on Friday. The squad was responsible for planning a combined terror attack that was to take place via the Sinai Peninsula and the Israel-Egypt border.

In response to the ensuing rocket and missile bombardment from Gaza, the Israel Air Force targeted several weapons manufacturing facilitates and terrorist cells preparing to launch missiles.

 

 

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Mar 13

Persecution: South Sudanese face deadline to leave the north

Categories:

The Church

by

March 13, 2012

Sudanese Christians who have barely a month to leave the north or risk being treated as foreigners are starting to move, but Christian leaders are concerned that the 8 April deadline set by Islamic-majority Sudan is unrealistic.

“We are very concerned. Moving is not easy … people have children in school. They have homes … It is almost impossible,” Roman Catholic Bishop Daniel Adwok, the Khartoum archdiocese auxiliary told ENInews in a telephone interview on 7 March.

Sudan in February announced the deadline for the former citizens it had stripped of nationality after South Sudan’s January 2011 vote to secede. The ultimatum will affect an estimated 500,000-700,000 people, who are mainly Christians of southern origin that still live in the north.

Many of them fled north during the long civil war fought between the Government of Sudan and the former rebels, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. They have lived there for decades together with children who were born there. Few have ties with South Sudan.

The people are desperate to move, according to reports, following the deadline and increasing tensions between the two nations over oil wealth. The tensions started escalating in January after the north allegedly started taking crude oil from the landlocked south, which it was exporting through a pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

“We want the rights of these people addressed by the two parliaments. Everyone has a right to choose where they want to live. It is a human right,” said Adwok.

Sudan amended its laws after the south’s independence to say that Sudanese people automatically lose citizenship when they acquire by right or by other means the citizenship of South Sudan. Sudanese people in the north with any parents, grandparents or great grandparents born in the South Sudan or belong to any southern ethnic group are considered that country’s nationals.

“That’s the official deadline, but we don’t know how the Khartoum regime will react,” said John Ashworth, an advisor of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum.

Some church leaders fear increased persecution of Christians in the north or even forced repatriation for those who may want to stay. “The fears have been there from the beginning. There could be some form of harassment, and that could intensify after that date, but for forceful removal, it is hard to ascertain,” said the Rev. Don Bosco Ochieng, a Roman Catholic priest in the Rumbek diocese.

Aid agencies are calling for the extension of the deadline, warning that it will create a logistical and humanitarian catastrophe.

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