Jerusalem 2015 Empowered21 Global Congress May 20 - 25, 2015
What is Eternal Life? By Linda C. Tardy ( Founder/Publisher)
What must I do to get Eternal Life and stay connected to God? “And now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” (John 17:3). Jesus clearly tells us that eternal life is Christ. The only way to get eternal life is to know God, who sent Jesus Christ. God loves you and wants you to have a personal relationship with Him. We all are here on this earth for a purpose - the only way to find ultimate fulfillment is by establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Why did god create me? First, you must understand that you were created by a loving God, who loves you. He knew you before you were born. He is your true Father in heaven. God is a Spirit, yet a person; Creator, who created you from head to toe, to be in fellowship and relationship with Him.
How do I begin to have a personal relationship with God? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). In other words, God loves you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you. Jesus Christ, the Son of God died for your sins.
What does that mean? The sins you committed in this life disconnected you from God and deserve punishment. But Jesus loved you so much that He took the punishment for you on the cross. He made you free and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
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Jesus prepared a way for you to be reconnected to God. You must trust God and become a part of His Plan of Salvation. You must “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” (Romans 10:9-10).
How am I cleansed from my sins, and What does the Holy Spirit do inside of me? You must admit your sin and repent, turn away from sin; then Christ love comes to live inside of you by the Holy Spirit. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together,” (Romans 8:16-17). The Bible says the Holy Spirit also is a teacher, counselor, comforter, advocate, and helper who guides you to all truth (John 14:26).
Why should I get saved? If I decide not to believe what happens? Believers become the righteousness of God in Christ. Those who believe have salvation, and internal and external benefits such as becoming heirs of God, the peace of God, (Romans 5:1), love of God, protection, healing, God’s favor, the grace and mercy of God. Most of all, after a believer dies, he spends eternity with God in heaven. For those
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who have not confessed their sin, turned away from it, repented, asked God for forgiveness of their sins, or believed that God has raised Jesus from the dead, they are not considered children of God, but children who are lost without Christ’s righteousness. God is not considered their Father, but He is now their Judge. Therefore, an unbeliever’s father is the devil, who is the god of this world. Those who do not become believers live hopeless lives, without purpose or vision.
Where will you spend eternity? The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). God has prepared a place for unbelievers as well. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other…” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance,” (Luke 5:32). It is not God’s will that any shall perish, but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Those who choose repentance and believe on Christ, spend eternity with God in heaven. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,” (Revelation 21:8). God gives us a choice - to choose whom we are going to serve. “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” (Joshua 24:15).
Linda C. Tardy
Founder and Publisher Author Vision House Publishers Visions Christian Magazine www.visionhousepublishers.org August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |
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Contents
NATION
Vision Christian Magazine August 2014 Ed.
FEATURES
20. KINGDOMS OF
NEBCHADNEZZAR’S IMAGE by End Times Prophecy
38. AFRICAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR by African Children’s Choir
ON THE FRONT COVER
2. WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE? by Linda C. Tardy
7. THE SIX-DAY WAR ENDS by The History Channel
10. 4TH OF JULY by David Barton
16. POPE FRANCIS SETS
MEETING DATE FOR PRAYER WITH PRESIDENTS OF ISRAEL & PALESTINE by the Associated Press
28. POPE FRANCIS AND
THE EMERGING ONE WORLD RELIGION by Michael Snyder
64. IRAQ IS FALLING by Michael D. Evans
68. EMPOWERED-
80. ONE NATION UNDER GOD by David Barton
MENT21- GLOBAL CONGRESS by Empowered21
August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
The Six-Day War Ends
By The History Channel
The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab
neighbors ends with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire. The outnumbered Israel Defense Forces achieved a swift and decisive victory in the brief war, rolling over the Arab coalition that threatened the Jewish state and more than doubling the amount of territory under Israel’s control. The greatest fruit of victory lay in seizing the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan; thousands of Jews wept while bent in prayer at the Second Temple’s Western Wall. Increased tensions and skirmishes along Israel’s northern border with Syria were the immediate cause of the third Arab-Israeli war. In 1967, Syria intensified its bombardment of Israeli settlements across the border, and Israel struck back by shooting down six Syrian MiG fighters. After Syria alleged in May 1967 that Israel was massing troops along the border, Egypt mobilized its forces and demanded the withdrawal of the U.N. Emergency Force from the Israel-Egypt cease-fire lines of the 1956 conflict. The U.N. peacekeepers left on May 19, and three days later Egypt closed the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping. On May 30, Jordan signed a mutual-defense treaty with Egypt and Syria, and other Arab states, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Algeria, sent troop contingents to join the Arab coalition against Israel. With every sign of a pan-Arab attack in the works, Israel’s government on June 4 authorized its armed forces to launch a surprise preemptive strike. On June 5, the Six-Day War began with an Israeli assault against Arab air power. In a brilliant attack, the Israeli air force caught the formidable Egyptian air force on the ground and largely destroyed the Arabs’ most powerful weapon. The Israeli air force then turned against the lesser air forces of Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, and by the end of the day had decisively won air superiority. Beginning on June 5, Israel focused the main effort of its ground forces against Egypt’s Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. In a lightning attack, the Israelis burst through the Egyptian lines and across the Sinai. The Egyptians fought resolutely but were outflanked by the Israelis and decimated in lethal air attacks. By June 8, the Egyptian forces were
defeated, and Israel held the Gaza Strip and the Sinai to the Suez Canal. Meanwhile, to the east of Israel, Jordan began shelling its Jewish neighbor on June 5, provoking a rapid and overwhelming response from Israeli forces. Israel overran the West Bank and on June 7 captured the Old City of East Jerusalem. The chief chaplain of the Israel Defense Forces blew a ram’s horn at the Western Wall to announce the reunification of East Jerusalem with the Israeli-administered western sector. To the north, Israel bombarded Syria’s fortified Golan Heights for two days before launching a tank and infantry assault on June 9. After a day of fierce fighting, the Syrians began a retreat from the Golan Heights on June 10. On June 11, a U.N.-brokered cease-fire took effect throughout the three combat zones, and the Six-Day War was at an end. Israel had more than doubled its size in the six days of fighting. The U.N. Security Council called for a withdrawal from all the occupied regions, but Israel declined, permanently annexing East Jerusalem and setting up military administrations in the occupied territories. Israel let it be known that Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai would be returned in exchange for Arab recognition of the right of Israel to exist and guarantees against future attack. Arab leaders, stinging from their defeat, met in August to discuss the future of the Middle East. They decided upon a policy of no peace, no negotiations, and no recognition of Israel, and made plans to zealously defend the rights of Palestinian Arabs in the occupied territories. “Six-Day War ends.” 2014. The History Channel website. Jul 14 2014, 1:07. http://www.history.com/this-day-inhistory/six-day-war-ends.
August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |
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ONE NATION By Kenneth Copeland
W
hy did the Pilgrims come to America? What was in the heart of God concerning this place? If you want to know the truth about the founding of our nation, go back to its original documents and the circumstances surrounding their creation. The truth may surprise you. It has always been God’s plan to have a nation where the glory of God could be sown an nurtured, from which His glory could spread throughout the whole earth—where all people could praise the God of heaven and be protected from sin, sickness, demons, fear and all the curse that had come on the earth. This North American continent was the place he chose for the seed to be planted. God picked a handful of people from different places to come here and plant the seeds of His glory. They were not racists or religionists. They were just believers. In November 1620, a little ship called the Mayflower came to the shores of this continent. The people aboard had the glory of God and a prayer of faith in their hearts for a place where they could worship God in freedom. On board that vessel, these people entered into a covenant with God to establish the land of His dreams in the Name and in the blood of Jesus. The Mayflower Compact is America’s first great constitutional document. It was signed in Cape Cod Bay before the ship’s inhabitants set foot on American soil. Here is some of what it proclaimed: In the name of God, amen. We whose names are underwritten...Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia....This wasn’t just any colony. It was, in the words of the Pilgrims themselves, “for the glory of God and advancement of the Chris-
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tian faith.” In England they had suffered persecution for their religious convictions. That had led them to emigrate to Holland in search of religious freedom. After 12 difficult years there, they made the voyage to the New World to begin a colony for the glory of God. I always come back to this when I hear people predict the doom of the United States like they have been doing for more than 220 years. I want you to know something about this country—it may go through some hard knocks, but it’s not going to fail. I can tell you exactly why. It’s protected under the Mayflower Covenant—a covenant established in the blood of Jesus between the Pilgrims and God. Because of it, God has had mercy on this nation in spite of all of us. Recently Gloria and I heard a statement made by a prophet of God—a powerful man of prayer from India. He said Jesus came to him in prayer one afternoon, and he asked, “Jesus, when are You going to judge America?” Jesus said, “I’m not. I have a covenant with them that was made on the Mayflower, and I remember that covenant....” Thank God, that covenant has saved this nation over and over.
God Still Has a Dream... I believe this dream is a major part of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saw when he said, “I have a dream.” I believe this dream is a major part of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saw when he said, “I have a dream.” He said he had seen the promised land and glory. I don’t think he was just seeing folks sitting together. There’s more to it than that. They can pass laws and make us sit together, but they can’t make us love each other. But in the spirit there’s
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
For The Glory Of God reconciliation. The blood of Jesus wipes out the differences and divisions. I believe that’s what he saw. As Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” God never intended for the black man to come here in the belly of a slave ship. And He never planned for the white man to come over here and steal from the red man and kill him. None of that was God’s plan. God’s plan was a place where all tribes, all tongues, all races, all colors could freely praise and worship Him together. God intended for this North American continent to be a place where there would be a nation like the family of God. It was meant to be a place where peo ple honestly love each other. Why? Because of the anointing that abides within. There is an anointing to love (Ephesians 3:14-20). A Jewish man loved and died for all of us—the black man, the red man, the white man, the yellow man, the brown man. There had to be an anointing to do that, and that anointing is on His Body, the Church, today. It’s Christ in you...our hope of glory! Make no mistake about it, God is still going to have His dream and we’re a part of it. The American dream is God’s dream—one nation under God filled with His glory.
Embarkation of the Pilgrims
The Mayflower Compact
Pastor Kenneth Copeland
In May 1967, Kenneth Copeland was walking along the bed of the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when the Lord dropped the vision of the ministry into his heart: to preach the gospel to the nations—a call that would include using every available voice to preach the uncompromised message of faith to meet the needs of people worldwide. www.kcm.org August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |
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4
th
of July By David Barton
This year marks 238 years since our Found-
ing Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God. On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards – July 4th – the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed, albeit by only two individuals at that time: John Hancock, President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress. Four days later, on July 8, members of Congress took that document and read it aloud from the steps of Independence Hall, proclaiming it to the city of Philadelphia, after which the Liberty Bell was rung. The inscription around the top of that bell, Leviticus 25:10, was most appropriate for the occasion: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.” To see the turmoil in other nations, their struggles and multiple revolutions, and yet to see the stability and blessings that we have here in America, we may ask how has this been achieved? What was the basis of American Independence? John Adams said “The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” Perhaps the clearest identification of the spirit of the American Revolution was given by John Adams in a letter to Abigail the day after Congress approved the Declaration. He wrote her two letters on that day; the first was short and concise, jubilant that the Declaration had been approved. The second was much longer and more pensive, giving serious consideration to what had been done that day. Adams cautiously noted: “This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” It is amazing that on the very day they approved the Declaration, Adams was already foreseeing that their actions would be celebrated by future generations. Adams contemplated whether it would be proper to hold such celebrations, but then concluded that
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the day should be commemorated – but in a particular manner and with a specific spirit. As he told Abigail: “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” John Adams believed that the Fourth of July should become a religious holiday – a day when we remembered God’s hand in deliverance and a day of religious activities when we committed ourselves to Him in “solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” Such was the spirit of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of those who led it, evidenced even further in the words of John Quincy Adams, one who was deeply involved in the activities of the Revolution. In 1837, when he was 69 years old, he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts. He began that address with a question: “Why is it, friends and fellow citizens, that you are here assembled? Why is it that entering on the 62nd year of our national existence you have honored [me] with an invitation to address you. . . ?” The answer was easy: they had asked him to address them because he was old enough to remember what went on; they wanted an eye-witness to tell them of it! He next asked them: “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?”
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
An interesting question: why is it that in America the Fourth of July and Christmas were our two top holidays? Note his answer: “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?” According to John Quincy Adams, Christmas and the Fourth of July were intrinsically connected. On the Fourth of July, the Founders simply took the precepts of Christ which came into the world through His birth (Christmas) and incorporated those principles into civil government. Have you ever considered what it meant for those 56 men – an eclectic group of ministers, business men, teachers, university professors, sailors, captains, farmers – to sign the Declaration of Independence? This was a contract that began with the reasons for the separation from Great Britain and closed in the final paragraph stating “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Dr. Benjamin Rush, the father of American Medicine and a signer, recorded that day in his diary. In 1781, he wrote to John Adams “Do you recollect the pensive and awful silence which pervaded the House when we were called up, one after another, to the table of the President of Congress to subscribe to what was believed by many at that time to be our death warrants? The silence and gloom of the morning was interrupted, I well recollect, only for a moment by Colonel Harrison of Virginia (a big guy) who said to Mr. Gerry (small in stature) at the table: ‘I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing… From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead.’ This speech procured a transient smile, but it was soon succeeded by the solemnity with which the whole business was conducted.” These men took this pledge seriously. Robert Morris of
Pennsylvania is an example of the highest level of integrity. He was chosen as the financier of the American Revolution. What an honor, except that there was no bank willing to give any loans to help fund the revolution. It was three years and the Battle of Saratoga before America got any kind of funding at all. After winning that battle, foreign nations like France, Holland, and others decided maybe we weren’t such a bad risk and began loaning us money. So where did we get money for the first three years? Congress, at that time, could not have obtained a loan of one thousand dollars, yet Robert Morris effected loans upon his own credit, of tens of thousands. In 1781, George Washington conceived the expedition against Cornwallis, at Yorktown. He asked Judge Peters of Pennsylvania, “What can you do for me?” “With money, everything, without it, nothing,” he replied, at the same time turning with anxious look toward Mr. Morris. “Let me know the sum you desire,” said Mr. Morris; and before noon Washington’s plan and estimates were complete. Robert Morris promised him the amount, and he raised it upon his own responsibility. It has been justly remarked, that: “If it were not demonstrable by official records, posterity would hardly be made to believe that the campaign of 1781, which resulted in the capture of Cornwallis, and virtually closed the Revolutionary War, was sustained wholly on the credit of an individual merchant.” America couldn’t repay him because there continues next page..
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was no money and yet Robert Morris never complained because he had given his word. You see the same thing in the life of John Hart. He was a strong Christian gentleman and Speaker of the House of Representatives in New Jersey. He promised to help provide them with guidance and leadership. There were three things that were important in his life; his Savior, his family and his farm. Because of his signature on the Declaration, the British were seeking him (and the rest of the signers) to execute as traitors. John Hart fled his home after which his farm was ravaged, his timber destroyed, his cattle and stock butchered for the use of the British army. He did not dare to remain two nights in the same location. After Washington’s success at the battle of Trenton, he finally returned home to find that his wife had died and his children scattered. He lost almost everything that was important to him but kept his word. John Hancock, a very wealthy individual lived in a mansion reflecting his princely fortune – one of the largest in the Province of Massachusetts. During the time the American army besieged Boston to rid it of the British, the American officers proposed the entire destruction of the city. “By the execution of such a plan, the whole fortune of Mr. Hancock would have been sacrificed. Yet he readily acceded to the measure, declaring his willingness to surrender his all, whenever the liberties of his country should require it.” A man of his word, he demonstrated his integrity. The 16 Congressional proclamations for prayer and fasting throughout the Revolution were not bland (i.e., the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ, the quoting of Romans 14:17, etc.); however, this is not unusual considering the prominent role that many ministers played in the Revolution. One such example is John Peter Muhlenburg. In a sermon delivered to his Virginia congregation on January 21, 1776, he preached verse by verse from Ecclesiastes 3 – the passage which speaks of a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Arriving at verse 8, which declares that there is a time of war and a time of peace, Muhlenburg noted that this surely was not the time of peace; this was the time of war. Concluding with a prayer, and while standing in full view of the congregation, he removed his clerical robes to reveal that beneath them he was wearing the uniform of an
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officer in the Continental army! He marched to the back of the church; ordered the drum to beat for recruits and nearly three hundred men joined him, becoming the Eighth Virginia Brigade. John Peter Muhlenburg finished the Revolution as a MajorGeneral, having been at Valley Forge and having participated in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Stonypoint, and Yorktown.
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Another minister-leader in the Revolution was the Reverend James Caldwell. His actions during one battle inspired a painting showing him standing with a stack of hymn books in his arms while engaged in the midst of a fierce battle against the British outside a battered Presbyterian church. During the battle, the Americans had developed a serious problem: they had run out of wadding for their guns, which was just as serious as having no ammunition. Reverend Caldwell recognized the perfect solution; he ran inside the church and returned with a stack of Watts Hymnals – one of the strongest doctrinal hymnals of the Christian faith (Isaac Watts authored “O God Our Help In Ages Past,” “Joy to the World,” “Jesus Shall Reign,” and several other classic hymns). Distributing the Watts Hymnals among the soldiers served two purposes: first, its pages would provide the needed wadding; second, the use of the hymnal carried a symbolic message. Reverend Caldwell took that hymn book – the source of great doctrine and spiritual truth – raised it up in the air and shouted to the Americans, “Give ‘em Watts, boys!” The spiritual emphasis manifested so often by the Americans during the Revolution caused one Crown-appointed British governor to write to Great Britain complaining that: “If you ask an American who is his master, he’ll tell you he has none. And he has no governor but Jesus Christ.” Letters like this, and sermons like those preached by the Reverend Peter Powers titled “Jesus Christ the King,” gave rise to a sentiment that has been described as a motto of the American Revolution. Most Americans are unaware that the Revolution might have had mottoes, but many wars do (e.g., in the Texas’ war for independence, it was “Remember the Alamo”; in the Union side in the Civil War, it was “In God We Trust”; in World War I, it was “Remember the Lusitania”; in World War II, it was “Remember Pearl Harbor”; etc.).
A motto of the American Revolution directed against the tyrant King George III and the theologically discredited doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings (which asserted that when the king spoke, it was the voice of God speaking directly to the people) was simple and direct: “No King but King Jesus!” Another motto (first suggested by Benjamin Franklin and often repeated during the Revolution) was similar in tone: “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.” Preserving American liberty depends first upon our understanding the foundations on which this great country was built and then preserving the principles on which it was founded. Let’s not let the purpose for which we were established be forgotten. The Founding Fathers have passed us a torch; let’s not let it go out.
David Barton is an American evangelical Christian minister, conservative activist, and author. He founded WallBuilders, a Texas-based organization which promotes the view that it is a myth that the US Constitution insists on separation of church and state. Barton is the former vice chair of the Republican Party of Texas. He has been described as a Christian nationalist and “one of the foremost Christian revisionist historians” August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |13
Pray, America By Joyce Meyer
From the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth
nearly four hundred years ago, to the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, believers built our country. Famous statesman Patrick Henry said, “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!” These men and women of God trusted in the Bible and had character, honor, and high moral standards. They were people of prayer who put God first and continually sought Him for intervention. I believe that because of their commitment to Christ and persistence in prayer, America has been greatly blessed. Today, America has fallen from her high position of integrity and honor that was based upon the foundation of God’s Word. Her character, which was once the talk of the nations, has now faded because she has turned from the One that made her great and bestowed on her such honor. The only way we can reverse the dilemma of moral decline is for each of us to seriously seek the face of God in prayer. The Word of God says, ‘If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land’ (2 Chronicles 7:14). Without prayer, the hand of God stops. But with prayer, the hand of God moves.
Now more than ever we need to pray for our nation. The recent events of terrorism have dramatically altered our atmosphere, turning many Americans to God in prayer. In the midst of war, a window of opportunity has opened. If each one of us will pray, God will give us direction. He will show us what we need to do and give us the strength to do it.
Here are some specific things outlined in Scripture that we can pray for: Pray for Those in Authority: Ask the Lord to give godly wisdom, protection, and direction to the president, congress, state and local officials, as well as all who serve in authority (see 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Ezra 6:10; Romans 13:1-5). Pray for Revival: Pray that the Lord will ignite a fire in the hearts of believers and people from all walks of life (see Habakkuk 3:2; Psalm 85; Hosea 6:1-3). Pray for the Restoration of Families: Pray that men and women would take their rightful, God-appointed place in the home (Luke 1:17; Ephesians 5:21-30; 6:1). Pray for the Economy, Military, Educational System, and Supreme Court: Let the Lord lead you as you intercede on behalf of these and other vital aspects of our society. Restoration to our nation will come by the hand of God and God alone, but He will use people to bring about His purpose. Every person has a part, and if we will pray, God will show us what to do. Take the challenge! Get informed and get involved. Be willing to do what God tells you to do, fulfilling your responsibility as a Christian and as a citizen of the United States. No matter what your plans are today, set aside some time to humbly pray for our nation. Remember...the earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16). With knowledge of the truth and the power of prayer, the body of Christ can become an instrument of healing, reversing the curse and bringing about revival!
___________________________ Joyce Meyer is one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers. Her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through J.M Ministries and teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way.
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) - Israel By Time and Date
Its Celebration & Background-
The Yom Yerushalayim Day is marked with a
range of events in many Jewish communities. These include: recitations of the Hallel prayer for praise and thanksgiving in synagogues; street parades, parties, singing and dancing; special meals; and lectures on the history and future of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, a public reception by the mayor of Jerusalem, state ceremonies and memorial services for those who died in the Six-Day War are also held. In Israel, some people mark the occasion by traveling or even hiking to Jerusalem. Yom Yerushalayim is a public holiday in Israel. It is not a public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States. However, many Jewish organizations may be closed or offer a limited service so special events can be held. After Israel declared its independence in 1948, it was attacked by the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in the Arab-Israeli War. At the end of this war, the city of Jerusalem was divided. Israeli forces controlled most of the city and East Jerusalem, including the Old City, was controlled by Jordanian forces. The Old City was important for strategic and religious reasons, as many sites of religious importance are in this part of the city. These include: the Dome of the Rock and al-Asqa Mosque (Muslims); the Temple Mount and the Western Wall or Kotel (Jewish); and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Christian). On June 7, 1967, one day into the Six-Day War, Israeli forces captured the old city of Jerusalem. This resulted in the reunification of Jerusalem as part of Israel. According to the Hebrew calendar, it was the 28th day of the month of Iyar in the year 5727 and the anniversary of this date is known as Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day. The 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem was in 2007. The slogan for the celebrations in this year translates as “Something special for everyone”, with a play on the Hebrew words for “special” and “united”. A special logo representing the number 40 and the city walls was presented and the approach to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv was decorated with blue lighting.
www.timeanddate.com
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Pope Francis sets meeting date for prayer with presidents of
Israel & Palestine.
By the Associated Press
israel’s president
Shimon Peres and Palestine’s president Mahmoud Abbas, will both meet at the Vatican on June 8 to pray for peace. Pope Francis called both leaders to his home because he believes
“praying together is very important.”
Israel’s President Shimon Peres (on the right) welcomes Pope Francis at the president’s residence in Jerusalem on May 26, 2014. President Peres accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to go to the Vatican, alongside Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas, for a joint prayer for peace.
In Vatican City-
I
sraeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will join Pope Francis for an afternoon praying for peace at the Vatican on June 8, the Vatican said Thursday. Francis had invited both men to “my home” to pray during his recent trip to the Middle East. Speaking from the biblical town of Bethlehem, Francis said: “Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment.” Both men immediately agreed, and subsequently approved the June 8 date, the Vatican said in a statement Thursday. Francis has stressed that he is not seeking to jumpstart peace negotiations, but merely bring the two sides together to pray. He said he had arranged for a rabbi and a Muslim cleric to lead the prayers, along with him. “It will be a prayer meeting. It’s not to do mediation or find solutions,” he told reporters on the flight home from Jerusalem on Monday. “We’ll meet just to pray, and then everyone will go home. But I think praying is important, praying together.”
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Pope Francis (L) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas upon the pontiff’s arrival in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, 25 May 2014.
The prospects of any breakthrough are slim. Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel peace laureate, holds a largely ceremonial office and is set to step down this summer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed anger with politicians who have reached out to Abbas at a time when the Palestinian leader is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel considers Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, a terrorist group. There was no comment Thursday from Netanyahu’s office.The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations collapsed in April. Francis’ prayer meeting falls on Pentecost Sunday, an important feast in the Catholic Church which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. It formally marks the end of the Easter season, and Francis is due to celebrate Mass that morning in St. Peter’s Basilica. He called both Abbas and Peres “men of peace.”
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
The Feast of Weeks - Pentecost (Shavuot) Pope Francis and Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas met on Sunday, June 8, 2014 (Pentecost Sunday) to pray for peace.
-Pentecost Sunday is a commemoration and celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the early church. Today, in many Christian churches, Pentecost Sunday is celebrated to recognize the gift of the Holy Spirit, realizing that God’s very life, breath and energy live in believers. The Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26-31; Leviticus 23:15-21) is the second of the three major Jewish festivals (the other two are Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles). All adult males were required to travel to the sanctuary to take part. This festival was observed 7 weeks from the second day of Passover, on which was the offering of barley sheaf, hence the name of the festival. It is also known as Pentecost (Pentecost is Greek for 50 days), because it falls on the 50th day (7 weeks is 49 days so the day after is the 50th). The Feast of Weeks was observed after the Israel people settled in the Promised Land. On this day, no work was permitted. The people would gather at the Tabernacle to thank God for the harvest. It marked the time when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were gathered and offered to the Lord, and was also known as the Feast of the Ingathering. It also commemorated the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
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The First Pentecost after Christ’s Resurrection Acts 2 recorded the descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. The custom required all the males to travel to Jerusalem and gather at the temple. While gathering in the temple, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then Peter stood up to address the crowd. On that day, 3,000 accepted his message and became believers. That was probably the largest group of people accepting Christ in one meeting in the history of mankind. Pentecost was the only festival that leavened bread was used. It was very unusual because leaven represents something that is false, impure, sinful. Here it signifies the offering of sinners, that is, bringing them to Christ. The 3,000 new believers were the first fruits of the harvest and were presented to God on the first Pentecost after Christ was resurrected.
Offerings This was one of the seven high days, which were to be treated like Sabbaths. Therefore two additional lambs were to be offered as burnt offering after the morning service. In addition, the offerings on this day consisted of: - Wave offering: Two loaves of leavened bread made from fine flour from the wheat. - Burnt offering: 7 one-year-old male lambs, 2 bulls*, and 1 ram*, with their grain offering and their drink offerings. - Sin offering: a male goat. - Peace offering: 2 one-year-old male lambs. * Numbers 28:27 recorded 2 bulls and 1 ram, but Leviticus 23:18 recorded 1 bull and 2 rams.
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Nigerian Officials Say Kidnapped School Girls Have Been Located By Cynthia Hodges (Cynthia Homeland Security Examiner)
On Sunday, Nigeria’s Defense Chief said mili-
tary troops have located nearly 300 school girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in April. Nigerian officials did not say where the girls were found, but said force cannot be used to rescue the girls. U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that eighty U.S. military personnel were deployed to Chad to assist in the search for the hundreds of school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria on April 14. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to accept international assistance earlier in May, and several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan and Israel had already joined in the search for the missing girls. Air Marshal Alex Barde on Sunday told demonstrators supporting the country’s much criticized military that Nigerian troops can save the girls, however, Barde added: “we can’t go and kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back.” In November, 2013, the United State Department of State designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security describes Boko Haram as a Nigeria-based militant group with links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) that is responsible for thousands of deaths in northeast and central Nigeria over the last several years including targeted killings of civilians in multiple suicide attacks on churches, seeking “to eradicate Christians” from areas in Nigeria, in addition to newspapers, government officials, and security forces. The U.S. State Department has been criticized for refusing to place Boko Haram on the list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2011, after the high-profile suicide attack that targeted the United Nations headquarters in the Nigerian capital of Abuja in August, 2011. The refusal came despite the urging of the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and over a dozen and congressmen. The Nigerian
government has faced national and international outrage over their failure to rescue the girls taken from a remote northeastern school six weeks ago. Local residents and parents of the missing school girls said they reported the location of the militants and the girls in the days after the kidnapping, but security forces did not respond. Human rights groups have documented widespread abuses by Nigerian forces over the last few years, including the burning of homes and farm buildings, shooting suspected Boko Haram members as revenge for attacks on police, and detaining young men indefinitely without trial. Sarah Margon, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch said Nigerian military and police are not disciplined and are very abusive. A 1997 law known as the Leahy Amendment, prohibits American forces from working with foreign military units that have been accused of chronic human rights violations. The Leahy Amendment limits the U.S. government’s options, and has prevented U.S. officials from dealing with a Nigerian counter-terrorism unit that has experience tracking Boko Haram, officials said.
Cynthia Hodges holds a M.A.in Political Science from
NEIU in Chicago, Illinois and a Post-Grad Professional Certificate in Disaster and Terrorism Management from University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill. Cynthia is in the process of writing a book on the role of private security guards as first responders in the post 9/11 America.
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Kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar ’s Image W
e all know the great story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in which he saw a great image of a man, made out of different metals. And most of us know who those kingdoms are, because in Daniel 2:38 God revealed that Nebuchadnezzar, representing Babylon, was that head of gold. And after the head of gold we are shown that other ruling kingdoms arise to power after Babylon. The chest and arms of silver. The thighs of bronze and the legs of iron. Now we only need to check the historical records to see who these kingdoms were. The chest of silver represents Medo-Persia. The thighs of bronze represents Greece. And the legs of iron represents Rome. But what about the feet of iron and clay? Most people just accept that this is divided Europe. But is there more to it than that? Can we find a more specific truth to the feet of Iron and Clay if we dig a little deeper? Yes we can!
The Feet of Iron and Clay ’And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken?. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay’ (Daniel 2:41-43).
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First of all, let us look at the Biblical meaning of iron and clay. What does iron denote in the Bible? Well, if you look at Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 2:27, you will see that iron is a symbol of a ruling power. So in terms of the world, iron would denote a civil ruling world power. And what about the clay? If you read Isaiah 64:8 and Jeremiah 18:1-6, you will see that clay in the Bible denotes the people of God, with the Lord Himself being the Potter. So what is God telling us through the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s image? He is telling us that in the last days there would be a mingling of civil power with the church. But we are not just talking about any church. God gives us even more detail if we look closely. Take a look at the type of clay that is in the feet. It is called “miry clay” in the verses above. Meaning the clay is dirty, muddy clay. So what does that tell us? It tells us that the church represented by the clay in the feet is a corrupt, apostate church.
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
What about the toes? The beginning of the feet with regards to history comes into play when the kingdom of Rome splits up and the Papal Church of Rome gains supremacy and rules the nations through influencing the different civil governments and using them for her own corrupt ways. So the “strength” of the iron (civil power) remains, but it is now “mixed” with “dirty clay” (apostate Christianity, via the Roman Catholic Church). Some believe these to be the ten kingdoms that emerged after the fall of the Roman Empire. But this cannot be so, because those ten original kingdoms, represented by the ten horns on the fourth beast in Daniel 7 became only 7 kingdoms, as 3 were “plucked up” and destroyed by the Papacy. And yet the ten toes remain until the second coming of Christ Jesus (the Rock). So who are the ten toes? The book of Revelation gives us the answer. Daniel and Revelation are “one” prophetic book so to speak. With the first part given to Daniel by Jesus and the second part given to John by Jesus. We cannot separate these two amazing books. They have to be read together in order to understand end time prophecy more fully. Now look at what Revelation 17 says: And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast’ (Revelation 17:12-13). The ten toes correspond with the ten horns on the beast of Revelation 17. The beast is the Papal Church of Rome and the ten horns are the “kings” (kingdoms) which give their power to the Papacy in the last days. This is what God is showing us through the feet and toes on the image in Daniel 2 and the horns on the beast in Revelation 13 & 17. There will be a confederacy of ruling civil powers in the last days with the strength of iron, who will give their power to the Roman Catholic beast, which is symbolized by the mixing of iron and “dirty” clay.
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But what we will see, as Revelation 17 points out is the kings of the earth giving their civil power to a church, which will usher in another “dark ages” where “religious” laws (mark of the beast) will be enforced under penalty of death.The good news is that this allegiance will only last a short time as Revelation 17 reveals. And there is only ONE KINGDOM that will last and that is the Kingdom of God, represented by the rock that comes down from heaven to smash all the worldly kingdoms to pieces. Then the saints will reign and live forever with our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready to enter that kingdom? Galatians 3:29 says, ‘If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ Do you have a daily relationship with Christ Jesus, the coming King? Do you love His character? Are you walking in His footsteps and by His grace obeying His teachings and commandments? If not, then you need to take heed of the warning Jesus gave in Luke 19:27 (‘But those Mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before Me’). Please give your all to Christ Jesus today! (Mark 12:30) Catholicism is that corrupt, apostate religion with which the kings of the earth have united with in the past to form an abominable alliance. And in the last days we will also see Protestant churches that have become apostate unite with Rome and other religions in this global confederacy with the civil powers. A cry of unity is being spread all around the world today and that cry will get louder and louder until the Papal Church receives it’s power from the “kings of the earth”. Then we will see the enforcement of the mark of the beast. Jesus said, “his kingdom is NOT OF THIS WORLD” (John 18:36). Therefore we are NOT to unite with the civil powers or any other kingdom of this world. God’s true servants are to remain separate. The Roman empire was the last world civil power to rule the world. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome were all world ruling empires. But God revealed in the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s image that there would never be another single civil power ruling the world. The feet shows us that from the division of Rome the world would remain partly broken until the second coming.
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Is Jesus Fully God? Another group questions whether Jesus actually possesses all the characteristics of the Eternal God. They stem from Arius, a 4th century Alexandrian priest, who had a different take on God. He taught that prior to making anything else, God created a son who was neither equal to, nor coeternal with, the Father. According to this idea, called Arianism, Jesus Christ is a supernatural creature, but He is neither fully human nor fully divine. Still others embrace a more immature version of this doctrine, holding that back in the dawn of time, God the Father had some form of cosmic intimate relations with the Holy Spirit and Jesus was the product. They reason, “How else can you call Him the Son? ” However, these concepts are totally contrary to the teaching of the New Testament in which Jesus is revealed as the Eternal Creator and not a created being (John 1:1–4). As we compare Scripture definitions for God with the Bible record of Jesus, we see the characteristics of Jehovah are also ascribed to Jesus. 1. He is self-existent (John 1:1–4; 14:6); only God is self-existent (Psalm 90:2). 2. Jesus defines Himself as eternal. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). 3. He is, and has, eternal life (1 John 5:11, 12, 20). 4. He is all-powerful (Revelation 1:8). 5. All things were created by him, thus “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1); “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. 6. The Father even calls Jesus God. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8). 7. Jesus is able to forgive sin (Luke 5:20, 21); The Bible says only God can forgive sin (Isaiah 43:25). 8. Jesus accepted worship that according to the Ten Commandments is reserved only for the 9. Almighty (Matthew 14:33); “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘All hail.’ And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him” (Matthew 28:9). 10. Upon seeing the risen Savior, the converted skeptic, Thomas, confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:26–29). 11. Even the angels worship Jesus. “And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6). 12. The Scriptures also teach that only God knows the thoughts of a man’s heart (1 Kings 8:39). 13. Yet Jesus consistently knew what people were thinking, “for he knew what was in man” (John 2:25). 14. “Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you’” (John 1:48 NKJV). 15. Through the Spirit, Jesus is omnipresent. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NKJV). 16. He has power to give life, and even resurrected Himself. “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:18). 17. “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
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Therefore, by considering the primary definitions of God, and seeing that Jesus fits every one of those definitions, obviously, Jesus must be eternal God. Written by Doug Batchelor
Doug is an evangelist and the author of several books including The Richest Caveman, the story of his
early life and conversion to Christianity. His primary ministry is Amazing Facts (a worldwide television and publishing ministry based in Roseville, California, United States). He also pastors the Granite Bay Seventhday Adventist Church in Loomis, California. August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |23
u
nited We Serve
The President is calling on all Ameri-
cans to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal
by serving in our communities. There are many ways to get involved.
America’s new foundation will be built one community at a time - and it starts with you. www.serve.gov
The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships works to build bridges between the federal government and nonprofit organizations, both secular and faith-based, to better serve Americans in need. The Office advances this work through Centers in various Federal agencies. http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Why Do Some Teach that the Church will Endure the Tribulation? From TRIUMPHANT RETURN, By Grant R. Jeffrey
S
everal incorrect premises have caused some to reject the Pre-tribulation Rapture and accept the position called the “post-tribulation Rapture.” The first premise is an emotional contention that it would be unfair for the modern Church to escape to heaven scot free to escape the martyrdom that other believers have experienced. While it is easy to understand such an emotion, it would be wrong to deny the doctrine of the pre-tribulation Rapture on this basis alone. The reality is that while many Christians have endured tremendous persecutions and tribulations, untold millions of believers have lived out their lives in times of peace. Furthermore, all of those Christians who died in either peace or persecution throughout history have already escaped the Great Tribulation. An underlying attitude of many critics is their incorrect and unscriptural belief that the Church will somehow be purified by enduring the wrath of the Antichrist. However, the Scriptures declare that we are purified solely by the completed work of Christ on the Cross. If the Lord delays His return much longer, the rising tide of persecution of Christians affect the Church across the world. However, this will not constitute the Tribulation period which will be characterized by the wrath of God poured out from heaven on the unrepentant sinners during the final seven years of this age. Some critics have claimed that those who teach the hope of the pre-tribulation rapture are leaving Christians unprepared for the possibility of the coming persecution of the Tribulation period. However, in thirty-five years of teaching Bible prophecy, I have not witnessed pre-tribulation Rapture teachers instructing Christians that they are immune from end-time persecution. The prophecy teachers, myself included, who believe God promises that Christians will escape “wrath of
God” in the Tribulation often warn believers that persecution is coming, even in North America, if the Lord tarries much longer. However, the postribulation Rapture position can rob the Church of her blessed hope. Jesus promised, “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10). The second and more important reason why some are teaching that the Church will be present during this terrible time is the failure to distinguish between God’s plan for Israel and His plan for the Church, especially in the prophecy revealed by Christ in Matthew 24. They often acknowledge that there is strong biblical evidence for a pre-tribulation Rapture; however, they inevitably come back to their interpretation of Matthew 24, which seems to indicate that the Rapture follows the events of the Great Tribulation. In the passage in Matthew 24, Christ is on the Temple Mount explaining to His Jewish disciples the events that will occur in Israel and in other nations that will lead to the return of Christ as their Jewish Messiah. The disciples’ question that Jesus was answering concerned the coming of Israel’s long-promised Kingdom, not the coming of Christ for His Church (which they did not even know about). It is easy to forget that, at this point, before the crucifixion of our Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, there was no such thing as a Christian Church. If you had told one of the disciples during the week before Christ’s crucifixion that someday there would be an organization based on Christ’s teachings, called the Church, and that 99 percent of its members would be uncircumcised Gentiles who would follow neither Jewish law nor offer Temple sacrifices, he would probably have fallen continues next page..
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off his chair in shock and disbelief. One of the classic mistakes in interpretation is to take this conversation between Christ and His Jewish disciples concerning the messianic kingdom and read back into it the reality of the Christian Church which did not come into existence until the Jews rejected Christ and God breathed life into His Body of believers. Since Christ does not mention the Church to His disciples in this conversation, the plain interpretation is that Israel is the primary focus of the Prophecy of Matthew 24. Matthew 24 speaks of the Great Tribulation, and beginning at verse 15, Christ states that the Antichrist will set up the “abomination of desolation” (a supernatural statue of the Antichrist) to be worshiped in the Temple. In verses 40 and 41, Jesus says, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” A vital question for students of the Bible is the identity of these people who “shall be taken.” Does this prophecy refer to the Church, or does it reveal God’s plans for the Tribulation saints who become believers after the Rapture? This chapter tells us that at the end of the Great Tribulation, God will send His angels and “they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (verse 31). These “elect” are the people who become believers during the Great Tribulation of three and one-half years. This gathering together is not the Rapture. This gathering of Tribulation believers takes place at the end of the Tribulation, whereas the Rapture of the Church occurs sometime prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation when Antichrist sets himself up as “God” in the Temple. Notice that the angels “gather the elect” (verse 31), whereas, at the time of the Rapture, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16--17). This gathering of the “elect” Tribulation saints will occur at the conclusion of three and one-half years --- a period of time for which there are the most detailed prophecies found in the Bible. The Bible describes many Tribulation events that must occur prior to the “gathering” of the Tribulation saints and thus, it cannot be correctly
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described as “imminent.” These facts have caused many scholars to believe that this “gathering” is, therefore, a different event than the “Rapture” of the Church. However, when we turn our attention to the coming of Christ for His Church, we find that there are no warnings or signals given to indicate the time of the Rapture. The Rapture can literally occur at any time. The third reason post-tribulationist writers have attacked the pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine by claiming that it cannot be true because no Church writer or Reformer ever taught this doctrine until approximately 170 years ago until it was introduced by John Darby, a Plymouth Brethren. Their argument that no one ever saw this “truth” throughout eighteen hundred years of Church history has been very effective, causing many Christians to abandon their belief in the pre-tribulation Rapture. The only problem is that their assertion that no one in the early Church taught the pretribulation Rapture has been found to be incorrect. Obviously the truth about the time of the Rapture can be found only in Scripture. The Protestant Reformation was based essentially on this return to the authority of the Bible. The Latin phrase sola Scriptura, meaning “Scripture alone” became the rallying cry of the Reformers who ignored centuries of tradition and church councils in their insistence that truth could only be discovered in the Word of God. While the resolution of this issue must be based on our interpretation of Scripture, it is important to answer the errors of our opponents, who disparage “the blessed hope” of the Rapture with misinformation about the modern rediscovery of the truth about the pre-tribulation Rapture.
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
A Discovery that the Pre-tribulation Rapture Was Taught in the Early Church During the summer of 1994, after more than a decade of searching, I discovered several fascinating manuscripts that contain clear evidence of the teaching of the pre-tribulation rapture in the early church. Ephraem’s Teaching on the Pre-tribulation Rapture For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. (On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World, by Ephraem the Syrian, A.D. 373) The early Christian writer and poet, Ephraem the Syrian, (A.D. 306 - 373) was a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church. He was born near Nisbis, in the Roman province of Syria, near present-day Edessa, Turkey. Ephraem’s fascinating teaching on the Antichrist has never been published in English until I wrote FINAL WARNING in 1995. Some scholars suggested that this manuscript was written several centuries later (5th or 6th century) but definitely before the birth of Islam in 622. However William Bousset, one of the greatest scholars on ancient eschatology, concluded in his book The Antichrist Legend that it was written by Ephraem the Syrian before A.D. 373.1 Andrew R. Anderson wrote in his book Alexander’s Gate that he accepted the early date as being valid.
*The above is an excerpt taken from Grant Jeffrey’s fascinating new release, Triumphant Return - Special $10.49 -Regular $13.99 To Order Call: In U.S. 1 800 711 1976 In Canada 1 800 853 1423
Every Teaching, Every Command, Every Promise in the Bible is True
___________________________ Written by: Grant R. Jeffrey
You can believe the Bible without any doubt. As American society becomes more secularized, Christians need to know all the facts about the Bible. Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey has spent decades researching history, science, archaeology, medicine, and prophecy finding that each discipline confirms the truth of Scripture.
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Pope Francis And The Emerging One World Religion By Michael Snyder
Is Pope Francis taking steps that are laying
the groundwork for the emergence of a one world religion? If that question sounds quite bizarre to you, I urge you to read the rest of this article. We live at a time when globalization is advancing rapidly. The global economy is more integrated than it has ever been before, and with each passing year new economic treaties tie us even more closely together. And “global governance” (as the elite like to call it) is also steadily gaining ground. Through a whole host of global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and the Bank for International Settlements, global governments are working together to a degree that is unprecedented. Well, what about religion? Is there evidence that we are also witnessing the globalization of religion? Well, yes there is. In fact, it appears that Pope Francis intends to lead the way. Since he has been Pope, Francis has expressed a desire for unity with the Eastern Orthodox, the Anglicans, and many other major Protestant denominations. But more than a few eyebrows were raised when he recently sent a video message to Kenneth Copeland and his congregation. At the time that the video message was played to the congregation, one speaker declared that “Luther’s protest is over.” “The Catholic and Charismatic Renewal is the hope of the Church,” exclaims Anglican Episcopal Bishop Tony Palmer, before a group of cheering followers at the Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Palmer said those words are from the Vatican. Before playing the video message from Pope Francis to Kenneth Copeland, Palmer told the crowd, “When my wife saw that she could be Catholic, and Charismatic, and Evangelical, and Pentecostal, and it was absolutely accepted in the Catholic Church, she said that she would like to reconnect her roots with the Catholic culture. So she did.” The crowd cheered, as he continued, “Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protest is over. Is yours?” Even Kenneth Copeland finds this development incredible: Said Copeland, “Heaven is thrilled over this…You know what is so thrilling to me? When we went into the ministry 47 years ago, this was impossible.” So is Luther’s protest really over?
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Photos by Christoph Wagener
During the Council of Trent, the Catholics condemned to hell anyone that believes in salvation through faith in Jesus alone. This is a direct quote from the Council of Trent...“If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema“ The Catholics have never renounced that stand. Instead, it has been reaffirmed many times over the years. If Pope Francis really did want to reach out to Protestants, he should start by reversing the Council of Trent on this. As it stands, it is official Catholic doctrine that
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all Protestants are anathema. But apparently that is not going to stop many Protestants from reuniting with Rome and declaring Francis to be “their Pope.” Meanwhile, Pope Francis has also been aggressively courting Muslims. The following quote from Pope Francis comes from remarks that he made during his very first ecumenical meeting...I then greet and cordially thank you all, dear friends belonging to other religious traditions; first of all the Muslims, who worship the one God, living and merciful, and call upon Him in prayer, and all of you. I really appreciate your presence: in it I see a tangible sign of the will to grow in mutual esteem and cooperation for the common good of humanity. The Catholic Church is aware of the importance of promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions – I wish to repeat this: promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions – it also attests the valuable work that the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue performs. Did you catch that? Apparently Pope Francis believes that Catholics and Muslims worship the same God. More recently, Francis made the following statement about Muslims...“We must never forget that they ‘profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge humanity on the last day.” Wow. By making this statement, Pope Francis is rejecting another of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. You see, Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God. Muslims hate this doctrine and say that there is no god but Allah. So how in the world can Christians and Muslims worship the same God? The only way that you could say this is if you deny the deity of Jesus Christ. For much more on why “Allah” and the God of Christianity are not the same, please see this article. Of course when it comes to other religions, Francis is not just reaching out to the Muslims. During the same ecumenical meeting that I referenced above, he made it a point to say that he feels “close” to those that belong “to any religious tradition”...In this, we feel close even to all those men and women who, whilst not recognizing themselves belonging to any religious tradition, feel themselves nevertheless to be in search of truth, goodness and beauty, this truth, goodness and beauty of God, and who are our precious allies in efforts to defend the
dignity of man, in building a peaceful coexistence among peoples and in guarding Creation carefully. And Francis really raised some eyebrows when he made the following statement about atheists...“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can...The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!.. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.” There was a lot of debate about what Francis meant by that, and the Vatican issued a statement declaring that Catholic doctrine on these matters had not changed, but without a doubt a lot of people were troubled by this. In addition, a lot of people were really troubled when the Vatican offered “indulgences” to those that would follow Pope Francis on Twitter. The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Telegraph... Salvation – or at least a shorter stay in Purgatory – might now be only a tweet away with news that Pope Francis is to offer “indulgences” – remissions for temporary punishment – to the faithful who follow him on the social media site. Around 1.5 million are expected to flock to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate World Youth Day with the Argentine pontiff later this month. But for those who can’t make it to Brazil, forgiveness may be available to contrite sinners who follow Francis’s progress via their TV screen or social networks. The Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican court that rules on the forgiveness of sins, has said that indulgences may be given to those who follow the “rites and pious exercises” of the event on television, radio and through social media.
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So what does Pope Francis actually believe? That is a very good question. His beliefs do not appear to be very consistent at all. He just seems to have an overwhelming desire to “unite” with everyone out there that has any kind of religious faith. But we do know one kind of people that he does not like. He does not like “ideological Christians” that take their faith very seriously...“In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought...For this reason Jesus said to them: ‘You have taken away the key of knowledge.’ The knowledge of Jesus is transformed into an ideological and also moralistic knowledge, because these close the door with many requirements. The faith becomes ideology and ideology frightens, ideology chases away the people, distances, distances the people and distances of the Church of the people. But it is a serious illness, this of ideological Christians. It is an illness, but it is not new, eh?” So what is going to come of all this? It will be very interesting to watch. It is also interesting to note that there is a 900-year-old prophecy that seems to indicate that Pope Francis could be the last Pope. If that prophecy is accurate, then we could very well be living at a time when we will see the emergence of a one world religion. Just a few short decades ago, a one world religion would have been absolutely unthinkable. But now the pieces are starting to come together, and it will be very interesting to see what happens next.
The Beginning Of The End - The New Novel About The Future Of America By Michael T. Snyder
Michael T. Snyder is a former Washington D.C. attorney who now publishes The Truth. His new thriller entitled “The Beginning Of The End” is now available on Amazon.com. Michael T. Snyder is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and has two law degrees from the University of Florida.
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Eastern China residents reports river turns mysteriously blood red at Xinmeizhou village in eastern China’s Zhejiang province By Linda Tardy - Nations Magazine
July 25, 2014 Nations Magazine reports the
river in China that turned red was “no mystery,” nor was it the work of man’s hand.” According to Bible prophecy we are in the last days (Revelation 16). There will be events around the nations that will take place, which fulfills Bible prophecy. (For all those who believe, get prepared for the coming of the Lord) These things are the judgments of the Lord. There are news reports around the world and several sources from China who believe that this is “weird,” or some sort of “illegal dumping.” This is not the first time this has happened in China, in September 7, 2012 the longest river in China, the Yangtze River turned blood red. There were major catastrophes unfolding worldwide in the year 2012, in Australia, Russia, China, USA, and India. But to further clarify the truth of what has really occurred in these places, here are the words from the Bible showing you proof in these images of the end times.
-Photo by Newscom [more images on page 33]
SEVEN BOWLS OF GOD’S WRATH: These are the words of the Lord for all the nations who do not believe and THOSE WHO KILL GOD’S PROPHETS... [1] Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” [2] So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. [3] Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died. [4] Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. [5] And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments.
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[6] Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.” [7] And I heard a voice from the altar, saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just.” The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty. “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.” The demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed.
And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. Every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm. Matthew 24: 6-8 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said. “tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah.” They will deceive many and you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. These will be families and earthquakes in many parts of the world. All this is only the first of the pains, with more to come. Matthew 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Linda Tardy: DC Christian Living Examiner, local internet news media and Owner/Operator of Nations Magazine, and Visions Magazine, author of seven books, current student at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Church Ministries/Theology/Christian Counseling.
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Larnelle Harris
to be first Christian artist to receive Governor’s Award By Sarah Hearn
Hall of Fame vocalist and five-time Grammy
winner, Larnelle Harris, will receive the 2014 Kentucky Governor’s Artist Award in a public ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, Kentucky this October. The prestigious award is given to Kentuckians who have made significant contributions to the arts in the Commonwealth, across the country, and around the globe. Harris will be the first Christian vocalist to receive the Artist Award since its inception 29 years ago. “It is always an honor to be recognized by your home state,” said Harris, who was born in Danville, Kentucky and resides in Louisville. “I am humbled by this award and sincerely appreciate the Kentucky Arts Council for their recognition.” The Governor’s Awards in the Arts are presented in nine categories during National Arts and Humanities Month. At the October ceremony, Harris’ hometown of Danville will also be honored with the Government Award for playing an integral role in the success of creating an arts-and-culturefocused atmosphere that benefits its residents and attracts tourists from across the nation. “It is my great honor to recognize these individuals, both native sons and daughters of Kentucky and others who have chosen to make their homes in Kentucky and enrich our state’s unique culture,” said Governor Steve Beshear. Harris is the only person in history to be a member of three distinct hall of fame organizations: the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. In addition to his five Grammy and eleven Dove Awards, including being named Male Vocalist of the Year three times by the gospel music industry, Harris has garnered nineteen #1 national radio singles and countless top 10 hits. Songs such as “How Excellent Is Thy Name,””I Miss My Time With You,” “I’ve Just Seen Jesus,” plus many others, including his signature song, “Amen,” are now considered modern gospel classics. From the White House to the 38th Parallel, Harris has impacted audiences across the globe with his music. He was the first gospel artist to
July 10, 2014 perform inside the Kremlin after the fall of the Soviet Union. He is one of a handful of celebrities to receive the Ad Council’s Silver Bell Award for Distinguished Public Service in recognition of his song “Mighty Spirit” as the theme song for the longestrunning Public Service Announcement in television history. Harris continues to tour worldwide, with upcoming tour dates at Carnegie Hall and in Paris, France scheduled for this fall. In addition to his numerous solo dates, Harris also travels with various multi-artist tours including this fall’s Compassion International Savior Tour, the Gaither Homecoming tour, the God of All Glory tour, and the Sandi Patty & Friends tour, the latter of which CCM Magazine recently reviewed and described Harris as having a “larger-than-life stage presence with impeccable vocal prowess.”
Sarah Hearn has been a fan of gospel music since childhood.Sarah is CEO/Editor-in-Chief of PositivelyGospel. com where she provides the latest gospel music news and information. She is a member of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA).
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At a Crossroads: When a Young Hindu Converts to Christianity in Delhi By Emily Frost
A
t a coffee shop in Delhi, Kanika thought she was spending just another afternoon passing time with her childhood friend Jo Jo, avoiding the heat and the crush of people outside. But there was something different in the way Jo Jo approached her that day. He had a special question for her: Do you know what is happening to your soul when you die? Kanika had no idea, and that worried her. Surprisingly, in their twenty years of friendship, Jo Jo, an Indian Evangelical Christian, and Kanika, a Hindu, had never discussed their religions. That day at Costa Coffee though, Jo Jo started a long discussion, scribbling Christian themes and images on the napkins scattered around him. Kanika collected the napkins and poured over them that night in bed. In the weeks to come, Kanika began talking to other Christian friends and considering a conversion. She knew hardly anything about Christianity and had grown up in a devout Hindu family, but the question of life after death remained unanswered for her. Now, four years later, at 24, Kanika is at a crossroads. She has become an Evangelical Christian in secret, and her family disapproves of any reference she makes to Christianity. There are an estimated 24 million Christians in India, or 2.3 percent of the population. In Delhi, less than one percent of the population is Christian; 82 percent are Hindu. Throughout India, Christians have faced violence and had their churches destroyed, but Delhi residents have largely avoided persecution. It is a point of city pride that so many different religions can coexist: Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, and even a small Jewish population. But coexisting doesn’t mean the lines between the faiths are blurry.
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“Hindus worship the animals, the plants, the trees, the rivers — idols, I mean they would do a lot of crazy things. I do not get what they do and why they do it,” she said. In worshipping Manasa devi, Hindus avoid using heat. They cook food the day before and don’t use hot water. They’ll also leave food in the road as an offering to the goddess. Kanika could barely walk down her street because it was covered with offerings. In her view, it’s all part of “worshipping a weird kind of ugly looking idol.” At first, Kanika told her mother not to wake her, but in the middle of the night she changed her mind. This would not be a battle she would take on. “I realized I should go with my mom and witness what people do and pray for them.” She secretly told the idols: “‘Okay, people worship you, but you are not God.’” It had been a long time since Kanika had gone to temple with her family. She stopped practicing in the midst of her conversion. Jo Jo gave her a Bible, took her to his church, the Delhi Bible Fellowship, and introduced her to more Christian friends. When her parents caught on, they limited her contact with her Christian friends. When they found her Bible and a notebook filled with letters from Kanika to God, they threw them away. “It is a difficult thing because you cannot share with them, and they will not even listen to you.” Kanika was saddened, but not deterred. Kanika’s parents want her to marry a Hindu from her caste, or social designation, the Marwaris, known as business people or shopkeepers. She can choose a man who fits those criteria or they will choose a husband for her. “I do not want to hurt my parents by going against them but I have been praying about it because I want to get married to a believer.” It’s a dilemma, but Kanika is turning to prayer for an answer.
Kanika’s family is devout. Her grandmother attends temple everyday for at least two hours. Her parents go every Tuesday, at the least. They also worship in a special room in their home, filled with images and statues of gods. Before every meal, they take some food to the temple as an offering. “They would definitely disown me if they knew I was a Christian, ” Kanika said. There are struggles ahead, on both a daily level — whether to appease her parents by going through the motions of Hindu worship — and on a more monumental level — how to marry a Christian of her choosing. Kanika is calm though. “I strongly believe that if you believe in Christ you do not need anybody to depend on…ever. Yeah, he’s our best friend, he’s our first love.”
___________________________________ Emily Frost is a radio reporter and online journalist. She is an Annenberg Fellow at USC’s
Annenberg Graduate School for Journalism and an executive producer and host at Annenberg Radio News.
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AFRICAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR By African Children’s Choir
Helping Africa’s most vulnerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow! Its foundation and founder (Ray Barnett)
When Ray Barnett first went to Africa in 1977, he
saw poverty, starvation, injustice, disease, and violence. He could have decided that the world needed to see that too and do something about it. But Ray intuitively knew that people get uncomfortable and tired of seeing depressing images. He knew that the way to really get inspired was to see the beauty and potential that exists in that darkness and despair. Ray decided to be innovative in his approach. He knew the key to engaging people was to have them meet the children face to face and hear their voices; hear their message of hope. In 1984, he founded the African Children’s Choir, and serves as the director and visionary for the non-profit organisation working to develop the Choir into an internationally acclaimed performing group while raising funds to help thousands of destitute children receive an education and hope. Under his leadership, the Choir has gained international recognition, performing at Live8, at the House of Commons and the Pentagon, and appearing at some of the world’s most prestigious halls, including The London Palladium, The International Club of Berlin and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Through his work with the Choir, Ray Barnett has been able to raise millions of pounds to establish numerous schools throughout Africa that serve children who would otherwise have no chance at an education. He has also been able to raise significant money for emergency relief and development programmes in Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda, and more recently to help orphaned children in South Africa who are battling hunger and disease. Ray who resides in White Rock, British Columbia, has been the subject of two television documentaries and has received numerous awards and honours for his work. These include the prestigious Cross of Nails, awarded by the Coventry Cathedral in England to recognise his widespread efforts to promote peace throughout the world, and the Heart of Gold Award bestowed by Esther Ranson at the BBC.
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Where We Work Music for Life – Home of the African Children’s Choir –
SUCCESS STORY: Nurse Nancy Wangari, Member of Choir 13
Nancy is from Githumu, Kiambu county in Kenya, she comes from a struggling home of a single Our mission to help Africa’s most vulnerable mother with six children. After touring with Choir 13 children today so they can help Africa tomorrow Nancy did well in her primary and secondary schoolextends much further than sponsoring the Choir ing and dreamt of becoming a nurse. Further sponchildren through their education. The African soring from MFL allowed Nancy to take a registered Children’s Choir are the ambassadors for the milNursing course of which she graduated as a qualified lions of suffering children back home in Africa, nurse in 2009. Nancy is now currently working at Kiand funds raised on tour not only go towards the jabe Mission Hospital, one of the main mission hospieducation of each touring Choir child but also to the continuing efforts of our fundraising organiza- tals in Kenya, as a registered community health nurse. tion, Music for Life. Music for Life works in Uganda, Nancy works in the High Dependency Unit helping Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria extremely ill patients. and Ghana to improve the lives, education and In Nancy’s words: “I enjoyed visiting many exciting places futures of thousands of suffering children living while on tour with the African Children’s Choir, and meeting in unthinkable environments. Music for Life help many people. It was an awesome lifetime experience I will transform the lives of vulnerable children across never forget, I cherish every moment. MFL has given me an these deprived and in-need parts of Africa. The opportunity that I would never have had. It gave me a chance African Children’s Choir and Music for Life have so to be who I am today and to achieve my childhood dream of far educated over 50,000 children in our 29 year becoming a nurse. Without MFL, I do not know where I would history, and have helped a further 100,000 children be today.” through our relief and education projects. With your help, we can reach more children who so des- SUCCESS STORY: perately need our support help us create Change- Dr Robert Kalyesubula, Member of Choir 2 Makers for the future of Africa by donating today. After his exposure to the world on the tour with Success Stories Choir 2, Dr. Robert went back to Uganda where the ACC paid Dr. Robert’s and his brothers’ tuition. He Since 1984, the African Children’s Choir has went on to med school in Kampala for his first degree, toured the world with over 1000 participants in and then earned a Master’s Degree in Internal Medi38 different Choirs and other special tours. Below cine – in a country where there are only three nephare the stories of our alumni who experienced a rologists for a population of 30 million people. One major life change because of their participation. of his brothers also became a doctor and the other These students weren’t just singers and dancers brother became a civil engineer. Today, Dr. Robert in the Choir; they gained freedom, hope, a much works in the village where he was born, giving back better education, and unlimited opportunities that to the community in ways that were unimaginable helped them become the professional adults they without the support of the African Children’s Choir. are today. In Robert’s words: “Before I joined the African Children’s Choir I was actually out of school. I didn’t have food to eat and I didn’t even have clothes to wear. I didn’t know where to sleep because we were 10 children sharing one house. When I joined the ACC, everything changed. They provided for me food, they provided for me shelter, and I was able to play with the others without fearing and wondering what I was going to eat the next day.” continues next page..
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The Shaking of the Nations By Perry Stone, Jr.
Think for a moment the number of revo-
lutions, civil uprisings, wars, and rumor of wars spreading from coast to coast and nation to nation: • The internal Civil War in Egypt between democracy candidates and Islamic radicals • The internal struggle in Libya between three tribes, following the overthrow of the former leader, Kaddafi • The continual conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians in Israel • The Civil War in Syria, that has cost the lives of over 140,000 people in Syria • The battle between the Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds in Iraq • The internal struggles between tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan • The conflict between Russia and Ukraine • The terrorist attacks against Christians in Nigeria
clear division that is building a fire of frustration in the bosom of God fearing, Bible loving believers. It just might be that the decisions being made, laws being passed, and arrogance of our leadership is part of a future shaking that is predicted to vibrate throughout the entire world. We read: “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are All of the above wars and conflicts (with the excepmade, that the things which cannot be shaken may tion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) have been remain” (Hebrews 12:25-27). The final shaking will unleashed in these nations during the past several expose the “stuff” hanging on to us that needs to years. This list does not include the “land” contention be removed to help us mature in Christ and better between India and Pakistan, or the Chinese Govern- run the race. As nations engage in war and the daily ment persecuting the Tibetan Monks and devout news announces a new rumor of war, remember Christians. When viewing a map of the areas where the purpose is to separate the tares and unite the these wars and rumors of wars are occurring, two righteous – or the wheat in the field – preparing it points are evident. First, the religion of Islam and its for the great gathering together. followers is involved in a majority of these clashes in some form or another. Second, these conflicts often center on opposing religious beliefs of two nations, and often involve ethnic groups of tribal regions. America is not exempt from its own form of internal and spiritual struggles. America was a nation once united around a set system of moral and spiri- Perry Stone is an International Evangelist and fourth tual beliefs, yet today the country is more divided generation minister of the gospel who directs one of as a nation than at any time since the Civil War. The America’s fastest growing ministries - Voice of Evangedivision is between the liberals and conservatives, lism. From its 70,000 square foot International Ministry the Democrats and the Republicans, atheists and Center, Voice of Evangelism is striving to reach the world believers. While our differences have not led to one with the Gospel of Christ through revivals, television, audio/video media, printed material and missionary group arresting the other or mass casualties from sponsorship. one side attacking their opposition, there is a
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Go to the 2014 Perry Stone Trip Online www.noseworthy.co/perrystonetour
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Bible End Times By End Times Prophecy
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11)
The Bible end times are here! And we are
living just before the second coming of Christ Jesus, when He will burst upon this world in glory with all His holy angels, and I hope and pray that you have come here today looking for the truth about end times Bible prophecy. Today we are living in a time like no other! The scoffers can mock all they like about earthquakes, wars and famine being with us for hundreds of years. But the fact of the matter is, if you take into account all the signs, you will see we are living in a time like no other before us! Are you ready? Friend, this is a very important hour we live in. Satan has come down with “great power and fury” and we must strive hard to press on into the Kingdom of God. We have a mighty foe to battle with, but an even mightier protector to strengthen us and help us! If we fix our eyes firmly on the present truth and have our hope cast within the Most Holy Place where Christ Jesus now resides, judging the world, then any winds of false doctrine and error will not move us. We will not be moved by worldly excitement and false revivals because we have followed our Master, Teacher, Saviour and Friend into the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary, where His people are being judged right now (1 Peter 4:17). This is a solemn time of soul searching and turning away from sin. Are you ready to stand before a Holy God?.
The Bible truth can be hard to find today in these end times, because it is being trampled down and replaced with lies by satan and his followers, which has caused a “falling away” from the Bible truth since the early Church, which Paul spoke about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ...’Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed.’ Through this gradual “falling away” many Christians have lost touch with the truth of God’s Word in the Bible and have accepted false end times prophecy teachings, which is why we are here to shine that true light again. Are you preparing yourself for the end time trial that is to fall upon the people of God, and to meet your coming Lord and Saviour? Are you watching for the signs of the times and studying Bible prophecy? I hope so, because time is running out and we need to be prepared!
www.end-times-prophecy.com
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WHY IS ISRAEL SO IMPORTANT? By Marianne Davis (Boise Christian Living Examiner)
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his is a question Dr. David Jeremiah raises in his New York Times Best Seller, What in the World is Going On? Israel is a tiny nation in the heart of the Middle East with just over seven million people - and yet the nation dominates the news. Why? According to Dr. Jeremiah, “The existence of Israel today is exhibit A in the lineup of convincing evidences that the Bible’s prophecies concerning the future ahead of us will be fulfilled. This means the future not only of Israel, but also of our world, our nation, as well as your future and mine.” On May 14, 1948, the United Nations declared Israel as a nation, and U.S. President Harry Truman cast the deciding vote. Dr. Jeremiah asserts that Truman was well aware of the historic and future significance of a new Israel nation. According to Truman’s biographer, the Chief Rabbi of Israel told the President, “God put you in your mother’s womb so that you would be the instrument to bring about the rebirth of Israel after two thousand years.” Herzog’s statement brought President Truman to tears. His vote had fulfilled a 2500-year-old prophecy in the Bible. The ancient nation of Israel began with one man. In the book of Genesis, God blessed Abraham because of his faith, and promised that Abraham’s descendents would form a great nation. God was faithful in His promise (Deuteronomy 7:6), and over an expanse of roughly 1200 years (from 2100 B.C. through 931 B.C.), Abraham’s descendents -- the Israelites -- settled in the “Promised Land” (Joshua 21:43) and became a formidable and wealthy nation under the rule of King David and his successor (and son), King Solomon. Over time, however, the Jews turned their back on God and began worshipping pagan gods of neighboring countries. God warned His people -- through prophets -- that He would scatter the Israelites out of their land if they continued to worship idols (Deuteronomy 4:27). But the Israelites rejected God’s messages and failed to heed His warnings. God allowed the Assyrians and the Babylonians to defeat Israel. The Jews were taken from their land as slaves in 586 B.C. -and with consecutive conquests -- fell under the oppression of Persia, Greece, and Rome. In 1516,
the land of Israel became part of the Ottoman Empire until World War I, when England gained possession. England issued the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which declared Palestine as “a national home for the Jewish people.” Both the Old Testament and New Testament prophesied that God would gather the scattered Jews into a nation once again. After World War II, more than a million displaced Jews moved to Palestine -- and then in a single day in 1948 -- the Jewish state became the State of Israel. Israel is now the geopolitical center of the world. What does that mean for people today? Dr. Jeremiah writes, “The significance of Israel’s reemergence in her ancient homeland is that this had to occur in order to set the stage for the final fulfillment of biblical prophecies” -- prophecies which predict the Second Coming of Christ. Dr. Jeremiah explains: “Indeed, Israel has been attacked over and over since its founding, sometimes in all-out wars and incessantly by terrorists. The Jewish people have survived by remaining vigilant, but they long for peace. According to the Bible, a future leader will fulfill this longing by brokering a seven-year peace deal with Israel’s enemies. But Scripture also tells us that this peace plan will be broken, and Israel will be attacked once again, this time as never before. Countless armies will amass against the boxed-in nation, leaving it with no human hope of victory. Only Christ’s return, His judgment, and His reign will finally bring true peace to Israel.” Jeremiah emphasizes that the emergence of Israel as a nation “pinpoints” where we are in the timeline of human history. He quotes an observation from Milton B. Lindberg: “Without the existence of the nation of Israel, we would not be able to say with certainty that we are in the last days. That single event, more than any other, is the most prominent sign that we are living the final moments before the coming of Jesus! The Hebrew People have been called God’s timepiece of the ages.”
Marianne-- a wife, a mom, and a student of the Bible -- has a passion for God and for His son, Jesus. Marianne examines how ordinary people follow an extraordinary King.
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Israel: God’s Temporal Kingdom By End Times Prophecy
We learn of a direct relationship between the dynasty of kings God promised would descend from Abraham and David and the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus Christ. The tribes of Israel, descendants of Abraham’s grandson Jacob, became a literal kingdom under the rule of King David. David, a physical ancestor of Jesus Christ, considered the eternal question of man’s purpose as he contemplated the glory of the heavens. “What is man that You are mindful of him,” he asked, “and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm:8:4). This is an eternal question of mankind. We continue to ask, “Is this life all there is?” Through David, God revealed He would intervene dramatically in human affairs, He would make “wars cease to the end of the earth,” and He would “be exalted among the nations” (Psalm:46:111). Through David, God established a dynasty of kings over Israel. Christ Himself, as “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew:1:1), was born to inherit David’s throne (Luke:1:32). We learn of a direct relationship between the dynasty of kings God promised would descend from Abraham and David and the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus Christ. “Should you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons?” (2 Chronicles:13:5). How long will David’s dynasty rule over Israel? David’s dominion is to last forever. David is the king who will rule over Israel after its restoration under the Messiah after His return to earth (Ezekiel:37:21-24). David’s rule, of course, can occur only after God resurrects David with all the other saints at the return of Christ. The kingdom God established through David was a forerunner of a much more important Kingdom Jesus Christ will establish in the future. Notice God pointing out the significance of David’s dynasty: “He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
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And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever” (1 Chronicles:17:12-14). God claimed David’s kingdom as “My kingdom”— a type, an example or forerunner, of the coming Kingdom of God. Comprehending the relationship between David’s temporal kingdom and the eternal Kingdom of God is crucial to understanding the gospel Christ and His apostles preached. Did Paul see a relationship between the gospel and God’s promises to David? “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans:1:1-4). While teaching on a Sabbath day in Antioch, Paul explained this concept: “And afterward [Israel] asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus” (Acts:13:21-23; compare 2 Timothy:2:8; Revelation:22:16).
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When Solomon, David’s son, became king, on whose throne did he sit? “Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father . . .” (1 Chronicles:29:23). Not only did God regard Israel as His temporal kingdom, He regarded the throne of Israel as His throne— the throne Jesus Christ will inherit (Luke:1:32). The kings of David’s dynasty were supposed to answer directly to God. But Israel and her kings were not faithful to their covenant with God, and the kingdom of Israel did not endure. Thus their direct contact with God ended. After Solomon’s reign the nation of Israel split in two. The 10 northern tribes continued to be called Israel. The southern kingdom, known as Judah, remained loyal to David’s dynasty of kings. But neither nation thereafter wholeheartedly followed the examples of Abraham and David. Eventually Israel and Judah both fell prey to their powerful neighbors. After a series of invasions, Israel collapsed and was taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. The kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. With their downfall, the temporal kingdom of Israel was crushed out of existence. Only a remnant of its people remained as captives and slaves. Among Judah’s captives who were removed to Babylon was a young man of noble birth named Daniel. God gave him the ability to interpret certain dreams and visions. Through Daniel’s interpretations God revealed an astoundingly hopeful future for Israel.
Is the work of organized religion the Kingdom of God on earth today? This is the central idea that shapes the view of the religious world, but is this the same Kingdom of God the Bible describes?
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What Will the New Earth be Like? By End Times Prophecy
The new earth is not mentioned much in
the Bible, but we can get enough information to find out what life might be like for those who are saved. But first let us quickly find out from the Bible when the earth is made new. If you take a look at the thousand years millennium study, you will see that when Christ Jesus returns at the second coming, He will resurrect the saints who have died and together with the saints who are still alive they will go to heaven for the thousand years. Satan is bound during this time. Then, when the thousand years are finished, the saints will return to earth with Christ and the New Jerusalem. The lost are then resurrected and with Satan they go to attack the New Jerusalem, but then God reigns fire down from heaven and destroys them all. Where do the lost go? Do the lost burn in hell forever? Now the fire that God brings down from heaven doesn’t just destroy the wicked, it is also used to make the earth new. ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea’ (Revelation 21:1). So the first heaven and earth have passed away, they have been burned by fire, and we now have the new earth and the new heaven. John also says that there is no more sea. Now if this is a literal statement and not a symbolic one, then we can conclude that on the new earth there will no longer be any great expanses of water. No more big seas or oceans, but there is a river that flows out from the New Jerusalem. ‘And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb’ (Revelation 22:1). This river will be like no other river you have seen or imagined before. ‘And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new’ (Revelation 21:5). As we can see from this verse, God isn’t going to renew some things, He is going to make all things new! We won’t see anything from the old world, because God said “for the former things are passed away’’ (Revelation 21:4). Everything from the old world has gone, it’s been burned up by the fire.
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Life on the New Earth There are a few verses that give us an idea about what life will be like and what we will do. Even if we didn’t have any verses about life on the new earth, we would know it will be amazing because of what God has promised. ’But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9). What a wonderful promise that is, and one we can trust in. We know from this verse alone that life on the new earth is going to be beyond our wildest dreams! ‘For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying’ (Isaiah 65:17-19). God has also given us a little peek at what life will be like. Take a look at the following verses: ’And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands’ (Isaiah 65:21-22). So we will build our own houses on the new earth and plant gardens and enjoy the work of our own hands. No longer will we have to work for others like we do now. ’For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD’ (Isaiah 66:22-23). So on the new earth we will go to the New Jerusalem every month (new moon) and every Sabbath day to worship God. We can understand going
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to worship God every week on the Sabbath day, but why every month also? Because there is a tree in the New Jerusalem, the tree of life, that will produce new fruit every month, and we will go to eat of that fruit. ’In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations’ (Revelation 22:2). Will there be any animals on the new earth? Yes there will be. ’The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD’ (Isaiah 65:25). We can see that on the new earth, the animals will dwell together in peace. Praise God!! ‘Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness’ (2 Peter 3:13). Life on the new earth is going to be glorious. No more pain, no more tears or sorrow, because we will be immortal. We will have a beautiful new earth to explore and build homes and gardens upon, and we will long enjoy the work of our own hands. Then there is the New Jerusalem where God’s throne, and the throne of Christ Jesus will be. We will go to the New Jerusalem every week and month to worship God and Jesus. Just imagine what that worship service will be like? I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for it!! There will be no night time in the New City because God will lighten it Himself with His presence. ‘And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever’ (Revelation 22:5). The only thing that the Bible doesn’t confirm is the fact that there is a vast universe out there for us to explore. Will we be able to explore the great universe that God has created? I believe we will, after all why would God create it all if we couldn’t enjoy exploring it? It does confirm that we will be made like the angels. ‘Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels’ (Luke 20:36). Now the angels can fly, so it’s a good chance that if we are made into like the angels, then we will be able to fly also.
The new earth awaits all those who follow Christ Jesus, and have the grace of God. I want to be there, how about you?
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The End of the World By Britt Gillette
S
ince the beginning of human history, speculation about the end of the world has fascinated mankind. Myths and stories about the end of the earth exist in almost every religion and culture ever known. And yet, somehow, men seem unsatisfied with the answers they receive. They turn to Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, or ancient Hindu writings hoping to uncover some modicum of truth that will satisfy their innate desire to know something about the future and the ultimate fate of the world. Never has mankind’s fascination with the end been more prevalent than it is today. Fears of global warming saturate the news media. Worry over a nuclear holocaust persists into its sixth decade. And storylines of asteroids, comets, aliens, or bio-engineered super-diseases wiping out all planetary life continue to dominate the themes of many Hollywood blockbusters. Throughout the world, people are plagued with the same recurring questions. Will the human race become extinct? Will nuclear war or global warming destroy the biosphere? Will the world as we know it continue to exist? The answer to these questions and many others concerning the end of the world are not found in the writings of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, or any other self-professed psychic. They can’t be found in Islamic, Hindu, or Buddhist writings. However, they can be found in the Bible. The bible, which has a track record of 100% accuracy when it comes to future events, has much to say about the ultimate fate of the earth, the people who live here, and creation itself. For those who wish to know the answers to these age old questions, the bible is your definitive source.
What the Bible Says According to the bible, the earth is eternal. So despite what some people say, we shouldn’t worry about the earth itself being destroyed. However, throughout the ages, the nature of the earth has changed, and it will change again in the near future. The Book of Genesis teaches that God created
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the earth and everything in it to be perfect. However, the nature of the earth changed when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This act prompted God to place a curse on the earth, and it radically transformed the nature of the earth itself. Several centuries later, the human race had become so corrupt that God decided to destroy it with a flood. However, God spared Noah and his family, allowing them to repopulate the earth of the present day. Throughout these changes, the earth as a creation has remained intact. But its nature has been radically altered twice. The bible teaches that it will soon be altered third time, and this time, the result will be far different from the previous ages.
The New World Verses throughout the bible point to the creation of a new earth. This shouldn’t be viewed as an entirely new physical creation by God. Rather it should be viewed as a highly transformative process whereby the current earth is reshaped by the hand of God to create a different world. The prophet Isaiah described this process over two thousand years ago: “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more” (Isaiah 65:17-19, NLT). The nature of the present earth will change dramatically. It will be transformed from a place of sadness and weeping to a place of intense happiness, where “the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.” The creation of this new earth is also mentioned by Peter who encourages us to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. He encourages us to do so, because he knows this present age will soon pass:
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“And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish” (2 Peter 3:7, NLT).
killing animals and many animals killing humans. But on the new earth, “nothing will hurt or destroy.” And the number of people who know the Lord will be as endless as the waters in the sea.
“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment” (2 Peter 3:10, NLT).
Isaiah continues his description in Chapter 65:
“Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along - the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and the new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God” (2 Peter 3:11-13, NLT). From these passages, it is clear that God will one day use fire to create a new earth from the present world. It will be dramatically different from the one in which we live. But how different? What will the new earth look like? The bible provides us with a vivid illustration.
What Will the Future Earth Look Like? The Book of Isaiah contains a wealth of information on the nature, quality, and characteristics of the new earth. One of the first references is found in Chapter 11: “In that day, the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord” (Isaiah 11:6-9, NLT). God will finally lift the curse He placed on the earth following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. This curse created a conflict between the animal kingdom and mankind with many humans
“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Isaiah 65:20-25). Babies will not die, and the lifespan of the human race will be extended well beyond current expectations. Life expectancy will be so great that the death of a one hundred year old person will be a notable tragedy. People will enjoy the fruits of their labor without fear that someone will come and steal what they have. The people of the new earth will be so close to God that He will answer their prayers before they have even prayed them! Animals who are natural enemies in our age will become friends on the new earth, and all the animals of the earth will be herbivores. In addition, waters will burst forth and give life to that which was previously uninhabitable: “And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and continues next page..
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reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived” (Isaiah 35:5-7, NLT). The first part of this passage was partially fulfilled in the miracles of Jesus Christ. Through the life of Christ, the human race received a glimpse of the new earth that is to come. It will be a place where the miracles performed by Christ two thousand years ago will be in perpetual abundance. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will leap like deer, and the mute will shout and sing. Meanwhile, the land will be blessed with life-giving water: “On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously both in summer and winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord - his name alone will be worshiped” (Zechariah 14:8-9, NLT). The Dead Sea will spring to life, and the name of the Lord alone will be worshiped throughout the world. All idols, false religions, and false prophets will disappear. The new earth will be filled with people who know the Lord and are devoted to Him only. More importantly, the Lord Himself will be king over all of the earth. He will dwell among His people, providing them with everything they need: In the last days, the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth. People from all over the world will go there to worship. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him. For in those days the Lord’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will settle international disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord Almighty has promised this!” (Micah 4:1-4, NLT). On the new earth, Jerusalem will be the center of the world. It will be the dwelling place of the Lord, and people from every nation will travel to Jerusalem to worship and to have their disputes settled. War will no longer exist. Because of this, armies and weapons will no longer exist. The Lord will settle all disputes, and the people will devote the energy they previously expended on war to
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prosperous living and worship of the Lord. Peace and prosperity will be abundant, and there will be nothing to fear. Knowing what we now know about the new earth, who would not want to live there? Unfortunately, the bible also tells us that many will turn down their invitation to this blessed new world. The only way to get there will be to place one’s trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who will be the undisputed ruler of the new earth.
When Will This Future World Arrive? Because the new earth is the creation of Jesus Christ, it will not arrive until after His Glorious Appearing. In the interim, many politicians, idealists, and others will conjure their own ideas of how to create such a world. But placing faith in any of these people or their schemes will only lead to disappointment. For the bible is clear that the new earth will only arrive when God comes to physically dwell among His people: “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever”(Revelation 21:3-4, NLT). When God dwells among men, the earth will no longer harbor death or sorrow or crying or pain. It will be a new world. The old world will have come to an end - its evils gone forever.
The End of the World is Not to be Feared Knowing the promises of the Lord, none of us should live in fear of the end of the world. The present fears of this world are fleeting in nature, and the Lord is in perfect control. He has made clear the end from the beginning, and it is clear that the final end of this world is not a time to mourn, but rather a time to celebrate. Jesus Himself reiterated this concept: “The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power
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and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:26-28, NLT). The arrival of Jesus Christ at the Glorious Appearing should not be a time of anguish, but a time to rejoice. Although we are familiar with the things of this world, we can not fathom the glory of that which God has in store for us. It will far surpass the things of this world, so we should patiently and eagerly await the Lord’s return. For Christ’s return will bring with it our salvation and the blessings of the new earth.
Conclusion: Those who worry about the end of the world or live in fear of a great worldwide catastrophe are not living their lives in accordance with God. For God tells us to live boldly and without fear of the things of this world: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT). Don’t worry about global warming or a nuclear holocaust. Don’t live in fear of a worldwide pandemic or asteroids or comets or aliens or massive volcanoes. The Lord is in control of everything, and He has already revealed what will happen to this present age. He will usher in the end of the world and transform the earth into his own dwelling place. Therefore, if we are to have fear of anything, it should be the Lord Himself. The prophet Isaiah agrees: “Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else” (Isaiah 8:13, NLT). Jesus reminds His disciples of this command while teaching them not to fear persecution: ‘Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell’ (Matthew 10:28, NLT). In short, don’t fear the end of this world. Celebrate it. Christ is coming. And when He arrives, He will eliminate all the evils of this world, including our fear and worry. Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology.
www.brittgillette.com
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CRISIS EVANGELISM FUND… UKRAINE… SERVING CHURCHES REACHING …. RUSSIA By Slavic Association (SGA)
While the 24-hour news cycle has largely
pushed Ukraine out of the news, the country remains in crisis. Even after the election of a new president May 25, violence continues to take place in the eastern part of the country. Faithful Ukrainian churches—made up of both Russian and Ukrainian Christians—are reaching out to refugees from the violence and other victims in the love of Christ. SGA has created a Crisis Evangelism Fund to help them seize this opportunity to reach their hurting people with the Gospel! Urgent Crisis Response Since the crisis in Ukraine erupted several months ago, much has happened. As noted, a new president has been elected and will soon be inaugurated. Yet armed attacks continue. There have been militant attacks on border posts and fighting in some large eastern cities. Evangelical churches want to help meet the needs of refugees, as well as needy families in these high-conflict regions. They have asked for our assistance, and we need your help to make it happen. SGA’s Crisis Evangelism Fund will help local pastors who have few resources, and will enable their churches to distribute food aid, Bibles, Christian literature, and other essentials as needed and available. Most of all, distressed families and individuals will hear the life-changing Gospel and experience the love of Christ—the only true hope for ultimate peace and reconciliation. The Crisis Evangelism Fund will help Ukrainian Christians make an eternal difference in the lives of men, women, and
children whose hearts have been broken by what has happened to their lives, and to their country. Your gifts to the fund can help accomplish so many things. As examples, $15 can help provide a food pack, which can contain items such as flour, cooking oil, pasta, and other staples plus Christian literature. Larger gifts can help in other ways, such as reaching out to refugees with physical assistance and the Gospel. The churches and missionary pastors will be enabled to reach out as needs arise in specific locations. Gifts to the fund can also provide Bibles and Christian literature, and support the ministries of missionary pastors whose churches are in the conflict zones.
SGA has been working in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries since 1934, serving churches and reaching the lost with the Gospel. For more information, please visit the website www.sga.org, or call 1-800-BIBLE-50.
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The Dutch FA Faces Questions Over Participation in The Next World Cup, Hosted by Russia By Dominic Gover
Football chiefs in the Netherlands are facing
questions over whether the national team should boycott the next World Cup in Russia in protest at the MH17 air disaster. Public anger is running high in the Netherlands about the deaths of almost 200 Dutch nationals including many children and delays in returning victims’ bodies to grieving families. Netherlands finished third in the latest edition of the World Cup in Brazil, but now the possibility has been mooted that Oranje could boycott Russia in four years’ time. The Dutch football federation (KNVB) admitted it has faced the question several times. In response the ruling body refused to rule it out, saying only that it was “too soon” to make a decision. “Different people have asked the KNVB questions about (taking part in) the 2018 World Cup in Russia,” said the federation. “We realize that a future World Cup in Russia will be very emotive for all football lovers and relatives of the dead in the Netherlands. During these black days the KNVB is with the families, friends and football clubs of the victims. “Silence over this immense loss is the current priority. The KNVB thinks that it is more appropriate for discussion about the future World Cup in Russia to be held at a later date, when the investigation of the disaster is completed.” Around 193 of the 298 victims on board MH17 were Dutch. The first bodies from the doomed Malaysian Airlines flight have arrived back in the Netherlands. Forty coffins have since arrived in Eindhoven following public outcry in Holland over the time taken to repatriate the deceased from the crash scene in eastern Ukraine. Both sides in the conflict between Ukraine and pro-Kremlin militia have denied responsibility for the downing of flight MH17 with suspected surface to air missiles.
Photography by Getty
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Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 passengers By Heather Tooley
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 passengers
and crew members aboard the doomed airplane amounted to 298. Their nationalities have been confirmed by the airline. The tragedy took innocent lives, with some being public figures or renown professionals in their field of expertise. Among the victims on MH17 were: An AIDS researcher, British soccer fans, a South African rescue helicopter pilot and a Dutch senator. This came out via CBC News in a July 18 report. Quinn Lucas Schansman had dual citizenship. He was a Dutch-American. His Facebook profile describes that he was studying international business at Amsterdam’s University of Applied Sciences. Obama said in his speech: “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family for this terrible loss.” The report explains that two-thirds of the passengers destined to Kuala Lumpur Airport from Amsterdam were 189 from the Netherlands. British and international AIDS researcher, Joep Lange, was on his way to a Melbourne for an huge AIDS conference His clinical research specialized in HIV therapy. His death stunned the AIDS research community as he was a recognized authority globally in the field. Lange is also known for his generous support of offering HIV-positive patients in poor countries access to affordable drugs. Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center hospital said this in a statement after the MH 17 crash: “Joep was a man who knew no barriers. He was a great inspiration for everybody who wanted to do something about the AIDS tragedy in Africa and Asia.” In a report by The Mail-Courier, an Australian family experienced the loss of a son and daughterin-law when Malaysia Flight MH370 went missing. Now Irene and George Burrows must deal with another unthinkable tragedy from Flight MH17. Their devastation was compounded once again to learn step-granddaughter, Maree Rizk, and her husband, Albert, were killed. Irene’s son Greg Burrows said this on the family’s behalf: “It has been a very trying day.” Noting: “This has just blown everyone clean out of the water.’’ On the missing MH370 flight their son, Rodney Burrows and wife his wife, Mary, were on board. They also had friends on the flight -- Cathy and Bob Lawton.
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They were on their way to China for a holiday getaway. Their son Jayden Burrows, said in a statement back in March, said that the family was trying to come to terms with the “terrible tragedy” aboard MH370. Moreover, Malaysia Airlines listed the nationality of Flight MH 17 passengers as: 189 Dutch; 44 Malaysians; 27 Australians; 12 Indonesians; 9 Britons; 4 Germans; 4 Belgians; 3 Filipinos; 1 Canadian; 1 American; 1 New Zealander; and 4 unverified.
Heather Tooley has covered a variety of news angles in online media. She adds her own voice to many of the stories that reveal must-know facts on the hottest topics readers want to know more about.
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Ensuring That Student Loans are Affordable “Let’s tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years –- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.” – President Barack Obama, January 27, 2010
A year ago, President Obama set a national
goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. But because of the high costs of college, about two-thirds of graduates take out loans with an average student debt of over $23,000. This debt is particularly burdensome for graduates who choose to enter lower-paying public service careers, suffer setbacks such as unemployment or serious illness, or fail to complete their degree. To ensure that Americans can afford their student loan payments, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act gives student borrowers new choices in how they repay their loans. The initiative was developed by the Middle Class Task Force chaired by Vice President Biden, and it will expand the income-based repayment plan for federal student loans that was put in place last summer. More than 1.2 million borrowers are projected to qualify and take part in the expanded IBR program. Under this new law, students enrolling in 2014 or later can choose to: [1] Limit Payments to 10 Percent of Income: Borrowers choosing the income-based repayment plan will pay no more than 10 percent of their income above a basic living allowance, reduced from 15 percent under current law. The basic living allowance varies with family size and is set at 150 percent of the poverty line, currently equaling about $16,500 for a single individual and $33,000 for a family of four. • More than 1 million borrowers would be eligible to reduce their monthly payments. • The payment will be reduced by more than $110 per month for a single borrower who earns $30,000 a year and owes $20,000 in college loans, based on 2009 figures.
[2] Forgive Any Remaining Debt after 20 Years, or after 10 Years for Those in Public Service: Borrowers who take responsibility for their loans and make their monthly payments will see their remaining balance forgiven after 20 years of payments, reduced from 25 years in current law. • Public service workers – such as teachers, nurses, and those in military service – will see any remain ing debt forgiven after 10 years. [3] Fully Funded by Student Loan Reforms: These new initiatives are funded by ending the current subsidies given to financial institutions that make guaranteed federal student loans. Starting July 1, all new loans will be direct loans delivered and collected by private companies under performance-based contracts with the Department of Education. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, ending these wasteful subsidies will free up nearly $68 billion for college affordability and deficit reduction over the next 11 years. These proposals are part of the Obama-Biden Administration’s ambitious agenda to make higher education more affordable and to help more Americans earn college degrees. This agenda includes: • More than doubling funding for Pell scholarships between 2008 and 2011. • Tripling the largest college tax credit - the Ameri can Opportunity Tax Credit. • Increasing investments in America’s community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universi ties and other Minority Serving Institutions. • Simplifying the federal student aid application (FAFSA) making it easier to apply for college financial aid.
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The Sons of Abraham By United Church of God
It’s impossible to understand the present Middle East without a knowledge of the three great religions that emanate from the area—Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
T
hese three faiths all trace their spiritual roots back to the same individual, Abraham. The towering historical figures behind these three religions—Moses, Jesus Christ and Muhammad— were all direct descendants of Abraham. Abraham, born in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, was the son of Terah, a descendant of Shem, a son of Noah. Born almost 4,000 years ago, Abraham’s impact on the Middle East is still with us to this day. As a descendant of Noah’s son Shem, Abraham and his descendants were a Semitic people. In Genesis 11 we see that Shem’s greatgrandson Eber (verse 14-16) was a direct ancestor of Abraham, and it is from Eber that the term Hebrew comes. Called “the father of the faithful” (Compare Romans:4:11), Abraham obeyed God’s instruction to leave his native Ur and move to Haran. As Stephen, the devout first martyr of the Christian era, put it: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you”’ (Acts:7:2-3). Both Ur and Haran were cities in Mesopotamia, which refers to the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Haran was a natural stopping-off point for Abraham and Sarah, who were about to be sent by God to a new land, a significant turning point in the history of the region. We read of this move in Genesis:12:1-4, following the death of Abraham’s father, Terah. Again, notice his example of unquestioning obedience: “Now the LORD had said to Abram [this being his original name, which was later expanded to Abraham]: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing ...’ So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him ...” Hebrews:11:8 adds: “And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
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God was working with Abraham to establish him and his descendants in the land of Canaan (later called the Promised Land and often referred to as the Holy Land). At the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, this area was ideal for God’s chosen people, who were to be an example to the rest of the world (Deuteronomy:4:5-8). On arriving in the new land, God promised Abraham that He would give the land to his descendants (Genesis:12:7). “And the LORD said to Abram,... ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever’” (Genesis:13:14-15). God added: “And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered” (verse 16). Significantly, God later changed
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Abram’s name to Abraham (Genesis:17:5). His earlier name meant “high (exalted) father.” God renamed him “father of a multitude,” saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you” (verse 6).
traits that would be evident throughout their history: “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count ... You arenow with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael [‘God hears’], for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (verses 10-12, New International Version). This description of Hagar’s descendants is significant because many of today’s Arabs are Ishmaelites—descendants of this same Ishmael, whose father was Abraham. Muhammad, the founder and prophet of Islam, was descended from Kedar, one of the 12 sons of Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic). Today 22 nations in the Middle East and North Africa are Arabic nations, most of whose people are adherents of Islam. An additional 35 countries are members of the Islamic Conference, most of them with Islamic governments, but whose people are of different descent. Even before Ishmael’s descendants God called Abraham to leave Ur to journey to a new land. arrived in the area, the term arab was used God promised Abraham the territory between Egypt and to denote the peoples of the Arabian the Euphrates River. peninsula. With the spread of Islam, Arabs and the Arabic language today encompass a vast region. At the time these prophecies must have The divinely prophetic words spoken to Hagar are seemed ironic to Abraham, for his wife Sarah was still of great significance today. barren. Her infertility was to be very significant in The prophecy that Ishmael “will be a wild the development of the modern Middle East. God donkey of a man” is not meant as an insult. The promised Abraham in Genesis:15:4 that he would wild donkey was the aristocrat of the wild beasts have an heir: “one who will come from your own of the desert, the preferred prey of hunters. The body.” Impatient, Sarah told Abraham to take her prophecy is a reference to how Ishmael’s descenEgyptian handmaid Hagar and to produce a child dants would emulate the lifestyle of the wild by her. This took place “after Abram had dwelt ten donkey, leading a free and noble existence in the years in the land of Canaan” (Genesis:16:1-3 ). desert. “His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him” similarly refers to this Abraham’s first son is born independent lifestyle. Ishmael’s descendants have always resisted foreign domination. “He will live in “So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And hostility towards all his brothers” is a reference to when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress the enmity that has historically existed among the became despised in her eyes” (Genesis:16:4). The Arabs and between the Arabs and the other sons relationship between Sarah and Hagar quickly of Abraham. deteriorated and Hagar fled. But a divine message was given to Hagar, telling her to return. It also reassured her that her son would have many descendants—but descendants with August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |59
Abraham’s second son Fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael, God blessed Abraham with another son, this time by his wife Sarah. He told them to name their son Isaac (meaning “laughter” for the incredulous reaction they had when told they would have a son at their advanced age as well as the joy that he would later bring to his parents, Genesis:17:17, 19; 18:10-15; 21:5-6). Isaac in turn fathered Jacob, also named Israel, the father of the Israelites. Ishmael’s and Isaac’s descendants are therefore cousins. “So the child [Isaac] grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac’” (Genesis:21:8-10). This displeased Abraham, who had grown to love Ishmael. “But God said to Abraham, ‘... Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called” (verse 12). God further reassured Abraham: “Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman [Ishmael], because he is your seed” (verse 13). “So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness ...” (verse 20). It cannot be said that Ishmael hated Isaac. But after 14 years as an only child, Isaac’s arrival fundamentally changed Ishmael’s relationship with his father, Abraham. Afterward, Ishmael felt envy and rivalry toward his half brother, feelings that tribally have survived down through the centuries and which affect the politics of the Middle East today.
Normally the firstborn would receive the birthright, but here it was to be different. The Bible records that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew (verses 29-34), showing how little it meant to him. Sometime later, Jacob tricked his father into giving him the birthright blessing (chapter 27). For this, “Esau hated Jacob” (verse 41). Again, the consequences of this are with us to this day.The descendants of Esau (also called Edom, Genesis:25:30) intermarried with Ismael’s descendants, their bitterness and resentment against Jacob’s descendants intensifying through the centuries. Esau’s grandson Amalek (Genesis:36:12) was the father of the Amalekites, who became bitter foes of the descendants of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel. A prophecy about Amalek foretold endless war between them “from generation to generation” (Exodus:17:16). Some scholars believe that many of today’s Palestinians are largely the descendants of the Amalekites.
-The Book-
Isaac’s two sons Further family complications were ahead. Isaac, in turn, had two sons, Jacob and Esau, twins by his wife Rebekah. Even before they were born, “the children struggled together within her” (Genesis:25:22). God explained: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” (verse 23). Both brothers were to father great nations, a blessing from God to Abraham’s grandsons.
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Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Ancient People in a Modern World: The Ethiopian Jewish Community in Israel By World Jewry
Imagine how difficult it would be to be
suddenly swept into a modern culture. To leave everything you ever knew behind. To learn a new language, new customs, new rules. This is the reality of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel. Some experts think that it may be years before their acculturation is complete, a process that affects the entire community ¬ from the children who are often misdiagnosed as educationally handicapped to the elderly who see traditions like respect from their family dwindling. Added to the difficulty of adapting, many Ethiopian parents have trouble learning Hebrew and cannot communicate outside their homes. And even with a shared language, there are problems. When referring to emotional pain, Western cultures speak of “heartbreak.” Ethiopians speak of “stomach ache.” It’s more than semantics. Israeli teachers, principals, guidance counselors and employers all have to be educated. With half of all Ethiopians in Israel under the age of 18, education becomes especially meaningful for the community’s long-term absorption. Practically everyone involved with the Ethiopian community believes that education is the key to meaningful long-term absorption. Only 50 percent of Ethiopian three-yearolds attend pre-school, compared to 90 percent of other Israelis. Elementary-school children tend to fall behind in basic skills, like reading, writing and math. The result, some 1,000 Ethiopian students have dropped out, and many more are at a high risk to do the same. No one in Israel fully recognized the depth of the problems until the families started to interact in Israeli society; until the children began to be compared to other school age children; until the parents themselves started to recognize their children¹s difficulties. August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |61
ORU Sends Record Number of Students on Missions Trips to Five Continents
Oral Roberts University sent more than 315
students on missions trips to 25 countries and five continents around the world this summer. It is the largest group of students to ever participate in ORU summer missions. The students participated in community and engineering projects, medical clinics, education incentives and business consulting —all while spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Countries visited include the following: Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Chile, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Italy, Japan, Malawi, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Zambia. Team highlights include the following: Brazil (Amazon) Team Brazil traveled 16 hours by boat to participate in an ongoing project in the Amazon jungle known as Project Amazon (PAZ). The team worked to construct a church for villagers and spent time in the evenings building relationships, sharing personal testimonies and communicating the message of God’s hope. Ghana (Medical) Team Ghana medical served the community in Ghana with health and medical clinics. The team portrayed the love of God through medicine and prayed with thousands of patients during their stay. Tanzania Team Tanzania spread the Gospel to unreached people groups in remote villages, deep in the African bush. The team had the opportunity to minister through road construction and share the Gospel with people who had never before heard of Jesus Christ.
Thailand (Education) Team Thailand taught English classes at Santisuk English School using a Christian curriculum. In the classroom, they had opportunities to share about their walk with the Lord and develop close relationships with students ranging from college age to working professionals. Zambia (Business) Team Zambia business traveled to Lusaka, Zambia and used business development strategies learned at ORU to connect and minister with local businessmen. The team partnered with local churches to run business conferences as well as entrepreneurship workshops. Chancellor Oral Roberts, the founder of ORU, believed that the mission of this university was to bring healing not just to man’s physical body but also to the “totality of his needs.” In 1976, this purpose led to the creation of ORU Missions and Outreach, to do just that, to create opportunities for students to “bring healing to man in the totality of his needs” and to “show our Christian concern to humanity.”
For more information about ORU Missions, visit www.oruoutreach.com
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Iraq Is Falling: What the latest round of violence in Iraq means By Michael D. Evans
An Al Qaeda splinter group has seized some
of Iraq’s largest cities and is marching toward Baghdad with thousands of well-armed fighters. Their ultimate goal is the creation of an Islamic state. The group is sometimes called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); but their all-inclusive name is the Islamic State of the Levant (ISIL)—meaning they have designs on the entire region. The dream of an Islamic caliphate that will stretch around the globe is alive and well today. Terrorist forces have seized territory from Iraq’s borders with Syria and Turkey all the way to the city of Fallujah, just 40 miles from Baghdad. The ISIL group is Sunni Muslim, and has fought in support of the bloody Assad regime in Syria. Now they are fighting against the Shia-led government of Iraq, which is being reinforced by Iranian Special Forces units. The battle for control of Iraq is a battle for control of the future Islamic caliphate which both Sunnis and Shia believe is coming. The dream of the Muslim future is a world living under sharia law. Both sides support this goal—they are now killing each other by the tens of thousands for the sake of each controlling its common vision of the future. The Bible has much to say about Iraq—the ancient empire of Babylon. It was the center of opposition to God from the time of the tower of Babel to the empire that destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple under Nebuchadnezzar. And Revelation tells us that the final battles of the age will be waged and inspired by demonic spirits that are bound there right now. Our government and even many Christians do not view what is happening in the Middle East as a spiritual war. They see the military wars and the economic wars, but they miss the most important part. I blew the trumpet to sound this warning 35 years ago. In 1979 my book Israel: America’s Key to Survival had on its cover an American flag being cut in half by an Islamic sword. The hatred of radical Muslims is not just directed at Israel—they want to destroy us as well.
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The destruction of Israel (the “little Satan”) and the destruction of America (the “great Satan”) are linked as steps toward the same goal. There is no doubt that we are dealing with principalities and powers in spiritual warfare. The very name Levant is linked according to some sources to an ancient demonic power. Certainly the region has long been the center of opposition to God’s plan for mankind. In light of this unmistakable truth, how should we respond? The Bible gives the answer: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-13). More than twenty years ago I was mocked when I told America’s leaders that a terrorist attack would be launched against New York City and the World Trade Center towers. I was told that I was delusional—that the Islamic religion did not pose a threat. I knew better. I had been briefed by continues next page..
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Isser Harel, the former head of Mossad, who told me that such an attack would definitely come Even after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, few heeded my warning. They simply did not understand the role spiritual warfare plays in world events. Only after the tragedy of 9/11 did some people begin to pay attention. Even after that demonstration of the purpose and commitment of our enemies, some still refuse to acknowledge the reality of what we face. John the Revelator described present-day Iraq (ancient and future Babylon in the spirit realm) perfectly: He cried out in a powerful voice, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every evil spirit, every unclean bird, and every unclean and hated beast” (Revelation 18:2). During the lead-up to the war in 2003, I wrote a book called Beyond Iraq: The Next Move. In it I said that God-fearing Americans must fall on our knees and pray, or our military victory would be short-lived. Unless the demonic forces behind terrorism are confronted and defeated, they will return again and again. In 2007 I wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller Final Move Beyond Iraq. In it I pointed out that the moral relativistic views of liberals make it hard for them to see moral issues clearly. They reject absolute standards of good and evil of right and wrong. In their worldview, man is perfectible, human nature is on the path toward enlightenment and the concept of original sin is primitive. This is a false and deadly belief. When they refuse to confront evil, evil does not cease to exist. It only becomes stronger. The jihadist terrorists strike at the body…the moral relativist strikes at the soul; both evils must be confronted. No battle can ever be won in the physical world until it is first fought and won in the spirit realm. This is our calling today—the message from Iraq that you and I must hear and to which we must respond: If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Dr. Michael Evans is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His latest fiction book, Born Again (1967) is available at www.TimeWorthyBooks.com. August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |65
Evangelicals Demand Obama Exempt Religious Groups From Same -Sex Nondiscrimination Order By NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS
Last week, President Obama announced his
plans to issue an executive order that would prohibit federal contractors from considering sexual orientation or gender identity in hiring decisions. The NAE met with White House officials to provide input, and leaders from a long list of organizations and denominations signed a letter to the president asking for robust religious freedom protections in any executive order. By email: c/o Melissa Rogers, Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: As leaders and supporters of faith-based service organizations, we ask that you include explicit religious freedom protections in any executive order providing nondiscrimination guarantees for LGBT employees of federal contractors. We have a variety of views on the merits of such an executive order. However, we are united in asking that any such executive order be written in a way that protects the religious freedom of faith-based service providers. Any executive order that does not fully protect religious freedom will face widespread opposition and will further fragment our nation. Our requests are grounded in the historical context of strong federal legal protections for religious organizations’ hiring practices. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as upheld by a unanimous Supreme Court, religious organizations are free to consider religion when deciding who is most qualified to join their respective staffs. They are free under Title VII to maintain a conduct standard that reflects their religions’ sincerely held beliefs, which include deep convictions about human
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sexuality. Also by a unanimous vote, the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that, even in the context of federal nondiscrimination laws, both the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses protect the right of religious organizations to hire ministerial staff according to their religious beliefs and standards of conduct. The Court acknowledged that nondiscrimination laws are “undoubtedly important. But so too is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith, and carry out their mission.” While the courts have not precisely defined the scope of “ministerial staff,” the Supreme Court’s emphatic recognition of the constitutional protection that is due to the beliefs of religious groups and to their choices of key staff strongly supports our request for the language we propose below. To its credit, your Administration has continued to respect this vital element of religious freedom by leaving intact the 2002 amendment to Executive Order 11246 that clarified that religious organizations that utilize their freedom under the religious exemption of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are nonetheless eligible to be federal contractors or subcontractors. As a result, faith-based organizations that consider religion in their employment decisions continue to contract with the federal government. The vital services that religious organizations provide when actingas federal contractors include: 1) overseas relief and development services in partnership with USAID (which increasingly employs contracts as well as grants); 2) services on contract with the Bureau of Prisons; and 3) research, technical assistance, and other services via
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contracts and subcontracts with other federal departments and agencies. Many of these religious organizations maintain employee moral conduct standards along with their requirement that staff members agree with the organizations’ religious commitments. These organizations often are the best-qualified applicants for federal contracts or subcontracts. It would be counterproductive to bar them from offering their services to the federal government simply because of their legally protected religious convictions; it would be wrong to require them to violate those legally protected convictions in order to be eligible to receive federal contracts. Their exclusion from federal contracting would be diametrically opposed to the Administration’s commitment to having “all hands on deck” in the fight against poverty and other dire social problems. Specifically, we request that any LGBT executive order respect religious freedom by providing the following concrete protections for faith-based service organizations: 1. Exemption language for religious organizations similar to that recently adopted by the Senate. This is necessary so that the executive order does not have the effect of excluding faith-based organizations that exercise their constitutional and Title VII right to have religiously grounded employee belief and conduct requirements. In passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 815), the Senate respected religious freedom and accommodated many religious organizations by exempting them from the proposed nondiscrimination requirements as follows (as adapted to reference the Executive Order): This Executive Order shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution or institution of learning, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) pursuant to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e–1(a), 2000e–2(e)(2)). 2. A non-retaliation clause. A religious exemption will only be meaningful if organizations that claim it are not punished for asserting their rights. Therefore please include a non-retaliation provision, similar to that passed by the Senate in S.815: A religious organization’s exemption hereunder shall not result in any action by a federal agency, to penalize or withhold
licenses, permits, certifications, accreditation, grants, guarantees, tax-exempt status, or any other benefits or exemptions from that organization, or to prohibit that organization’s participation in programs or activities sponsored by that federal agency. 3. Purposes language. Please include in the executive order the purposes language adopted in ENDA by the Senate. The Senate clarified that its purpose in adopting ENDA was not only to eradicate wrongful employment discrimination but also: “to reinforce the Nation’s commitment to fairness and equal opportunity in the workplace consistent with the fundamental right of religious freedom.” 4. Construction language. Because the manner in which courts are to balance these rights is contested, we request the following language to underscore this Administration’s intent to protect religious freedom in the context of any LGBT executive order: Nothing in this Executive Order shall be evidence of or construed to establish a compelling government interest with respect to a claim under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States or under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. §2000bb et seq.). Mr. President, you have spoken eloquently of your commitment to protecting religious liberty, our nation’s first freedom. As you seek to promote the rights of LGBT persons, please also protect the rights of faith-based organizations that simply desire to utilize staffing practices consistent with their deep religious convictions as they partner with the federal government via contracting or subcontracting. Thank you for considering our concerns and recommendations. We stand ready to discuss these suggestions with the appropriate member of your Administration. Sincerely, [1] Corporation of Presiding Bishop v. Amos, 483 U.S. 327 (1987). [2] Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, 132 S. Ct. 694 (2012). [3] Id. at 710. [4] The amendment was made in a section of Executive Order 13279, Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations (Dec. 12, 2002). [5] The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (S. 815), Sec. 6(a). [6] Id., Sec. 2(4).
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EMPOWERED21 and YOUVERSION launch “THE SPIRIT FILLED LIFE” devotional
With more than 142 million downloads on
smartphones and tablets, YouVersion’s Bible app is allowing people around the world to experience the bestselling book in history in new ways. The popular app has partnered with Empowered21 to launch a new 30 day devotional titled “The Spirit Filled Life.” “YouVersion’s Bible app has revolutionized the way that believers experience God’s Word on a global scale,” said Empowered21 President and Global Co-Chair William Wilson. “We are thankful for their support of the Spirit-empowered movement and pray that God will use this series to teach new generations about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.” “The Spirit Filled Life” series of devotions was created by leaders of the Spiritempowered movement to challenge the way believers view the Holy Spirit. Topics include renewal, direction, comfort, help, healing, restoration, and intercession for the Christian life. Devotionals were designed to bring transformation to the hearts, work, families, and ministries of believers around the world. Contributors include Lisa Bevere, co-host of The Messenger television program; Jürgen Bühler, executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ); Juanita Cercone, president of Enlace Television Network; Daniel de León, pastor of Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, Calif.; Jeff Farmer, chair of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA); David Ferguson, author/developer of the Intimacy Therapy model and founder of Intimate Life Ministries; Alton Garrison, assistant general superintendent of the Assemblies of God; John Glass, general superintendent of the Elim Pentacostal Church; Prince Guneratnam, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jack Hayford, founder and chancellor of The Kings University in Los Angeles, Calif. and founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, Calif.; Wayne Hilsden, senior pastor at King of Kings Community Jerusalem; Rob Hoskins, president of One Hope; Cindy Jacobs,
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founder of Generals International; Young Hoon Lee, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Korea Yoido General Council and senior pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church; Stevie Mitchell, pastor of prayer and healing ministries at Grace North Church in Phoenix, Ariz.; Gordon Moore, senior minister of C3 Church Bridgeman Downs, Australia and national director for the C3 Church Global movement of churches; Craig Mosgrove, high school, college and 20-somethings pastor at North Cleveland Church of God in Cleveland, Tenn; Opoku Onyinah, president of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, and chairman of the Church of Pentecost; Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and overseer of Third Day Worship Centers, Assemblies of God; Tim Ross, executive pastor at Gateway Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex; Wilson and George O. Wood, Empowered21 global co-chair, general superintendent for the Assemblies of God USA and chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. “The Spirit Filled Life” is being released as Empowered21 prepares for the Global Congress, which will be held in Jerusalem May 20-25, 2015. The Empowered21 Global Congress is a call to all believers from around the world to celebrate Pentecost in the land of Pentecost. This historic meeting will begin with a grand opening celebration in the Jerusalem Arena on Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The next day will feature general sessions and focused tracks including: prayer and intercession, discipleship task force, next gen youth leaders, pastoral leadership, scholars consultation, prophetic themes, missions/global evangelism, the land of Pentecost, signs/wonders/healing, marketplace and church planting, and the book of Acts. On Friday, May 22, an outdoor worship event will be held in Manger Square in Bethlehem. There will be a special service on Saturday, May 23, at the Jordan River at the spot where it is believed that Jesus was
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baptized by John the Baptist. Also, on this day and other points in the week, conference attendees will spread out to bless the land in an outreach called “Hope in the Holy Land.” Attendees will work on a variety of service projects including: cleaning streets and windows, distributing groceries and school supplies, running a kids zone, feeding the poor, serving at community centers, running a health clinic and participating in a blood drive. The Global Congress will end Sunday, May 24, in a full-throttle Pentecost celebration at the Jerusalem Arena. Believers from around the world will unite to ask for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to reach the ends of the Earth. This event is the celebration of Shavuot, occurring the same day as Pentecost Sunday on the western calendar.
“The Spirit Filled Life” can be accessed at: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/945-thespirit-filled-life. To download the Bible App, visit: bible.com/app
Individuals can register online at: www.jerusalem2015.com Groups will get an 11th person free for every 10 people registered. Church groups of 25 or more can get special rates by emailing: E21@sareltours.com. About YouVersion Based on the online Bible, YouVersion.com, the Bible App is a free mobile Bible that can be installed on almost any phone. The Bible App allows users to read the Bible, share verses with their social networks, bookmark their favorite passages, and more – all in a format that keeps up with their increasingly mobile lifestyle. About Empowered21 Empowered21 aims to help shape the future of the global Spirit-empowered movement throughout the world by focusing on crucial issues facing the movement and connecting generations for intergenerational blessing and impartation. Their vision is that every person on Earth would have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033. Get more information at www. empowered21.com. Empowered21 is a Kingdom initiative served by Oral Roberts University, www. oru.edu
free Bible
on your phone, tablet, and computer YouVersion is a simple, ad-free Bible that brings God’s Word into your daily life.
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The History of Ethiopian Jews By World Jewry
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fter the rise of Christianity in Ethiopia in the fourth century, the Jews who refused to convert were persecuted and withdrew to the mountainous Gondar region where they made their homes for more than 2000 years. In the tenth century, they rose against the Axum dynasty led by Queen Judith who overthrew the “negus” (king) and sought to eradicate Christianity throughout the country. She is not forgotten to this day. Later, with the establishment of a new royal dynasty, the Jews of Ethiopia enjoyed great influence for some 350 years often acting as the balance of power between the Muslims and Christian forces. The return to power of the ancient Axum dynasty in 1270, marked the beginning of 400 years of war and bloodshed which ended in the 17th century with the final end of Jewish independence. After the final battle when the Jewish forces were finally defeated “Falasha men and women fought to the death from the steep heights of their fortress... they threw themselves over the precipice or cut each other’s throats rather than be taken prisoner. (Christian Ethiopian Chronicles) The Jews now faced years of suffering, their lands were confiscated, and for a period were forbidden the practice of their religion. The wars, the bloodshed and the glory were over, but persecution in various forms continued.
Modern Contact The first modern contact with the now oppressed community came in 1769 when the Scottish explorer James Bruce stumbled upon them while searching for the source of the Nile River. Missionaries in the nineteenth century drove many to begin a doomed trek to Jerusalem, but over the years others were successful. In the early years of the twentieth century, only a small trickle made their way to Israel. In 1954, the Jewish Agency (www.jafi.org) sent an educational emissary to Beit Israel with the task of training groups which would eventually travel to Israel for study and return home as teachers of Hebrew and Jewish studies in their villages. The first group arrived at Kfar Batya
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in 1955 and these operations continued for a number of years. Other Jewish groups offered aid, welfare, medical care and education including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (www.jdc.org) which commenced welfare operations in 1983. During the reign of Haile Selassie (1930-1974) the Jews of Ethiopia were treated with indifference but their inability to own land was coupled with the scorn of their neighbors who attributed to them every misfortune which befell them. In the struggles following the deposition of Haile Saleassie, an estimated 2,500 Jews were killed and 7,000 rendered homeless. From the end of 1977, small groups of Jews began to flee, joining refugee villages on the other side of the Sudanese border. Those caught trying to flee Ethiopia were arrested and tortured. Claiming that Hebrew was being taught in preparation for emigration to Israel, the governor of Gondar confiscated Hebrew books, the practice of religion was forbidden, Jewish schools and synagogues closed and students caught talking to tourists were questioned and imprisoned. Travel was restricted and a Jew without a travel pass was assumed to be trying to escape and liable for imprisonment. But, the exodus continued. Within three years, there were hundreds of Jews in Sudan living in terrible conditions. Pressure from world Jewry increased, the government of Israel pledged itself to save the Jews of Ethiopia and the Jewish Agency shifted its policy from quiet diplomacy to call for a worldwide campaign to publicize their plight.
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President Obama at My Brother’s Keeper Town Hall: “America Will Succeed If We Are Investing in Our Young People.” By Cameron Brenchley
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his afternoon, President Obama visited the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington, D.C. to participate in a town hall with youth, and to announce new commitments in support of the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. As the President said today, “We want fewer young men in jail; we want more of them in college. We want fewer young men on the streets; we want more in the boardrooms. We want everybody to have a chance to succeed in America. And it’s possible if we’ve got the kind of team that we set up today.” In February, as part of his plan to make 2014 a year of action focused on expanding opportunity for all Americans, the President unveiled the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. The Administration is doing its part by identifying programs and policies that work, and recommending action that will help all our young people succeed. Since the launch of My Brother’s Keeper, the President’s Task Force has met with and heard from thousands of Americans, through online and in-person listening sessions, who are already taking action. Today, leading private sector organizations announced independent commitments that further the goals of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative and directly address some of the key recommendations in the Task Force Report. These commitments include: • The NBA, the National Basketball Players Associa tion, and the National Basketball Retired Players Association announced a five-year commitment in partnership with MENTOR: The National Men toring Partnership, Team Turnaround, and the Council of Great City Schools. The partnership will focus on recruiting new mentors and work with educators in at-risk schools to provide incentive programs that increase attendance and improve overall school performance. • AT&T announced an $18 million commitment to support mentoring and other education pro grams with a mentoring component.
• Becoming A Man (B.A.M.) and Match tutoring programs announced $10 million in new fund ing to expand to 3-5 new cities over the next three years and support a large-scale study on the programs’ long-term effects. • Along with their partners from Silicon Valley and elsewhere, the Emerson Collective, founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, will collaborate with dis tricts and educators to launch a competition to find and develop the best designs for next gen eration high schools. Together, they will contrib ute $50 million for this effort. • Citi Foundation is making a three-year, $10 million commitment to create ServiceWorks, a national program to help 25,000 young people in ten cities across the U.S. develop skills they need to prepare for college and careers. • Today, the leaders of 60 of the largest school systems in the country, which collectively edu cate nearly three million of America’s male stu dents of color, have joined in an unprecedented pledge to change life outcomes of boys and young men of color by better serving these stu dents at every stage of their education. • The College Board is investing more than $1.5 million for “All In,” a national College Board pro gram to ensure that 100 percent of African American, Latino, and Native American students with strong AP potential enroll in at least one matched AP class before graduation. • Discovery Communications will invest more than $1 million to create an original indepen dent special programming event to educate the public about issues related to boys and men of color and address negative public perceptions of them.
Cameron Brenchley is the Senior Digital Strategist at the White House.
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THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
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Dr. David R. Reagan
e are now at that famous battle, which is no battle at all, as you will see. It brings us to the Battle of Armageddon mentioned in Joel 3, Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19. It appears that just as the armies from the east and the north start arriving in the Valley of Armageddon to challenge the Antichrist, the Lord breaks from the heavens. He arrives on the Mount of Olives. He speaks a supernatural word and all the armies are instantly destroyed. There is really no Battle of Armageddon. Jesus doesn’t lead an army out to fight the Antichrist. He simply speaks a supernatural word, for after all, this is the One who spoke and the whole universe came into existence. He will speak and the Antichrist and his forces will drop dead in their tracks. We are told in the Bible that Joel 3:16 says, “That the Lord will roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 10:16 says the result will be a wasting disease. Zechariah 14:12 says that it will be a plague that the Lord will speak and it will cause the flesh of the soldiers to rot while they stand on their feet. It says their eyes will melt in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths, and the blood will be as deep as a horses bridle for a distance of 200 miles. #9 - The Second Battle of Gog and Magog (Revelation 20) Mercifully and joyfully, the Battle of Armageddon will be followed by 1,000 years of peace! The reign of Jesus from Jerusalem results in the world being filled with peace, righteousness, and justice. Swords will be beat into plowshares. The wolf will dwell with the lamb. Little children will play with snakes because they will no longer be poisonous. Jerusalem will be lifted up as the highest place on planet earth. Jesus will reign as King of King and Lord of Lords. David in his glorified body will be the King of Israel. Multitudes will come from the earth to see the King of Kings. His glory will go out throughout the whole world. The blessings of God will flow through the Jewish nation to all the nations of the world to the point that when one Jew walks by, ten Gentiles will grab his robe and ask, “Can we walk with you because we know that god is with you.”
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What a glorious time that’s going to be! Also, Satan will be bound. Sin and crime will then be greatly reduced. Still there will be seething rebellion in the hearts of many if not most of those who are born during the Millennial Kingdom. There’s going to be a great population explosion during the Millennium. Those who go into the Millennium in the flesh will all be saved people, but they will begin to repopulate the earth, and their children will have to come to the point where they are going to believe in Jesus or not. The point that the Bible makes is that most will not. There will be seething rebellion in the hearts of most people. Why would there be resentment in the hearts of people in the midst of a perfect reign of Jesus Christ? The answer is really very simple. The answer is simple — because Jesus is going to rule with a rod of iron. Jesus will give the law. The law will be strictly enforced by those of us who will be reigning with Jesus in our glorified bodies. Those living in the flesh will deeply resent the fact that they cannot freely pursue their worldly lusts, because they will continue to have that sin nature in them. They know that if they step out of line there will be instant arrest, instant trial, and instant punishment. No appeal will exist, because every person ruling will have the mind of Christ. Justice will be swift, justice will be certain, and justice will be sure. So, they simply grind their teeth and say, “We love you Jesus,” but they will be grinding their teeth. Thus, when Satan is released at the end of the Millennium, the majority of those in the flesh will unite in one last great rebellion against God in the ninth war of the end times — the Second Battle of Gog and Magog. The rebellious peoples of the world led again by Satan will revolt against Jesus and try to overthrow Him. Because this war is entitled a “war of Gog and Magog,” it’s often confused with the war in Ezekiel 38 and 39. There are some now saying they are the same war, but they are not, for they are two different wars. This can be proven very simply in Ezekiel 38 and 39. The War of Gog and Magog is a war of Russia with Muslim allies coming against Israel. In Revelation 19, we have Russia with all the world
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coming against Jesus Christ. There are many big differences between these two wars. History is going to end as it began. It goes in a circle. History began with two people in a perfect environment who rebelled against God. It’s going to end up with all of humanity living in a perfect society, and the majority will make the same decision to rebel against God. One of the many purposes of the Millennium, and perhaps one of the most important, is for God to prove to mankind that man has an inherent sin nature that can only be redeemed by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. The religion of Satan has always been Humanism, which is the belief in man. This philosophy teaches that man is inherently good and so man is capable of perfection through education and social justice. Humanists therefore believe that if society can be perfected, man can be transformed and man can also be perfected. But, the Bible teaches that mankind is fatally flawed with a sin nature that makes people naturally evil. The Bible teaches that the only solution to the sin problem is the transformation of the Holy Spirit. That begins when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God will prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt when He puts all of mankind into a perfect society for a 1,000 years and then mankind responds with rebellion. Again, the Second War of Gog and Magog will be the last war of history. Following it, God will take the redeemed off this earth and He will place us in the New Jerusalem which He is now preparing. God will then consume the earth with fire to burn away the pollution of Satan’s last revolt. Out of the fiery inferno will come a New Heavens and a New Earth. This earth is redeemed. This earth is refreshed. This earth is perfected. God will then lower the Redeemed down to this New Earth inside the New Jerusalem. He will come to earth to live in their presence eternally. My friends, eternal peace is coming. War is going to be gone forever.
This hope of mankind will not be achieved by diplomats. It will be a gift of God through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace who died to redeem mankind and all of the cosmos. All I can do when I think about that is shout from the depths of my heart, “Maranatha, Maranatha, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”
Books of Dr. David R. Regan www.lamblion.com
Dr. David R. Reagan serves as the Senior Evangelist for Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a native Texan who resides in a suburb of Dallas. He is married and is the father of two daughters. His wife, Ann, is a retired first grade teacher. They have four grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. Dr. Reagan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas in Austin. His graduate degrees were earned in the field of International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy of Tufts and Harvard Universities. August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |75
The Lord Comes and Reigns PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM and PRAY FOR OUR NATIONS… It is prophesied In the Bible that “Jerusalem will remain in it’s place,” According to the words of the Bible, Zechariah 14: 1-19: [1] A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. [2] I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. [3] Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. [4] On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, form ing a great valley, with half of the mountain mov ing north and half moving south. [5] You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. [6] On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. [7] It will be a unique day—a day known only to the LORD—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light. [8] On that day living water will flow out from Jeru salem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. [9] The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. The whole land, from Geba too Rimmon, south of Jerusalem will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in place. From the Benjamin gate to the site of the First gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed, Jerusalem will be secure. This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the
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nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected, great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. A similar plague will strike the horses and muscles, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. [Revelation 21:1-2]: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. If you knew the day that the LORD would return. What would you do? How would you act? Prepare yourself by studying the scriptures and understanding what God expects of you. Most of all, understand this: All those who believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God shall live. Have you made Jesus the LORD of your life? You can do so now, just repeat these words: I (say your name) if you confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, now I am saved. “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).
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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Commits $5 Million to Helping Youth in America Build Strong Foundations for Successful Careers Thousands of underserved young people across U.S. to obtain summer jobs, with a focus on career pathways, make top corporate commitment to youth employment at Clinton Global Initiative America NEW YORK, June 24, 2014 - Continuing its commitment to workforce readiness and helping underserved youth obtain the skills necessary to build lasting careers, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) today announced a commitment of $5 million over the next two years to summer youth employment initiatives across the U.S. This commitment expects to fund summer jobs for more than 4,000 teenagers and young adults as well as learning opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math for 20,000 13- to 24-year-olds. The firm’s employees will also volunteer their time with nonprofit partners to provide financial capability coaching sessions and introductory coding skills training to participating youth. Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is prioritizing youth employment as one of the key issues for her work at the Clinton Foundation, announced JPMorgan Chase’s Commitment to Action at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative America meeting. “Great American companies are committing to expanding training, hiring, and mentoring youth, and to encourage other businesses to step up as well,” said Former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. JPMorgan Chase will invest $5 million over the next two years to fund 4,000 summer jobs in 14 cities and to offer work readiness opportunities to another 20,000 young people.” Peter L. Scher, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility for JPMorgan Chase, joined Secretary Clinton in Denver for the announcement. Scher said, “Ensuring that young people have the skills they need to succeed is a national priority. JPMorgan Chase is proud to work with the Clinton Foundation, city leaders and nonprofit partners to train and employ our youth. Investing in skills is the right thing for their future and for the future of our country.” In 2014, the firm is working with mayors, nonprofit organizations and other private sector employers in 14 cities Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Jacksonville, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee,
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New York City, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis - to engage youth during their summer break to help expand employment among young adults and provide opportunities for at-risk youth to develop skills that will put them on a career pathway. “I appreciate JPMorgan Chase’s support and participation in the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. “Together we’re helping our children learn and build a résumé to take out into the world.” “JPMorgan Chase continues to be a great partner in Detroit’s turnaround by investing in our community and in our youth,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “By providing meaningful summer work for 1,000 Detroit students this year and next, JPMorgan Chase will provide them a great opportunity to get started on a real career path. This will be a significant boost to our commitment to provide summer jobs to 5,000 Detroit students next summer.” ”We are investing in the future success of San Francisco’s young people by providing more than 7,000 jobs and paid internships for them this summer with a special focus on serving low-income and disadvantaged youth,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. “I thank JPMorgan Chase for joining me on Summer Jobs Plus as we invest in the future success of our City’s youth this summer and beyond.” Several programs will focus on providing skillsbased jobs, internships and learning opportunities for teenagers and young adults in their respective cities and continue beyond the summer months. These programs will expose youth to careers early on, connect them to growth sectors, help them obtain marketable skills and teach them how to manage their finances. Below are a few examples of programs JPMorgan Chase is supporting in 2014: To further complement summer youth employment, JPMorgan Chase is supporting the expansion of the Consumer Federation of America’s America Saves First-time Workers Program. This program will help
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young workers establish good financial habits as they start earning their first paychecks. Participants will learn how to set up direct deposit, establish savings goals and receive relevant financial education. This commitment to youth employment is in addition to the five-year, $250 million global economic opportunity initiative, New Skills at Work, launched in late 2013. New Skills at Work is a global workforce readiness and demand-driven training initiative. It aims to address the skills gap that exists across many industries, such as healthcare and advanced manufacturing, where not enough trained workers have the skills needed to fill available jobs.
About JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at jpmorganchase.com. About Clinton Global Initiative America The Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), a program of the Clinton Global Initiative addresses economic recovery in the United States. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made over 300 commitments valued at more than $15 billion when fully funded and implemented. To learn more, visit cgiamerica.org. August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |79
“One Nation, Under God” By David Barton
Despite America’s great diversity, noth-
ing unifies Americans more than their support for public acknowledgments of God. Consider: [1] 93% want “In God we Trust” to remain on coins and currency; [2] 90% support keeping “under God” in the Pledge; [3] 84% support references to God in schools, government buildings, and public settings; [4] 82% support voluntary school prayer; [5] 76% support Ten Commandments displays on public property. There are few other subjects on which over three-fourths of Americans consistently agree; and while the Left complains that religious expressions are divisive, the evidence proves otherwise; religious expressions have unified Americans from the beginning. In fact, at the first-ever meeting of Congress in 1774 when it was suggested that Congress open with prayer, some delegates predicted that the act would be divisive, but John Adams reported exactly the opposite, noting that “it has had an excellent effect upon everybody here.” Several Supreme Court Justices still believe that such acts are unifying, noting: The founders of our Republic knew…that nothing, absolutely nothing, is so inclined to foster among religious believers of various faiths a toleration – no, an affection – for one another than voluntarily joining in prayer together to God Whom they all worship and seek. Yet the public acknowledgement of God was more than just a pleasant practice in early America; it actually formed the basis of our government philosophy – a philosophy set forth in eighty-four simple words in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute new government.
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Thus, five immutable principles constitute the heart and soul of American government: 1. Government acknowledges that there is a Creator. 2. Government acknowledges that the Creator gives specific inalienable rights to man. 3. Government acknowledges that it exists to protect God-given rights. 4. Government acknowledges that below the level of God-given rights, government powers are to be operated only with the permission of citizens –i.e., with the “consent of the governed.” 5. If government fails to meet the four standards above, the people have an inalienable right to abolish that government and institute a new one that does observe the four criteria above. Significantly, without a public and official recognition of God, there is no hope of limited government, for rights come only from God or from man. If rights come from God, then we can require man to protect those rights – as we did in the Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. But if our rights come from man, then man is permitted to regulate or abolish those rights, and government’s power over our lives therefore becomes absolute and unlimited, as has been the growing trend since the 1990s. The Founders understood that irrevocable limitations can be placed on government only when God is recognized as the source of our rights; they also understood that if we became complacent in our recognition of God as the center of our lives and government, then we would lose our liberties. As Thomas Jefferson warned: Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis: a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? – that they are not to be violated but with His wrath? According to Jefferson, the only “firm basis” of our national liberties is a “conviction
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in the minds of the people” that our liberties are from God and that government cannot intrude into those liberties without incurring God’s wrath. President George Washington likewise admonished: It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. President John Adams similarly urged: The safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him. And Samuel Adams agreed, reminding Americans: May every citizen . . . have a proper sense of the Deity upon his mind and an impression of the declaration recorded in the Bible, “Him that honoreth Me I will honor, but he that despiseth Me shall be lightly esteemed” [I Samuel 2:30]. To restore honor and restore America, we first must restore God to His rightful place in our own lives and thinking. We must then reintroduce those original principles back into the public arena, thus restoring the foundation on which our Declaration and Constitution were built and the only foundation which allows them to operate as intended. It is time for us to re-embrace the truth of President Reagan’s warning that: If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
David Barton is an American evangelical Christian minister, conservative activist, and author. He founded WallBuilders, a Texas-based organization which promotes the view that it is a myth that the US Constitution insists on separation of church and state. Barton is the former vice chair of the Republican Party of Texas. He has been described as a Christian nationalist and “one of the foremost Christian revisionist historians” August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |81
NEWS
CLIPPINGS
North Korea Events in
2009 & 2014
Thousands of Christians Share Gospel in Mexico By CBNNEWS.com, Friday, June 19, 2009
N. Korea Detains Third American Christian By CBNNEWS.com, Tuesday, June 10, 2014
North Korea has detained another American tourist who’s been identified as 56-year-old Jeffrey Edward Fowle, a Christian from Ohio.North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported the detention on Friday, saying the tourist entered North Korea on April 29 and “perpetrated activities that violated the laws of our republic, which did not fit his stated purpose of visiting our republic as a tourist.” Some reports say he may have left a Bible in his hotel room, but a spokesman for his family said he was not there on a mission for his church. Fowle is the third United States citizen to be detained in North Korea.
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Some 6,000 young Christians recently invaded the streets and parks of Oaxaca, Mexico, to pray and share the gospel with its people. They shared their faith one-on-one and prayed for the sick, and also spent time praying for the city. “We don’t have a choice. This is the time,” said Pastor Iglesia Filadelfia. “Either the church awakes and rises up and we bring the kingdom of God to this nation, or the church keeps sleeping and gets further behind and evil grows and multiplies.” Training youth to share their faith was a goal of the Youth Explosion Congress held in Oaxaca. The congress also included teaching sessions and worship celebrations in the afternoons and evenings. By sending the youth out to the city every morning, congress organizers hoped young believers would develop personal evangelism skills, needed to assure that the church in Mexico continues to grow. They are also planning to repeat the Youth Explosion experience in other parts of the country.
Vision Christian Magazine | www.visionhousepublishers.org | August 2014
Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through our gifts and talents:
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Glossary of Prophetic End times Abomination of Desolation: When the Antichrist sits down in the rebuilt Jewish Temple and declares himself to be God, the great tribulation of 42 months will then begin. At the occurrence of this event, the Jews living in Israel are commanded to flee into the wilderness. All tribulation saints will know, from that day on, they must now wait 1260 days before the Lord returns (Dan 9:27) ,(Mat 24:15-19). Amillennialism: (prefix “a,” “no”). The belief that there is no literal 1000-year reign of Christ. Thus Revelation 20 is taken symbolically, not literally, by adherents of this view. Amillennialists generally believe that Israel has been permanently set aside for all time and that God’s current plan of salvation involves only the Church. Antichrist: Often described as the most evil man that will ever live. He will arrive on the world scene and appear to be the world’s savior, but everyone on earth will soon learn his real mission will be one of destruction. Also called the man of lawlessness (or sin), Gog, the son of destruction (or perdition) (1 John 2:18) , (Rev 13:1-8). Apostacy, The: In the end times, the Bible predicts a great falling away or departure from the faith. Because we have experienced a number of generations where people have rebelled against God, the one that occurs leading up to the tribulation will likely surpass prior apostasies. The Greek word apostasy was originally used to describe a revolt staged by a military commander (2 Thes 2:3), (Mat 24:11-13). Armageddon: Armageddon comes from the Hebrew word meaning “the Mount of Megiddo.” This ancient fortress is located in northern Israel, across the Plain of Esdraelon from Nazareth. Armageddon will be the gathering place for the final great battle, which bears its name (Rev 16:16). Church Age: The “Church Age” began on the day of Pentecost and will end at with rapture of the church before the beginning of the tribulation. Many dispensationalists believe the Church is the reason why there is a gap between Daniel’s 69th and 70th week (Dan 9:24-27). Damascus: The city of Damascus has been around for thousands of years and it has never been destroyed in battle. The Prophet Isaiah predicted that someday this city would be destroyed. Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. Dispensationalism: The view that believes God’s dealings with men have proceeded through well-defined time periods, in each of which God reveals a particular purpose to be accomplished in that period, to which men respond in faith or unbelief. Dragon: The dragon is the symbolic name given to representative the devil. Satan is also described as “that old serpent” (Rev 20:2) Eastern Gate: The Eastern Gate has a very important prophet role to play. It is the only gate that is currently blocked. The book of Ezekiel foretold that it would be shut and the only one who will open it will be the “Prince” Jesus (Ezek 44:1-3).
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Eschatology: The study of things that relate to the end times. That which relates to the final events in the history of mankind, which is a big word to impress your friends. False Church: During the first part of the tribulation, the Antichrist’s rise to power will be aided by a religious system, which will include most, if not all, of the world’s major religions. During the second half of the tribulation the Antichrist will destroy this false church. The book of Revelation describes the false churches as the great whore (Rev 17:1-5). False Prophet: He will administrate the workings of the one-world church. The False Prophet’s primary mission will be to cause the world to worship the Antichrist (Rev 13:11-14). Gog And Magog: Most prophetic scholars agree that Gog and Magog were the people that lived in the lands, which are now modern Russia. Someday Russia and a horde of Middle East countries will launch a surprise attack against Israel. All but one sixth of the Gog army will be destroyed upon the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 38 and 39). Historicism: Historicism relates the timing of the current church age through the day/year theory. The day/year theory takes numbers such as the 2,300 days (Daniel 8:14) and 1,290 days (Daniel 12:11) and declares them to be years. They also relate the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments to major historical events that have occurred throughout the past 2,000 years. For example, the fifth seal in Revelation 6 may be identified as the martyrdom under Roman Emperor Diocletian (A.D. 284-304). The Pope is commonly looked at as being the Antichrist. Historicism is the view held by the Mormons, the Seventh-day Adventists, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jacob’s Trouble: Called by Jeremiah as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” and by Daniel as “the time of distress such as never occurred,” this event will take place during the 3 1/2 year reign of antichrist. The time of Jacob’s trouble will be a time of great suffering on earth. The suffering will be brought on by the actions of the Antichrist and by the wrath of God being poured out on a sinful world (Jer 30:7) Judgment, Great White Throne: This judgment is predominately for the unsaved. It is also believed to be a more stern judgment than the Judgment seat of Christ. It is here where all those that are not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Judgment Seat Of Christ: Immediately after the rapture, the church will receive rewards according to what they have done on earth, whether it be good or bad. The Judgment seat of Christ is for believers only (2 Cor 5:10), (Rom 14:10-12), (Rev 11:15-18). Kings of the East: And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. I believe the kings of the east will likely be or will largely include the nation of China (Revelation 16:12). Lake Of Fire: The lake of fire is the final abode for all the lost, the Devil and all of his co-workers. Everyone that’s condemned to this fiery inferno will suffer unrelenting eternal torment (Rev 20:15). Little Horn: Daniel the described seeing a little horn rising out from among ten other horns. The little horn is clearly another representation of the antichrist, because Daniel’s accountingaligns with the apostle John’s Revelation 13 description of the Antichrist (Dan 7:7-8), (Dan 7:19:25). August 2014 | www.visionhousepublishers.org | Vision Christian Magazine |85
Mark Of The Beast: “He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” The Mark of the Beast will likely be a microchip implant that operates like an ATM or credit card. Remember, everyone who receives the Mark of the Beast will be cast into hell, so don’t take the mark! (Rev 13:16-18). Millennium: After the tribulation, Jesus Christ will set up an earthly Kingdom where he will rule for 1000 years (Rev 20: 3-4). Preterism: The belief that nearly all prophetic events have already occurred. The year 70 AD is a popular date where Preterists claim that the book of Revelation was fulfilled. Under preterism you are basically left to just waiting for Jesus to return. Progressive Dispensationalism: A recent form of dispensationalism, which emphasizes the present spiritual reign of Christ on David’s throne. Rapture: At an unknown hour and day the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven, while remaining in the air, he will snatch his Bride, the Church, out from among this sinful world. Christ then takes the Church to heaven for the 7 year wedding feast. The earthly reason for the removal of the Church is to make way for the rise of Antichrist and to fulfill Daniel’s final 70th week (Mat 25:13), (1 Thes 4:16-18), (1 Cor 15:51-54). Red Heifer: The Bible predicts that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Ever since the 70 AD destruction, one major roadblock barring the reconstruction of the Temple is the fact that the Temple Mount area has been defiled by warfare. In order to cleanse the tribulation Temple Mount for worship, the Jews will need the ashes of a pure red heifer. Numbers chapter 19 describes how King Solomon cleansed the first Temple with the ashes of a specially prepared red heifer (Numbers 19:2-9). Replacementism: Replacement theology is the view that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced by the Church around 70 AD. The Church is now seen as spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims that all the promises and blessings, in fact Israel’s entire inheritance, now belongs to the Church. However, all is not lost for Israel; it gets to keep all the curses. Restrainer, The: The presence of the Holy Spirit on earth currently is what restrains the forces of evil. The Holy Spirit resides in the lives of all believers, which is why Christians are called the “salt of the earth.” When the Church is removed at the rapture, most of the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be removed as well (2 Thes 2:7), (Mat 5:13). Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish festival of the civil New Year celebrated on the first and second days of the month Tishri. During this holiday trumpets are blown as a call for repentance. Many Christians look towards Rosh Hashanah as a possible time for the rapture (Numbers 10:1-10). Second Coming: This is the time when Jesus Christ will return, defeat the Antichrist, and set up his 1000 year kingdom on earth. The second coming is not the rapture. The rapture takes place approximately 7 years prior to the second coming. Another important difference between the two is that the rapture will occur at an unknown time while the second coming will take place 42 months after the Antichrist declares himself to be God (Rev 13:5), (Mat 25:13).
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Tribulation:
A period of time lasting 7 years, the first 3 1/2 years will be relatively peaceful as the antichrist rises to power. The second 3 1/2 years will bring the greatest suffering in human history as the wrath of God and the Antichrist is poured out on earth (Dan 9:27) , (Mat 24:21). Witnesses, Two: During the tribulation, two men will prophesy in the streets of Jerusalem. These two witnesses of God will have the power to prevent it from raining on the earth, to call fire down from heaven, to turn bodies of water into blood, and to command a number of other plagues. After they preach for 42 months, the Antichrist will be allowed to kill them. Three and 1/2 days later they will be resurrected and raptured up to heaven. Some scholars say the two men could be Elijah and Enoch or Moses and Elijah (Rev 11:3-13), (Malachi 4:5-6). Wrath of God, The: The Wrath of God is poured out on man at the midpoint of the tribulation. The people of earth will come under God’s wrath because they refuse to turn from their wicked ways. Those that receive the Antichrist Mark will not only come under God’s wrath, but will be lost forever (1 Thes 1:10), (1 Thes 5:9) , (Rev 14:9-11). 10 Nation Confederation - Toes; Horns; Kings: Out of the area that once was the Roman Empire, ten leaders will arise. The only purpose these 10 leaders will have is to give their power to the Antichrist (Dan 2:41-44), (Dan 7:20), (Rev 17:12), (Rev 17:17). 70th Week: The final seven years of Gentile domination of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem; the last week of the seventy weeks of years (490 years) of Daniel’s prophecy which will begin after the long interval (Daniel 9:27). 144,000 Jewish Saints: Before the Antichrist administers his mark, God will send an angel to mark the foreheads of 144,000 Jews - 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. The 144,000 sealed Jews will apparently be commissioned to be a witness to the Gentiles during the tribulation (Rev 7:2-8). 200 Million Man Army, The: During the latter part of the tribulation an Oriental army of some 200 million strong, will move into the Middle East, crossing over the dried up Euphrates River. This army, guided by four demonic angels, will kill one third of mankind (Rev 9:14-16), (Rev 16:12).
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