Judgment Day

By Dave Welch
US Pastor Council

Judgment Day is here – again. It is not the apocalyptic event bringing about that terrifying day when we stand before the Judge of the Universe in finality – thankfully – however, it is a day when we will indeed be judged for our actions.

We call it Election Day.

It is the day when the hearts, minds, values, priorities and principles of the American people are tested against The Standard. The plum line is held up and "We the People" are measured. It seems evident that our "F" achieved in 2008, if applying any biblical or constitutional litmus test, will be significantly improved.

We will repair some breaches in the wall, but will we rebuild the foundation? What is the foundation?

If we give any credence to the architects of the structure, it is clear that they believed both design and Designer of our constitutional republic were "self-evident." They believed that the bedrock upon which rested its posterity is found in – and only in – the pages of Holy Scripture.

One of the blocks in the foundation was and is the principle given in Jeremiah 17:9, 10:

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

Our Founding Fathers understood that power could not be absolutely trusted to any one man and therefore any one branch of government because of our sin nature. They were all too aware of the despotism that results when governing power is centralized. The separation of powers we find in our Constitution was based on this principle and developed on three attributes of God found in Isaiah 33:22:

For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; 
He will save us –

Three distinct functions … One Perfect Ruler. After authority to govern was delegated to man, however, the self-seeking and sinful nature within all mankind required those powers be separated. The second most oft quoted resource during the founding era, behind only the Bible, was Baron Montesquieu. He wrote in 1748 in "The Spirit of the Laws":

Nor is there liberty if power of judging is not separated from legislative power and from executive power. If it (the power of judging) were joined to legislative power, the power over life and liberty of the citizens would be arbitrary, for the judge would be the legislator. If it were joined to executive power, the judge could have the force of an oppressor. …

The Bible provided guiding principles to our U.S. Constitution, which defines and restrains governing authority … theoretically.

Here is the rub for us. Because the power of maintaining the purpose and separation of the sword of governing authority rests in the hands of the governed, it will ultimately be either preserved or corrupted by the individual and collective condition of our heart, mind and soul.

That condition is dependent historically on if and how effectively the absolute truth of God's Word is preached from our pulpits, lived in our homes and practiced in every sphere of our lives. The full circle brings us back to the vote as a test of who we are personally and who we choose by majority vote as a test of us corporately.

As James Robison, one of the most powerful evangelists of our time, asserted to a gathering of evangelical leaders in 1980,

"How can you expect the godly to get elected if godly people don't support and vote for them? How can men who stand on principle govern if the people who stand on principle don't even vote? We're the guilty ones."

Even though only a college student casting my first vote in that election for Ronald Reagan, I remember vividly the groundswell, the passion and the sea change we now call the Reagan Revolution – heavily influenced by conservative evangelicals. What happened to it?

Most Christians went back to sleep – and simultaneously the church became an entertainment center. Our pulpits must return to our first call of proclaiming the Word, the whole Word and nothing but the Word – if we do, the awakening will be real and measurable.

Just remember that this mess did not begin yesterday and, like stage-four cancer, is so intertwined as a massive tumor throughout our land in our major institutions that we will not reverse this through one or two elections.

More importantly, we will not reverse it at all unless and until people who love God, love our country and are willing to sacrifice our lives, fortunes and sacred honor get back in the battle and stay in until we hand off the baton. Let it be said of our nation as we finish our leg of the relay race:

The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; 
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

And He will be the stability of your times, 
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; 
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

It starts with you and me being right with God and then committing to walking in the voting booth to vote HIS principles of righteousness and justice (not "your values") for every local, state and federal election the rest of our lives.


Related Links

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The Bible and Government - Biblical Principles: Basis for America's Laws - Faith Facts
Party Leaders Offer Bold Predictions Ahead of 'Earthquake' Election - FOX News
Question: "Does God expect Christians to vote?" - GotQuestions.org
Pastor: Christians need to make a difference on Nov. 2 - OneNewsNow
Politics - According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture - Wayne A. Grudem (Book)

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Turkey Warms to Gog and Cites Israel Major Threat

By Chris Perver
Prophecy in the News

The Turkish government has just completed its largest security review since the end of the Cold War. The National Security Council, a gathering of top military officials, have published a document outlining a list of perceived threats to Turkey's national security. The document called 'Red Book', is considered to be a snapshot of the nation's current security situation, and will form the basis of Turkish foreign policy for the next five years.

Following the election of Prime Minister Erdogan's pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party, Turkish relations with the West and in particular Israel have been at an all time low. Only a few years ago, Turkey was considered one of Jewish state's closest allies in the Middle East, and trusted enough to act as mediator between Israel and Syria in secret negotiations. Relations have since soured, and now the Turkish government considers Israel to be a 'major threat'.

Israel's possession of nuclear weapons is cited as a prime factor for spurring on a regional arms race. While nations such as Iran, who are openly defying the international community by covertly developing a nuclear weapons programme, are now considered to be allies of the Turkish nation.

"The Turkish national security council recently designated Israel as a "major threat" in a document known as the "red book," which lists threats to Turkey, local media reported. The council decided to remove Syria, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia from the list of threats. Greece, however, is still considered a threat, whereas Iran was also removed from the list. This is the first time Turkey has designated Israeli activity in the Middle East as a threat."

Interestingly, Iran was also once considered to be one of Israel's closest allies, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Now Iran represents possibly the greatest security threat to both Israel and the Western world.

But long before Turkey had even begun writing its 'Red Book' designating Israel as a major threat, God had already documented the geopolitical alliances that would exist in the latter days. The prophecy of Ezekiel foretells how that after the Jewish people had come back to the land, and had been gathered out of all of the nations to which they were scattered, that a regional alliance would arise. This regional alliance will include such countries as Iran (Persia), Turkey (Togarmah, Gomer), Sudan (Ethiopia), Libya and possibly Russia and the former Soviet satellite states (Magog, Meshech and Tubal, Ezekiel 38:2-6).

The Bible declares that in the latter days, these nations will be gathered together to mount a massive invasion of the land of Israel. The Bible also predicts that this invasion force will be completely destroyed by divine intervention. Ezekiel states that God will "send fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly (or securely) in the isles", Ezekiel 39:6, that the nations may know that He is the Lord.

As you can see from today's news, the Bible is always one hundred percent accurate in its predictions. This is because it was written by one who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10).

But why has God chosen to reveal these things to us? What is the purpose of prophecy, if God is going to do as He pleases anyway? As Jesus said in John 13:19,

"Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he (the Messiah)".

The reason why God has revealed the future to us through the Scriptures is so that we might realize that He is Lord and that we might put our trust in Him. For the only person who could know all that will take place in the future must be God, and if we can trust His Word, then we know we can trust Him too.

As John discovered in the book of Revelation, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). All prophecy ultimately points to Him, and it is in Him that we must place our trust. He is the one who has died for our sins. He is the one who paid the price of our salvation upon the cross. And all those who put their trust in Him shall have the forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38-39). Turn away from your sins and put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust (Matthew 12:18-21).

Related Links

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Israelis urged to avoid Turkey - Israel Today (Ryan Jones)
Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38 - Which is the Next Middle East News Headline? - BPB (Bill Salus)
Turkey declares Israel ‘central threat’ - JTA
Tourism minister urges Israelis to boycott Turkey - Jerusalem Post
Northern Storm Rising: Russia, Iran, and the Emerging End-Times Military Coalition Against Israel - Ron Rhodes (Book)

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Beware Scammers and Global Government

By Dr. Chuck Missler
Koinonia House

"I'm calling to inform you you're late with your house payment, but we're able to help."

Watch out. Scammers have taken advantage of the large number of foreclosures and have randomly called people's homes, hunting for those who might be a bit behind on their mortgages. Sure, these con artists will help; they'll offer to work out a payment plan, and they'll help themselves to the victim's credit card or checking account numbers or personal identity information. They will not use the money to pay anybody's mortgages but their own.

The financial situation around the world has not improved as quickly as we'd all like. The Department of Labor announced on Friday that the jobless rate dropped in 23 states. That sounds great. The jobless rate rose in 11 other states, though, and the final 16 experienced no change. Las Vegas has earned the top prize for joblessness at 14.4 percent, and Michigan is not far behind at 13 percent. Fifteen states total have jobless rates above 9.6 percent. It's a hard time for a lot of people.

Home loss continues to be a problem, as the scammers have made clear. Foreclosures jumped 19 percent in California during the third quarter. Scammers have demonstrated the extent of the problem; they know that if they just call a few homes, sooner or later they will find somebody struggling to pay their mortgage.

The crisis continues globally. At the G20 meeting this weekend, the world's biggest economic powers gathered to wrestle out ways to keep the world financial markets sane. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that an agreement had been reached among the nations not to devalue their currencies, averting the anticipated currency wars. The meeting has been seen as a success in collaboration among the world's economic powers and is geared toward more global governmental goings on.

Anoop Singh, IMF's Asia and Pacific director, said:

"We saw a lot of collaboration at the G20. It's important also to remember that coming from this global slowdown, it was policy collaboration across countries and regions that avoided it being a much worse recession than it has been. The G20 recognize that this collaboration needs to continue in the future to sustain a strong sustained balanced growth over the medium term. And they have set new objectives, how they look at sustainability, (and) the role of the IMF. So I think we're very pleased that this collaboration will continue."

There will be a struggle before and if the world comes out of its economic peat bog. The currency wars have been given a temporary respite. However, plenty of people still believe that a global currency used by all countries would provide the best economic hope for the world. The decades-old idea of a single world currency keeps getting regurgitated. In fact, the IMF offered a promotional report on it this summer. In his report, Reza Moghadam of the IMF's Strategy, Policy, and Review Department said a global currency would work as follows:

"A global currency, bancor, issued by a global central bank would be designed as a stable store of value that is not tied exclusively to the conditions of any particular economy…. The global central bank could serve as a lender of last resort, providing needed systemic liquidity in the event of adverse shocks and more automatically than at present."

No longer would nations trade in dollars or yen or euros. Those who favor a global currency argue it would offer an end to all currency wars and would stabilize world business. However, a global currency would limit the freedom individual countries have to regulate their own interest rates and deal efficiently with domestic economic situations. It would act as a catalyst for even broader global government.

The longer the financial difficulties continue, the greater the world's financial experts will strive to find answers through global cooperation, and the more likely scam artists will find ways to con unsuspecting people out of their money.

We have no reason to fear, though, no matter how dire our financial situations look. We know that God does care for us and this long financial storm does not frighten Him. May we take these opportunities to draw closer to God our Provider and place ourselves squarely under the shadow of His wings.

"Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." - Psalm 37:34

Related Links

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Don't Fall Victim To Foreclosure Scams - Investor's Business Daily
Nevada's 'actual' unemployment rate hit 22.3% in third quarter - Nevada Appeal
Cashless: Bible Prophecy, Economic Chaos, and the Future Financial Order - Mark Hitchcock (Book)
End of US hegemony, why the Bancor and not gold will be the new currency - Investment & Business News
French G20 to seek reform of global monetary system - Reuters
The Creator Beyond Time & Space - Chuck Missler (Book)

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Time to Reunite Church and State

By Matt Barber
Liberty Counsel

John Adams, our second U.S. president, famously observed:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

The U.S. Constitution, indeed our entire republican form of government, was crafted by deeply pious men who were overwhelmingly Christian. It was fashioned within the context and framework of the Judeo-Christian zeitgeist of the time and was further intended to function in harmony with a Judeo-Christian worldview – period. Though leftists may deny this reality, it remains indisputable fact. The historical record is unequivocal.

Patrick Henry said this:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

George Washington agreed:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. … [R]eason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

I'll say it: I agree with George Washington. Those godless, postmodern secular-socialists, who, today, hold the reins of government, are unpatriotic. Fringe leftists like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid seek to "subvert" Washington's "great pillars" of "religion and morality" and are distinctly un-American for it.

Part and parcel of Obama's agenda has been to push, at a fever pitch, the most extremist pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-Christian agenda in American history.

Indeed, in contrast with the deeply held religious and moral values embraced by our Founding Fathers, today's America is governed by an "immoral" and "irreligious" chief executive. Barack Obama is the high priest of secular-socialism.

He seeks to undermine – if not altogether dismantle – the American exceptionalism that, hitherto, has been fundamentally woven throughout our national fabric.

He aspires to the lowest common denominator. He seeks to uproot Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill" and relocate the "land of the free and the home of the brave" to a much lower altitude, alongside those Euro-Marxist nations he so admires and wistfully desires to emulate.

The U.S. Constitution was neither intended to, nor can it, work in harmony with the postmodern secular-socialist worldview embraced by those on the political left. Such a worldview is, by its very nature, counter-constitutional.

Whereas the Constitution was intended to guarantee individual liberty and justice, limit the size and scope of the federal government and secure freedom of speech and religious expression; the goal of the secular-socialist is to control nearly every aspect of an individual's life, to massively expand the size and scope of the federal government and to suppress – if not altogether smother – freedom of speech and religious expression.

To the secular-socialist, the Constitution is a relevant document only insofar as it constitutes an encumbrance to "progress." It must be circumvented and overcome at all cost, and by any means available. Why else do you suppose President Obama has called our original "contract with America" – the U.S. Constitution – an "imperfect document," a "living document … that reflects some deep flaws in American culture ..."?

Rather than properly viewing our Constitution as a God-inspired tool to be used in furtherance of Washington's "indispensable supports" of "religion and morality," this arrogant little man, with singular resolve and discipline, forges ahead with his thinly veiled, yet wholly destructive left-wing political agenda: Namely, to "fundamentally change America" to reflect his own secular-socialist self-image.

Au contraire, Monsieur le Président.

Enter the tea-party revolution (a national clamoring for a return to our nation's founding principles). America has coldly and quite vocally rejected Obama's anti-American agenda.

You've heard it said, but I'll say it again: People with conservative values – particularly Christians – need to take back America. We must take charge of government at every level from the municipal hall to the White House.

It's time for men of the cloth – as they did during the first American Revolution – to exercise true leadership, return to the pulpit and call for national revival, both spiritual and political. As George Washington so astutely observed, the notion that political issues, and those of "religion and morality," are somehow mutually exclusive, is patently absurd. They are one in the same.

Am I calling for a theocracy? Of course not. Am I calling for men and women of strong faith to retake control of all high-level positions of influence in government, academia, media and entertainment? Absolutely.

The late, great Rev. Jerry Falwell perhaps said it best:

"I'm being accused of being controversial and political. I'm not political. But moral issues that become political, I still fight. It isn't my fault that they've made these moral issues political. But because they have doesn't stop the preachers of the Gospel from addressing them."

Pastors, priests and rabbis: It's up to you to address, head-on, these moral issues. Don't be intimidated by anti-theist groups like the ACLU, American's United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way and the like. These hard-left outfits engage in dishonest letter-writing schemes and file frivolous threats with the IRS in hopes of silencing you. Don't be silenced.

Guess how many churches have been penalized, or have lost tax-exempt status due to even one of these complaints: Exactly zero. To call these groups "paper tigers" is too strong. They're paper kittens.

Pastors: You have an absolute constitutional right, if not a duty, to stand at the pulpit and educate your flock about the hot-button political/moral issues of the day. You also have an absolute right to tell your flock exactly where candidates stand on these issues. You can even, as an individual, publicly endorse candidates. Most importantly, you have an absolute right to encourage parishioners to vote in accordance with their faith.

Biblical values must once again guide our political and cultural decisions and discourse, or tragically, this great American experiment – having survived longer than any governmental system in existence – may be at its twilight.

Still, I somehow doubt that the sun has set on this, the greatest nation on Earth. To borrow from a truly great president, Ronald Reagan, come Nov. 3, I suspect, instead, we'll once again awaken to a bright new future. We'll once again awaken to "morning in America."

Christians: Make it happen.


Related Links

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America's Christian Heritage - SpiritandTruth.org (Andy Woods)
Socialism is Not Compassionate, and Why This Should Matter to Christians - Faith Facts
God's Word on Abortion - BPB (Tony Garland)
Obama Appoints Record Number of Open Homosexuals - Lifesite
How should a Christian view politics? - GotQuestions.org
Will Tea Party's Angle Topple Senate's Leader? - CBN News
The Right Hook: From The Ring To The Culture War - Matt Barber (Book)

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No Longer a Chosen People?

By Dr. James M. Hutchens
The Jerusalem Connection

At a recent Catholic Bishops Synod in the Vatican, the Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Cyril Bustros said: "The original promises made by God to the children of Israel were nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people.'" …"The theme of the Promised Land cannot be used as a basis to justify the return of the Jews to Israel and the expatriation of the Palestinians." … "For Christians, one can no longer talk of the land promised to the Jewish people because the 'promise' was "abolished by the presence of Christ." (Read article)

God says: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." … “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.” [Genesis 17:7-8; Jeremiah 32:40-41].

The Jerusalem Connection says: Once again the diabolical head of supercessionism is being raised. Augustine’s replacement theology lives on and apparently with renewed vigor in the Catholic Church. Unless renounced the curses of Genesis 12:3 await the perpetrators. We should not be surprised at this resurgent form of anti-Semitism – it has prevailed throughout Church history. It is only Christians who have taken the Scriptures at face value, devoid of any imposed theological bias, that have in the past and will in the future, stand in support and solidarity with the Jew. Having said that, we both need to prepare for a worst case scenario. We have been forewarned by Jesus, “You will be handed over to be persecuted and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” But then he quickly adds, “But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” [Matthew 24:9, 13].


Related Links

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Catholic Church: Christ Nullified God's Promises to the Jews - BPB (David Hocking)
With All Due Respect, the Vatican's Latest, Painful Pronouncement on Israel Is Wrong: Paul’s Letter to Rome Affirms that Jews Are the Chosen People - BPB (Joel Rosenberg)
Hal Lindsey - No "Chosen People"
What is replacement theology / supersessionism? - GotQuestions.org
Israel slams Catholic statement on Mideast, singling out archbishop - CNN
Keeping God's Covenant of Love with Israel - James Hutchens (Book)

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Grace and Guilt

By Jack Kinsella
The Omega Letter

Grace is one of those Divine topics that is so deep and wide and endless that there can never been enough said about it. It is so complex in its simplicity that a full understanding of it probably cannot be had this side of heaven.

Grace is easier to define by what it is not than by what it is. Grace is not mercy or love. In Ephesians 2:4-6 three doctrines are outlined in their individual and specific understandings; grace, mercy and love.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

God is rich in mercy. He loves us with great love. But we are not saved by mercy or love. One can extend mercy without extending grace.

We are not saved by His love. If we know anything from Scripture about man’s relationship with God, it is this: God loves all sinners. Not all sinners are or will be saved.

Addressing mercy first, one could define Divine mercy as God’s compassion, which moved Him to provide a Savior in the first place. If God could save a single soul on the basis of His mercy alone, then every soul could be saved on that basis. In that case, Christ’s death was unnecessary.

As for God’s love, it is reflective of God’s infinite character. It is the motivating purpose behind all that God does on man’s behalf. The Bible says that there is joy in heaven at the salvation of one sinner.

But God’s infinite character is that of holy and righteous love and since sin is an offense before Him, God cannot save a soul without first making a way to satisfy the claims that Divine righteousness makes against the sinner.

One of the dumber arguments often used by atheists to question the existence of God is the question of God’s omnipotence. “If God can do anything, can He make a rock so big He can’t lift it?” It is a stupid question but you’d be surprised how many people actually try to answer it.

The atheist is trying to get the believer to admit that there are some things that even God can’t do.

But the fact is, there are things that even God can’t do. God cannot sin. God cannot compromise justice. God cannot abandon His holy nature. And so, until Divine justice is satisfied, God’s infinite love cannot realize its desire.

Mercy and love are what grace are not. Grace is what God is free to do on behalf of the lost after Christ satisfied the judicial requirements by paying the penalty for sin.

Although the holy demands of justice were satisfied by the sacrificial execution of Christ, the love of God can never be satisfied until He has done all that He can for the one that accepts Christ’s judgment on their behalf.

What is the greatest thing that God could do for you, a sinner? How about elevating you to be conformed to the image of the Son of God?

Love and mercy represent the whys of salvation, but not the how.

Since grace only represents what God can and will do for those who trust in His Savior, it must function independently of all human effort or cooperation. Grace demands nothing beyond confidence in God’s ability to save.

Grace provides the only mechanism whereby men can be saved. God’s mercy and love are not enough. God’s mercy and love were every bit as much in operation before I was saved as after.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

This is the second most difficult part of the salvation process. If I’ve been pardoned, why do I still feel guilty? You can tell me I’m no longer guilty all day long, but I was with me. I know better. And I'm not much at self-deception.

I was guilty of sin before I was saved. Some of those sins haunt me still. And if I remain on this earth, I will be guilty of sin again.

The guilt is real. I know it. So does the enemy – it is one of his most effective weapons against believers. “Maybe you’re saved by grace, but you’re guilty. You don’t deserve salvation.”

What makes it so effective is that it is true. Sin is rebellion against God and His authority. Jesus may have paid for my sins at Calvary, but He wasn’t guilty of them. I was.

The Divine disposition of guilt is one of the greatest triumphs of grace. Note that there are two aspects to the concept of 'guilt'.

The first aspect is personal guilt. Personal guilt is nothing more than the historical record of your sins. You committed them alone. That fact will never change. Not here and now. Not in the hereafter.

You are personally guilty. God didn’t make you do it. Satan didn’t make you do it. You alone are guilty. Personal guilt is non-transferable. That’s why you still feel guilty even though you know that you are saved.

The second aspect is that of judicial guilt. This is guilt as an obligation to justice. Judicial guilt is transferable – one can be personally guilty but if someone else pays the penalty due, then the law has no further claim.

The Lord Jesus offered Himself as a substitute to bear the obligation demanded of the world by Divine justice. We need only acknowledge and stand before God under the terms of His provision of grace.

It is by faith that I recognize my judicial guilt and by faith accept that my salvation is by grace, a gift of God and not of works, lest any should boast.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)

That is what our faith is in – not our ability to stay saved, but His ability to keep us - by His grace.

Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!
The Father He spake, and His will it was done;
Great price of my pardon, His own precious Son;
Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Your sins ARE all pardoned. Your guilt IS all gone. It cannot work any other way.

Maranatha!


Related Links

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Keeping a Pure Conscience - Grace to You (John MacArthur)
So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ - Charles Ryrie (Book)
The Grace of God - SpiritandTruth.org (Andy Woods)
What is the difference between mercy and grace? - GotQuestions.org
The Grace of God - Bible.org (Bob Deffinbaugh)
The Last Generation - Jack Kinsella (Book)

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Who Leases Their Birthright?

By Stan Goodenough
Jerusalem Watchman

“I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession;” (Genesis 17:8)

You almost have to hand it to those jokers down in Foggy Bottom. All the while they protest and maintain that they are “honest brokers,” “impartial” who want to do what is “best for both sides.”

At the same time, they repeatedly, earnestly insist that: “Israel has no better friend than the United States” – Joe Biden. “We are Israel’s best friend and ally ” – Barack Obama.

And if Israel balks, questioning the administration in Washington DC, the president says: “Israelis are suspicious of me because my middle name is Hussein.”

Let’s get rid of the smoke and mirrors.

When it comes to the Jewish State of Israel on the one side, and the Islamic Arab Middle East and Western world on the other, there is only one game in town: “We gotta get our hands on their land.”

What we discovered when we woke up Friday morning and smelled the news print, is if they can’t beat it out of Israel; if they can’t squeeze it out of Israel; if they can’t scare it out of Israel, they’ll go ahead and try to wrangle it out of Israel in a round about way.

Ha’aretz quoted the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat as reporting that “Palestinian sources confirmed that the two sides discussed an option wherein Israel may lease lands in East Jerusalem from the Palestinians in exchange for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel would lease the territories from the Palestinian state for a period of 40 to 99 years.”

The lands in question include parts of Jerusalem the pro-Arab media and politicians call “East Jerusalem.”

The initiative is reportedly an American one, which means we need to STOP RIGHT HERE and ask ourselves two questions:

1. What does it mean if Israel leases the land from the Palestinian Arabs?
   
2. Why is AMERICA floating this idea?

The answer to both is one and the same. It means that the land belongs to the Palestinian Arabs. And it means that America – as in the men and women elected to govern that nation – believes this too.

It’s a set trap for Israel. If the Netanyahu government rejected this outright, it would give the other side more ammunition for its charge that the Israelis are not interested in making peace. If Israel agrees to the idea of leasing the land, it would be irreversibly acknowledging that ownership of it is not the Jews’.

One thing is – thankfully – sure: The Israelis are not fools. But politicians can be pushed into a corner if they don’t watch out.

Someone – perhaps Tzipi Hotoveli MK – must stand up and tell Obama and the rest of the world that the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem is not to give and not to sell and not to get.

It’s been more than given; more than bought; more than paid for.

This Land, and this city, belong to the Lord. He has given it to the Jews, forever. And that’s a period.


Related Links

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Report: U.S. proposes Israel lease lands from Palestinians under future deal - Ha’aretz
'Israel may lease east Jerusalem from a Palestinian State' - Jerusalem Post
Abbas, Netanyahu still in standoff over settlements, peace talks - CNN
Islamic Jihad slams peace talks at mass Gaza rally - AFP
Israel, US discuss land lease from Palestinians - YnetNews

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