January 2010 | Bible Prophecy Blog

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Rapture References

By Jack Kelley

Recently I was challenged to make a list of all the passages in the Bible that hint of a pre-trib rapture. As you may know I believe Paul was the first person on Earth to present a clear pre-trib teaching, about 20 years after the cross. Before that time it was unknown because Jesus didn’t teach it to His other disciples during their time together. And since the Olivet Discourse is directed at Israel, there’s no mention of it there either, even though the end times is in view. Israel will not participate in the rapture.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that doing this requires that you already have a working knowledge of the pre-trib position, because without it you wouldn’t recognize some of these references as being pertinent to the subject. But ever since Paul revealed the rapture, scholars have been seeing hints of it here and there, even in the Old Testament.

Before we begin, in 1 Cor. 2:6-8 Paul explained why God’s plans for the church had been kept secret until after the crucifixion. He said that if the rulers of this age (Satan & Co.) had understood all that God intended for us they would not have crucified the Lord. Not that they could have stopped it, of course. But had they known God was going to use the murder of His Son to save us all, they wouldn’t have gone ahead with it, and in fact would have tried to prevent it. It wasn’t until He was on the cross that they discovered the Lord’s death was going to become payment in full for all our sins, so instead of it being cause for a great celebration it totally disarmed them and made them into a public spectacle (Colossians 2:13-15). Then, 20 years later, they learned about the rapture. These were both things that God had planned from the beginning, but a good general keeps his strategy a secret in order to take his enemy by surprise, so God didn’t let Satan (or anyone else) know about these things until it was too late for him to react. Even now, Satan doesn’t know when the rapture is coming. All he knows is what we know, that each new believer could be the last one, the one that takes us all out of here and beyond his reach forever.

I’m convinced that God’s plan requires the Church to disappear before Daniel’s 70th week begins. Remember, the Lord set aside 70 weeks (490 years) for Israel to accomplish 6 things. (Daniel 9:24) At the end of 69 weeks (483 years) Jesus was crucified, the clock suddenly stopped, and Israel disappeared along with its Temple and Old Covenant worship. Daniel’s prophecy was left incomplete and from that time on, God’s focus was on the church.

The reappearance of Israel in 1948, the promised rebuilding of a Temple, and resumption of Levitical sacrifice during the 70th week make it clear that the Church didn’t end the dispensation of Law but only interrupted it seven years short of its intended duration. We would all agree that if the introduction of a dam into a stream of water interrupts its flow, then it’s reasonable and logical to conclude that removal of the dam will be necessary for the flow to resume. Therefore if the introduction of the Church after the 69th week of Daniels prophecy caused the interruption in its fulfillment, it’s reasonable and logical to conclude that the Church will have to be removed before the final seven years of the dispensation of Law can run their course and Daniel’s prophecy can be fulfilled.

Of course there are other sound reasons why the church has to disappear before the End Times begin in earnest. Not having a destiny on Earth, our presence here would serve no purpose during the time of Earth’s liberation from bondage (Romans 8:19-21). Not being subject to judgment the Church has no unfinished business with God that could be concluded during the End Times. Unlike Israel we don’t need to be made righteous because we’re already as righteous as God is (2 cor. 5:21).

Jeremiah 30:11 says the End time judgments will serve a two fold purpose, to completely destroy all the nations among which Israel has been scattered and to discipline Israel. Since God does not consider the Church to belong to either group our presence on Earth during that time would be irrelevant.

But the most important reason, as we’ll see, is that God said we won’t be here. Those who teach the Church’s presence on Earth during any part of Daniel’s70th Week have to re-define grace, re-invent the church and re-interpret the Scriptures to support their position.

With that introduction, let’s look at some of the clearest hints God placed in the Scriptures to show He has always planned for a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Naturally, we’ll begin in the Old Testament.

Enoch Disappeared

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took Him away. (Genesis 5:24)

In Matt. 24:37, Jesus said that the time of His coming would be like the days of Noah. He went on to explain that just as all the unbelievers perished in the flood, all unbelievers would perish at the time of His 2nd coming as well. Those who survive the devastation of the Great Tribulation will immediately face judgment and be taken off the planet. The parables of the servant, the ten virgins, and the talents explain this, as does the account of the Sheep and Goat judgment. (Matt. 24:45-25:46)

But if you give the Lord’s statement its widest possible application, you can see that as the time of the Great Flood drew near there were 3 kinds of people on Earth. There were the unbelievers who perished in the flood, Noah and his family who were preserved through it, and Enoch, who was taken by the Lord well before it.

Just so, as the End of the Age draws near there will still be three kinds of people on Earth. They are the unbelievers of our time who will perish in the End Times judgments, modern Israel who will be preserved through them, and the Church who will be taken by God well before they begin.

There are some interesting similarities between Enoch and the Church. For starters, the name Enoch comes from a root which means to train or teach. To the church Jesus said, “Go and make disciples (students) of all men.” (Matt. 28:19) And according to Hebrew tradition, Enoch was born on the day that would become Pentecost. It’s the same day the Church was born. I believe Enoch was an early type of the Church and his disappearance before the flood gave the first hint of a pre-tribulation rapture.

Lot Had to Leave Sodom

But flee there quickly, because I can not do anything until you reach it. (Genesis 19:23)

Abraham had struck a bargain with the Lord that if even 10 righteous people could be found in Sodom and Gomorrah He would spare the cities. The fact that the cities were destroyed indicates 10 righteous people could not be found there. But there was one, and though He wasn’t bound to do it, the Lord instructed the angels to get Lot out of town before commencing their judgment. Peter referred to Lot’s rescue from Sodom as evidence that the Lord does not judge the righteous with the wicked (2 peter 2:7-9) Lot therefore becomes a model of the Church, who with a righteousness imputed by faith, has to be removed from the time and place of judgment before it begins.

Where Was Daniel?

Daniel 3 contains one of the most popular children’s stories of the Old Testament. Many don’t realize that it’s also one of the clearest models of the End Times anywhere in the Bible. King Nebuchadnezzar represents the anti-Christ who decrees that anyone who refuses to bow down and worship the statue he has made will be put to death in the fiery furnace, which represents Great Tribulation. Daniel’s three friends, representing Israel, refuse to worship the image and are thrown into the furnace to die. While in there they encounter the Lord, are preserved through the judgment, and are elevated to positions of honor in Babylon.

But where was Daniel? He was a prominent figure both before and after chapter 3. But in this episode his name was not even mentioned. Did he worship the statue to escape judgment? If you think that, you don’t know Daniel. Did he refuse to bow down but was not accused? If you think that, you don’t know his enemies. After all they rounded up his three closest friends. For the purposes of this story it’s as if he has disappeared altogether. In chapter 3, Daniel was a model of the Church, who during the End times judgments will have disappeared altogether, while Israel will be preserved through them, meet the Lord in the midst of them, and be elevated to positions of honor in the Kingdom Age.

Isaiah Said It Best

But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.

See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. (Isaiah 26:19-21)

Without a doubt this is the clearest statement of the Lord’s intentions for the Church anywhere in the Old Testament. It can’t be tied to any event in history, but clearly awaits a future fulfillment. And it can’t be intended for Israel, whose resurrection will come after the time of God’s wrath, not before it. (Daniel 12:1-2)

Some day soon a group of people will suddenly rise from the dead. Another group, still living, will be whisked away to rooms prepared for them to be hidden from the time of God’s wrath. Then the Lord will punish the people of the Earth for their sins. The fact that the groups being resurrected and hidden are not objects of his wrath is indicated by the switch from second person (resurrected and hidden) to third person (punished). Notice how similar the wording is to 1 Thes 4:16-17 & 5:9, Paul’s teaching on the rapture.

But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. (The dead in Christ will rise first).

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; (After that we who are alive and left will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air)

It’s appropriate to insert John 14:2-3 here as well to see what rooms Isaiah was talking about.

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

This promise does not point to the 2nd Coming when the Lord will come to Earth to be with Israel here, where they are. This is a promise to the Church that He has gone to His father’s house to prepare our rooms for us. Then He will come for us to take us there, where He is.

See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. (For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.)

I’m convinced this is the passage Paul had in mind when he said “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.“ (1 Thes. 4:15). I say this because with the exception of 1 Thes 4:16-17 there is no passage in all the Bible that so clearly describes the pre-trib rapture of the Church.

This is not the sum of Old Testament verses that point to a pre-tribulation rapture. But it’s a good sample of the clearest ones, to help you see that God always intended to take us to be with him before He unleashes the End Times judgments upon the unbelieving Earth. Next time we’ll take a similar survey of the New Testament. See you then.

Related Links

Enoch, Elijah, And The Rapture - GraceThruFaith

The Rapture Of The Church - John MacArthur

Philippians 3 and the Rapture - Bible Prophecy Today (Ron J. Bigalke Jr.)

Children's Stories of the Bible The Adult Version - Jack Kelley (Book)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tithes, Offerings, and Giving to God

By Britt Gillette

Recently, our family decided to get serious about directing a set portion of our monthly income toward God’s purposes. This is an idea based on the Old Testament concept of tithing:

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! ‘But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ ‘You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” Malachi 3:8-11 (NLT)

Old Testament law required some Israelites to give the first 10% of their crops or every tenth animal if they raised cattle to various purposes, including support of the Levites, the Temple priests, and the poor.

But tithing is an Old Testament law applicable to the Israelites. The blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, exempts today’s believers from Old Testament rules and regulations such as tithing. Nevertheless, we’re still expected to have giving hearts…

“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” James 2:19-20 (NLT)

This doesn’t mean that faith itself is worthless, or that good deeds are a necessary component of salvation. What it does mean is that true faith will give rise to a loving heart and a life overflowing with good works. True love for God doesn’t manifest itself in a perceived obligation to give, but in a zealous willingness to give:

“Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NLT)

For the true believer, giving in honor of God is its own reward. It doesn’t come from a sense of obligation.

So if a believer chooses to cheerfully give to others in honor of God, where should he direct his efforts?

That’s a good question, and one I set out to find an answer for.

The bible has a lot to say on the subject, and this article is more of a starting point than a definitive study. But here’s a few places where you might want to consider directing your gift offerings…

Giving to the Poor

Giving to the poor is one way to honor God with our gifts:

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord - and he will repay you!” Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)

According to the bible, giving help to the poor is the same as giving help to God Himself and such good deeds will not be forgotten…

“As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:9 (NLT)

Giving to the Hungry

The bible also sanctions giving to the hungry. As this passage suggests, the early Christians were very giving in their donations to famine victims:

“During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.” Acts 11:27-30 (NLT)

While mankind can not live off of bread alone, people still need food. And a charitable Christian acts as God’s ambassador, bringing the Good News of Christ to the poor through the example of a personal act of generosity.

Giving to Those in Need

In addition to the poor and the hungry, we should, as a general rule, give to those in need:

“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13 (NLT)

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven!” Luke 12:33 (NLT)

As Job points out, a refusal to help those in need can be indicative of a hardened and self-consumed heart. But God’s Judgment will be lighter on those who are empathetic and generous:

“Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows? Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans? No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows. Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear, did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm? If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side, then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?” Job 31:16-23 (NLT)

Some early Christians willingly gave of their own possessions to help fellow Christians in need, and God’s blessing was upon them all:

“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.” Acts 4:32-35 (NLT)

So giving to those in need, especially fellow Christians in need, is one place where you can direct your gift offerings in honor of God.

Giving to Your Own Household

Of course, all giving must start in your own household. As Jesus points out, zero tolerance legalism is no excuse for abandoning responsibility for your own family:

“But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” Matthew 15:5-9 (NLT)

And as Paul states, Christian love and compassion begins in the home:

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” 1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT)

And…

“If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.” 1 Timothy 5:16 (NLT)

So if you’re wondering where God wants you to direct your gift offerings, one place to start looking is those within your own family…

Giving to Spread the Gospel

God also wants us to give of our resources to help those who preach and teach the Gospel of our Lord. Hard work should be adequately compensated, and being a faithful teacher and preacher of the Word of God is hard work:

“Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.” Galatians 6:6 (NLT)

As Paul states, those who preach the Good News of Jesus Christ should be supported just as those who worked in the Temple were supported by the Old Testament Israelites:

“Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.” 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NLT)

The Old Testament Temple workers were supported by the tithes and gift offerings of those who benefited from use of the Temple. Likewise, those who benefit from hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ should support those who help spread it:

“Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.’ And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay!’” 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (NLT)

Preaching the Word of God is real work, no different than the work of a day laborer who toils in the field. This work should be respected and supported.

Again, Paul sheds light on the subject:

“As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need - and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:15-19 (NLT)

“Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return? I ‘robbed’ other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.” 2 Corinthians 11:7-9 (NLT)

What could be more precious and life enriching than the Word of God? It’s more valuable than all the food and gold and silver and riches of the world. Yet many of us will eagerly pay the merchant in full and on time, while denying champions of God adequate provision for food, clothing, and shelter. Why?

God wants us to give in many ways, and one of the most important is giving in order to spread the Gospel.

Giving as the Holy Spirit Compels You

Does giving to spread the Gospel mean that Christians should lavish money on local church organizations, local preachers, or televangelists?

No. Not necessarily.

There’s a great distinction between the world’s idea of “the church” and the true body of Christ.

Remember, the Apostle Paul did not preach from the pulpit of a fixed point brick-and-mortar building in 30 minute increments one day a week. He was a man without a home - a vagabond traveler who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would listen.

Supporting the spreading of the Gospel doesn’t necessarily mean we should give 10% of our weekly earnings to our local church minister (no matter how much our local church ministers would like to convince us otherwise). There are many ways to support the Gospel of Christ through gift offerings of prayer and service and money given to missionaries, itinerant preachers, and others. Some of the best ministries in the world are headquartered on the Internet - sites like Rapture Ready, Rapture Alert, Prophezine, and others.

We’re encouraged to give as we’re moved by the Holy Spirit…

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ‘And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

As such, giving should not be confined to the local chapter of the Red Cross or the local bricks-and-mortar church. It’s much more personal. Giving, as directed by the Holy Spirit, is a one-on-one experience. Human being to human being, with God acting as the connecting presence in between.

The presence of the Holy Spirit produces a well-spring of love and compassion that should compel us to give to those in need, to give eagerly of our own free will…

God Wants Us to Give of Our Own Free Will

Because God has given us so much through the gift of salvation, purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, our joyous gratitude should produce an abundance of generosity toward others…

“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways - in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us - I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NLT)

If you’re blessed with great monetary riches, you should use your wealth to further God’s purposes as directed by the Holy Spirit. Put your trust in God, not money. Use your abundance and position of strength to help others, to be generous to those in need:

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT)

Remember always that the wealth of this world is fleeting, but the riches of God are forever. For how you allocate your resources and where you direct your gifts in this world will determine your position in the next:

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” Luke 16:10-11 (NLT)

And it doesn’t matter how much you give, but how much you give relative to your ability…

“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.’” Mark 12:41-44 (NLT)

That said, you should always give willingly, not out of a sense of obligation. In the end, God will reward us all accordingly…

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 (NLT)

Don’t Call Attention to Your Gift Offerings

One final note…

When giving for God’s purpose, beware of your human pride. For many have fallen into the trap of giving in order to receive human praise for what they have done. As Jesus says, such people have already received their reward - fleeting and worthless human praise…

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do - blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT)

So when you give, it’s best to do so in secret, if possible. Then, only God will know your good deed, and your only motive is praise from God - a valuable and everlasting reward!

Related Links

What does the Bible say about Christian tithing? - GotQuestions.org

Giving and Tithing (Resourceful Living) - Larry Burkett (Book)

Are you Giving to God with a Cheerful Heart or Tithing by law to Benefit Yourself? - LetUsReason.org

Giving and Tithing - Crown Financial Ministries

The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving - Randy Alcorn, Ryan Rush (DVD)

Democrats' Political Suicide Pact

By Matt Barber

The president recently told Diane Sawyer: "I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president." Excise the self-aggrandizing "really good" twaddle and it would seem ol' Windy City Barry's well on his way.

In the wake of Democrats' historic Massachusetts smack-down, I've been anxious to see whether Obama would dig in his jackbooted heels and forge ahead with his wildly unpopular socialist agenda; or if he'd play nice with others and tack center (à la Bill Clinton in '94).

Wednesday night, during his first State of the Union address, we got our answer.

I'll leave the in-depth analysis to others, but here's the recap: Obama was Charlie Gibson and America was Sarah Palin. He looked down his nose, through the teleprompter, at the American people and in the most "me-centric" way imaginable, said: "Electric trains are wicked-cool. America sucks. Capitalism sucks. The Supreme Court sucks. It's Bush's fault. Oh, yea — the jobs thing. I'll start my spending-freeze diet tomorrow. Give Perez Hilton a machine gun. Bama knows best. I'll never quit. It's Bush's fault. Hopey-changey. Peace-out."

I have mixed feelings. The not-ready-for-prime-time amalgamation of jaw-dropping hubris and chuckle-out-loud incompetence this man continues to display bodes well for conservatives. The creepy political suicide pact he, Pelosi and Reid have apparently entered into — if fulfilled — almost certainly ensures an electoral bloodbath in 2010. It could cripple the Democratic Party for decades to come.

On the down side, if Obama and his fellow "progressive" extremists in Congress actually implement any of these radical policy initiatives, it could cripple the entire country for decades to come. If Obama loses, Democrats lose. If Obama wins, we all lose. Either way, Dems are in a pickle.

While recently trying to reassure his very anxious colleagues that all's well in O'Ba-La-Land, the president advised Democrats that the difference between 1994 and 2010 is that, now, "you've got me." On Wednesday night he reminded them that, despite America's wholesale rejection of ObamaCare specifically, and his larger socialist agenda generally, Democrats "still have the largest majority in decades." He defiantly admonished: "Don't run for the Hills," concluding, "I have never been more hopeful."

Now, as we all know, optimism is "always seeing the light at the end of the tunnel." Narcissism, on the other hand, is laboring under the pathological delusion that you are the light at the end of the tunnel.

In 1994, after Bill Clinton over-optimistically interpreted his uninspiring presidential victory as a cart blanche mandate to "remake" America into Europe, voters responded by sweeping Republicans into leadership for the first time in 40 years.

Now — as revealed Wednesday night — we learn that, this time around, Obama has over-narcissistically interpreted his uninspiring presidential victory as a cart blanche mandate to "remake" America into Europe.

To borrow from Yogi Berra: It's déjà vu all over again.

Notes, Elaine Donnelly with the Center for Military Readiness: "Dan Balz in a November 14, 1994, Washington Post article titled 'Health Plan Was Albatross for Democrats: Big Government Label Hurt Party, Poll Finds. Greenburg found that 54% of 1,250 voters surveyed named the Health Care Task Force issue [HillaryCare] as the number one reason they cast a 'vote of dissatisfaction' in the leadership of Clinton and the Democrats controlling Congress in 1993.

"Greenberg also identified a second issue, called 'cultural liberalism,' which was cited by 51% of respondents and symbolized by Bill Clinton's failed 1993 campaign for homosexuals in the military."

So, in 1994, voters took Clinton and Democrats to the woodshed for 1) trying to "Mark McGwire" the federal government through imposition of socialized healthcare, and 2) for pushing hard-left social policies to include misusing and abusing the military as a petri dish for San Francisco-style social experimentation.

Obama? Same script, different decade.

As Einstein (or was it Ben Franklin?) observed: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." So, is our president insane, daft, an obstinate left-wing ideologue or all three? You be the judge.

One thing's for certain. Wednesday night kicked-off the 2010 campaign season. Wonder how many Democrats will — as did Deeds, Corzine and Coakley — ring the Oval Office for help.

Kind of like having Jack Kevorkian lend a hand with your medication, I suppose.

Related Links

Obama's math doesn't add up - CNN (Erick Erickson)

Face to Face, Obama Urges GOP to Join Dems on Job-Creation Efforts - FOX News

Illinois, new Massachusetts setback for Obama? - Breitbart

Back to Gitmo for 9-11 trial? - New York Post

The Democrats' Political Death Wish - Town Hall (Hugh Hewitt)

Friday, January 29, 2010

Mark Hitchcock on the Evidences for a Cashless Society

By Nathan Jones

What are some evidences that the world is near to becoming a cashless society?

Dr. David Reagan and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mark Hitchcock on the show Christ in Prophecy. Mark is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor of Faith Bible Church located in Oklahoma, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also a much in demand speaker at Bible prophecy conferences all over the nation.

Dr. Hitchcock was invited to answer questions based on his book Cashless: Bible Prophecy, Economic Chaos, and the Future Financial Order. It concerns the world presently teetering on financial chaos, global interdependency, and modern technology all converging in such a way that a cashless society and one-world economy are not only possible, but inevitable.

Evidences For a Cashless Society

Dr. Hitchcock: A number of secular economic experts are saying the world is right on the threshold of a cashless economy. One, for example, is the head of Visa in Europe who said that he thinks there is going to be a cashless society in Europe by 2012. Here we are back to 2012 again and the predictions that it marks an end to the world as we know it. What he made is a bold statement. Even if he is wrong by just a few years, that is an incredible statement to make!

Secondly, just think about the buying practices of most people today. Just about every day people have automatic deposits of their checks. When people go to get gas, so few go in anymore and pay with cash. People just swipe their credit cards.

Dr. Reagan: Well, I am old fashioned. I still sit down at the end of the month and write 35 checks for everything. But, almost every day I am getting an email message from those companies saying we will give you this incentive or that incentive if I would simply sign a statement and let us do the payment automatically. The banks don't want to mail out a thing. Sooner or later they are just going to say we are not going to mail a bill anymore.

Dr. Hitchcock: That's right. What people fail to realize the unbelievable advantages to being cashless. Think of all the disease from money being handled back and forth. Think of the taxes from the underground economy out there that is based on cash that are not being taxed.

Dr. Reagan: I think of crime, it is a positive thing in regard to crime.

Nathan Jones: Dealers can't make a drug deal if they don't have any cash to trade.

Dr. Reagan: When you go cashless every transaction has a record, and there isn't money dealt under the table.

Dr. Hitchcock: It gets rid of counterfeiting. In my book I enumerate at least 10 things we can say are just good practical advantages that we would all agree on about going cashless. Many of these other movements in Bible prophecy that are moving forward, they seem like good ideas at the time. With a one-world economy coming together it could stop wars. If everybody is tied together economically they won't have to fight with each other anymore.

Dr. Reagan: There are always good things to all technology, like the Internet. There are so many good things about the Internet. We don't have to pay international postage anymore when we send out and talk to people all over the world.

Nathan Jones: With email I don't have to write paper letters anymore.

Dr. Reagan: On the other hand, pornography is unbelievable.

By going cashless there are many positive things in regard to a cashless society, but the reality of it all is that it is paving the way for a world government to control what we buy and what we sell. In fact, right now, when I go to many stores they will give me a discount if I show them a little card, such as at CVS Pharmacy or Kroger Supermarket. When I purchase with a credit card, the store has a record and knows everything I buy. With my buying characteristics they can pinpoint advertising to me based on that information. It is mind-boggling to think of what they can do with that purchasing information.

Dr. Hitchcock: With all the technologies existing out there to do these things, it is only a matter of them being accepted by people.

Nathan Jones: As the world readily accepts these cashless technologies, it's further evidence that we are quickly becoming a cashless society, a society that the Bible foretells one day will be easily controlled by a one-world leader.

Related Links

In Davos, Bankers Look for Closer Bond With Policy Makers - New York Times

Cashless: Bible Prophecy, Economic Chaos, and the Future Financial Order - Mark Hitchcock (Book)

Does the Bible prophesy a one-world government and a one-world currency in the end times? - GotQuestions.org

Evolving US Payment Systems and Bank Delivery Channels: Death of the Teller... - PR-USA.net

Shadow Government - Grant R. Jeffrey (DVD)

Netanyahu at Auschwitz Says Prophecies of Ezekiel 37 Have Been Fulfilled

By Joel Rosenberg

This weekend, Lynn and I are in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where I will be speaking at Break Forth, the largest evangelical Christian conference held in Canada every year. I will be teaching the prophecies of Ezekiel 36-39, the centrality of Israel in God’s plan and purpose for mankind in the last days, the threat of Radical Islam, and the importance of building a global movement of Christians committed to showing the people of the epicenter unconditional love and unwavering support.

As I prepare to teach a series of four 1-hour seminars on these topics today, I awoke to read news coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address this week in Poland, commemorating the 65th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz.

Speaking on the actual site of the Nazi death camp, the Prime Minister delivered a major address warning the world of new genocidal threats against the Jewish people and the importance of acting early enough to prevent such threats from coming to pass. He also declared to the people of Europe and the world that the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 have been fulfilled.

It was an extraordinary moment. Rarely has any world leader given a major address on an international stage declaring End Times prophecies from the Bible have come true. But that is exactly what Netanyahu did.

Excerpts:

“The most important lesson of the Holocaust is that a murderous evil must be stopped early, when it is still in its infancy and before it can carry out its designs. The enlightened nations of the world must learn this lesson. We, the Jewish nation, who lost a third of our people on Europe’s blood-soaked soil, have learned that the only guarantee for defending our people is a strong State of Israel and the army of Israel. We gave learned to warn the nations of the world of impending danger but at the same time to prepare to defend ourselves. As the head of the Jewish state, I pledge to you today: We will never again permit evil to snuff out the life of our people and the life of our own country….”
[“After the Holocaust,”]... the Jewish people rose from ashes and destruction, from a terrible pain that can never be healed. Armed with the Jewish spirit, the justice of man, and the vision of the prophets, we sprouted new branches and grew deep roots. Dry bones became covered with flesh, a spirit filled them, and they lived and stood on their own feet. As Ezekiel prophesied:
‘Then He said unto me: These bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.’ Prophecy, therefore, and say to them: Thus said the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and lift you out of your graves, O My people, and bring you to the land of Israel.’
I stand here today on the ground where so many of my people perished — and I am not alone. The State of Israel and all the Jewish people stand with me. We bow our heads to honor your memory and lift our heads as we raise our flag - a flag of blue and white with a Star of David in its center. And everyone sees. And everyone hears. And everyone knows – that our hope is not lost.”

The question for all Israelis and all people everywhere is now this: If the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 have come to pass in our lifetime, isn’t it remotely possible that the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 will come true in our lifetime as well?

Related Links

Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East... - Joel C. Rosenberg (Book)

Ezekiel 38 & 39 (Part 1) - Pre-Trib Research Center (Dr. Thomas Ice)

Ezekiel 38-39 (FAQ) - JoelRosenberg.com

Northern Storm Rising: Russia, Iran, and the Emerging End-Times Military Coalition Against Israel - Ron Rhodes (Book)

We will never forget, says Netanyahu at Auschwitz - Sydney Morning Herald

Keeping Zionism's Promise

By Caroline Glick

"Never again!"

So declared Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as he spoke at Auschwitz-Birkenau on Wednesday, the 65th anniversary of its liberation.

Netanyahu used his speech at the notorious death camp to nudge what he referred to as "the enlightened nations of the world" to recognize that "murderous evil" has to be stopped as early as possible to prevent it from achieving its aims. Unfortunately, the events of the past week show clearly that evil is on the march, and "the enlightened nations of the world" are on a coffee break from enlightenment.

As Netanyahu addressed the world from the site of the most prolific genocide factory in human history, at the place where over a million Jews were gassed, starved, beaten, raped, frozen, shot and hanged and then burned in ovens, Iran's leaders were declaring loudly that they intend to finish what the Nazis started. They will destroy the Jewish people.

Iran's dictator supremo Ali Khamenei used a photo-op with Mauritania's President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz - who cut his own country's diplomatic ties with Israel last January - to renew his pledge to commit yet another Holocaust. As he put it, "Surely, the day will come when the nations of the region will witness the destruction of the Zionist regime... When the destruction happens will depend on how the Islamic nations approach the issue."

And as he spoke, the ability of "the enlightened nations of the world" to deny that the Iranian regime is building a nuclear arsenal was finally and utterly wiped away. On Monday, Germany's Der Speigel reported that evidence gleaned from document intercepts and from the testimony of two senior Iranian defectors who were involved in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Iran's nuclear program is not a peaceful one. The Iranians are designing and building nuclear warheads for their Shihab-3 ballistic missiles. According to a summary of the findings now circulating through the halls of power, Teheran will have the wherewithal to build nuclear warheads by 2012.

So the Der Spiegel report showed that Iran is developing the capacity to carry out a second Holocaust in under a hundred years. And yet, in the face of their sure knowledge that evil is on the march, as they did 70 years ago, the "enlightened nations" of Europe are siding with evil against its would-be victims.

On a popular level, as Sunday's release of the Jewish Agency's annual report on global anti-Semitism documented, there were more anti-Semitic attacks in Europe in 2009 than there had been in any single year since the Holocaust. The report stated that the attacks were carried out by Jew-haters on both the Left and the Right.

Europe's anti-Semites wasted no time in proving the report was accurate. On Monday, Polish Catholic Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek said that Jews have "expropriated" the Holocaust as "a propaganda weapon." Jews, he claimed, "enjoy good press because they have powerful financial means behind them, enormous power and the unconditional backing of the United States, and this favors a certain arrogance that I find unbearable."

Then we have the political alliance of leftist anti-Semites with Muslim anti-Semites. Together they not only attack Jews, they provide political cover for expanding those attacks by rejecting Israel's right to exist and justifying violent attacks against Jews outside Israel as the logical outcome of their politically correct anger at Israel for refusing to destroy itself. Case in point is Ilmar Reepalu, the mayor of Malmo, Sweden.

Malmo is one of the most dangerous places for Jews in Europe. The city's small Jewish population is fleeing. The situation in Malmo was graphically demonstrated last March when Israel's tennis stars Amir Haddad and Andy Ram faced off against Swedish rivals at a Davis Cup tie in Malmo and Swedish authorities closed their game to the public. Malmo's Muslim residents and their post-Christian partners on the Left threatened to attack them. Malmo's authorities didn't think it was their responsibility to protect their Israeli guests. So Haddad and Ram were forced to play in an empty stadium.

Interviewed in a local paper this week about the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in his city, Reepalu blamed Israel. In his view, the violence against Jews in Malmo by the far Left and Muslims, "spilled over from Gaza."

By his lights the Jewish national liberation movement is just as bad as the Jewish annihilation movement. As he put it, "We accept neither Zionism nor anti-Semitism. They are extremes that place themselves above other groups they think are less important."

Reepalu then blamed Malmo's Jews for their victimization by his fellow leftists and his Muslim comrades. As far as he is concerned, the Jews brought the violence on themselves last March when they responded to Haddad and Ram's treatment by holding a demonstration supporting Israel. In his view, Malmo's Jews need to separate themselves away from Israel, not support it.

Since the Holocaust, old-style right-wing anti-Semites in Europe have had a hard time getting political traction for their desire to see Jews suffer. But by conflating Jews with Israel, their colleagues on the Left have made sticking it to the Jews, our state and our supporters the easiest way to score political points. So it was that in her first speech as the EU's new foreign policy chief, Britain's Catherine Ashton went out of her way to condemn Israel for building in Jerusalem, closing its border with Hamas-controlled Gaza and defending itself from Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria.

As for Israel's friends, they are hounded, driven out of Europe and where possible placed on trial. Dutch MP Geert Wilders, the head of the Netherland's Freedom Party, is one of Israel's greatest supporters in Europe. Today Wilders is on trial for publicly criticizing what he views as the endemic anti-Semitism of the Koran.

Against the backdrop of the persistence of right-wing Jew hatred, and the politically ascendant Red-Green alliance of anti-Semites, it makes sense that Europe will not raise a finger to prevent another Holocaust.

And so, not surprisingly, in the wake of the Der Spiegel report, the EU's foreign ministers got together and decided not to support any new sanctions against Iran - unless they are passed by the UN Security Council. Since Europe's foreign ministers all know full well the Security Council will not pass sanctions against Iran because China has announced that it will veto any sanctions against Iran, this week the EU's foreign ministers got together and essentially said they're okay with another Holocaust.

With Europe out, and with "enlightened" Asian, African and South American countries never really in the game, the only "enlightened" country that might be expected to stop murderous evil before it can carry out its aims is the United States. But unfortunately, like the Europeans, the Americans don't feel like being responsible. President Barack Obama, his administration and many of his fellow Democrats would rather take on Israel.

This week 54 Democratic members of Congress wrote Obama a letter asking him to apply pressure on Israel to remove its restrictions on the import of goods - including dual use goods like construction materials - to Hamas-controlled Gaza. Never mind that under US law it is legally problematic to provide any aid, (including the $300 million Obama has pledged) to Gaza in light of the fact that it is controlled by a terrorist organization.

For its part, the administration apparently believes that there is no reason to seek the overthrow of Hamas simply because the US is required by US law and binding UN Security Council resolutions to do so. The US Treasury Department has reportedly just removed all but one Hamas official from its list of known terrorists and so paved the way for Hamas to receive funding from Europe.

As for Israel, during his trip here this week, Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell came up with a revolutionary new idea. In the face of Palestinian intransigence, Mitchell introduced the earthshaking concept of pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians.

This week Mitchell asked Israel to stop all of its counterterror operations in Judea and Samaria, and allow Palestinian forces to operate not only in the Palestinian areas, but in predominantly Israeli areas as well. Specifically, Mitchell asked Israel to allow Palestinian forces to deploy in what the arguably defunct Oslo agreements refer to as Area C, where the Palestinian Authority has no security authority whatsoever.

When it comes to Iran, the Obama administration behaves as though the jury is still out on whether the mullahs are even seeking nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last Thursday that Iran might face some tough statements from the world if it continues to refuse to be appeased by the Obama White House, although she couldn't say whether any actual steps would be taken to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which she wouldn't acknowledge the mullahs are developing.

And in his State of the Union address on Wednesday, Obama himself made clear that the US will do nothing to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. As far as Obama is concerned, the nuclear arsenal in most urgent need of evisceration is the US's nuclear arsenal.

All of this just goes to show that at the end of the day, now when the chips are down, there is only one "enlightened" nation in the world that may actually do something to prevent the advance of murderous evil. And Israel unfortunately is of two minds on the issue.

On the one hand, we have Netanyahu, who is clearly focused on preventing another Holocaust of Jewry. But on the other hand, we have Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who on Tuesday claimed that the absence of peace with the Palestinians - not Iran - is the greatest threat that Israel faces today. As he put it, "The lack of defined boundaries within Israel, and not an Iranian bomb, is the greatest threat to our future."

Barak's outrageous pronouncement is a succinct encapsulation of the great aspiration of the Israeli Left. If he could only be right, then Israel would be able to singlehandedly solve all the problems of the region and be immediately adored by the likes of the EU and the Obama administration just by making itself smaller.

So with the scourge of moral and strategic blindness rampant not only in Europe and America, but within his own government, Netanyahu rapidly approaches his moment of truth.

In what will undoubtedly be the most fateful decision of his life, he will have to decide whether Iran will become a nuclear power, or whether Israel, standing alone, will prevent it from becoming a nuclear power.

Was his declaration of "Never Again," at Auschwitz just the bloviating of yet another "enlightened" leader who lacks the courage of his convictions? Or was it a solemn vow that Zionism's promise will be kept?

Related Links

Clinton Warns China on Iran Sanctions - New York Times

Shackled Warrior: Israel and the Global Jihad - Caroline B. Glick (Book)

Northern Storm Rising: Russia, Iran, and the Emerging End-Times Military Coalition Against Israel - Ron Rhodes (Book)

Iran could make nuclear advancement announcement early Feb. - RIA Novosti

Swedish mayor equates Zionism and anti-Semitism as Jews leave his city - World Jewish Congress

State of the Union Indicates Time for Biblical Correction

By Bill Wilson

The message that the man who occupies the Oval Office wanted the American public to hear was: "we got your message." And perhaps he and the houses of Congress controlled by his party did "get" what the American people are saying. But the arrogance of Washington, DC's exclusive club of politicians and their collective goal of a one world order humanist socialist nation are driving them to do what they want anyway. Freezing spending, for example, is a great thing to say to get people off your back, but what they don't tell you is that a non-military, non-social security, non-medicare spending freeze only will save about 1% of the mounting budget deficits.

The "no new income tax" pledge is admirable, but what they don't tell you is that spending programs by the government will increase the burden on taxpayers in other ways. For example, the socialized health care plan being jammed through Congress will increase the federal budget in the near term by a trillion dollars - exponentially more over the long term. There are numerous "hidden taxes" in the health care plan, and you will be forced to pay for health care insurance whether you want it or not. Those of you who have really good health insurance will be forced to pay several thousands of dollars per year in penalties for having that plan. Its unpopularity is forcing Congress to find other ways to pass it.

In his State of the Union address, he said regarding his fiscal policy, "Let's try common sense. A novel concept." And he talked about reining in government spending and debt. Sounds good. The American people want their government to live within its means, like every family in this country does who balances a checkbook. Within 24 hours of these remarks, the New York Times reported, "The Senate voted on Thursday to raise the nation's debt limit to $14.3 trillion, a $1.9 trillion increase that would allow the government to keep borrowing to cover operations beyond the November election and into early next year." You know, that raises the debt of every American citizen to the government to over $40,000 each.

A fact check by AP indicated that OOO lied to the American people in his State of the Union address no less than five times. There were several more half truths and misleading comparisons. This is a government of "Tell them what they want to hear, then do what you want to do." This is a far cry from the Declaration of Independence which says that our government should derive its, "just powers from the consent of the governed."

The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16,

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

It is now time for national reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.

Related Links

The Spending 'Freeze' That Isn't - Wall Street Journal

Senate Dems Hike Debt Limit by $1.9 Trillion - FOX News

Obama refers to himself 114 times in SOTU speech - Examiner.com

Reaction Roundup: Heritage Responds To The State Of The Union - The Heritage Foundation

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto - Mark R. Levin (Book)

We Will Never Forget!

By Jim Hutchens

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony marking 65 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, said: "We have gathered here, Poles and Jews, at the crossroads of tragedy. Our long shared history included tremendous cultural accomplishments and the lowest low humanity has experienced. We were here. We remember those who froze to death; if they did not freeze to death, they were executed by gas, burned in the ovens. We remember also that one-third of the Righteous Gentiles, those who risked their lives and their children’s lives and those of their families in order to save others, were Poles. We remember all this…

To those who were murdered here, and to those who survived the destruction, I come from Jerusalem today with this promise: We will never forget! We will never permit those who desecrated this monument to death to distort or wipe away your memory. …

The most important lesson of the Holocaust is that a murderous evil must be stopped early, when it is still in its infancy and before it can carry out its designs. The enlightened nations of the world must learn this lesson.

We, the Jewish nation, who lost a third of our people on Europe's blood-soaked soil, have learned that the only guarantee for defending our people is a strong State of Israel and the army of Israel. We have learned to warn the nations of the world of approaching danger but at the same time to prepare to defend ourselves.

As the head of the Jewish state, I pledge to you today: We will never again permit evil to snuff out the life of our people and the life of our own country.

God says: I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on Yahweh, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Yahweh has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Yahweh, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.…They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of Yahweh; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted (Isaiah 62:6-12).

The Jerusalem Connection says: Noticeable for its absence from his State of the Union message was any reference by President Obama to Israel or the Palestinians. Nevertheless, Jews world wide remembered this week the Holocaust Memorial Day and those whose diabolical commitment to replicate it by “wiping Israel of the map.” We are exhorted to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). As a prelude to that prayer we should first pray, “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you - … Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O Yahweh. May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. Let them know that you, whose name is the Yahweh — that you alone are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83).

Related Links