As you know, the situation in the Middle East is tenuous at best with Iran showing nuclear muscle.  This has put everyone on high alert because nuclear armaments in the hands of despots like Ahmadinejad is crazy.  If Iran has nuclear arms, Israel would quite possibly come under direct attack.

So let’s say Iran’s nuclear facilities are knocked out by Israel (and some say they wouldn’t succeed, but merely make matters worse), and let’s say Putin becomes president of Russia again.  If that happens, he would certainly be in a position to deal directly with Israel should they attack Iran.

It’s interesting because the entire scenario of Ezekiel 38-39 does not indicate why Gog gathers his troops and attempts an invasion of Israel.  The Bible just says that there will come a time when God will put “hooks into [Gog's] jaws,” will turn him around and he will decide to attack Israel.  There is no reason other than that.

However, if Israel attacks Iran (and that is almost a complete certainty), Putin would have a perfect reason for attacking Israel.  In essence, he will be retaliating against Israel for their attack on Iran. Much of the nuclear advances Iran has made is due to Russia’s help.  Russia is invested in Iran and an attack on Iran by Israel, would likely be seen as an attack on Russia.

So the question is: is the Gog of Ezekiel Putin? Only time will tell.  Joel Rosenberg states, “Putin is certainly “Gog-esque,” but it is too early to speculate on whether he is actually the biblical figure that will rise to power in Russia (known in Ezekiel’s prophecy as “Magog”) in the last days and build an alliance with Iran (“Persia”), Sudan (“Cush”), Turkey (“Gomer”), Libya and Algeria (“Put”), the countries of Central Asia (“Beth Togarmah”) to attack the State of Israel from “the north” (probably via Lebanon and Syria). That said, it is fair to say that geopolitical events over the past decade — and certainly over the past year or so — have been moving on a trajectory consistent with the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. That doesn’t necessarily mean we will see the prophecies come to complete fulfillment in our lifetime or soon, but we cannot rule out the possibility.”

In essence, the coming person of Gog will not be known until the events of Ezekiel 38-39 take place.  We know that the invasion will be led by someone coming from that general area of the world.  We don’t know when the attack will occur, nor can we be dogmatic about who the individual is or even what country he will hail from, but we look at the world today and all eyes are focused on the mounting tensions of the Middle East.

Rosenberg also believes with certainty that war in that region of the world is coming.  I would concur.  It absolutely seems as though Iran is forcing Israel’s hand.  If Israel does commit a preemptive strike against Iran, then we can only sit back and wonder who will decide to come to Iran’s aid.

The Bible tells us much and if not studied thoroughly, we could end up with the wrong impression about prayer.  By taking verses out of context, it is easy to arrive to a conclusion that says God will heal sickness every time.  We can erroneously believe that God wants to bless me materially in this life.  There are many conclusions we can draw about prayer that are far from its reality.

Questions arise concerning prayer that are difficult to answer.  We look at the book of Job for instance, and we see a man – Job – who was righteous.  Yet in spite of that, God allowed Job to be tested and tested severely by the enemy of our souls.

We learn from Job’s experience that Satan has tremendous power and that power is kept in check by God alone.  In essence then, Satan can use whatever means is necessary to overcome a believer even temporarily, if allowed to do so by God.

We learn from Daniel that persistence in prayer pays off.  We know that he prayed for 21 days for an answer to prayer (cf. Daniel 9), yet on the first day he prayed, the angel Gabriel was sent to provide an answer to Daniel.  Unfortunately, Gabriel was delayed in coming.  Why the delay? We learn that a prince of Persia – likely a powerful demonic entity – kept this godly messenger at bay for three weeks. There are spiritual beings more powerful than some of God’s own angels.

All the while Daniel knew nothing of this supernatural battle that was taking place in the heavenly realms.  He was unaware of how real it was and the need for Michael the Archangel to come and help the messenger so that he could carry the answer to Daniel.  Had Gabriel not explained the reason for the delay, not only Daniel, but we would still be in the dark.

So why did God allow Gabriel to be so accosted and kept at bay for three weeks, only finding his freedom to continue onto Daniel after Michael fought for his release?  If we look at the truth of Daniel 9, we see the importance of that particular passage.  In fact, it is the only passage in all of Scripture that deals with the 70 weeks and the details noted therein by Gabriel.

The 70 weeks are directly connected to the nation of Israel and are extremely important.  It tells of the times of the Gentiles and how Jerusalem and the Holy Mount (Temple Mount) will be trodden under the feet of Gentile nations until the end of human-led history.

Moreover, this period of time details the rise of the Antichrist and the final seven years of human history known as the Tribulation.  It was because of Daniel’s righteous prayers that he was heard and a reason given.

With this knowledge, is it any wonder that the prince of Persia did not want Gabriel to arrive to Daniel with the answer to his prayers?  Of course he would do his best to keep that answer from arriving even if it meant keeping Gabriel at bay for as long as possible.  Once Michael arrived, the prince of Persia was overcome, allowing Gabriel to go on his way.

I also think it is telling that Gabriel knew that upon his return to the throne, he would again be hammered by another prince (demonic entity) who would attempt to keep him from getting back to the throne.

What this tells me is that not all angels are alike.  Some are certainly far more powerful than others.  Is this why Jesus tells us to be persistent in prayer (cf. Luke 18:1-8)?  This seems to be the case.  There is something about persistent, consistent prayer that rises to the throne.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that the angels who carry our prayers to God’s throne are often accosted along the way.

But this brings us to another question.  Can God not hear our prayers until the angel relays the message?  Of course He can without doubt.  However, there is a procedure that God has obviously put into place that captures our prayers and guides them to the throne of grace.

So if it takes time for our prayers to get there “physically,” what is the purpose of that.  There can only be one answer.  Faith.  It is to build up our faith in God and His ability to hear and respond to our prayers.

It is tempting to think that Satan has more power than He does.  It is tempting to think that our prayers are answered based on our ability to pray persistently.  I don’t believe this to be the case at all.  God uses time to build up our faith just as He did with Daniel.  There was no chance that Daniel’s prayer had not been answered.  It was merely a matter of time until the answer reached Daniel.

In today’s day and age, we do not have angels appearing to us with an answer from God’s throne.  We have the indwelling Holy Spirit who is always before God’s throne since He is God as the Father is God and as the Son is God.  If the Holy Spirit dwells within us, He not only knows the prayers of our heart, but helps us when we don’t even know how to pray (cf. Romans 8:26; John 14:26; see also Galatians 4:6).

There are situations in our lives that require concerted prayer if for no other reason than to continue to remind us of areas in our life that God needs to have control of and of which we need to let go.  There are times when we need to spend time in prayer simply praising Him for His answer to prayer, whether we know what that answer is or not.

Praising God in all things (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:18) is probably the very best way that I know of to let God have control of circumstances.  I’ve given a few examples of this throughout this book, but there are others.

Recently, I’ve been praying that God would open doors that seem closed, yet it also seems as though He wants open.  I’m not sure what those doors are, but I feel certain that He wants them open.  Is it a case of me simply being involved in wishful thinking that God wants something that He does not? Is it a case of spiritual entities fighting against God’s will to keep His will from happening?

I believe it is the latter, rather than the former.  So if that is the case, then what can be better than praising Him for His will, even though it appears to be yet unfulfilled?

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed, He prayed for options.  He presented His request to the Father, with the proviso that His and only His will would be done.  Jesus had wants, but He never allowed those wants to supersede the Father’s will in the matter.  The fact that Jesus said “Not mine, but thy will be done” proves this beyond doubt.

In essence, Jesus was able to let go of his wants, for the exclusivity of the Father’s will.  How can human beings do this?  Through praise.  When we give thanks for something we are not particularly happy about, we are in the process of letting the situation go.  If we continue to hang onto our wants, it appears as though either God will not move, or He will move to perform His will and we will be unable to accept and receive it.

In the situation that I noted regarding God wanting to open doors for me to walk through, it is my responsibility to praise Him for His will.  It is in praising Him that I am able to let go and let God complete His will.

If God wants me to be in a holding pattern per se, then what is that to me?  If God is going to wait months or years before the things He has me praying about come to pass, what is that to me? It is clear then that the length of time before He moves is completely His to ordain. If I get frustrated in the meantime, continuing to think that because God has placed something on my heart, He must mean for it to happen very soon, then I am setting myself up for failure.  God does not often tell us ahead of time of His timing.  We may get a sense of His timing in general terms, but that may be all.  As the time approaches, we may get a sense of things being narrowed down.

Suppose God has me waiting for three years before He opens doors? In the meantime, I’m doing other things that He has me doing, so I believe I am still performing His will.  If He is preparing me to move in another direction, rarely if ever, does God give us a one-day notice.  More often than not, He gives us plenty of time to become acclimated to the perfection of His will.  He knows our frame and that we came from dust.  He knows our weaknesses and deficiencies.  He brings us along gently, slowly, and consistently.  Our job is to trust Him and once again, the best way to trust Him is through a continual attitude of praise and thanksgiving.

If I spend my time instead of praying that He will open the doors He plans to open, I spend time praising Him for the perfection of His will and the timing of that will, then I am in His will because I am proving to Him that I am trusting Him.

I learned years ago that the best way to prove to God that we are trusting Him is through praise.  We may not feel it when we start to praise Him, but this sacrifice of praise will soon turn into a reality that we did not know could exist (cf. Psalm 50:14).  It is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving when we do not understand and even when we find it difficult to agree, but we praise Him anyway because we believe He knows best.

This is exactly what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He essentially thanked Him for the perfection of God the Father’s will and accepted it.  It was in the act of saying “Father, not my will but thine be done” that Jesus praised the Father for that will.  Jesus knew that the Father’s will was best, beyond reason.  Though He shrank from the coming trials, pain, and separation from the Father that would befall Him, Jesus ultimately fully submitted Himself to the Father.  There is no greater sacrifice.  A sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving is something the Lord wants to see in all of His children.

We do not know the path intimately until we get there.  The problem though is that we often think we know better than God about the many situations in our lives.  He wants us to forget about our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him on a daily basis.  This tells me that He does not want me preoccupied with the things that concern my life, but to be occupied within the confines of His will.

Satan loves to get our minds on ourselves.  He wants us to spend time agonizing over this thing or that with respect to our lives.  The problem is that doing this keeps us from spending our lives fully involved in God’s will.

So I believe that God wants to open doors.  I can spend a good amount of time praying about it; that He would open those doors, or I can spend a good amount of time praising Him for the fact that He is going to open doors when He sees fit.  So every time I am tempted to think about, dwell on, and even become frustrated about those doors that appear to be closed, I have two choices: I can pray hard that He will open them, or I can offer praise to Him for His will and His timing.  By doing the former, I tend to hang onto it.  With the latter, I tend to let it go for His safe keeping.

I think what I am describing is what someone has called the “faith-rest” life of a Christian.  By offering praise in all things, I am letting go of my wants.  I am exercising faith in His ability to get His will accomplished.  I am also resting in the fact that doors will open when they are supposed to open.  Do you see that?  This is the mark of a mature Christian and I’m certainly not saying I’m there yet, or there consistently.  I’m saying that is the mark to which we strive to reach.

I believe this is the mark that Jesus aimed for and reached in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Had he continued to ask God to remove the “cup” from Him, without adding the proviso about the Father’s will being done, it would have amounted to sin.  Jesus would have been guilty of putting His will ahead of the Father’s will.  This is sinful.  It stems from our own ego, thinking that we know better than God does.

Of course, Jesus passed the test with flying colors.  Though He wanted to shrink from what was to come His way, He submitted Himself perfectly to the Father’s will and He knew exactly what that meant in His case.

As Christians, the best of our prayers can be found in praising Him for His will even when our wants to not coincide with that will.  I believe there will always be an element of the unknown when it comes to prayer in this life.  Paul said we see through a glass darkly (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).  This is how it is, which is why faith is so important.  The best evidence of our faith is in praising Him for those things that we cannot see.

Here is a video of Mr. Obama speaking directly to Black Americans.

I can only say that if it was a white president trying to gather the (white) troops to keep that president in office for a second term, the ACLU, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Ed Schultz and a host of other individuals known for their dramatic flare when it comes to charges of racism, would be up in arms.

Yet here we have a sitting president preaching a message of Socialism to one particular group of people.  It’s condescending, it’s ethnically divisive, and simply wrong.

You cannot help but wonder whether some people have no shame at all.

This is not to knock Muslims.  It’s to knock Islam and I’ll say that right up front.  I’ve read too many articles about how Muslims are allegedly mistreated and how people seem to be out to get them.  The truth though is that much of the trouble that Muslims experience is due to their own cowardice and manipulation of the media.

For some reason, the mainstream media does sympathize with Islam and Muslims in particular.  Christianity? Judaism? It’s open season on both of these religions and all but the most jaded and blind are unable to see it.

Recently, the Grammy Awards ridiculed Catholics over the contraceptive issue foisted upon Americans because of Mr. Obama’s Obamacare health package.  It forces religious organizations (presumably through their insurance companies) to provide contraception to their employees.  The reality though is that most religious organizations who are able to offer health insurance to their employees are self-insured, with another company simply administrating it.  In essence then, when Mr. Obama says he has given some wiggle room by forcing insurance companies to provide contraception, it’s really moot since the religious organizations who self-insure their employees are the ones still giving the contraception out.

So the Grammy Awards made fun of Catholics because we know that Catholics want women to be barefoot and pregnant, right?  As one Democrat recently put it, this is also apparently what Republicans want too.  I wonder sometimes if politicians actually think about what they are going to say before they say it or do they simply open their mouths and wait to hear what comes out?

Not long ago on “The View,” the five musketeers – Walters, Hasselbeck, Goldberg, Behar, and Shepherd – had a ex-Jewish orthodox guest on and proceeded to lambaste orthodox Jewish practices.

The point is simple.  If you’re Muslim, you have protection; protection from the media and that says a lot, but it doesn’t answer the question “why??” and I’m not sure I can answer it either.

I’m tempted to start a “Christophobia Watch” site, but it would be a full-time job, what with everything that’s happening in the world today.  Persecution is alive and well in many parts of the world and unfortunately for Muslims, they seem to be some of the biggest perpetrators of anti-Christian hate and bigotry.

Anyone who knows anything about what is going on in the world today knows about what is happening in Egypt between Muslims and Coptic Christians, who are being persecuted in many ways, from having their churches bulldozed, to being thrown into prison for no reason, to being beaten or killed…again, for no reason other than they are Christians and the Muslims in Egypt and other Islamic areas no longer want to deal with a Christian presence.

In DeKalb, GA, Muslims continue to show one neighborhood just how little they care.  They have a make-shift mosque and they continually rack up the tickets for illegal parking (blocking neighbor’s driveways), creating a disturbance, building ramshackle shanty’s without permits, creating parking lots without permits and the list is growing.  They don’t care, yet they are the downtrodden people, on the receiving end of an alleged never-ending stream of Islamic bigotry and hatred.

The fact of the matter is that Islamophobia is a term coined by groups like CAIR.  Any word with “phobia” tagged onto the end of it is designed to make people shut up and go away.  If Muslims can refer to non-Muslims (infidels) enough times as being Islamophobic, then it will be believed even when it is not true.

The people in DeKalb, GA simply want the Muslims to play by the same set of rules that are expected of everyone.  Instead, the Muslims there play by their own rules and to heck with everyone else.  The question then is how does that engender a neighborhood of peace?  Simply put, it doesn’t.  So once again, we have Muslims who are creating problems, then blaming others because someone is complaining over the laws that are being broken.

Many Muslims who live in countries like Egypt and other areas within the Middle East do not have to play by the rules that we play by here in the United States.  That’s understood.  However, they can’t be that stupid to think that the way they may have lived in Egypt is the way they can live here, can they?  Apparently, they can.

The tragedy is that there are many websites that delve into the arena of Islamophobia and they are quick to lay the blame squarely at the feet of everyone else.  I have yet to read one of these websites where any blame at all is assessed at the feet of Islam or of the Muslim.  It is always someone else’s fault.

This must stop, but I doubt that it soon will.  I’m thinking that one day, people will have reached the boiling point and will take matters into their own hands.  I’m not advocating that, mind you, I’m simply stating that it is a real possibility due simply to the fact that people are coming round to see Islam as a favored ideology, to the exclusion of everything else.

I’m also not saying that the media should make fun of any organization, but when for instance, will “The View” have a guest on who escaped Islam and is afraid for their life (which would be the case)?  For the ex-orthodox Jewish woman who vented her spleen, was she really brave as Barbara Walters intoned?  Hardly. Is she fearing for her life these days?  I can’t imagine it.

The truth of the matter is the more vocal Muslims become, the more the media will cater to them.  When that happens, Christians and Jews will become even bigger targets.

Folks, if you’re a Christian, be prepared for some heavy-duty persecution coming our way.  While it will be a great opportunity to witness to those within Islam, it will also test the mettle of Christians everywhere.

Islamophobia? No, that really does not exist, except in the mind of liberals and radical Muslims.  Christophobia? Jewishphobia (otherwise known as anti-Semitism)? They exist and unfortunately, it appears as though the world is just starting to get warmed up to these two phobias.

We can’t say we haven’t been warned.  The signs are everywhere.

Jesus preached peace and carried NO weapon.  He did not enter into any physical confrontation with anyone.  When arrested, illegally tried, and convicted, He did not rebuke anyone, nor did He fight back.

I realize that many people today have a problem with Christianity and with Christians.  That is because too many people SAY they are Christians without actually being Christian.  The true measure of a Christian is in their life following their conversion experience (based on John 3).

I would hasten to add that of all the various religions out there, Christianity is the ONLY one whereby a conversion is done through spiritual means.  In other words, according to Jesus Himself, in order to gain eternal life, one must be “born again,” or “born from above.”

In order to become a Muslim, all one has to do is repeat the Shahada.  This then brings them into the fold of Islam.  You must say this with conviction:  “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (prophet) of God.”

What this amounts to is a statement of belief.  The adherent is testifying to the truthfulness of Islam, whether he/she knows it is truthful or not.

In Christianity, a spiritual birth occurs when a person becomes an authentic Christian.  This has confused people because people wonder how you know that you have actually become a Christian.

First of all, there must be knowledge of the truth in Christ.  As Paul tells us in Roman 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

It is not so much what a person says.  It is what they believe.  From that belief comes the testimony of who Jesus is and what He accomplished.

As mentioned, no other religion says a person has to be born again.  In fact, for most religions, all one has to do is start “practicing” the beliefs of that religion.  Christianity is supposed to be a religion of love, but the meaning of love is up for grabs these days.

If someone speaks out about sin in a person’s life, they are said to be a “hater;” someone who actually hates someone else because they dare to call sin, sin.  The truth of the matter though is that John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul and the apostles all called sin, sin.  It is in recognizing that we are imperfect and that we can do nothing to save ourselves that we realize we need something else; something outside of ourselves.  That something is a Someone; Jesus.

Jesus never married.  He was not gay.  He was celibate.  He never sinned at all.  He was found to be perfect and when it came to give His life a ransom for many, He was found worthy.

It is any wonder that no other religion has a founder who died for his followers?  Is it any wonder that religious ideologies like Islam deny that Jesus died on the cross?  That was Satan’s biggest mistake; inspiring people to kill Jesus by crucifixion!  He had no clue that He was actually prompting people to fulfill prophecy and thereby fulfill the will of God!

No other religion has a Founder like Jesus.  Muhammad had a wife who was nine years-old.  He actually took her as a wife when she was six, but did not consummate the marriage until she turned nine.  Muhammad carried a sword and lived by that sword.  He slaughtered many groups of people and came to hate Jews.

Yet of the two religions, which religion gets a pass today?  It is not Christianity.  It is Islam.  Why?  Because Islam will play some part in the End Times scenario and because of that it needs to grow.  People are wising up to it though.

Not long ago, I wrote a letter to a school board member in Florida because of their allowing and actually inviting an Islamic representative to come into the classroom and indoctrinate students.  My concern was that the Imam would not represent Islam in a truthful light.

I received a nice letter back from the president of the board who assured me that this was all for the students’ benefit as it would allow them to become quality members of society.

My response to her was as follows:

Thanks for taking the time to respond.  I really appreciate it.

I spent about ten years teaching 6th grade in the public school system in California. Frankly, I would have preferred not to teach Social Studies at all, because so many students needed more help with math and reading.  Certainly, I incorporated reading methods into Social Studies, but so much of it is critical thinking-based.

At any rate, my large concern regarding Islam is the white-washing that many within that system are involved in as they foist their ideas upon the public as well as the schools.

Young people have a difficult enough time trying to wade through things.  If an Imam comes into the school system and denies that Muhammad had a six-year-old wife (he consummated the marriage when she was nine, but used “thighing” until then), or that he was a man of peace, these lies are accepted as truth.  He slaughtered villages.  Did Jesus? Jesus didn’t even carry a weapon.

There are also too many school textbooks that spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on Islam, using up many pages in the text to do that, whereas Christianity and Judaism might have 1/4 or less total pages with their subjects.

People simply do not realize the broad brush that proponents of Islam are using to present Islam in a very palatable way; a way that can be easily digested by the public, thought that way is fully incorrect and misleading.

You will not learn in the classroom that women are treated like slaves, or they are routinely beaten for the smallest infractions.  You will not learn that gays are routinely hanged to death for their “crime.”  There are many things that you will not learn about Islam or its founder.

I realize someone will come back with the comment that there are extremists in every religion.  This is true, but how often are those extremists catered to in society? Without question, Muslims are routinely catered to and they should not be given unofficial special status.  Besides, extremists within Christendom are easily recognized and they are proud of being an extremist.  Within Islam, it is permissible to lie until you have the upper hand.

I personally believe that much of what students are being spoon fed in the classrooms can easily wait until they get into college.

If schools focused on reading, writing, and math, we would actually have students who as you say, would “…excel as citizens of this wonderful nation as adults who can make a living and build a life.”  You can’t do that without being able to read, write, and perform math.

These three subjects noted are the ones that will allow students to do just that.

I’m glad the teacher is with the class (by law, they would have to be, unless of course Florida allows the teacher to leave the classroom without a certificated individual left in the class), but that doesn’t mean much if the teacher is not aware of the propaganda that is being perpetrated by Islamic Imams.

I’m a Christian, yet I say leave religion out of school.  It is far too divisive and in the case of Islam, all one needs to do is read the Qur’an to determine just how different the lives of the “moderate” Islamists are from their radical counterparts.  The only real difference is that moderates (otherwise known as peaceful Muslims) allegorize the Qur’an, whereas the radicals take it verbatim. 

Frankly, I believe that if the school board read the Qur’an individually, they might think twice about allowing Imams into the classroom in the first place.  Rather than burning the Qur’an, I encourage people to read it for themselves.

While Muslims will say those outside of Islam (infidels) cannot understand it, reading the Qur’an is like reading the Proverbs.  There is very little context and each verse nearly stands alone.  It’s a quick read and is extremely eye-opening.

I daresay that you have probably never read it, but I would strongly encourage you to do so.  You NEED to know about Islam.

The tragedy is two-fold.  People think they know all about Christianity and these same people think they know the truth about Islam.  In many cases, they know little to nothing about either.

Jesus’ life is literally an open book.  So is Muhammad’s, though in his case, Muslims prefer we not know the sordid details of the life of their founder.

Routinely, the Name of Jesus is used as an epithet.  Nothing happens to those people.  However, say something negative or draw a picture of Muhammad, and you could face death.

Islam is the only religion I know of that purports to be peaceful, yet nearly everything it stands for represents not peace, but the sword.

Christianity is the only religion I’m aware of where Jesus was actually a Man of peace, yet His followers are often persecuted to death because of it.

Muhammad carried a sword and lived by the power of that sword.  Jesus carried no weapon and preached and practiced peace.  Which one represents a religion of peace?

The mandate is that religious organizations must provide contraception to people who work for them.  Of course, this butts right up against the Roman Catholic Church as well as evangelicals whose organizations are self-insured.

Recently, Mr. Obama “adjusted” things a bit to insist that the insurance company rather than the organization itself would have to pay for the contraception.  This does not alleviate the problem at all since many religious organizations are simply self-insured.  While an outside contractor may oversee or implement the insurance program, it is the organization itself that pays for it.

This is part of the larger problem with Obamacare because it forces not only individuals but companies to do what they often prefer not to do.  In this case, people are being told that they must buy healthcare coverage, which is asinine that the Federal government should be in the position of forcing everyone to buy anything.

The Federal government exists for the sole purpose of supporting the individual states within the United States.  It was not created as a substitute form of a dictatorial government. It was never intended to be this way, but over time, the Federal government has grown to what it is now and there seems to be no going back.

It reminds me of the income tax, which – society was promised – was only going to be temporary for the duration of the war. Ha, good one. The income tax never went away since its inception and it has grown by leaps and bounds to help pay for all of the things the Federal government believes it has the right (mandate?) to do.

Our Federal government should not be in the birth control business.  Under duress, Mr. Obama has stated that the insurance companies will pay for contraception.  Even if that is true, there is no free ride.  The insurance companies – even if they DO pay for contraception – will need to add that cost into another area of their insurance.  In other words, one way or another, the cost will be passed onto the insured.

It reminds me of the minimum wage.  Every time it is raised, within a few weeks, we begin to see everything else go up as well.  Companies, corporations, organizations, et al, are not going to absorb the additional cost of having to pay the increased minimum wage without getting that expense back someplace else.

The minimum wage goes up and soon, so do groceries, or gas, or services.  Companies answer to their shareholders and the last thing they want to have to do is explain that in part, due to the minimum wage increase, they did not make as much profit as they hoped and initially planned.

I’m beginning to think that Mr. Obama is deliberately trying to shipwreck his own run for a second term with the last few decisions he’s made.

I’m not trying to simply smack him over the head verbally.  I’m trying to figure out why anyone would make a decision that pits him against some of the largest religious organizations in the world! It’s political suicide because he must know that the Roman Catholic Church is not going to roll over and play dead.

I heard All “The Mouth” Sharpton coming to Mr. Obama’s defense in stating that this decision has nothing to do with separation of church and state.  Indirectly, sure it does, but Sharpton wouldn’t admit that to save his life.  Well, maybe to save his life, but apart from that, he wouldn’t.

The entire situation – whether intentionally or unintelligently – pits the Federal government against religious institutions and the Federal government has no business being there.

The latest word is that Mr. Obama will not back down.  Neither will the Roman Catholic Church, so all I can assume at this point is that we will see lawyers drawing up briefs and lawsuits in the near future.

But again, is Mr. Obama crazy? Has he lost it, or is he just no longer enamored with being president.  Seriously, it seems he is always on vacation or out with the kids. The few photos I’ve seen of him working in the Oval Office are the same kind that are taken with every other president – staged photo ops.

I’m seriously beginning to think that Obama is calling it quits emotionally.  I think he wants to pass the torch.  I could be 100% wrong about that, but I’m speaking from my gut.

Time will tell…

On another note, I read today that Seth Rogan believes he’s more productive when he smokes pot.  Rogan – for those who are unaware – caught a big break with the short-lived series “Freaks and Geeks,” then went on to write, produce and act in some of his own independent projects.

The last two that he’s done were seriously lacking, in my humble opinion.  He took the Green Hornet, rebooted it, and instead of doing something really great with it, wound up doing something merely so-so and in the end, he probably should have left the franchise alone.

Another recent move – “Paul” – about a gray alien who comes to earth and needs to get back home, but in the interim hangs out with some earthlings.  In the process, he meets “Christians” who are portrayed as loons, he swears a lot, and essentially created a movie that was an advertisement for evolution.

I saw the movie one evening after I ignored my better judgment.  What I thought was going to be a cute, funny, even family friendly film turned out to be anything but.  Kristen Wiig played one of the “Christian” characters who has a change of heart during the movie and learns to swear.  She ostensibly rejects Christianity because she has now found freedom because of “Paul,” the gray alien.

Her father plays a rigid, almost asperger-like “Christian” who never really “gets it” and continues to believe God created all things.

It’s a very rank and humorless movie, yet I’m sure Rogan is proud of it.  I think that he would have been better off not making “Paul.”

I have played drums for decades and years ago, played in bands.  I recall talking to numerous musicians and many of them stated how much better they played when they smoked pot.  It brought out their creativity they say.

There are only three possibilities:

1. they actually did play better
2. they only thought they played better
3. doing drugs opened their minds to the dimensional raiders that filled their minds, actions, and talents with supernatural energy

I tend to think for most musicians, it’s number 2.  Maybe some played better, but it’s probably easy to think you’re playing really well under the influence of some drug since it warps your ability to reason.

I have to ask, why do people believe that drugs are the answer to their problems, their creative urges, and to life in general?  There is something far more diabolical at work here than the drug itself.

Since the 60s, we have had one generation after another hooked on some sort of drug that has literally captured the mind.  This has left people without the ability to clearly think, analyze, and honestly create.

We’ve had examples of Kirk Cobain and musicians too numerous to count who have been destroyed by drugs.  Whitney Houston’s former drug use may have contributed to her untimely death, but we won’t know for weeks.

Now we have people like Seth Rogan presenting his case for a drug-filled creative and productive binge that young people will hear about and think that it’s okay for them too.

People like Seth Rogan have a great deal of responsibility and yet they act as if they have none; like they live as if they are an island.  What about all those kids who hear/read these types of statements and think they should do the same thing?

I will say this to Seth Rogan: if you think that smoking pot makes you productive, keep it to yourself! You have no idea how many young people you have begun to turn to that (or some other) drug because of your attitude and demeanor.

The reality is that the only drugs can help people; however, even prescription drugs can kill if not taken according to the prescribed dosage.  Young people in the United States do not need role models like Seth Rogan.  They need role models who accomplish things based on hard work and effort.

God gave us what we need to succeed.  Drugs are an extremely poor substitute.

Today’s schedule had me reading Leviticus chapters 6-7 and after reading it, I couldn’t help but ask the question, “What does this have to do with me today?”  This is often the case because we are egocentric.  However, what I was trying to get at was why there was such detail associated with the various offerings for sin.

There are sin offerings for sinning unintentionally.  But there are also offerings that should be offered when a person sins intentionally.  Leviticus 6:1-7 states this:

The LORD said to Moses: ² “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, ³ or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— ⁴ when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, ⁵ or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. ⁶ And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. ⁷ In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the LORD, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

It is important to realize that the people who sin like this recognize their guilt (v. 4b).  When this is the case, they have options to have their sin forgiven or set aside.

Again, I read passages like this and I question what have they to do with me.  As I was walking for exercise this morning, this is what I was mulling over in my mind and that is the question I asked as I prayed.

The realization then came to me that God is not a God of wrath, but of grace, even in the Hebrew Bible.  We are tempted to see God as a God of anger and of wrath, killing people who were in the Land of Promise before the Israelites arrived.  We wonder why He ordered those executions and we learn it was because those other cultures had polluted the Land with idolatry and God wanted nothing left in the Land that would cause the Israelites to turn away from Him by worshiping other gods.

We know that the Israelites repeatedly failed and often followed other gods.  Yes, God became angry at them, but also gave them a way out so that He would not have to visit His anger on them.

The sacrificial system points not to God’s wrath, but to His graciousness.  Did God have to provide a system that would ultimately find its fulfillment in Jesus in which those who place their trust in Him would receive a full pardon? No, He didn’t have to do that, yet it was His infinite love for us that prompted it.

In the Hebrew Bible, when we read of all the details surrounding the sacrificial system, it should help us see God’s tremendous love and grace.  I think – unfortunately – it is too easy to see His anger and wrath.  But in actuality, this is not the purpose of the sacrificial system.

As I pondered this, I was again reminded of just how gracious God is toward us.  The sacrificial system is not so much a system of appeasement as it is a system that points to the perfection of Christ’s atonement.  Every other god who requires sacrifice for appeasement is offering the best they can offer.  The problem of course is that there is nothing final about those other gods.  They cannot offer what only Jesus can.

The sacrificial system put into place under Moses was for the Israelite people so that they would come to learn what grace truly meant.  Of course, many of them failed to learn it ever.  As Christians, we can read His Word – all of it – and understand that the sacrificial system is a system of grace and love.  We sin yet there is forgiveness.

Books like Leviticus were written to and for the Israelites.  In those books, the system of sacrifice are clearly delineated for each Israelite so that they are without excuse.  Though Christians are not Jews (though some may be) and are not under the old covenant that Moses instructed the Israelites in, we certainly benefit from that system.

First, we benefit because it points to Jesus, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53.  He suffered so that we do not have to suffer.  This is something that the sacrifices of old could not do.  In fact, there were no chairs in the tabernacle of temple because the priests were always busy.  Their job was never done.

Second, Jesus said “It is finished” and that’s exactly what He meant.  Nothing else was needed to complete the action that would allow us to receive God’s full pardon.  All we have to do is receive it.

The sacrificial system is a reminder to us of how great God’s mercy, love, grace, and patience is to us.  We do not deserve it, yet it is there for us to receive.  The sacrifices that the ancient Israelites participated in painted a much larger picture with a far broader brush.  While those folks were forgiven, their sins were never fully cancelled out.

In Christ – since He completed the work He was sent to accomplish – our sins are fully forgiven and forgotten.  Is there anything more gracious?

When we read through the Hebrew Bible, it is tempting to skip over areas that seem redundant and even…dare I say, slightly boring.  The truth though is that everything in the Hebrew Bible, just as in the Christian Bible, points to God, His love, His truth, and His grace.  We must consider these things because they tell us about God Himself, His character, who He is, and what He has done for us.

Here are highlights of his latest blog and for what it’s worth, who knows whether or not we’ll see any of this take place.

Fulford is a guy who says he’s under the protection of Asian groups.  He in fact, says a lot of things.  It’s difficult to know if any of the things from his previous blogs have panned out simply because so much of it is said to have gone on (and going on) behind the scenes.  He points to certain signs which are intended to prove his discourse.

The trouble is that there really is no proof and until something is tangibly seen by all people, it makes it that much more difficult to hear and believe.

Certainly, if these things are true, there could still be a “one world” coming, which will result from far different situations than ones like economic meltdown, etc.  For now and until known otherwise, this all could be the great story-telling ability of one man, with no real anchor in truth.

Some of the information below can be validated (i.e. third bullet), and some can’t.  Who knows what if anything, Panetta said to a White Dragon Society rep?

All outward appearances show no real sign that anything is changing; certainly nothing as drastic as Fulford announces. It would be ironic to watch an entire shift in the “planetary consciousness” which would merely usher in world peace without the global economic meltdown that so many of us (myself included) believe is going to happen.

If the scenario Fulford preaches about does occur, the world would arrive to the point of being “one” in a much more pedestrian way, as opposed to reeling from the collapse of monetary influences worldwide.  In that way, it would almost make it easier for the world to become one, then as we learn in Daniel 2, divide into two divisions, then ten divisions, with one individual over each of the ten divisions.

It really doesn’t matter how we get there.  The Bible indicates that we will get there.

The information you read below is reprinted as is and I certainly make no claims to its authenticity.

Nonetheless, here are the highlights from his most recent blog (with the URL at the bottom for those who wish to read the entire blog):

• Despite widespread pessimism on the part of many truth seekers… behind the scenes the satanic cabalists in control of the Western central banks are in a state of extreme fear.
• US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a White Dragon Society representative last week that the Pentagon and the US agencies were in no mood to let off the cabalists with a truth and reconciliation committee.
• The 65% drop in the Baltic Dry Index (the price of shipping) this year is one visible sign of the dismantling.
• Another sign was the stoppage on February 3rd of the Federal Reserve Board owned Clearing House Interbank Payments System [CHIPS].
• The hysterical efforts by the Satanists to start World War 3 by via a war between Israel and Iran… is going to be stopped.
• …the Israeli government has received clear warnings from the Pentagon, the Chinese and the Russians that their fanatical attempts to artificially trigger end-times will not be allowed to proceed.
• …the dismantling of the Satanist (Zionist) financial control grid is becoming impossible to hide.
• The Satanist controlled corporate propaganda media made itself look ridiculous by trying to describe this as a “boycott of Iran.”
• The banking system failures are also multiplying…Nikko Securities announced… systems had failed… they were now resorting to paper transactions. Similar events will proliferate… only the part of the financial system backed by paper receipts and genuine physical assets will remain after the electronic fraud… is dismantled.
• In the US, meanwhile a takedown of cabal candidate Mitt Romney is being readied. Preparations are also being made to place many of the Satanists into the FEMA camps they had prepared for US Christians and other civilians guilty of knowing truth.
• In Europe as well, the Greeks have told the bankers to take their debt and put it where the sun never shines.
• In Asia… top secret negotiations continue. One key element is the proposed merger of North and South Korea with Japan… The South Koreans will meet the Dragon family representative at the airport with a water powered car…
• George Bush Sr. will… arrive in South Korea at the same time… a pretty good guess that Bush Senior is trying to… get Asian support for the New World Order.
• Once the Khazarian Satanic cabal is removed from power there will be so much money and so many investment opportunities that all areas will experience a boom.
• …the old plan to turn the Philippines into a fully modern nation with large nature preserves is being dusted off. There will be similar development projects taking place all over the world…

More info at: http://kauilapele.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/benjamin-fulford-2-7-12-the-takedown-of-the-satanic-cabal-is-proceeding-smoothly/

I hope you’ll all tune in.  Tell your friends and join the discussion!

On any given day, the rhetoric out of the Arab world is against Israel, wishing to eliminate all Jews and Israel as a nation from the Middle East.  Does Israel have a right to protect herself?

Israel is a nation that many to most wish did not exist.  This seems clear enough from what is seen in the news throughout the world.  In spite of the vitriol, the death threats, and the movement toward another holocaust, the people of the world often see Israel as the reason for the upset in the Middle East.

Yes, I have said this before, but it is just as true today as it was when I said it in the past.  People wrongly believe that if Israel would simply give the “Palestinians” what they want, that all would be well.

Is that the way people deal with bullies?  Should Israel essentially roll over and play dead because nations and groups want her literally dead? That would be foolhardy.

The type of vitriolic rhetoric that abounds against Israel is becoming the norm.  I rarely if ever hear diplomats or politicians come out against it.  Their silence is telling.  It is reminiscent of the silence during the Nazi holocaust of over six million Jews.

Doesn’t the world understand that at least part of the world – the Arab world – is ramping up their hate speech against Israel and that can only mean one thing.  It can only mean that they truly want Israel eradicated off the map.

Does Israel have a right to protect herself?  Without equivocation.  PM Netanyahu does not need anyone’s permission to do what is in the best interests for Israel.  He does not need to ask permission of the United States or any leader of any other country.  If Israel is in danger, she should be able to use all of her powers to cut off that threat.

Right now, Iran is seen as the most realistic threat because Iran is not far off from having nuclear weaponry and once that happens, will anyone, much less Israel be safe? The short answer is NO.

Yet in our world today, politics being what it is, there seems to be a good amount of pretense toward Israel.

Does Israel have a right to protect herself?

I read recently that Israel is the most educated nation, followed by Canada.  That’s interesting to me because Canada is the only nation I can think of that fully supports Israel.  The United States has consistently dialed back its support of Israel over the past few administrations and this current administration seems to be doing all it can to ensure that America does not really support Israel at all.  It almost appears as though the relationship with Israel is based on a sort of blackmail: “You do what we say or else we will pull all of our support!”  This is not a basis for agreement.  This is a basis for hatred between two parties.

Does Israel have a right to protect herself? Israel should do whatever is necessary to survive and if that means taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities, then so be it.  It is very clear to all but the blind and deaf that Iran wants Israel out of the Middle East.  There are Ayatollahs within Iran and elsewhere who go further than that, stating clearly that all Jews should be erased from the face of this earth (my paraphrase).

How can we look at that and not believe another holocaust is on the way?  The only thing that will stop it is God’s intervention because too many countries are once again, looking the other way.

What will be the outcome of all of this heated rhetoric?  Possibly Ezekiel 38-39.  This section of Scripture speaks of the Northern Invasion and the result of it is that God intervenes and routs these nations that attempt to invade and overtake Israel.

Why do we know that this particular section of the Bible is yet future?  Simply because it has not happened in history yet.  The events of Ezekiel 38-39 are real, not figurative.  They appear to be at a time when Israel believes she lives in relative peace.

In spite of the fact that over 2,000 missiles are directed her way, Israel is a strong nation.  Any other nation that was as small as Israel is and surrounded by as many enemies would have folded a long time ago.  Not Israel.  There she sits, in control of her destiny.  Israel will not fold and she will not succumb to those who want her out of the Land.

Does Israel have a right to protect herself?  Without a doubt and that is what Israel will do when the time comes.  However, when Ezekiel 38-39 plays itself out, the text tells us that God Himself will intervene and fight for Israel.  Israel will not lift a finger to help.  She will be protected by God who will route and destroy Israel’s enemies.

There is even a sense that nuclear war (or something like it) will be used to destroy the area north of Israel where Gog came from and Gog is the leader of this Northern Invasion.

Israel has every right to protect herself and to the chagrin of the world, she will do it mightily.  What she will not be able to do, God will do.